The games that started the Pokémon craze in the West originated on the GAME BOY. We've all played them, and many of us still do to this day in the form of insane 3D mods and impressive ROM hacks. I even still have my boxed Pokemon Red and Pokemon Gold, though not in the condition that these games are.
According to Nostalgix, a collectables broker in the USA, they have just sold a collection of PSA graded GAME BOY Pokémon games for an alleged $2,000,000, making it the biggest public Pokémon video game transaction of all time. It features not only Pokémon Yellow, but Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue also.
Yellow and Red had top-level grades coming in at perfect 10's with a "Sealed A++" rating. The Pokémon Blue version came in at 9.8, which is still remarkable for a 25+ year old game.
According to Nostalgix, the original seller wants to stay anonymous, but mentioned that this collection took over 20 years to accumulate, searching for pristine conditions of the games, numerous items sent for grading and a whole lot of patience. These are the best-condition Pokémon GAME BOY games ever graded, and mark a time in collectable history that will undoubtedly start a boom in Pokémon video game collecting, all thanks to the trading card industry.
This news comes just after PSA announced their video game grading service in 2025, and just a year later, this happens, likely hurting WATA-graded submissions due to their history in potential scams. Could PSA become the go-to for video game grading, or is their quality and business tactics a little shady for avid collectors to trust? As of now, it looks like there's no stopping PSA, and although many gamers view grading games as a little bit silly, it's clear the market is saying otherwise.
I wonder what future video games will see sales like this. Super Mario has had his fair share of heavy hitters, but perhaps One Piece, Dragon Ball, and more are next? Likely, if I had to guess!
