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As consoles come and go, the games released for them can eventually become collector’s items. Some games are incredibly rare, while others become lost to time or drowned in the sea of the internet. There are some games that you probably didn’t even expect to be as rare as they are, especially on the Wii U. There were a lot of games that players held on to even after the release of the Nintendo Switch. Let’s dive into the history of the console and the ten rarest and most expensive Wii U games that are worth their weight in gold!
10. Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016) – $55
The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series has always been incredibly popular. Being able to choose between both Mario and Sonic characters while competing in different Olympic minigames was something friends and family alike cherished. This version of the game was the very last of its kind to come out for the Wii U. As a result, its popularity skyrocketed, and a used version of the game cost almost the same as a new one.
9. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (2016) – $60
Any The Legend of Zelda game is sure to be on this list. However, this specific game, Twilight Princess HD, is the one that players have been collecting. It’s the second Zelda HD remake for the Wii U after Wind Waker HD, which even had a special edition console. The thing that people don’t know is that since it was released just about a year before the release of the Nintendo Switch, Twilight Princess didn’t get a whole lot of copies printed. As a result, once retailers started selling the newer console’s games, collectors picked up the last of the available copies, and the rest is history.
8. Wii Sports Club (2013) – $100
Wii Sports Club is popular among players who had the original Wii. It’s essentially identical to the incredibly popular Wii Sports. It used the Wii remote in conjunction with the Wii U gamepad to let you play a ton of fan-favorite games. As a result, the necessary addition of the Wii remote for players who didn’t have it was a turn-off. It didn’t crack the top 20 games released during the console’s lifetime, but plenty of players still played and enjoyed it. It was loved enough that once Wii U games started being cleared off store shelves, Wii Sports Club was one of the first to go.
7. Cabela’s Big Game Hunter: Pro Hunts (2014) – $135
Cabela games have always been a hit at bigger, family arcades and sports bars. Of course, when it came out on the Wii U, it also became an at-home hit. There’s nothing special about Cabela’s Big Game Hunter: Pro Hunts that happened during its lifetime on store shelves that makes it special. The price hike didn’t happen until 2021, when it started showing up more and more on websites like eBay. Since this ended up being more of a family, shovelware-type game, the copies that are roaming around are loose or with incomplete packaging, making complete versions even rarer.
6. Game & Wario (2013) – $180
The first and only Warioware game to be released on the Wii U was Game & Wario. We played it but didn’t feel anything too special about it. Like previous versions, you played a variety of interesting and strange minigames, but with a modern twist. The Wii U’s gamepad made for some more engaging minigames, especially since it could exclusively be played there. Once Wii U games started to sell out to make room for the Nintendo Switch, players began seeing the value in Game & Wario, increasing the reselling price.
5. Turbo: Super Stunt Squad (2013) – $200
This one is interesting as it’s a game based on a children’s movie. Turbo: Super Stunt Squad was the type of game that was released for every available console at the time, even the DS and 3DS. The different versions also had different gameplay styles, with the handheld versions playing more like a racing game. The Wii and more expensive Wii U game versions became popular when more players started getting into collecting in 2020. The largest increase was in 2021, which has been the same since. It’s possible to get the PAL version, but the NA version is the one that’s popular.
4. The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 (2014)- $350
Point-and-click games were even popular on the Wii U. The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 was even a hard-to-find game when the Wii U was still available. The original on older PCs was so popular that it was revived for modern audiences via a Kickstarter campaign. Afterward, the second was released and met with the same acclaim. It wasn’t long after that players scooped it up, adding it to their collections since they knew it would be hard to come by later. The price might go down soon, with a low of $70 hitting eBay back in 2021.
3. Devil’s Third (2015) – $500
A lot of people never even saw Devil’s Third in stores when it came out. Tomonobu Itagaki left Temco to create this title with other developers from Team Ninja. What resulted was an overly ambitious, hack-and-slash title published by Nintendo themselves. We remember when it was officially released, GameStop only received a little over 400 copies, which included those that were reserved in advance. In total, there were about 3,000 sales in the first month. The game’s lackluster reviews and generally poor sales caused there to be very little production of physical copies.
2. Mario Kart 8 Limited Edition – $950
The top two games on our list, Mario Kart 8 Limited Edition and Hyrule Warriors Limited Edition, were only released at Nintendo New York. Mario Kart 8‘s included a replica Blue Shell with the game inside. Of course, very few copies were made, and fans stood for hours outside of the store to secure one (or a few) for themselves. Now, if you see it for less than $900, you should pick it up and consider yourself lucky.
1. Hyrule Warriors Limited Edition – $1,200
Hyrule Warriors Limited Edition was also exclusively released at Nintendo New York. It also came with a replica of an in-game item, like the Blue Shell, but usable. Inside the box was a replica of the blue scarf that Link wears in-game. Like the above, so few copies were sold that it became the most expensive Wii U game to purchase as of writing.
