As an big-time supporter of gaming preservation – just like cash currency, physical media is king! I’m not honestly the biggest collector despite all of my advocacy. It’s common to see a lot of Gaming Youtube channels with impressive collections and lineups as their backdrops. Huge respect. Video Games are that special medium where gamers should value the physical hardware most. For all of those who do – here are a list of some of the best retro gaming consoles & how much they’re worth in 2026.
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Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) – $150-$200
Released in 1985. One of the most significant pieces of hardware to be released in the gaming market. The birthplace of some of the most influential games ever such as Super Mario Bros or The Legend of Zelda. You can pickup the legendary Nintendo Entertainment System here on Amazon for around $173. It comes packaged with the full set of console, controller(s), and plug-ins/adapters that you’d need.
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) – $150-$220
The successor to the aforementioned NES. This system introduced us to some iconic games such as Donkey Kong Country 1 & 2, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Super Mario World. Welcome to the 16-bit era of home console gaming! Go snag yourself a refurbished SNES and relive the side scrolling sprite glory days.
Purchase SNES on Amazon
Atari 2600 – $150
Although the Magnavox Odyssey was the OG home console system. For simplicity sake – The Atari 2600 is the Godfather of home gaming consoles. The 2600 housed hundreds of 8-bit classics like the Activision mega-hits River Raid and Pitfall!. This sleek wood-grained 1977 piece of hardware deserves a spot in your collection. Buy the special Pac-Man edition on Amazon.
And checkout my first of many 21 favorite games for each console video above.
Sega Mega Drive/ Sega Genesis – $115
The Sega Mega Drive (Known as the Sega Genesis in North America) spawned the lightning fast Sonic the Hedgehog but was also the system that provided us with other great titles like Streets of Rage and Ristar. <– (Rare Collectable) This beloved 90s piece of hardware has gotta go fast into your gaming collection! Buy Now.
Nintendo 64 – $150-200
This one is special to me as it was my very first gaming system. I learned how to game on this thing before I knew how to read. The Nintendo 64 is loved for its relatively small but high quality library of games. The 64-bit era immersed us in 3D world and Nintendo brought with it some of the most highly regarded games of all time like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, Starfox 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. This is one of the most cherished and nostalgic gaming systems for many today and there’s good reason for this. Go see for yourself –> Buy Here
Checkout my ranking of the 9 worlds in Banjo-Kazooie ^
Sony Playstation 3 (160GB/Fat) – $218
I need to be specific here. First of all – yes, believe it or not, this thing did come out 20 years ago. But crisis’ averted – The original bulky PS3 is a beast in more ways then one. Sure – it’s big, but you’re going to want this edition in particular because its the version that is most backwards compatible with many Playstation 1 & 2 game discs as well. So, not only can you play inFamous (Where is my remaster?!), you can also enjoy Spider-Man (checkout our retro review) and The Simpsons: Hit & Run on the same device. I really hope we can get the ultimate Playstation console with the 6 that can just play anything, but for now – this’ll suffice.
Nintendo GameCube – $160-$185
What can I say? Nintendo’s had a fantastic run throughout the decades. The fan-favorite Nintendo GameCube was is a system gave us a really satisfying feeling controller as well as some excellent games like Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. A lot of Smash enthusiasts prefer to game on this system for Melee – as they consider it the truly greatest version. Add this wonderful cube to your gaming lot.
