The Rarest GameCube Games (& How Much They're Worth) (2024)

The GameCube was an innovative lunge towards creativity, and it showed this even in its appearance. The console was released by Nintendo in 2001 and stands as an iconic chapter in the history of console gaming. The console departed from its predecessors in terms of technological advancements and design and offered up a small yet exceptional library of games for video game lovers to enjoy.

Over the years, the console's library expanded further, and the community still appreciates it even today. Collectors and gamers alike are often willing to pay a hefty amount of money to get some of these games, as there are titles that sell for as much as four thousand dollars. With so many titles left unattended for many a year, the most expensive GameCube games are now starting to garner the kind of attention they really deserve.

Updated on August 11th, 2024 by David Heath: It's a rough time to get into retro games collection, as even some common games from back in the day are now going for high prices. Metal Gear fans can still find the PS2 version of MGS2 going for cheap if they're not picky on condition or extras. But if they want MGS: The Twin Snakes, the Gamecube remake of MGS1, they're going to have to shell out roughly $96 for it in a box. $5 less if they just want the disc.

Even so, that's a drop in the bucket compared to the Gamecube's rarest games, which are only getting rarer with each year. Some are tempting enough to pop out of their packaging, but others are definitely worth keeping in as pristine condition as possible. To show this, this list has been updated with more high-cost copies that players should consider selling if they have them lying around their house somewhere. The prices for all entries have also been updated to represent their current value.

12 Super Monkey Ball 2 Pack

Ever-Changing Prices

Curiously, the Super Monkey Ball 2 Pack's prices have been as erratic as the tricky ball-balancing gameplay. For most of the 2020s thus far, its loose copies were going for at least $99, and CIB prices reached their peak in June 2023 at $1,069. Now the loose prices are much more bearable at $14.99, and CIB prices have halved to $465. The prices for new copies are still astronomical, and there's still a chance all prices could spike across the board again.

The pack offers the first two Super Monkey Ball games, which revolve around monkeys trapped in balls, which players must roll around various maps with intricate puzzles to solve within the time limit. It was particularly fun in multiplayer mode, as two players had to try and stay on course and reach the goal before their friend did. There are newer Monkey Ball games, yet surprisingly, the only way to play the original games (for now) is via the Gamecube versions. Best grab the pack loose while the price is still low.

11 Gotcha Force

Gotcha Money

Gotcha Force is a third-person shooter game that is known for its unique gameplay, which focuses on collecting and using various toy robots called Gotcha Borgs. In the game, players will have battles against numerous computer-controlled robots where they will have to use the unique skills and abilities of their selected robots.

The game has many Gotcha Borgs to collect and fight with, each one having its own stats and moves, and collecting a good team is the key to overcoming the enemy in battles. Gotcha Force was loved for its unique robot battles and still holds its value as one of the most expensive GameCube games. Particularly in North America where, despite a mild price drop, it's still harder to find than in other territories. Japanese copies are worth less than half the NA's cost across the board.

10 Cubivore

Devouring Money

One of the ways a game can appreciate in value is by not being appreciated during its release. It's not great for the developers, but neat for collectors. It worked out for Cubivore at any rate, where players fought their way through the dwindling wilderness in order to grow strong enough to take out the Killer Cubivore and restore the natural balance. It was meant to game-ify nature, as the cubivores can mutate into one of 5 forms, from defensive Yellowbrates to fast-running Greyodons, and mate with others to produce more evolved variants.

It received above-average reviews for its unusual gameplay and cubey graphics, which didn't result in large sales. However, its cult-classic status and rarity led its prices to surge. The CIB game is now worth nearly 10 times its cost from 2014, going from $65 to $485. It's easier to get it that way than brand new, as New prices are prone to wild spikes. For now, it's worth $634, but it has spiked to being worth just under $2,000 a few times in the past.

9 Go Go Hypergrind

Not as Cartoony as the Prices

Go Go Hypergrind was a cartoony skateboarding game released exclusively in North America, despite being designed by Japanese developers Team Poponchi via Atlus Japan. The character designs were by Spumco, the Ren & Stimpy creators, where their different, wacky cartoon figures take each other on in skateboarding trials for a spot in a boarding-based cartoon. Aside from the addition of cartoon violence and slapstick, it was essentially an easier Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

Being region-exclusive and one of Spumco's non-Ren & Stimpy-related projects before their closure in 2005, it's risen in value over the years. In 2016, it was between $17-35, then started gradually climbing from there to $245 loose, $510 CIB, and $800 new. As more copies either get lost or bought up, those prices are only going to rise higher. So, if anyone has this game lurking in their collection, they might want to dust it off and fix it up.

8 Sonic Adventure 2 Pak

Taking Bank Balances On an Adventure

Fans know they're going to have to go big when the box for the Sonic Adventure 2 Pak alone goes for just over $435. This pack includes two classic Sonic games, Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. The first one is actually a remaster of the original Sonic Adventure game, which touches up the graphics and added a Free Camera, alongside some issues the original Dreamcast game didn't have.

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle had a better transition to the Gamecube, and offers the same high-speed platforming, racing, and treasure-hunting gameplay the players are used to. Both it and SA: DX are the most commonly ported versions of the game, appearing on later consoles and PC, and even their original Dreamcast and Gamecube copies can be found for fair prices individually. But they were rarely put together as a duo bundle, and the 2 Pak was exclusive to North America, hence its high price.

7 Metroid Prime & Zelda: The Wind Waker Combo

Blondes Have More Funds

Another NA-exclusive two-in-one pack that costs nearly $1,000 is the Metroid Prime & Zelda: The Wind Waker Combo. As the title suggests, it offers players two critically acclaimed Nintendo titles in one bundle: Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. In Metroid Prime, players will get the classic Metroid experience from a 3D first-person perspective. Considering it led to 2 sequels and a highly anticipated 4th game in the works, it was a successful move.

The other game in the pack, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, was initially controversial for its unique art style, as fans were expecting something moodier, like the later release Zelda: Twilight Princess. But its bright cel-shading aged better over the years, and offered a new sea-faring adventure where Link works with his sister Tetra to stop Ganon. Separate NA Wind Waker copies are getting more expensive, with loose copies going for $55, but that's still much cheaper than this combo bundle.

6 Pokémon Colosseum Pre-Order

It Pays to be a Pokéfan

Everyone knows Pokémon at this point. They may even know Pokémon Colosseum, the Gamecube follow-up to the Nintendo 64's Pokémon Stadium games. It had similar strategy-based combat, but threw in a storyline and action-RPG elements to offer the player more than constant battling. Players could even trade Pokémon from all 5 GBA games to Colosseum and vice versa via the link cable. Some versions come with the Pokémon Box, which is now ironically cheaper than getting the Box on its own.

The most valuable version of the game is the Pre-Order edition, as it came with a bonus disc that had trailers for the Jirachi: Wish Master movie, and let players add Jirachi to Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire. The bonus disc can be bought separately for $216.57 loose, but if they want it with Pokémon Colosseum, they've got to shell out triple that price at $647, and even more if they want it in-box.

5 Disney Sports Basketball

Low Quality, High Value

Developed by Konami, Disney Sports Basketball was a part of the Disney Sports series, which featured various Disney characters doing sports of all kinds. This one lets players choose from a wide array of characters, from Mickey Mouse and Goofy to Huey, Dewey and Louie, to put together their basketball team. The game is designed to be accessible and family-friendly, so everyone can have a friendly basketball match. In execution, it wasn't so great, getting poor reviews and a Metascore of 37.

For years, the game was practically worthless, since supplies were high and demand was low. But it started spiking in value in the late 2010s, to the point where players who picked up a CIB copy in 2014 for $30 can now sell it off for $1,080 in 2024. Provided it's still in good condition. If it's practically new, they can get just over $3,000 for it. It proves the old adage true: one man's trash is another man's treasure.

4 Pokémon Box

Now Worth a Treasure Chest

Ever fancied the idea of spending $2,000 on something that just turns the Gamecube into a hard drive for a Game Boy Advance game? That's what the Pokémon Box does, as it's a disc that acts as a literal storage box for Pokémon from Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire. By hooking the GBA up to the console, players can store up to 1,500 of the critters on the disc. For players who did splurge on it back in the day, it gave them some built-in challenges and rewards for using it, and a Pokédex offering stats, levels and other data for their stored Pokémon.

It's not only one of the rarest GameCube games, but also one of the most expensive Pokémon games that money can buy, spiking in value across the 2010s and 2020s. Anyone who bought it new for $20 in 2010, and kept it wrapped and in pristine condition, can now get 100x their investment in 2024 at $2,500+. Otherwise, they'll have to make do with $1,000-1,500 for Loose and CIB copies. This only works for NA copies though, as European copies are only $515 new, and Japanese copies are cheap as chips at $70.35 new.

3 Animal Crossing Pioneer Disc

There's Gold in Them Thar Hills

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Animal Crossing used to be pretty niche, starting off as a Japan-exclusive Nintendo 64 game before getting its more widespread Gamecube edition. Now it's a Nintendo mainstay, proving particularly popular with women for its focus on social interaction and exploration, and was even used in a pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong via Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It led to it getting pulled from Chinese stores, though Chinese players can still find it and other games if they know where to look.

Though it's American players who'll be due for a windfall if they have the game's Pioneer edition. They were made as prizes for a contest Nintendo held in 2002 where, if fans successfully explained within 50 words why they should be Animal Crossing 'Pioneers', they would receive a copy of the game 1 month early, with a calendar and an online chat with the localization team. It stands out from retail copies because it has 'for promotional use only' stamped on the disc. Beyond that, it's the exact same game, only it's rarer and thus worth thousands of dollars.

1 Sonic Heroes & Super Monkey Ball Duo Pack

Had a Heroic Price Rise

If getting the Super Monkey Ball 2Pack and Sonic Adventure 2 Pak sounded steep, they've got nothing on the Sonic Heroes & Super Monkey Ball Duo Pack. It's basically just a bundle that puts together two iconic Sega games: Sonic Heroes and Super Monkey Ball. The former splits Sonic and his friends into trios to use their individual Speed, Power and Flight abilities to tackle tricky 3D stages and face off against classic Sonic villains. While SMB is the first game in the monkey-themed ball-rolling puzzle series.

The XBox had a similar compilation in the 2 in 1 Pack: Sonic Heroes and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, which at most goes for $99.95 new. So, why is the Gamecube edition sky-high? For one, the Gamecube had the best versions of both games, as the XBox ports had their hiccups (albeit less so than the PS2 versions). The Duo Pack is also rare, being exclusive to NA regions. That said, its price spikes are relatively recent. Anyone who felt silly buying the complete box for $115 in 2021, or for $500 new, will be laughing all the way to the bank now if they find a buyer.