Pokemon players envious as classic game prices soar
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon players are envious of the price of some classic entries from 2012, considering how they’ve exploded in cost over the past decade.
The Pokemon series is a notable exception when it comes to retro prices. Outside of a few incredibly rare video games that go up for auction, most titles sharply decrease in price after launch, both for physical and digital editions.
The Pokemon games are an exception to this, even though they sell millions of copies each generation. A big part of this is due to how many people keep their physical copies as part of their collection, ensuring a much smaller second-hand market for older titles.
The lack of competition has ensured some retro Pokemon games command ridiculous prices online. The degree to which some games have increased in value has been shown in a recent post, with some classic Pokemon titles adding digits to their cost.
Game FreakPokemon games have shot up in price since 2012, as proven by Amazon listings
A user on the Pokemon Reddit has shown their Amazon purchases from 2012, with Pokemon HeartGold bought for $27.88 and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness purchased for $28.99. These games have since exploded in price, causing other users to express their envy at OP’s luck in buying them
“Yeah I’ve bought boxed emerald for like 20 bucks 10 years ago maybe 12, it’s crazy how much I could get for it now,” one user wrote, while another said, “I miss those prices, on those days games got cheaper over time, now the base price of the game just goes up and if we’re lucky there might be a 10% sale now and then.”
“I can’t even get the cartridge for HG/SS for less than £90 these days” says one user, “Owning a pokewalker or just the goddamn box is a pipe dream at this point.
Why all of the envy? A legitimate English-language Pokemon HeartGold cartridge on its own can cost $120, while adding the PokeWalker adds another $100 to the price tag. Meanwhile, the English-language Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness disc costs $140, while a box & manual version costs around $200.
This price issue is exacerbated by the lack of mainline Pokemon games on Nintendo Switch Online. It’s unlikely that the DS or GameCube-era Pokemon games will see a rerelease, which means fans will only see these prices for the foreseeable future, and envy those who paid barely anything in the past.