10 Most Expensive Nintendo 64 (N64) Video Games

Elias Rodriguez  December 9th, 2022

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The Nintendo 64’s excellent video game titles molded 3D platformers, shaped what multiplayer shooters have become, and created thoughtful exploration for well-rounded adventure experiences. It’s a console that brought about games that took working concepts from previous titles on older consoles such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and innovated them.

As decades have now passed since the launch of the Nintendo 64 console collectors have begun to realize just how few key titles were left in unopened sealed and pristine condition. The advent of professional third-party authentication and certification of video games from companies like WATA and CGC alongside sales from reputable auction companies and websites like Standard Gaming, allows us to catalog and track the most expensive Nintendo 64 titles ever publicly sold. This article is updated quarterly and serves to provide readers with the top 10 most expensive Nintendo 64 video games ever sold.

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10. *Tied* The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask ($19,200)

 

 

This sealed The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Collector’s Edition copy, released in 2000 by Nintendo, sold for $19,200 on Heritage Auctions. The sealed copy received a 9.8 A++ WATA rating. That high rating goes to show that this Collector’s Edition copy is nearly flawless in its seal and overall box structure. 

Majora’s Mask is known for being a direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but it stands as a unique experience. The player can transform into different types of creatures with unique abilities. The game keeps constant pressure on the player by having the impending doom of the menacing moon crashing into Termina–Majora’s Mask’s setting–every three days in-game which is about 52 real-life minutes. It’s all of this that makes it an immaculate piece for any collection.

10. *Tied* Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals ($19,200)

 

Heritage Auctions sold a sealed copy of Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals, released by Bam! in 2000, for $19,200. The sealed copy has an 8.0 A WATA rating. This rating isn’t as high as many other expensive titles on this list, but this game was originally published as a Blockbuster exclusive. That makes it hard to find this game in any better condition.

There was a video game with the same name also released by Bam! on the PlayStation, but it was effectively a completely different game. This Nintendo 64 3D fighting game was based on a cartoon of the same name and featured mechanics that were reminiscent of the show. This included the need for a player to turn back into a beast to recharge a character’s robot mode.

9. Wave Race 64 ($21,000)

A first print copy of Wave Race 64, released in 1996 by Nintendo, sold for $21,000 on Heritage Auctions. This sealed copy has a 9.4 A WATA rating. It’s among one of the most extraordinary copies of the video game and one of the highest in value. The copy is gorgeous and represents a much different beloved part of the console’s racing genre. 

A follow-up to the original Wave Race for the Game Boy, Wave Race 64 has water physics that are still stunning for its time. It was a game that no one ever expected. There were already racing games, but none had the wave physics that this game had. Wave Race 64 made it so that players were fighting against one another but also learning to master each track’s different carefully placed obstacles and environment.

8. Pokemon Stadium 2 ($26,400)

Heritage Auctions sold a copy of Pokemon Stadium 2, released in 2000 by Nintendo, for $26,400. This copy was graded 9.8 by WATA with an A++ seal rating. According to the WATA grading scale, that makes this copy of the game just a single grade minuscule imperfection away from being considered a perfect copy.

Pokemon Stadium 2 includes a total of 251 different Pokemon that players could use in battle. These are all pokemon from the first and second generations. The game also allows players to be able to transfer their 2D Pokemon from the Game Boy games onto this 3D big-screen game. The Pokemon design in the transition is aesthetically grand even now. 

7. Kobe Bryant In NBA Courtside ($33,600)

This copy of Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside, developed by Nintendo and released in 1998, is an early production variant that sold on Heritage Auctions for $33,600. This copy received a WATA rating of 9.8 with an A++ seal. The condition of the copy and early production ascribed to it tells two stories: One that shows how far NBA games have come and another that reveals part of Kobe Bryant’s legacy.

The game is special as it features Kobe Bryant—who’s considered to be one of the best basketball players of all time. It is emotionally significant due to the fact that it shows another one of Bryant’s lifetime accomplishments. He was the youngest NBA player to have ever been named in the title of an NBA Courtside game. On top of that, he also did the motion capture for the game to help create its smooth movement.

6. Mario Party ($55,200)

This Mario Party copy, released in 1998 by Nintendo, was sold on Goldin for $55,200 in May of 2022. The game received an A++ rating for its V-seam seal and an overall WATA score of 9.6. This is one of the highest-rated copies to have ever been graded by WATA. This, additionally, was the start of another fantastic series in the Mario franchise. 

Mini-Games might feel oversaturated in video games now, but Mario Party was one of the first games to include them. Before Mario Party, Board Games on the big screen were not much different than those in real life. The mini-games and their frequency in each play of Mario Party are what turned the game into the success that it’s become.

5. Mario Kart 64 ($144,000)

Heritage Auctions sold a Mario Kart 64 copy, released in 1996 by Nintendo, for $144,000. The game received an A++ seal and a 9.6 WATA rating. This is said to be one of the highest-graded versions of this game by expert auctioneers. This is a red-label copy which means that the box is a variant that was released before the game sold a million copies. 

Mario Kart 64 wasn’t the first Mario Kart in the series–that would be Super Mario Kart on the SNES. It was, however, the first to take on a true 3D environment though the character models were still 2D but designed to look 3D. Mario Kart 64 worked as a true blueprint for the fantastical Mario Kart games that succeeded it.

4. GoldenEye 007 ($192,000)

In October 2021 this copy of GoldenEye 007, released in 1997 by Nintendo, sold for $192,000 on Heritage Auctions.  This first production-sealed copy has a 9.8 A++ Wata rating. The game has been kept in nearly flawless condition for over 25 years. It also serves as one of the first examples that shows a game about a movie can be phenomenal.

The game is a staple in the first and third-person shooter gaming community. GoldenEye 007 is considered the game to have created the landscape for modern-day shooters. It’s not as complex as shooters are now or as quick, but it provided an outline for the strategies used in many shooters. The game was one of the first to reward players that understood how to peek corners and practice their aim.

3. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time ($228,000) Standard Edition

Heritage Auctions sold this Standard Edition copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, released in 1998 by Nintendo, for $228,000. This sealed copy of the title has a WATA 9.8 A++ rating. From the time of its sale in July 2021, it has been one of the highest-graded copies to have ever been sold in a public auction.

Ocarina of Time introduced the targeting mechanic that many players are used to seeing in 3D RPG adventure games. The combat was different from other turn-based adventure games that were dominating the market at the time. This game made it so that exploration always had the joyous charm that accompanies the feeling of figuring something out. Ocarina of Time set a standard for what an award-worthy adventure game should include.

2. Super Smash Bros. ($240,000)

This copy of Super Smash Bros., released by Nintendo in 1996, was sold by Heritage Auctions for $240,000. This sealed copy of the game has a 9.8 A++ WATA rating. This is extremely special in this case because this is one of the highest–if not the actual highest–copy of this title to have ever been graded. Most of the highest WATA graded titles are graded at 9.4 or below.

Super Smash Bros is another iconic series that has now spent decades in Nintendo’s Super Mario franchise. It’s a game that was created for the casual player but is also adored by the competitive player. This nearly perfect copy feels like a small window looking back through time toward the establishment of the first crossover fighting game. 

1. Super Mario 64 ($1,560,000)

Heritage Auctions sold Super Mario 64, released in 1996 by Nintendo, for a staggering $1,560,000 on July 11, 2021. This sealed copy of the game had a WATA rating of 9.8 A++. This, like many other titles on the list, was similar to an excellently preserved gem. At the time it was sold, population reports weren’t readily available and some believed it might be the only one available–this was later found out to not be the case. 

Super Mario 64 took the 2D Mario platforming formula and found a way to completely change it and make it as fun as ever. The movement that Mario’s controls had in the game created a precedent for platformers. Super Mario 64 was the best-selling game on the N64 which shows the imprint it left behind. This copy is a portal that releases nostalgic aromas that captivate those who look at it in a soft cage of sweet childhood memories.

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Top Ten Recap:

1. 1. Super Mario 64 ($1,560,000)
2. 2. Super Smash Bros. ($240,000)
3. 3. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time - Standard Edition ($228,000)
4. 4. GoldenEye 007 ($192,000)
5. 5. Mario Kart 64 ($144,000)
6. 6. Mario Party ($55,200)
7. 7. Kobe Bryant In NBA Courtside ($33,600)
8. 8. Pokemon Stadium 2 ($26,400)
9. 9. Wave Race 64 ($21,000)
10. 10. Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals ($19,200)
11. 10. The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask ($19,200)

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Note! The games listed above are all in an extremely pristine state of preservation, in many cases nearing museum quality. Copies of just the game cartridge alone may be worth only a few dollars. Standard Gaming is an avid buyer of all rare video games. If you have any games that you believe to be rare and would like to sell please contact us here.