Collector guides
Guides for video game collectors
What to know before you buy, catalogue or sell: regions, editions, authenticity, storage and value. Written by collectors, no filler.
The basics
- What Spanish PAL means and how to spot a Spanish copyWhat it means, how to recognise it from the box and the product code, and why a Spanish copy is valued differently from a UK or German one.Read the guide
- PAL vs NTSC: 50 and 60 Hz, region locking and what to collect50 vs 60 Hz, why so many European games ran slower, region locking console by console and which region is worth collecting.Read the guide
- How much is my video game collection worth and how to work it outWhat sets the price (condition, region, rarity, variant), where to find real prices and how to work out your collection's total.Read the guide
Authenticity and buying
- How to tell if a game is genuine: reproductions, repros and fake sealsCartridge labels, screws and boards, the inner ring on discs, manuals, seals and the famous “Y-fold”.Read the guide
- How to buy second-hand video games without getting scammedRed flags, photos to ask for, how to pay with protection on Wallapop, Vinted, eBay or CeX, and what to do when the parcel arrives.Read the guide
- Video game grading: what it is and when it makes senseWhat grading a game means, what gets assessed, who does it and when it is worth it. An introduction with a link to the full guide.Read the guide
Storage and editions
- Condition grades and how to store your video game collectionA clear scale for describing the condition of each copy, and how to protect it from light, damp, pressure and the passage of time.Read the guide
- Special and collector's editions: what holds its value and what doesn'tCollector's, limited, steelbook and “Day One” editions: what tends to gain value, what doesn't, and how to keep them complete.Read the guide
Console guides
- Collecting PlayStation 2: what to look for and Spanish PAL variantsFirst editions vs Platinum, Spanish-dubbed games, short-run titles and the European console models.Read the guide
- Collecting GameCube: what to look for and Spanish PAL variantsEdition codes, Player's Choice, sought-after games, 50/60 Hz, console models and accessories that are collectable in their own right.Read the guide
- Collecting Super Nintendo: what to look for and Spanish PAL variantsCardboard boxes, ESP codes, games translated into Spanish, titles that never came out in PAL and how to avoid repros.Read the guide
- Collecting Nintendo 64: what to look for and Spanish PAL variantsCardboard boxes, region codes, the Expansion Pak, accessories and which games are worth owning complete.Read the guide
- Collecting Mega Drive: what to look for and Spanish PAL variantsCases, manuals, cross-region compatibility, console models, Mega-CD and 32X, and which games are worth owning complete.Read the guide
- Collecting Game Boy: what to look for and Spanish PAL variantsCardboard boxes, DMG codes, no region locking, Pokémon in Spanish, save batteries, repros and console models.Read the guide
Work out what your collection is worth
Log each copy with its region and condition, and Games Library adds up its market value and shows you how it changes over time.