The classic JRPG collecting scene is hotter than ever nowadays. Few genres have such longevity – as many hit franchises like Pokémon and Final Fantasy approach their third and fourth decades, they remain as popular and current as ever, and collectors are keen to get their hands on the dwindling supply of pristine original copies of the classic entries in the genre.
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is often regarded as one of the best JRPGs of all time, and thanks to re-releases on modern systems, the time travel epic remains as beloved as ever. Given that pristine copies of the Super Nintendo version are becoming rarer and rarer, it’s no surprise that it’s a much-desired title by collectors.
A WATA 9.6 sealed copy sold for a jaw-dropping $48,000 in 2020, setting a high-water mark for SNES RPGs. Fast forward to February 2025, and a similar grade sealed copy still commanded an impressive $40,000.
An unsealed, but complete-in-box (CIB) copy, can still go for thousands if in good condition. A 9.2 WATA complete in box Chrono Trigger sold for $3,300 on eBay. As always, though, grading and condition is key – a lower-grade 7.0 WATA boxed copy fetched just $400 in 2024.
Final Fantasy
The original 1987 Final Fantasy for the NES was the game that launched one of gaming’s biggest franchises and, alongside Dragon Quest, helped to define the gameplay that JRPGs use to this day. Boxed copies are valuable – plus, the superb cover artwork looks great in any collection.
A 9.8-graded sealed copy sold via Heritage Auctions for $27,600 in 2022 – although a similar copy of the same grade went for under half that ($11,500) on eBay, proving that if you’re holding onto a valuable copy yourself, a real auction house is the way to go.
As with Chrono Trigger, unsealed copies can be worth a fair amount, but it depends on condition. In March 2025, a 9.6 WATA CIB Final Fantasy sold for $1,000, while a 6.5 CIB copy fetched just $200 in 2024. Interestingly, even loose cartridges—if graded—can demand decent prices. A graded loose Final Fantasy cartridge in average condition might still fetch around $200.
Final Fantasy VII
Skipping ahead to the seventh – and perhaps, the most popular – entry in the Final Fantasy franchise, which released in 1997 for the PlayStation, we see a similar picture emerge. In 2021, a sealed 9.8 A++ copy sold for an incredible $33,600.
In part due to the sheer number of copies produced in its heyday, along with the lesser value of CDs compared with cartridges, CIB copies of FFVII aren’t worth a great deal – though this does make them an attractive starting point for collectors on a budget. A 9.4 CIB FFVII sold for $320 in March 2025.
There’s not much of a market for loose discs in the way there is for cartridges, so a FFVII disc without the box won’t be worth much.
Pokémon RBY
The original Pokémon games for the GameBoy are a goldmine for collectors. In August 2024, a WATA 9.8 A++ sealed copy of Pokémon Red sold for a mind-blowing $118,750 at Heritage Auctions. Pokémon Blue (also released in 1998) is worth slightly less than Red, though can still command six figure prices. The Holy Grail is a "Made in Japan" 83% Fibre, Y-Fold Box. Wata 9.8 sealed copies both went north of $100,000 in 2021 and 2022. A 9.4 rated standard Sealed copy sold in March, 2025 for $9000, whereas a CIB version with the exact same rating sold the same month for just $1725, again highlighting the importance of sealed versus CIB.
Pokémon Yellow (1999) was a special edition of Red/Blue that more closely follows the plot of the anime, giving the player Pikachu as their starter. Being a later release, it goes for slightly less than Red and Blue. A "Made in Japan" sealed 9.8 WATA graded copy sold for $30,000 this year. Of course, that is still an eye-watering amount of money for a game that originally retailed at $39.99. In contrast, a sealed 7.0 recently went for $1525. CIB editions rated between 6.0 and 8.0 tend to sell for between $300-$400.
Pokémon Silver
Nowadays, Pokémon Gold and Silver tend to be overshadowed by the first generation of games, but they still command high prices on the market. In February 2025, a WATA 9.8 sealed "Made in Japan" copy of Silver sold for $13,750 through Heritage Auctions. Yet a WATA 9.6 sealed copy, also "Made in Japan," sold for just $4,200 on eBay in April 2025. That small 0.2 difference on the WATA scale significantly influenced final prices.
Lower-grade copies see even steeper drop-offs. An 8.5 sealed copy sold for $1,336 in January 2025 on eBay, while an 8.5 CIB went for just $799 in December 2024.
Conclusion
Whether chasing the six-figure heights of a sealed Pokémon Red or building a larger collection of CIB Nintendo classics, understanding the market is key. If you're a seller, getting a game graded by professionals will nearly always increase its value, and going through an auction house rather than eBay is often worth it for sealed games in good condition.
Of course, many of us collect for pleasure as well as profit, and the thrill of owning games from our childhood holds great sentimental value. A growing number of gamers are purchasing original consoles (like the PS1 and SNES) to play classic games on. While emulators and modern ports offer a superb experience, there's still something special about playing on original hardware. Classic JRPGs are no exception, and unsealed, ungraded copies are still cheap enough that you can re-collect all your childhood favorites, as well as the classics you might have missed.
