The Gameboy Color, released in 1998 was an immensely popular console and remains to be to this day. There were multiple limited editions, exciting color variants, and it was twice as fast as a regular Gameboy. The Gameboy Color has recently become popular again, and even though yours is probably hiding away in your dusty attic, it could be worth a lot of money.
The rise in price of Gameboy Colors can be chalked down to a few factors. One, no one can deny that retro game consoles are cool again. They’ve become a rare collectible, and picked up with the increasing popularity of Pokemon Go. In fact, the price also steadily increased as Pokemon Go was just picking up. Ever since 2016, the Gameboy Colors have been valued at a high price (similar to what you’d pay for a used PS3 Slim or even PS4 console). Many thought that its prices would go back down with the death of Pokemon Go, but here we are in 2021 and the Gameboy Consoles are still worth a pretty penny.
Before you try to sell your gameboy color to get a bit of cash, it’s worth doing some research to find out the exact worth — usually dependent on the edition and the cosmetic condition, so that you really get your money’s worth! We’d hate for you to lose it, especially since some gameboys are going for $700 (that’s more than a PS5).
And if you’re planning to buy one of them, it’s useful to know the difference in price between a brand new gameboy and a pre-owned in near mint condition.
Also, read Best Handheld Game Consoles
Game Boy Color Atomic Purple
The Atomic Purple gameboy has the Gameboy Color console and is one of the most popular gameboys. Compared to the Grape GBC, this one has a translucent purple color and is priced similarly to the other color consoles.
The lowest price in the past five years for a Gameboy Color Atomic Puple has been $34 for a Loose Unit in June 2018. The highest price in the past five years is $500 for a New Unit in March 2021 (now).
Loose Units
A loose Game Boy Color Atomic Purple is about $57. This is the average of the units being sold currently, mostly on eBay and Amazon. A loose unit is a gameboy that’s without the box. It also doesn’t contain the manual. Usually, the game boys that you receive as Loose Units also include the Used and Greatly Used consoles that have the most visible cosmetic damage. However, if it’s not working, it will usually explicitly say so. A dysfunctional Game Boy Color Atomic Purple would sell for around $30.
Complete Units
A complete Game Boy Color Atomic Purple would include the console, the box and even the manual. This means it was either minimally used, or kept in great condition. Sometimes you’ll even find stickers on the back. The Complete Unit price would be around $127.
New Unit
A brand new Game Boy Color Atomic Purple, still sealed inside the box can easily go for around $500 or more.
Box Only
If you somehow found just the box — that sells too. The box of the Game Boy Color Atomic Purple sells for about $30.
Game Boy Color Berry
The berry Game Boy, a deep pink colored console has had some serious price fluctuations over the years. Right now, it’s not as in demand as the other colors and is definitely lower priced than the Atomic Purple.
In the past 10 years, the highest price was $600 in August 2012 for a Brand New Unit. The lowest price the Gameboy Color Berry has ever hit was $19.99 in October 2014 for a Loose Unit.
Let’s look at the current prices for the Game Boy Color Berry.
Loose Unit
The average price for a Loose Unit is $50.39. This includes loose consoles without the box, gently used or even heavily used consoles, provided they are all in working condition.
Complete Unit
At $77.04, the complete unit price of the Game Boy Color Berry is not as high as the Atomic Purple, and only a little more pricey than the Loose Unit price. So if you’ve taken the trouble to take care of your Game Boy Color Berry in a box over the years, we’re sorry! You might want to wait a bit for the price to go up — or try your luck quoting higher prices.
New Unit
A brand new Game Boy Color Berry would go for $168.05 right now. Not much, considering it was $600 back in August 2012. A good time to buy, but not to sell!
Box Only
Just the box of the Game Boy Color Berry will currently sell for $42.09
Game Boy Color Grape
This dark purple grape-colored Game Boy is in reasonably high demand. The highest price it has ever taken is in March 2021, currently, as it is going for $699 for a brand new console. The lowest price for the Game Boy has been in May 2019 for $27 for a Loose Unit.
Loose Unit
The Game Boy Color Grape currently sells at around $52 for a loose unit and used condition.
Complete Unit
A complete unit, including box and manual would be priced at $131. This is quite reasonable.
New Unit
The brand new Game Boy Grape is priced at $699 and this is the highest it’s ever been. For those looking to buy, consider the Complete Unit at $131, a fraction of the cost.
Box Only
Box only is around $50 and manual only is around $32
Game Boy Color Green
This bright lime green game boy is a favorite of many. It’s not one of the rarer game boys, and you’ll find plenty of used ones on Amazon and eBay.
The cheapest that the Game Boy Color Green has ever sold for is $10.49 in December 2013 for a Loose Unit. The most expensive it’s been is August 2011, at $450 for a Brand New unit.
Loose Unit
The current price for a used and loose unit of the Game Boy Color Green is $57.
Complete Unit
A complete unit of the Green Game boy is $140. This includes the box and the manual.
New Unit
The brand new Green Game boy is only $169. This is a steal when you look back at 2011-2017 where the new unit reigned at $400.
Box Only
$56 and $35 for the box only and manual only respectively.
Pokemon Special Edition Gameboy Color System GameBoy Color
The Pokemon Special Edition Gameboy is hands down the most expensive GameBoy and also the most in-demand console in the GameBoy edition. Yes, the only difference between the Pokemon Special Edition and the regular Yellow Gameboy is the Pokemon theme, but there are hundreds of dollars in difference in price.
The highest price that the Pokemon Special Edition Gameboy ever held was $850 for a Brand New unit back in February 2015. Another special mention has to go to May 2013, when a Complete Used Unit was going for $799, which is remarkable and unprecedented for a used Gameboy Color console.
The lowest price it was ever sold for was $39 back in October 2013 for a loose unit.
Here are the current prices:
Loose Unit
A loose unit and used one would be at $89.45 on online websites. Though you can easily quote higher.
Complete Unit
At a whopping $500 the Complete Unit is quite a splurge for a used Gameboy console, albeit in perfect condition. There are about 2 sales per year at this price.
New Unit
As expected, a brand new unit for the Pokemon Special Edition Gameboy would be currently priced at $799.99.
Graded Price
The graded price refers to a console that is brand new and sealed as well as graded by a reputed gaming authority. A graded Pokemon Special Edition Gameboy goes for around $2,280.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a Gameboy Color, you’ll greatly benefit from checking out the prices, since they can vary with different colors and editions.
