Sealed vs Used: What the Price Gap Really Tells You About a Game

Two prices, two different things

Sealed means a new copy still in its original factory seal. Used means an opened copy that's complete in box: case, manual and disc or cartridge. They are really two different things to buy, which is why we always show both side by side instead of one “condition” price.

The interesting part is the gap between them. In the price guide behind MyPlayersVault, a sealed copy was never valued below a used one, on any console. But how much more it was worth changed enormously from one console to the next.

The same best sellers, four consoles

Here are the three best selling games in the price guide on four consoles, two old and two modern. These are the American (NTSC-U) copies, because they sell most often.

NTSC-U price guide values on 16 October 2026, rounded to the nearest pound. Prices move, so check the live figures before you buy or sell.

Today's prices for four of them

These cards update every day with the same prices you'll see on MyPlayersVault.

Super Mario Bros 3

Nintendo NES · NTSC-U

Sealed £632 · Used £68

On MyPlayersVault →

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

Nintendo NES · NTSC-U

Sealed £1335 · Used £147

On MyPlayersVault →

Grand Theft Auto Vice City

PlayStation 2 · NTSC-U

Sealed £35 · Used £12

On MyPlayersVault →

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Nintendo Switch · NTSC-U

Sealed £32 · Used £26

On MyPlayersVault →

MyPlayersVault also uses recent eBay sales, so these can differ from the price guide figures above.

Console by console

Best sellers are only part of the story, so we looked at every game in the price guide with both a sealed and a used price of at least £5, console by console. The table shows how often a sealed copy is worth more than three times a used one.

All regions, price guide data from MyPlayersVault, 16 October 2026. Special editions left out.

The line is clear. On the NES almost every game carries a big sealed premium. From the PS3 onwards the premium shrinks fast, and on today's consoles most sealed copies are worth only a little more than a used one.

What the gap tells you

A likely reason is simple. Games from the 1980s and 1990s were bought to be played, so most copies were opened long ago and the sealed ones left are scarce. Modern games are often still in the shops, so a sealed copy is easy to find and costs close to a used one.

That makes the gap a useful signal:

• A big gap usually means sealed copies have become hard to find. It tells you about rarity, not about how good the game is.
• A small gap usually means the game is still easy to buy new. Paying for sealed only makes sense if a sealed copy matters to your collection.
• A gap that suddenly grows on a modern game can be an early sign that it's going out of print. Keep an eye on our price drops and on the game's page on MyPlayersVault.

Before you pay for sealed

• Check the seal. The higher the premium, the more it's worth making sure a copy hasn't been resealed. Buy from sellers you trust and look closely at the photos.
• Check the region. Sealed premiums differ between UK/PAL, NTSC-U and NTSC-J. See our guide to how region affects value.
• Decide what you're collecting for. If you want to play the game, a complete used copy is usually the far cheaper way to own it.

Check any game

Every game on MyPlayersVault shows sealed and used side by side, region by region, read from recent eBay and PriceCharting sales.

Collector context, not financial advice. See How We Price for where our numbers come from.