12 NES Games That Are Cheaper Than You Think in 2026

You don’t need a collector’s budget to put some genuinely great NES games back on your shelf.

Spend enough time looking at retro game prices online and it can start to feel as though every good NES game has become a three-digit collectible.

Thankfully, that isn’t true.

Yes, there are expensive NES cartridges. There are rare games, late releases, cult favorites and complete-in-box copies that can make you wonder whether somebody accidentally listed a used car instead of an old Nintendo game. But underneath all that collector noise is something much more encouraging: a surprising number of excellent NES games are still affordable.

As of September 2026, several classics remain available for roughly $10–$30 as loose original cartridges. Some are major Nintendo releases. Others are beloved Capcom, Tecmo and Sunsoft games that gave the NES much of its personality.

This guide is primarily for players and beginning collectors who want authentic cartridges without turning retro gaming into an investment portfolio. Prices can move quickly, so treat the figures below as current market reference points rather than guaranteed shopping prices.

And remember one important rule: if you want to play the game, you usually don’t need the box.

Quick Picks

Best Overall: Super Mario Bros. 3 — one of the defining NES games and still remarkably inexpensive loose.

Best Under $10: R.C. Pro-Am — tremendous value for an original Nintendo/Rare cartridge.

Best Action Pick: Ninja Gaiden — a legendary challenge without a legendary price.

Best Adventure Pick: Crystalis — deeper than its price might suggest and a great choice for players wanting something beyond platformers.

Best Two-Player Pick: Double Dragon II: The Revenge — affordable couch co-op with plenty of old-school attitude.

Best for Nintendo History Fans: Kid Icarus — recognizable first-party history without premium first-party pricing.

Best Modern Convenience Option: Nintendo Switch Online — many games in this guide are already included in Nintendo’s NES Classics library.

How We Chose These NES Games

This isn’t simply a list of the cheapest cartridges available.

The goal is value.

I looked for games that are still enjoyable or historically interesting, have enough market activity to make pricing useful, and cost substantially less loose than many people might expect from well-known NES titles.

Most importantly, we’re separating playing value from collecting value.

A clean loose cartridge can give you essentially the same gameplay experience as a complete copy sitting inside a cardboard box. Yet the difference in price can be enormous.

For example, PriceCharting currently estimates Super Mario Bros. 3 around $17 loose versus roughly $76 complete. Ninja Gaiden is about $15 loose but around $100 complete. Kid Icarus jumps from roughly $25 loose to about $150 complete.

That cardboard matters to collectors.

It does not make Mario jump any higher.

1. R.C. Pro-Am — Around $7 Loose

If you’re trying to build a real NES collection without spending much money, R.C. Pro-Am is almost absurdly easy to recommend.

PriceCharting currently puts a loose copy around $7, while even a complete copy is only around $35.

This is exactly the kind of cartridge beginner collectors should hunt for: recognizable, inexpensive, fun and historically interesting.

Rare’s isometric racer still has that wonderful early-NES quality where the concept is immediately understandable but increasingly difficult to master.

Best for: Players, beginners and budget collectors.

Skip it if: You’re specifically chasing prestigious display pieces rather than games you will actually pull off the shelf and play.

2. Excitebike — Around $11 Loose

Few games evoke the early Nintendo Entertainment System quite like Excitebike.

The chunky motorcycles, overheating engines, ridiculous crashes and track-building memories are pure 1980s Nintendo.

Yet a loose copy currently sits around $11 according to PriceCharting.

For something so closely associated with Nintendo’s early console identity, that’s a very accessible price.

This is also an excellent example of why you shouldn’t assume that famous automatically means expensive.

Nintendo Switch Online members can already play Excitebike, so the cartridge makes the most sense if owning the physical object is part of the fun.

3. Blaster Master — Around $12 Loose

Some affordable NES cartridges are cheap because nobody particularly misses them.

Blaster Master isn’t one of those.

Sunsoft’s vehicle-and-on-foot adventure remains one of the NES library’s more distinctive experiences, and PriceCharting currently places a loose cartridge around $11.50.

That’s a lot of game for the money.

It is also included with Nintendo Switch Online’s NES library, making this an interesting decision point: play it digitally if you’re simply curious, then buy the cartridge if it clicks with you.

That’s often smarter than buying first and discovering later that nostalgia oversold you.

4. Double Dragon II: The Revenge — Around $12 Loose

Want something for an NES night with a friend?

Double Dragon II is currently around $12 loose, versus roughly $67 complete.

For players, the loose cartridge is clearly the sweet spot.

You get one of the NES era’s memorable beat-’em-ups, two-player action and exactly the sort of game that feels right with two original controllers stretched across a living-room floor.

Nintendo also includes Double Dragon II in its NES Classics library, so casual players don’t need to buy the cartridge simply to experience it.

Collectors may want the physical version. Everybody else can choose convenience without guilt.

5. Batman: The Video Game — Around $14 Loose

Licensed retro games can produce strange pricing assumptions. People remember the property, remember the game fondly and assume the cartridge must now cost serious money.

Not necessarily.

Sunsoft’s Batman: The Video Game currently comes in at roughly $13.50 loose.

That’s impressive value for one of the better-known licensed action games on the system.

Unlike many of Nintendo’s first-party classics, this one also isn’t sitting in the standard NES Nintendo Switch Online library, making the original cartridge especially appealing for someone building a playable NES shelf.

Just don’t confuse a clean loose cartridge with a collector-grade copy. Buy based on the experience you actually want.

6. Bionic Commando — Around $14 Loose

Bionic Commando is wonderfully weird even now.

No traditional jump button. A grappling arm. Strange movement. Capcom design that forces you to unlearn some platforming habits before everything begins to click.

PriceCharting currently estimates the cartridge at about $14 loose, while complete copies are closer to $80. Recent completed-sale examples have also landed in the teens.

For most people, that makes the loose version an easy choice.

This isn’t a game where I’d recommend paying five or six times as much just to add cardboard unless you’re deliberately assembling a complete Capcom collection.

7. Ninja Gaiden — Around $15 Loose

This one might be the biggest surprise.

Ninja Gaiden is not some forgotten bargain-bin curiosity. It’s one of the defining action games of the NES era.

The cinematic storytelling. The music. The wall-jumping. The beautiful backgrounds.

And, yes, the enemies that appear to have signed legally binding contracts requiring them to knock you into every nearby pit.

A loose cartridge currently runs roughly $15.

For someone starting an NES collection, this is precisely where I’d spend money before chasing obscure $100 cartridges.

Nintendo Switch Online also includes Ninja Gaiden, making the subscription version the easier choice for players who value save states and modern convenience.

Want the original challenge on original hardware? Buy the cart.

Want revenge against Stage 6 without throwing a controller? Modern features have their advantages.

8. Rygar — Around $15 Loose

Rygar is another great reminder that cult status doesn’t automatically equal collector pricing.

PriceCharting currently values a loose cartridge around $15.50, with recent completed sales commonly appearing in the teens.

Its mixture of action, exploration and progression makes it more ambitious than its modest market price suggests.

It is also part of Nintendo’s NES Classics library.

If you’re building a playable physical collection rather than recreating an untouched 1980s retail shelf, Rygar is exactly the kind of mid-priced cartridge worth buying.

9. Super Mario Bros. 3 — Around $17 Loose

Here’s the cartridge that exposes how distorted our perception of retro pricing can become.

Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of the most famous NES games ever released.

Current loose-market pricing?

Roughly $17.

That’s extraordinary value for anyone who wants a physical NES collection that represents what people actually loved playing.

It isn’t scarce. That’s the point.

Millions of people wanted Super Mario Bros. 3, so Nintendo made a lot of copies. Collectors sometimes chase scarcity, but players should appreciate abundance.

This would be one of my first cartridges for any beginner NES collection.

Nintendo Switch Online also includes it, so buying physical should be about wanting the cartridge, original controller experience and shelf nostalgia—not believing physical ownership is required to enjoy the game.

10. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link — Around $24 Loose

The black sheep of classic Zelda remains surprisingly approachable as a physical purchase.

A loose copy of Zelda II currently sits around $24–$25, compared with roughly $122 complete.

That’s an enormous difference.

If you’re a player who wants that gold cartridge sliding into an original NES, buy loose.

If you’re collecting Zelda boxes, manuals and variants, you’re playing an entirely different—and considerably more expensive—game.

Nintendo Switch Online includes Zelda II as well, so players who simply want to discover why this strange action-RPG still inspires arguments decades later already have an official modern option.

11. Kid Icarus — Around $25 Loose

Kid Icarus feels like the kind of first-party Nintendo game that should have become expensive simply because its name survived.

Instead, PriceCharting currently estimates a standard loose NES copy at around $25.

The complete version is another story at roughly $150.

That makes Kid Icarus a perfect illustration of the player-versus-collector divide.

Player: Buy the cartridge.

Collector: Decide whether the box and manual actually matter to your collection.

Curious newcomer: Play the Nintendo Switch Online version first.

All three choices are valid.

12. Crystalis — Around $28 Loose

At roughly $27–$28 loose, Crystalis sits near the upper edge of this list, but it earns its place.

If your mental picture of NES collecting is dominated by platformers and arcade-style action games, this is a great cartridge for broadening the shelf.

Its adventure and RPG elements make it feel substantial, and recent completed sales have remained around the mid-$20 range depending on condition.

Better still, Nintendo Switch Online includes Crystalis.

That makes it another strong try-before-you-buy candidate.

What to Avoid Before You Spend Too Much

Buying inexpensive NES games doesn’t help if you make expensive mistakes.

First, don’t judge value from active asking prices alone. Anybody can list Super Mario Bros. 3 for $80. That doesn’t mean buyers are paying $80 for ordinary loose copies. Compare completed sales and condition.

Second, inspect cartridges carefully.

Labels with heavy tearing, sun fading, marker, moisture damage or suspicious replacement artwork may deserve a lower price. Collectors should pay particular attention to authenticity when listings involve unusually valuable games or unusually pristine cartridges.

Third, don’t automatically pay a huge premium for complete-in-box copies.

Original NES cardboard is inherently collectible precisely because so much of it was discarded. But if your goal is playing the game, $15 for Ninja Gaiden makes far more sense than roughly $100 for a complete copy.

Also remember that older cartridges can need cleaning, and battery-backed games may eventually require battery service. Ask sellers whether games have been tested, but understand that “tested” is not the same as professionally restored.

Finally, be cautious with reproduction cartridges sold without clear disclosure. Reproductions aren’t automatically useless, but they should never be represented—or priced—as authentic originals.

Best for Players vs. Best for Collectors

Best for Players

Buy clean loose cartridges.

That’s where the NES market still offers some tremendous value. A shelf containing Super Mario Bros. 3, Ninja Gaiden, Blaster Master, Bionic Commando, Double Dragon II and R.C. Pro-Am can deliver a ridiculous amount of 8-bit gaming without rare-game money.

Best for Collectors

Condition and authenticity become much more important.

Original boxes, manuals, inserts, hang tabs, cartridge variants and label condition can dramatically change value. Decide what kind of collector you want to be before paying those premiums.

There is nothing wrong with CIB collecting.

But don’t accidentally become a CIB collector just because somebody convinced you that a loose cartridge is somehow incomplete as a gaming experience.

Best for the Full Nostalgia Hit

Original NES. Original controller. Original cartridge.

Add a CRT if you already own one, or use a quality modern-display solution rather than assuming the cheapest generic HDMI converter will reproduce the experience accurately.

Then sit too close to the television and argue with somebody over whose turn it is.

Some traditions deserve preservation.

Best Way to Play Today

If you already own a Switch or Switch 2 and subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online, check the NES Classics library before buying cartridges solely to play them.

Nintendo’s current library includes Super Mario Bros. 3, Zelda II, Kid Icarus, Kirby’s Adventure, Ninja Gaiden, Blaster Master, Crystalis, Double Dragon II, Excitebike, R.C. Pro-Am and Rygar, among many others. Nintendo also provides conveniences such as rewind functionality.

For casual players, that may be enough.

But collecting original NES games scratches a different itch.

The cartridge has weight. The label has history. Sliding it into the console and pressing that rectangular controller’s wonderfully unforgiving D-pad connects you to the game as an object, not merely software.

That’s worth something.

It just isn’t worth overpaying for.

Final Recommendation

If you’re starting or rebuilding an NES collection in 2026, don’t begin with rarity.

Begin with great games.

Pick up affordable loose cartridges of Super Mario Bros. 3, Ninja Gaiden, Blaster Master, Bionic Commando or Double Dragon II. Add R.C. Pro-Am and Excitebike when you find clean inexpensive copies. Move toward Kid Icarus, Zelda II and Crystalis if you want something with more historical or collector appeal.

And unless you’re intentionally collecting boxes, spend your money on more games instead of more cardboard.

Retro gaming gets expensive when collecting becomes a competition.

It becomes wonderfully affordable again when the goal is what it was when we were kids:

Put in a cartridge.

Grab the controller.

And play.