Loose, complete in box or sealed: how to describe a physical game's condition

"Complete", "CIB", "loose", "sealed", "like new". Every second-hand listing uses these words, and every seller reads them a little differently. For a collector, the difference between them is what separates one copy from another that looks the same, and it pays to have your own consistent criteria, especially if you keep an inventory.

Here is a practical way to describe the condition of a physical game, what to check when buying, and what not to do with a copy you care about.

The categories the market uses

Loose

Just the media: the disc or cartridge, with no box or manual. Very common for 80s and 90s cartridges, when cardboard boxes went in the bin on day one.

Boxed

Media and box, but the manual or some of the original paperwork is missing. You will sometimes see it written as CB (cartridge and box).

Complete in box (CIB)

Media, box, manual and everything that originally came inside. That last part is the catch: "everything that came inside" varies enormously. Depending on the game it can mean maps, posters, registration cards, catalogues, stickers, inner sleeves, or the cardboard and plastic trays that held the cartridge. A "complete" copy without the map it shipped with is not complete.

Sealed

Unopened, in the original factory wrap; also listed as new. It is the category that raises the most doubt, because resealed copies exist: opened games wrapped again in film. On many platforms the factory seal has its own tell-tale details (specific seams, tabs, folds) that are worth learning before paying a premium.

Editions with extras

Collector's editions, steelbooks, bundles with figures or art books. These are a different edition, not a condition. Here "complete" means having every item of that particular edition.

What to check on each part

Beyond the category, two "complete" copies can be in very different shape. The useful thing is to note each part separately:

• Case or box: broken or intact hinges, crushed corners, cracks in the plastic, warped cardboard, price-sticker marks.
• Cover art: faded spine, water damage, tears, handwriting.
• Media: scratches on the disc (and what kind), peeling or torn cartridge label, corroded contacts.
• Manual and paperwork: present or not, condition, and whether everything is there.
• Function: whether it boots, whether it saves, whether it has actually been tested.

The detail almost nobody records: does it play offline?

In recent generations, owning the disc or cartridge does not always mean owning the whole game. Some copies need a download or a patch to be playable, or carry only part of the content on the media. For anyone collecting with preservation in mind, this matters: years from now, when servers shut down, a copy that plays offline will still work and another may not. It is worth checking and writing down.

When not to worry about it

If you play what you buy, a loose copy in good shape does exactly the same job as a sealed one for a fraction of the price. Plenty of collectors mix both: loose or complete copies to play, and a few carefully kept pieces for the shelf. There is no right way to collect; what does help is knowing what you have.

What not to do with a copy you care about

• Opening a sealed game "to check it is complete". If its value to you is the seal, it stops being there the moment you open it.
• Resealing an opened copy. If you ever sell it as sealed, you are deceiving the buyer.
• Ripping price stickers off. Leave them, or lift them slowly with gentle heat, knowing they may still leave a mark.
• Swapping manuals between copies of different regions or editions to "complete" one.

How to record it in your collection

The most useful approach combines the category with a short checklist. In Games Library every copy has one: case, manual, inserts, sealed, disc condition, cover condition, and whether it plays without a download or patch. Together with what you paid and the estimated value, the Collector plan also keeps the value history. To see how a collection looks with these entries, open the demo.