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“That’s Just Nonsense”: Nintendo Fans Aren’t Buying Into The Graded Switch Games Hype

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A look at what a graded Nintendo Switch game looks like.
Blue’s Collectibles/YouTube

For years, we’ve had graded comic books and graded trading cards, but recently, a new form of grading has taken root in the collectibles space — graded video games.

gamestop graded pokemon card

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What Kind Of Maniac Would Sell Their Graded Pokemon Cards To GameStop?

Anyone invested in the graded Pokemon card hobby knows better than to do business with GameStop.

It’s exactly what its name implies: a video game, usually sealed in shrink-wrap, though not always, graded by a collectibles company with hopes of reselling it in the future for double, triple or quadruple what it’s worth right now. Already, we’ve seen Nintendo Switch 2 owners beginning to grade some of the Switch 2’s launch games, specifically those that are on Game-Key Cards, even though the download codes associated with them will expire in short order.

That said, most Nintendo fans aren’t convinced that grading should even be a thing.

Will A Game Like Super Mario Wonder Even Appreciate In Value That Much?

As originally shared on the Switch Reddit, a user shared their disgust at seeing 2023s Super Mario Bros. Wonder locked up in a case with a graded stamp.

“I don’t understand the point of grading a modern game that’s still being sold and will presumably be available digitally for a very long time,” the top commenter wrote. That point was echoed by another user who wrote, “Grading = Scam. Hate to see it.”

For what it’s worth, the game received a 9.9 from CGC, though it’s important to note that the grade is related to the actual plastic wrap of the game, and has nothing to do with the status of the cartridge, artwork or any inserts. Which means the game could be dead, and no one would know.

“Ridiculous stuff. You can see it states it’s a Y-fold seal. To me this is borderline ridiculous,” another user critical of the graded gaming phenomenon wrote. “It’s a video game for playing, not locking up in a plastic case because you think it’s worth something,” another wrote.

Screenshot 2025-07-20 at 2.01.29 PM

The reality is that the copy of Wonder isn’t the only graded Switch game floating around. A cursory search of “Graded Switch Game” on eBay pulled up over 1,000 listings, ranging from Breath of the Wild to Final Fantasy X.

What’s more, according to one user, there is some profit, though nowhere near as much as one would expect. They stated that a 9.8 graded Breath of the Wild sold for between $150-200. The game sold for $60 at launch, and grading services cost about $40, meaning they profited $50 for all that work. If only we could flash forward 20 years to see what this copy of Wonder will sell for.

Ash And Pikachu Looking At A Poke Ball.

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