5 Great Websites to Buy Unique Video Game Collector’s Editions
Most people buy their video games digitally nowadays. It’s convenient, cheap, and quick. But there’s still something to be said for physically collecting a video game, especially if it’s one you’re looking forward to or enjoyed playing.
If you want to make that purchase special, you might want to consider buying the collector’s edition. These are often limited print editions in special packaging that not only include the game, but also physical goodies like a figurine, poster, soundtrack, and other memorabilia.
If you’re on the hunt for a collector’s edition of a video game, we’ve rounded up the best websites where you can buy them.
Limited Run Games began in 2015, created by Josh Fairhurst and Douglas Bogart as a way to bring digital-only games to a physical medium. So far, they’ve achieved that for over 300 games and counting.
The company publishes games for platforms like the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PC, and for retro consoles like the NES and Game Boy.
While you can often buy the physical games on their own, the real excitement comes through Limited Run Games’ collector’s editions.
Some of the games that have received this special treatment include Doom, Jak and Daxter, Monkey Island, Castlevania, and Streets of Rage.
The great thing about Limited Run Games’ collector’s editions is that they usually work with the original creators to design something fans will cherish, sometimes including signed certificates of authenticity.
The collector’s editions typically come in specially designed, large box packaging, with trinkets that recreate objects from the game, or include other items like art prints, pins, and statues.
Fangamer is not only an excellent website to buy video game merch, but also for collector’s editions. You can expect the same magnificent quality here.
If a game you love gets a collector’s edition that releases on Fangamer, you should buy it. The attention to detail is top-notch, clearly designed for hardcore fans.
Take the Stardew Valley set. Not only does it come in a big box with unique artwork, but you also get a wooden standee, lapel pin, comic, farm deed, and cleaning cloth. These trinkets all fit with the aesthetic of the game and bring it to life.
Or the Spelunky set, which features a big box in the shape of the game’s recognizable idol, a decoder medallion, soundtrack CD, explorer’s journal, and pug plush keychain.
These releases are limited edition though, so you should act reasonably promptly if you want them. Pleasantly, many of the sets are reasonably priced, and you can often choose which platform you want the game on.
iam8bit dons itself as a “creative production company” that works with brands like Capcom and Nintendo to create a variety of experiences like mailers, commercials, and in-person exhibits. The company also produces video game collector’s sets.
Many of iam8bit’s collector’s editions are reprints of classic games. For example, you can buy a playable Genesis-compatible cartridge of Aladdin, Earthworm Jim, or Street Fighter II—the latter has a trifold box, with foil, gloss, and embossments, and 1,000 of the cartridges glow in the dark.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Retro Gaming
But the true collector’s editions are even better. iam8bit stand out because it puts a huge amount of effort into the game’s packaging. The box for the Ori collector’s set glows in the dark (there’s a theme here!), while Spiritfarer’s is a constellation lantern display box. Essentially, the packaging is a work of art alone.
These come bundled with the usual collectible feelies; things like a postcard and stamp set, art book, pin, and a stained-glass piece.
Strictly Limited Games, as the name suggests, produces collector’s editions in fixed editions. Many of these are individually numbered to make them feel even more exclusive.
A great feature about the Strictly Limited Games store is that it tells you how much stock it has left. If you need time to pull together enough money to plunge into its deluxe sets, this should help give you a rough guideline.
While the other websites we’ve recommended cover indie games, this one truly nails the definition. You may have never heard of some of the games on sale here, but that’s what makes it so amazing; even games with a niche fan base can enjoy collecting a physical copy with extra goodies.
The company also plays host to a Partner Store. These are sets which aren’t directly made by Strictly Limited Games, but from other smaller developers and creators who require an outlet to sell their wares. Nevertheless, these are still well worth checking out and top quality.
5. Direct From the Publisher
If you can’t find the collector’s edition you’re looking for, you should also try shopping directly with the developer or publisher. Many of them sell directly through their own online stores, where you can also pick up other items while you’re there.
Related: What Are First, Second, and Third-Party Video Game Developers?
For example, you should browse the offerings from Sony, Bandai Namco, Maixmum Games, and Bungie. This is just a small selection; head to your favorite developer’s website to see if it has its own store.
If you find something you like, but think it’s overpriced, try looking for it on a retailer like GameStop or Amazon. Though some developers won’t sell collector’s editions through third-party retailers, some of them do. It’s worth shopping around first before handing over your money to ensure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.
Help Support Game Developers Through Physical Purchases
Physical games are a dying breed, so there’s something special about holding a game in your hands and enjoying the extra trinkets that come with a collector’s edition. Don’t let them sit on a shelf—unwrap them and enjoy them.
Buying a collector’s edition not only means you can express your appreciation for a game, but it also helps the developer; often, more money from these sets ends up in their pockets, helping them fund future projects.
I’m Tired of Special Editions That Don’t Include the Game
God of War: Ragnarok’s special edition has a digital copy of the game, but that’s more than several others.
Kenneth Shepard, JULY 6, 2022
This is not a blog about God of War: Ragnarok, specifically, but the special editions for Sony Santa Monica’s sequel have once again reminded me of a weird, frustrating trend in video game collector’s editions: why do so many companies not include a physical copy of the game when fans buy these physical collections?
Companies offering fans a big box of collectibles and statues to go with a game they’re excited about is pretty standard for AAA games, but the trend toward not actually including the disc in the box is relatively new. It’s not a universal problem, as I bought the Ellie Edition of The Last of Us Part II and am happy to say I have a steelbook case and a game inside it on my shelf. But it’s happening with a regularity that makes it harder to justify buying a collector’s edition when the game isn’t showing up alongside it. Much of this has been because of the industry’s shift toward digital goods. It’s just simply cheaper to not manufacture and include the disc in the collector’s edition. And yet, games like Ragnarok and the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition remasters still include a steelbook case to put on your shelf with no game inside.
At the very least, Ragnarok does offer those who buy its Collector’s and Jötnar Editions a digital copy of Kratos and Atreus’ story, but for a non-insignificant amount of players, getting a digital copy on day one might as well be the “gift” of a physical disc getting delayed in a snowstorm. I live in a rural area in the southern US, and downloading a game the size of God of War would take me possibly multiple days to install on my system.
Managing a digital library has always been a struggle for me, as my internet service provider has a monopoly on the area, and only offers double digit download speeds. For years before that, the fastest internet I could get was 3mbps download, and for several years I was getting even less than that because of poor installation on that ISP’s part. The shift toward digital in video games has been leaving people in rural areas with slow internet speeds behind for years. That special editions are moving away from physical discs has ramifications for everyone, and may make the simple act of playing the game more costly across the board.
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While Ragnarok does include the game in some form, several of these expensive packages don’t. I grabbed the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Cache because I wanted the N7 helmet and steelbook to have on my shelf, but there was no copy of the actual game for me until I bought a separate one. It added an extra $60 to my purchase to buy a disc to put in the steelbook.
That hard case feels like both an acknowledgement that collector’s editions are losing the plot, and a subconscious reminder that the giant box of goodies still feels incomplete without the additional investment. While the game itself is being removed from these packages, that’s hardly been reflected in the price of these collector’s editions, which often cost three figures. I recognize that buying all of these things is a choice I’m making, but at one time, these collector’s editions were put into the world with an understanding that they were adding to the experience of the game, not that they were entirely separate. Now, a $100+ box shows up with all the makings of a collector’s edition, but the core experience that inspired and facilitates all these statues and doodads is missing.
For some, the distinction between collector’s editions of old and present is pretty cut and dry. These are complimentary things meant to be enjoyed alongside a separate purchase of the game. But they’re never really framed that way. And while Ragnarok’s digital copy is a fine enough half step for a lot of people, anyone who can’t download the game in a timely manner is missing out on the core experience they paid for longer than they would if the disc came in the steelbook.
But video games stopped caring about anyone without a three-digit download speed years ago. So why would that change when they can get another $60 from them by requiring them to buy a separate copy?
God of War: Ragnarok
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
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5 games that received the rarest collector’s editions
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The number of video game fans is now measured in millions, and every year there are more and more gamers. Thanks to this, game creators are also constantly developing and expanding their virtual world, making their continuations and offshoots. But in addition, they often release collector’s editions for true connoisseurs. And while most of these video game titles are always quite limited, there are a few very rare ones that stand out from the rest.
What it is
Each company tries to release a collector’s edition of a video game that should interest the buyer. But everything that your heart desires can be included in it. In some editions, this may be a game bonus, which can then be used when passing levels, in others it may be especially beautiful decorations or character’s attire, which, again, can be used during the game. There may also be soundtracks available that can be listened to in the car, at home or at work. Also available in Collector’s Editions are maps of the game area, key chains, concept art…
Theoretically, there can be anything your heart desires, which is why gamers buy them to get a pleasant surprise from the creators of the game. True, they will have to pay a lot, because such publications cost far from a penny, and for some of them you need to pay not just a tidy sum, but so much money that is enough to buy a car. Actually, that’s why these editions of video games are distinguished from others, because they are insanely rare and extremely valuable.
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Dead Space
The Dead Space Ultra Limited Edition is a perfect example what needs to be done to make any game even more valuable and interesting. Most importantly, there are only 1000 copies of this collector’s edition. It also contained decent souvenir products at a retail price of $ 150. There was also a card signed by Glenn Schofield, an animated film, a comic strip, and an Ishimura crew patch. Each of these items is valuable in itself, and together they created a real buzz among gamers. Well, in the end, after such an edition, the game “Dead Space” became even more popular and managed to spawn several sequels, which means that the popularity of the series grew long after the last copy of the Ultra Limited Edition was sold.
World Of Warcraft (WoW)
The WoW Collector’s Edition is a true rarity and only a handful of gamers have, despite being one of the best-selling games of all time. More importantly, these collector’s editions came with a special CD key that was hardly used by anyone. But the most coveted item in this edition was a funny and cute play pet, which also included a soundtrack, a book with illustrations and a fabric map of the game world. Unfortunately, this pet was tied to a CD key, which meant that everything that came with it could only be used when the CD players were used again. In the years since the release of World of Warcraft, the number of unclaimed Collector’s Edition CD keys has dwindled to a paltry amount, so that now the complete Collector’s Edition with all the original goodies included has become extremely rare and is only bought by true connoisseurs of the game who simply bet put it on a shelf like a true rarity.
Uncharted 2
Collector’s edition of “Uncharted 2: Fortune Hunter” is incredibly beautiful. It contains an ornate replica of the Phurba dagger wielded by the protagonist, a hand-signed book of the character’s adventures, detailed profiles of all the characters, concept art, and a copy of the game’s soundtrack, which can be listened to anywhere and everywhere. More importantly, this is an extremely rare edition that is not easy to find. After all, no 200 copies of the Fortune Hunter edition could be bought in stores – they had to be won by participating in the competition in the multiplayer demo of the game, PlayStation Home and other places. And since now all these competitions are long over, real fans can only beg for a copy from those who were able to win the tournament by paying an exorbitant amount for it.
Dying Light My Apocalypse Edition and Saints Row 4 Super Dangerous Wad
These are the most expensive collector’s editions of their kind, and are considered the most rare and valuable. And most importantly, they have never been sold in the public domain. But now the Dying Light My Apocalpyse edition can be purchased for $400,000, and the Saints Row 4 Super Dangerous Wad edition can be purchased for as much as $1,000,000. True, buyers for the money can expect a lot more than just a game add-on or soundtrack CD, as the Saints Row 4 package came with a Lamborghini and plastic surgery discount, and the Dying Light Collector’s Edition comes with a “purpose-built zombie hideout.” “.
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Collector’s editions of games in Surgut: 274-products: free shipping, 59% discount [link]0004 Product Catalog
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90 004 -14%
5,990
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Board game Crowd Games Flame Masters. Collector’s Edition Edition Type: Board Game Size:
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1,251
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226
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Collectible cards board game “Pokemon”. Booster Edition “Sword & Shield” Type: Accessory
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Siberia 3. Collector’s Edition Edition , Russian (PC) Buka Publisher: Buka, Platform: PC, Genre : adventure
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Collection cards board game “Pokemon”. Booster edition “Sword & Shield” Type: addition
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Interior painting on relief board OSB game Mafia II (PS, Xbox, PC, Switch) – 9819 Platform:
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