Three First Print Copies of Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow Sell for $2 Million in Second-Largest Video Game Transaction Ever

Three first print copies of the original Pokémon games for the Game Boy have sold for a staggering $2 million to a prominent video game and trading card collection in Dubai. The games, including Pokémon Blue Version, Pokémon Red Version, and Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition, are among the earliest manufactured copies, with all original seals intact.

These copies were graded and encapsulated by PSA, a leading third-party grading agency, receiving scores of 9.8, 10, and 10, respectively, making them the highest-graded first print collection of Pokémon games in the world.

Nathan Howerton, owner of Nostalgix, a private collectibles brokerage service that facilitated the sale, spoke to IGN about the significance of the transaction. In an era increasingly dominated by digital media, collectors continue to place extraordinary value on physical media, he said. Howerton emphasized that these exceptional physical copies are not just nostalgic artifacts, but irreplaceable pieces of gaming history.

This deal marks the second-largest graded video game transaction ever completed, only surpassed by a Super Mario Bros. NES copy that sold for $3 million in June. The Super Mario Bros. copy received a 9.6 from PSA, a score that was later surpassed by 97 pristine, never-before-seen versions of Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt discovered in a Wisconsin warehouse.

The $2 million sale signifies an evolution in the collectibles marketplace, elevating games to a level where "the rarest physical games are now being viewed alongside the world's most significant collectibles," according to a PSA spokesperson. This landmark transaction for three graded Pokémon games would have been unimaginable a decade ago, reflecting the growing recognition that historically important, investment-grade games deserve to be considered alongside the most valuable comics, trading cards, and sports memorabilia.

As Sony announced plans to stop printing physical games in January 2028, it's clear that gamers value their tangible titles, willing to pay top dollar for them.