Graded Video Game Market Update: Sealed and CIB

Market Summary

This week was not a broad move higher or lower. The data points to a narrower graded video game market where buyers paid up for some sealed and CIB examples, while other comps stayed uneven.

1. Liquidity Tightened

Highlight: 674 sales settled, down from 904.
Pattern: fewer graded video game transactions cleared this week.
Trend: volume softened while the median rose from $185 to $250.
Analysis: buyers were more selective, but the middle of the market did not collapse.

2. Median Strength Was Selective

Highlight: median price rose 35%, while average price fell 10%.
Pattern: the market had fewer high-end outliers pulling the average up, but stronger mid-level sales.
Trend: not all graded video games moved together.
Analysis: demand is concentrating around cleaner, easier-to-comp inventory.

3. Top Sales Were Sealed

Highlight: the top eight sales were all sealed video games.
Pattern: Pokemon, Melee, Metroid, Final Fantasy VII, Resident Evil, Sonic, Conker, and Super Mario RPG led the board.
Trend: recognizable franchises still get the most attention.
Analysis: sealed demand is strongest when the title is already proven.

4. CIB Deserves Attention

Highlight: CIB video games posted a $415 median versus $206 for sealed video games.
Pattern: CIB had much lower volume at 74 sales, but higher median pricing.
Trend: complete examples can still compete with sealed results.
Analysis: strong CIB copies may be under-discussed, especially in older cardboard packaging.

5. Packaging Era Matters

Highlight: cardboard CIB had a $472 median and cardboard sealed had a $390 median. DVD and plastic-case sealed games were lower at $146.
Pattern: packaging type changed the price range.
Trend: cardboard and disc-era games are behaving like different markets.
Analysis: sealed video game comps should be separated by packaging era before comparing grade.

6. Console Activity Was Split

Highlight: PS2 had the most sales with 84, but only a $190 median. Game Boy, N64, SNES, Genesis, and Xbox 360 had higher medians with fewer sales.
Pattern: the most active console was not the highest-priced console.
Trend: liquidity and price leadership are separate.
Analysis: PS2 has depth, while older Nintendo and Sega platforms showed stronger pricing.

7. Comps Were Noisy

Highlight: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City had one PSA 9.8 A+ first print sealed sale at 7.3x comp, while another WATA 9.8 A++ sealed sale closed 82% below comp.
Pattern: same title, very different outcomes.
Trend: single comps can mislead.
Analysis: grader, variant, photos, venue, and timing likely explain more than the title alone.

Big Main Points

Market volume was down, but median price was up.
Top-end demand favored sealed video games from known collector franchises.
CIB video games showed stronger median pricing, but with fewer sales.
Cardboard packaging outperformed DVD and plastic-case era packaging.
PS2 had the most activity, while older platforms showed stronger medians.
The best educated read: demand is still there, but it is narrower and more comp-sensitive.

Top Sales

Top sales were led by sealed video games from established collector franchises.

#1 · Game Boy · PSA 9.8 A++

Pokemon Trading Card Game Nintendo Game Boy Sealed New

Sealed

$6,600

#2 · GameCube · VGA 90

Super Smash Bros Melee Nintendo GameCube MIU Sealed New

Sealed

$4,650

#3 · NES · WATA 9.0 B+

1987 Nintendo NES Metroid Oval SOQ Rev A

Sealed

$4,099

#4 · PS1 · WATA 8.0

Final Fantasy VII 7 Sony PlayStation PS1 Sealed New

Sealed

$3,995

#5 · GameCube · PSA 9.8 A++

Resident Evil Nintendo GameCube Black Label Sealed New

Sealed

$3,500

#6 · Genesis · WATA 9.6 A+

Sonic & Knuckles Sega Genesis Cardboard Slide Sealed New

Sealed

$3,050

#7 · N64 · PSA 9.2 A+

Conker's Bad Fur Day - Nintendo 64 (N64) Factory Sealed - GRADED WATA

Sealed

$2,800

#8 · SNES

SUPER MARIO RPG Legend of Seven Stars SNES PSA Graded 8.0 A+ Sealed CG

Sealed

$2,600

Beat Its Comp · condition + variant matched

The premium sale shows how much exact variant, grader, and listing context can affect a graded video game comp.

Grand Theft Auto Vice City PS2 First Print New Sealed WATA Sealed

PS2 · PSA 9.8 A+ · sold $1,180 vs $163 typical sealed comp (n=3)

7.3×

Deals · sold under comp

Under-comp sales should be read carefully, since one result may reflect timing, presentation, or buyer attention.

Grand Theft Auto Vice City Sealed

PS2 · WATA 9.8 A++ · sold $110 vs $610 comp (n=3)

−82%

Sales that closed well below their like-for-like comp this period: potential buys, or signs of softening demand.

Condition & Grade

Sealed video games had the most volume, while CIB video games showed the higher median this period.

Sealed

$206

median · 402 sales · $454 avg

Ungraded$119 (122)

9.6$171 (56)

9.8$318 (54)

9.0$325 (14)

CIB

$415

median · 74 sales · $477 avg

8.5$572 (21)

Ungraded$200 (19)

8.0$650 (9)

9.0$600 (7)

Loose

$242

median · 198 sales · $342 avg

Ungraded$74 (49)

9.8$400 (44)

10$250 (19)

9.6$400 (15)

Notable-Title Grade Guide

Grade and subgrade still need to be compared within the same packaging type, title, and grader.

Cardboard-box eraNES · SNES · N64 · GB

	A++	A+	A
9.8	$1,612 (6) $200–$14,700	$787 (1)	·
9.6	$656 (1)	$660 (3) $550–$3,050	$740 (1)
9.4	$360 (1)	$225 (3) $100–$540	$140 (1)
9.2	$434 (2) $305–$562	·	·
9.0	·	$2,200 (3) $143–$4,000	$350 (1)
8.5	·	$7,163 (2) $124–$14,203	·

DVD / plastic-case eraPS1–5 · Xbox · GameCube

	A++	A+	A
9.8	$143 (37) $50–$1,000	$378 (24) $70–$1,596	$422 (4) $76–$850
9.6	$85 (4) $68–$118	$200 (15) $36–$2,200	$295 (4) $130–$400
9.4	$48 (1)	$468 (6) $165–$1,200	$100 (5) $76–$600
9.2	·	$225 (2) $100–$350	·
9.0	·	$230 (1)	$399 (2) $267–$530

Median & range by grade × sub-grade for collector franchises (last 90 days). (n) = sample size; dimmed = thin data. Cardboard-box games command a premium over disc-era at the same grade.

Notable Median by Console × Grade

Console	9.8	9.6	9.4	9.2	9.0	8.5
GameCube	$820 (13)	$300 (5)	$500 (3)	$358 (1)	$530 (1)	$76 (1)
Game Boy Advance	$3,600 (1)	$425 (2)	$225 (5)	$562 (1)	$808 (4)	$124 (3)
Xbox 360	$115 (9)	$144 (6)	·	$110 (1)	·	·
PS1	$415 (7)	$2,200 (1)	$601 (2)	$250 (3)	·	·
N64	$1,200 (1)	$928 (2)	·	$1,275 (5)	$1,363 (2)	$575 (2)
NES	·	·	·	$1,050 (2)	$1,200 (5)	$825 (5)
PS3	$128 (8)	$81 (3)	·	·	·	·
Nintendo 3DS	$99 (8)	$120 (1)	$90 (1)	·	·	·
PS2	$155 (4)	$230 (2)	$76 (3)	·	$249 (1)	·
SNES	$500 (4)	$660 (3)	·	·	$315 (1)	$249 (2)
Game Boy	$14,700 (1)	·	·	·	$326 (3)	$575 (5)
Xbox	$900 (1)	$455 (3)	$486 (1)	·	$250 (3)	$211 (1)
Wii	$500 (3)	$110 (2)	$132 (2)	$100 (1)	·	·
Switch	$82 (6)	$68 (1)	·	·	·	·

Median notable-title sale by console across grades 9.8–8.5 (last 90 days). A 9.8 is not one market. Disc-era grails top the list while high-population modern games sit far lower.

Sealed vs CIB by Packaging

	Sealed	CIB	Loose
Cardboard-box	$390 (285)	$472 (172)	$160 (109)
DVD / case	$146 (823)	$200 (37)	$208 (401)

Console Breakdown · Sealed vs CIB

PS2 had the most sales, while the highest prices came from a mix of Game Boy, GameCube, NES, PS1, Genesis, N64, and SNES.

Console	Sales	Median	Sealed	CIB
PS2	84	$190	$149 (44)	$180 (1)
Switch	70	$130	$130 (13)	·
PS1	58	$274	$200 (31)	$285 (8)
Xbox 360	50	$400	$400 (23)	·
NES	48	$333	$316 (18)	$350 (19)
GameCube	46	$330	$281 (32)	$61 (3)
Xbox	45	$65	$61 (36)	$3 (1)
N64	32	$600	$907 (10)	$587 (12)
SNES	32	$415	$425 (15)	$500 (7)
PS3	29	$69	$57 (18)	·
Genesis	26	$404	$405 (20)	$51 (2)
Game Boy	23	$609	$513 (7)	$617 (10)

This period's volume and median by condition, per console.