The Rarest N64 Games (& How Much They're Worth)

The Nintendo 64 brings back a lot of memories for a lot of people. For many, the N64 represents the glory days of couch co-op gaming, sitting with friends around an old TV, blowing on the cartridge when it didn't work (even though that didn't do anything and could harm it in the long run), munching on some snacks and duking it out in Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros.

Nostalgia aside, the N64 had plenty of notable games, many of which proved monumentally influential to the gaming industry as a whole. Some remain incredibly rare to this day, making them some of the most expensive N64 games ever and helping them to take pride of place on the shelves of collectors, luckily enough to own them.

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Updated February 17, 2025, by David Heath: The Nintendo 64 remains a popular retro console thanks to providing some key advances in gaming, from Super Mario 64's open-world platforming to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's sense of adventure. Still, it took a distant second place to the PlayStation as it was harder to program for, and its cartridges were more expensive to buy than CDs. Nonetheless, it overcame its limitations to be a humble success in its own right. It's enough to get a person into collecting games for the console, from its big hitters to its also-rans. That is if they can afford them. If people want a complete A-Z of the N64's games, they're going to have a hard time finding these entries for a fair price, as this list has been updated with rarer N64 titles, along with updated prices for its old entries, showing whether they've risen or fallen in value.

1 Starshot Space Circus Fever

Juggling Moneybags

Despite having clunky and hard-to-master controls, Starshot Space Circus Fever was loved by the community for the unique, unsettling feeling that players felt while playing it. Another questionable aspect of the game is its ending, with many players left wondering if they got the bad ending. But nope. It only had one ending, and it closed the quirky platformer off on a bum note, likely meant to lead to a sequel that never came.

All things aside, the game is still considered a cult classic and is among the rarest games on the console. New copies have risen to a new peak at $843, and CIB copies are gradually climbing back up in price. It's actually gotten slightly easier to find it loose at $92 per cartridge. Still, it's quite dear, especially for people who want to check it out on real hardware. For cheaper alternatives, the PAL version is only $12.54 loose, and the PC version is just under $10.

2 Goemon's Great Adventure

Stealing From The Rich

With testing gameplay that offsets its cartoony Japanese themes, it's not all that surprising that the Mystical Ninja franchise never quite took off in the West. As niche as it looked, Legend of the Mystical Ninja became an underground favorite for the SNES, and its sequel, Goemon's Great Adventure, somehow managed to dig even deeper into the earth. Even so, the game deserves more kudos, as it was one of the more accessible 2.5D platforming games on the N64.

Players take on the role of the wild-haired ninja Goemon as he ventures through forests, mountains, and other colorful lands in a fantasy version of Edo Period Japan. Loose and CIB copies have dropped only slightly in price, while new copies have barely fallen since hitting their peak at $1,237 last May. Not even the PAL version, Mystical Ninja 2 Starring Goemon, is any cheaper at $111.63 loose. Only the Japanese version goes easy on the wallet at $27.50.

3 Indiana Jones And The Infernal Machine

It Belongs In A Museum

The first 3D installment of the franchise, Indiana Jones And The Infernal Machine, is not only a great game in many respects but also a critical title for the Indiana Jones series. In the game, players navigate beautifully built environments, overcome enemies, solve intricate puzzles, and make their way across hard-to-reach platforms for 17 levels.

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Although it is not as well-known as some other titles on the platform, this entry earned a special place in the hearts of fans of the series and adventurers alike. It's gradually gotten more precious as loose and complete in-box (CIB) prices have risen over the months. Though surprisingly, new copies dropped significantly in August 2024 and have remained around the $340-350 line ever since.

4 Castlevania: Legacy Of Darkness

Casting A Pall Over Bank Accounts

When compared to the rougher Castlevania 64, 1999's Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness holds up better from a gameplay standpoint because it sticks more to the franchise's classic elements. Still, the game was overshadowed by its N64 counterpart in infamy and by more popular PlayStation titles like Symphony of the Night and Castlevania Chronicles in quality, which is why the series had more success sticking to two dimensions from then on.

Still, it offered the original Castlevania 64 campaign with C: LoD's tighter gameplay, and Cornell's lycanthropic story did draw some hardcore fans to the title. Nonetheless, this prequel still wasn't particularly well-received and soon became one of the rarest N64 games. New copies were going for $1,000+ last May before dropping to $413 by August. Still, they're gradually climbing back up, reaching $702 in February 2024. But if buyers just want a complete box, they just need $329 or $147 if they only want the cartridge.

5 Bakuretsu Muteki Bangai-O

Treasure's Retro-Blaster Becomes a Treasure in Itself

Shoot 'em ups were dwindling in popularity in the late 1990s, but it still saw some gems hit consoles and computers. PS1 owners might remember having fun with R-Type Delta and Einhander. N64 owners had fewer options, though if they were able to import games, they would've been able to experience Bakuretsu Muteki Bangai-O nearly 2 years before it got its belated NA Dreamcast release in 2001.

It was basically a reworking of Hover Attack, one of the first scrolling shooters ever made, only with fancy N64 graphics and as many bullets as programmer Mitsuru Yaida could fit on screen. Treasure is famous for their shooting games, as people who have played Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier, and Ikaruga may know, though despite earning two sequels, Bangai-O feels like one of their more unsung titles. It's a fun title, though whether it's worth $330 for a complete set is up to the buyer.

6 Big Mountain 2000

Players Ski Downhill, Prices Climb Uphill

Big Mountain 2000, a winter sports game, was a hit thanks to its simple-to-play, hard-to-master controls, smooth gameplay, and pretty good graphics for the time. Rivaling the snowboard game craze at the time, players race down various slopes on skis while trying to manage their stamina and overcome any obstacle they come across on the track.

It became one of the rarest and most expensive Nintendo 64 games, not because it was a mega-hit, but because its supplies have gotten more scant over the years. This scarcity has led to the price climbing massively in recent years, with new copies still standing tall around the $1,000 mark. Luckily, its Loose and CIB prices have remained steady, with complete boxes sticking to the $330 mark and loose cartridges being around $72, give or take a few cents.

7 Daikatana

This Game Is About To Make Players Its ATM

Although the game wasn't reviewed all that well by critics, Daikatana offered unique environments, and its level design was actually pretty good and went some way toward living up to the pre-release hype. Nonetheless, even if it didn't have development problems or its infamous ad campaign based around director John Romero, it still would've been brought down by its dodgy gameplay.

PC owners at least have access to the 1.3 patch, which helped it play more like how Romero and Ion Storm planned. The N64 version has the old faults combined with a low frame rate, fogging, and an awkward translation thanks to it being handled by Japanese developers Kemco instead of Ion Storm. Nonetheless, its infamy has made it a collector's item, as it's gradually increased in price across the board.

8 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Offers More Value Than Kevin Sorbo's Paychecks

Remember the 1990s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys series? It was like a lesser take on Xena: Warrior Princess, but still popular enough to get a half-decent Zelda: Ocarina of Time clone. Made by Player 1 for Titus Interactive (of Superman 64 and Robocop 2003 infamy), it saw the Greek hero and his friends Iolaus and Serena go on an adventure in order to free Zeus from the clutches of Ares and Hera.

Its US port isn't exactly a bank breaker, with sealed copies being worth $355. However, its PAL version is rarer by comparison. European N64 collectors will need the equivalent of $490 just for a complete box. But if they want a copy with Kevin Sorbo's scowl unbesmirched by the ravages of time, they'll need $1,324.

9 WCW Backstage Assault (Gray Cartridge)

WCW's Last Digital Gasp

The WWE's former competitor has been dead since March 2001, but wrestling fans from back in the day can still recall how rough WCW Backstage Assault was to play. It was basically WCW Mayhem, an equally mediocre digital grappler without the wrestling ring. All the action took place in backstage locations, from hallways to showers, with differing hallways and corridors in between. Compared to WWE Smackdown 2 and WWF No Mercy, which managed to have the ring and backstage locations, it was a measly jobber.

When it was released in the US, it usually came in the form of a blue cartridge. But later in its retail run, it was put into the bog-standard gray cartridges. Since it wasn't exactly a system seller, these later releases became quite rare. As such, if anyone has an authentic gray NA copy of WCW Backstage Assault, they could net themselves about $160. If they have the box it came in and it's in good condition, they could earn $512 instead, which is much more worthwhile than playing it.

10 Mario no Photopi

Learning Photoshop With Everyone's Favorite Plumber

Mario Paint on the SNES was a fun little game. Players could do all sorts of things, from making pictures to funny musical arrangements with sound effects. It was popular enough to make one wonder why it never received a sequel. The thing is, it did in the Mario Artist series. The problem is that it was on the Nintendo 64DD, an add-on that lets the N64 read special disks and even connect to the internet for online play. Each disk served a different function, from painting to uploading art to the web.

If owners only had the basic console, they had to make do with Mario no Photopi. Players could insert SmartMedia cards into the slots on the cartridge to upload images to the machine and then edit them with borders, fonts, and other tweaks. They could even turn them into posters, slideshows, or image-based puzzles. It's the dearest of the Mario Artist games, though that $556 price tag might be more tolerable if players didn't also need the 64DD on top of it.