The Best NES Games Under $10
After adding a console to your collection, the first thing you want to do is get a handful of games to keep you busy with your new toy. This budget-friendly list should help you quickly find which games will start you off well without emptying your wallet.
It has been quite a while since I have updated the list of affordable NES games, so in addition to updating prices, I also expanded out the list based on my own experience and recommendations from others. Not surprisingly, I noticed that a lot of the big-name titles like the Super Marios have jumped quite a bit in value despite being quite common. Sometimes, it might be a challenge to find a bare cart for under $10.
The prices listed below are for cart-only games, as it is getting much more challenging (and expensive) to track down boxed NES games. (Prices listed are an average eBay price for US games, including shipping)
Check out the other Cheapest Games Worth Your Time articles
Cheap Classics
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Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt: $5 This has to be one of the most common game cartridges of all time. It is probably also one of the most loved cartridges of all time as well as it contains two essential NES classics. This game pack came with nearly every NES sold and use game stores were quickly littered with a number of copies. It used to be if you were buying this online, you are essentially paying for only the shipping. However, nostalgic gamers (now armed with NES clones) are starting to scoop these up and raise prices. Shop For Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt at eBay Shop For Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt at Amazon.com |
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Super Mario Bros 3: $9 Considered by some to be the best Super Mario game ever and one of the best selling games of the era, Super Mario Bros 3. is incredibly common, but is essential for any platformer fan. Mario 3 is probably the biggest riser on this list. It has at least doubled in value since 2005 and can be a bit of a challenge to find for under $10 at even the most price-sensitive local shops. Shop For Super Mario Bros 3 at eBay Shop For Super Mario Bros 3 at Amazon.com |
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Super Mario Bros 2: $10 While the non-Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was quite a departure from the rest of the Mario series, it still holds a special place in the hearts of many NES fans. Mario 2 is the hardest to track down out of the NES trilogy and it shows in the price. It’s actually quite common to see this priced for above $10 for a bare cart, but you can score one cheap if you keep your eyes peeled. Shop For Super Mario Bros 2 at eBay Shop For Super Mario Bros 2 at Amazon.com |
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Metroid: $9 The beginning of one of Nintendo most epic franchises is an inexpensive piece of Nintendo history. Metroid provided one of the first highly nonlinear game experiences on a home console and gave adventure-filled, shooting platformer gameplay laid a solid foundation for the series. Shop For Metroid at eBay Shop For Metroid at Amazon.com |
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Castlevania Series: About $9 each Much like Metroid, the Castlevania series is one of the deepest franchises to start on the NES. It is also one of the few to still have a long legacy of 2D descendants that still have showed up on modern gaming machines. Each installment of the NES Castlevania trilogy can be purchased for about $9 each (Actually, Castlevania II can often be found a bit cheaper without too much effort) Shop For The Castlevania Series at eBay Shop For The Castlevania Series at Amazon.com |
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The Legend of Zelda: $8 Not only was The Legend of Zelda one of Nintendo’s earth-shattering games of the 1980’s, but it also was released as that unforgettable gold cartridge. I’m actually a bit surprised that this cartridge hasn’t reached the levels of the later Super Mario Bros games in price, but perhaps those cater to the casual crowd more. Shop For The Legend of Zelda at eBay Shop For The Legend of Zelda at Amazon.com |
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Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out: $10 Even though the gameplay is rather simplistic (but challenging) combination of pattern recognition, memorization, and quick reflexes, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out remains a iconic classic that is still loved decades after its release. Luckly, Punch-Out just squeezes under the $10 threshold. Shop For Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out at eBay Shop For Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out at Amazon.com |
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Tetris: $5 The grand-daddy of puzzle games in one of it’s purest forms. It may have been experienced more on the original Gameboy, but for a few dollars, you can’t go wrong with the NES version if you are building a collection. Shop For Tetris at eBay Shop For Tetris at Amazon.com |
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Bionic Commando: $5 If you need an action platformer that thinks outside the Metroid/Castlevania/Megaman formulas, check out Capcom’s wonderful Bionic Commando. You have a bionic arm that extends and contracts that allows you to grab on to fixed objects to swing around and climb up levels. This will become obviously valuable when you realize you can’t jump. This classic has stayed very stable in the lower end of the price spectrum despite having a sucessful reboot on modern systems. Shop For Bionic Commando at eBay Shop For Bionic Commando at Amazon.com |
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Crystalis: $9 In SNK’s Crystalis, the mechanics and story are best described as the precursor of SNES’s Zelda:A Link to the Past. Despite its high graphical and gameplay quality, Crystalis never became a runaway hit, although it is considered today a cult classic. Shop For Crystalis at eBay Shop For Crystalis at Amazon.com |
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Mega Man 3: $9 The long-running Megaman series planted its roots on the NES, but the third installment is the only one to be easily obtained for less than $10. With the recent XLBA and PSN releases of Mega Man 9 and 10, its getting harder to find the orignals at a decent price — the more popular installements can get a little on the pricey side. Shop For Megaman 3 at eBay Shop For Megaman 3 at Amazon.com |
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Kirby’s Adventure: $8 This inventive platformer showed off what the NES could do graphically and what the masterminds at HAL Laboratory could come up with to avoid becoming just another run-and-jump game. Shop For Kirby’s Adventure at eBay Shop For Kirby’s Adventure at Amazon.com |
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Blaster Master: $5 Blaster Master was a wonderful hybrid of side-scrolling action and overhead Zelda-like exploration. If you want a good gaming value that takes a step out of the most famous Nintendo games, Blaster Master is highly recommended. Shop For Blaster Master at eBay Shop For Blaster Master at Amazon.com |
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Excitebike: $5 A perfect example of a simplistic game that actually requires some skill and strategy to really excel. Excitebike is one of the few 8-bit racers to still be relevant today. Shop For Excitebike at eBay Shop For Excitebike at Amazon.com |
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RC Pro Am: $6 Speaking of relevant 8-bit racers, RC Pro-Am would definately fall into that category as well. Rareware’s classic racer is full of vehicle upgrades, weapons, and all sorts of goodies that keep things entertaining. The animation is also quite impressive for the era. Shop For RC Pro Am at eBay Shop For RC Pro Am at Amazon.com |
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Bomberman: $9 Of course, Bomberman is availible on just about every platform known to man now. However, there’s still something theraputic about playing the orignial on an NES. Unfortunately, Bomberman 2 is quite pricey, but you can usually score the original for just under $10. Shop For Bomberman at eBay Shop For Bomberman at Amazon.com |
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Ninja Gaiden: $6 Just like the newer installments, the original will school you with its high difficulty. As opposed to most action titles filled with repetitive action with very little motivation to keep you going, Ninja Gaiden keeps you going with its deep story and amazing cutscenes. It is a wonderful example of what is possible with the limited resources of an 8-bit system if given the proper artistic direction. And even though the series is still very popular, there’s plenty of Ninja Gaiden carts to go around. Shop For Ninja Gaiden at eBay Shop For Ninja Gaiden at Amazon.com |
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A Boy And His Blob: $6 If you’re looking for an interesting gem that is something out of the ordinary, enjoy treasure-hunting and puzzle-solving elements, I would be on the lookout for A Boy And His Blob. The recent love of the Wii sequel is also another reminder that this franchiseis worth looking into. Shop For A Boy And His Blob at eBay Shop For A Boy And His Blob at Amazon.com |
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Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers: $7 Rescue Rangers is probably one of my favorite NES hidden gems — mainly because of how much of an absolute joy it is to play with a friend. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an excellent value as a single-player platformer, but you will have a riot with the co-op experience. Shop For Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers at eBay Shop For Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers at Amazon.com |
Other Cheap Favorites
- Little Nemo: The Dream Master: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
- The Guardian Legend: $4 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Adventures of Lolo: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Marble Madness: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Dr Mario: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Duck Tales: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Dragon Warrior: $4 – eBay
- Final Fantasy: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Clash at Demonhead: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Vice Project Doom: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Metal Gear: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Zanac: $4 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Tecmo Bowl: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Paperboy: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Ice Climber: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Yoshi: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Yoshi Cookie: $4 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Gradius: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: $4 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Rampage: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
I’ve never seen Battletoads for $10
You know, you’re right — I saw some on Amazon for $10 when I wrote this… huh!
Oh well, I removed it from the list.
No StarTropics? That game is dirt cheap on Amazon and it’s one of the best NES games out there. IMO, it’s easily as good as Zelda 1 or Crystalis.
Good to see The Guardian Legend mentioned, although I’d promote it into the top list, myself. But that’s just me.
Surprising that there’s no mention of Shatterhand. That’s an absolutely phenomenal action game, with rockin’ music to boot.
You might also be able to get Tecmo Super Bowl for under $10, although that may be hit-or-miss. It’s a much better investment than the original, though.
For another action-RPG, I’ll throw Willow out there. It’s a great Zelda-esque game that’s obviously based (loosely) on the movie.
By the way, I picked up Battletoads for $5 at my local retro game store, so it’s doable.
I’m sure there are some games I’ve forgotten to mention, but someone else will probably come up them in the interim.
I think Felix the Cat is worthy of mention here. It was released in the waning years of the NES, but can still be found for around 10 dollars if you know where to look. The graphics are incredible for 8 bit hardware, with all kinds of neat little touches here and there. You’d think that graphic-legend Sunsoft was behind this game…but nope, good ol’ Hudsonsoft. It’s a very eaay game to play through…I finished it on my first playthrough. But for anybody who has grown tired of the SMB games, it’s worth a look.
There should be less talk about the price trends, and more about what made the games good.
Well, I would recommend checking out the Games That Defined and Hidden Gems guides for more info….
Maybe I need to put in some links…
Good read, reminds me I need to pick up more of the quintessential NES games that can still be had for cheap, while they can still be had for cheap. (Especially Castlevania III)
Links might not be a bad idea for those who happen across your articles through Google and don’t realize there are other articles for them to peruse which greatly discuss what made the games good.
People try sell Zelda for $50 (US) over here. Way to go New Zealand!
i’m pretty sure this list self populates
@pendulum What do you mean?
This was all written up manually…
Just a heads up regarding Mike Tyson’s Punchout!.. It’s a lot easier, (and cheaper,) to find the revised “Punchout! feat. Mr. Dream” than it is to find an original cart of “Mike Tyson’s Punchout!”
The controversy surrounding Tyson and Nintendo’s decision to pull his image from their product, not to mention general nostalgia for the original, fuel demand for the original cart over it’s successor..
These prices look pretty accurate for my area too. We have a few retro game shops that specialize in games from the late 70s/early 80s up until the end of the 90s. I recently have been picking up games to fill a few holes in my collection.
To the commenter about $50 Zelda games, well that’s just what people want to sell it for, but they don’t (shouldn’t) actually get it. I see it sell for $7-$15 typically.
You should add ‘Journey to Silius’ as well. Fantastic, overlooked gem. According to WiKi it was originally going to be the Terminator (after the movie), but then Sunsoft lost the rights to it and they had to change a few things. Really worth picking up if you see it in the bins.
@Rurouni
Not exactly true. Nintendo stopped using Mike Tyson in Punch-Out because their licensing agreement ran out. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out is a very common game, while Punch-Out is very uncommon. It’s much easier to find Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out, but it is valued higher than the re-released Punch-Out, due to the demand of wanting the original version.
Since there’s not too many sports games listed, how about Baseball Stars? That’ll run you about 7 or 8 bucks. Blades of Steel is only about 3 or 4.
I can’t seem to find Kirby’s Adventure for any less than $10 online, but I did see both Ninja Gaiden and Metroid go for about $3/piece a few weeks ago at an annual sale in my town.
Update your list prices are WAY off