10 Rarest PS1 Games & How Much They’re Worth

I’ve always had the privilege of getting new consoles as gifts from my amazing parents. I started with the Super Nintendo, then PS1, Nintendo 64, and from there, I just kept updating alongside the market.

Being born and raised in Brazil means my dad would basically invest his whole paycheck to buy me a new console and would have to do the same with each new game. That’s when the gray market came up, where I could get games for more… localized prices, let’s say.

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It took a few years for me to own an original game and, until recently, I’d never even seen an original PS1 game. Thus, when I went looking for some to add to my JRPG collection, I was shocked to see the absurd prices.

The physical games market isn’t a guaranteed investment, but there are some games, especially old ones, that could pay several months of my kid’s tuition. Today, I’ll showcase the 10 rarest PS1 games and their current market values.

10 Klonoa: Door to Phantomile

More Expensive Than Mario

​​​​​​Before diving into the world of JRPGs, platformers were my go-to when I wanted to have fun with video games. But for some reason, I was never a Klonoa player, so imagine my surprise when I found out that the first title in the series, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, is considered one of the rarest and most expensive PS1 games.

The reason is simple: the game sold well in Japan, but not overseas. With low sales, the physical versions stopped being printed, and only a few copies are available in the market. Mix a cult classic with scarcity, and you have the perfect ingredient for an overpriced game.

Even with the launch of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, a remaster that includes both games, Door to Phantomile remains a collector’s item. It’s easy to find people proudly posting on Reddit about getting a copy, even if they paid fivefold its retail price back then.

9 Clock Tower 2: The Struggle Within

The True Terror Is Paying For It

Clock Tower 2: The Struggle Within was released to negative reviews, is considered the worst entry in the series, and apparently didn’t sell well. The fact that the game is so expensive despite all that only shows that horror fans are still the weirdest among every fanbase. I mean that with love, you beautiful kooks.

The truth is, no one knows why it’s so overpriced. Clock Tower is a peculiar series because it was a point-and-click horror game that didn’t really scare us, as we could see the Scissorman coming from miles away in the slowest way possible.

Still, its games have a dedicated player base. It’s not just the second Clock Tower that is expensive. The first one is even more pricey if we only consider the brand-new version.

However, Clock Tower 2: The Struggle Within made the list for having more yearly sales and a higher average price. So, unless you’re a bona fide collector, I suggest grabbing the enhanced port Clock Tower: Rewind available on modern hardware.

8 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Eternal Financial Punishment

There’s a very solid monetary reason why I was only able to play the first Persona games through emulation, and it’s evident here and in the next entry. Initially, the Persona series wasn’t always as valuable. This price surge started around 2020, when, I believe, the world began to appreciate the wonder that is Persona 5.

Among the classic games, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, the game that tells Maya Amano’s story, is one of the most expensive. There’s another version of the game, Persona 2: Innocent Sin, but since it was only released for PSP internationally, it didn’t make the cut.

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If you thought the $350 price tag for the CIB version was expensive, you’ll be surprised to know that there are at least 3 weekly sales of it, showing that success is indeed retroactive and feeds itself.

I just hope these dedicated fans continue to support new entries, so I can keep enjoying high school life in JRPGs for many years to come.

7 Tail Concerto

Furry Lover Dream

Do you know Fuga: Melodies of Steel? It’s a very quirky and lovely furry tactical RPG produced and developed by CyberConnect2. Although it looks like this game came out of nowhere, it’s actually part of the Little Tail Bronx series, which started with Tail Concerto.

Tail Concerto was more of an adventure game than an RPG, but it already brought the themes of anthropomorphic animals living in a steampunk world. An honest PS1 game, but not one that stood out in the console’s jam-packed catalog.

So why is the game so expensive, you may ask. First, Tail Concerto almost didn’t get released overseas. There were several publishing rights issues, with the title bouncing from publisher to publisher until Atlus finally released it.

With so much delay and limited copies, Tail Concerto automatically became a rare product. Then came Fuga: Melodies of Steel, which tripled the game’s average price back when it launched in 2021. The rest is history and a boatload of money.

6 Revelations: Persona

Federal Student Aid Required

Just like a good wine, do games get more expensive the older they are? I don’t know if that’s a rule, but it sure applies here with the Persona series. Revelations: Persona was the first game in this SMT spinoff and is, right now, the most sought-after item for collectors.

Just like its successor, Revelations: Persona had a price spike between 2020 and 2021, when the price of the CIB version jumped from $200 to almost $500. Fluctuations and sales galore later, the average price settled around $400.

In my humble opinion, it’s just a collector’s piece. Not that the first game is bad, but compared to the more modern entries, it doesn’t hold a candle since it was still trying to find its footing.

Even though the setting was already in high school, did you know we didn’t even have Social Links or calendars to manage our part-time jobs? Those were only introduced in Persona 3, which is when the spinoff really took off.

5 The Misadventures of Tron Bonne

According to PriceCharting, there were almost 40 sales of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne on eBay just in 2025, all within the price range shown in the table. One would think people would forego this series entirely, but not the widows and widowers of Mega Man (I include myself in this).

These sales indicate that the Mega Man Legends series, an adventure spinoff of the iconic Blue Bomber, still has a dedicated fan base – or collectors considering future investments.

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Despite a failed campaign alongside players that prevented Capcom from producing Mega Man Legends 3, the company still had affection for the series.

Proof of that is the creation of a spinoff of the spinoff, known as The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, which featured one of the lovely antagonists from the original Mega Man Legends. However, the game didn’t perform well, and the few physical copies available on the market became increasingly expensive over the years.

4 Rayman 2: The Great Escape [Watch Bundle]

Ironically, Rayman Can’t Wear This Watch

Why buy a Rolex when you can buy a Rayman 2: The Great Escape-themed watch? I get it, Rayman is a pretty nice game. I don’t remember playing the second one, but I had a blast playing co-op with Rayman Legends. But $500 for a CIB edition and over $1,000 for a new game? Hell nah.

Apparently, the market agrees. The original PS2 version of Rayman 2: The Great Escape costs around $30, confirming that what makes this bundle so expensive is that so sought-after watch.

And yeah, there’s nothing here to justify the watch price. I mean, I don’t quite get the luxury fashion market either, so I may be the one missing out. Yet, if you’re not a collector and simply want to play Rayman 2: The Great Escape the way it was intended to be played on your PS1, you can opt for a standard version.

3 Mortal Kombat 3 [Jewel Case]

It’s Just A Jewel Case

Mortal Kombat 3 was the entry I played the most in the franchise. I loved inputting cheat codes on the start screen, unlocking new characters, or simply watching all their fatalities over and over. But I wouldn’t pay this price for the game. Or any game, to be honest.

Even more so, considering the reason why this game is so expensive. Most PS1 games were packaged in the standard jewel case, but occasionally, other types of cases were used as well.

Mortal Kombat 3 came in a longbox and then a relatively poor cardboard case. Only a few came in the traditional jewel case, which is why this version of the game is so rare and expensive, despite its simplicity.

It’s yet another case where scarcity drives up the value of a product. The only thing I didn’t get is why PriceCharting listed the loose price for this Mortal Kombat 3, since what makes this game unique is its jewel case. So, well, let’s ignore it for that, but I’ll still add it for historical record.

2 Syphon Filter 3 [911 Edition]

Well, That’s Awkward

No matter how wonky the movement or the aim was, playing as Gabriel Logan in Syphon Filter was a blast. My biggest vice back then was using the taser on enemies and watching them fry for five minutes until they became a human-sized crispy chicken.

As the name probably suggests, this is a version named in reference to the 9/11 attack. Syphon Filter 3 was initially set to release with a cover showing protagonist Gabriel Logan in the foreground, with an exploding building in the background, featuring the American flag. The game was scheduled for release around September 2001.

Well, 9/11 happened and Sony felt it was in bad taste to launch the game with that cover. They reprinted all the covers, but had already shipped some copies to retailers with the old cover.

Even though the publisher recalled the games, some sellers didn’t return them, and the original cover of Syphon Filter 3, now dubbed the “911 Edition,” was already out in the wild. It became a premium game and thus, highly valued.

1 NFL Blitz 2000 [Greatest Hits]

For The Love Of Football

First, a disclaimer. While PriceCharting shows that a new version of NFL Blitz 2000 Greatest Hits is priced at $13,000, the most recent sale of this version was for $2,500. Either it was a private transaction or someone fed the info incorrectly.

Either way, even the loose or CIB price is still exorbitant, marking a touchdown for NFL Blitz in terms of rarity and value. And what makes this American football so special to charge this exorbitant price tag from fans? Scarcity is your answer.

NFL Blitz 2000 was initially released in arcades and then ported to consoles. The PS1 received a basic version similar to the others, followed by a Greatest Hits edition. However, NFL Blitz 2000 wasn’t supposed to receive this version – reserved for games that sold more than 150,000 copies and were on the market for at least a year – and as a result, it was recalled.

Still, some copies were already in stores, which elevated this version to the pantheon of rarities, making NFL Blitz 2000 Greatest Hits one of the, if not the most, expensive PS1 games.

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