The world of video game grading is relatively young, especially when compared to grading systems for trading cards and comic books. Yet over the past couple of decades, particularly in the last few years, video game collecting has exploded in popularity. This has generated considerable interest in finding the best video game grading services, of which there are a few possibilities available to you.
The Best Video Game Grading Services
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5. Limited Graders
Location: Spain
While Limited Graders doesn’t seem to have any complaints lodged against them, nor are there any scathing reviews of being ripped off, they also don’t have nearly as much experience with game grading as the other services we’ve mentioned here. However, if you’re based in or near Spain, and you want a local service that can get your games graded and returned to you in short order (8 days for base grading or 14 days for limited editions), Limited Graders has worked out nicely for at least a few people. Unfortunately, they don’t quite stack up to the other services we’re going to mention.
Using a 100-point grading scale, Limited Graders has experience with a wide range of consoles and games, including systems from Nintendo, Sony, Sega, and others. Their custom grading services in particular promise to determine the full worth of everything from prototypes to the rarest games and consoles in the world. They promise rapid customer service response times, and even offer recasing services to their former customers.
It’s also worth noting that Limited Graders is active on social media, including Instagram, and that this year they debuted their intriguing Signature Collection. Clearly, this is a service that aspires to be by gamers and for gamers.
4. UK Graders
Location: United Kingdom
If you live in the UK and want to get your games appraised and graded by a reliable service, UK Graders can be a great company to turn to. They have a strong reputation among UK gamers. Obviously, due to their location, their experience with PAL games can be particularly helpful to those who know that regions are just as much of a grading consideration as anything else. If you’re based in the UK, you can obviously send your games to anyone you want, but a more local option could give you a better peace of mind.
Remember, these games must be mailed to the grading service. This is why researching any company you come across is vitally important. UK Graders is a respected resource that their customers trust to receive and handle sealed games and consoles, unused games and consoles, used games in original packaging, loose carts, and more. Their rates are manageable for most games and consoles, although obviously super-rare items like Nintendo’s iconic Power Glove can cost you a few hundred pounds.
UK Graders will also grade your action figures. Other products and services can be found on their website, which is packed with information, but isn’t quite as flashy as some of their competitors. If you plan to deal with video game grading on a regular basis, they also offer several membership tiers with perks and a dedicated online community.
3. CGC Video Games
Location: US, UK & Germany
The least-established of the “big” services we’re covering suffers a bit as a result of that, but Certified Guaranty Company’s reputation seems to be rising at the pace of its contemporaries. While CGC-graded games haven’t sold for as much as WATA or VGA, some of their games have hit the four-figure range, and that should only continue to improve as the CGC becomes more established.
What truly remains to be seen is whether or not the relatively young retro game pricing market can handle an abundance of grading services, although it seems unlikely at this point that anyone is going to try and start another. Who wants to compete with three different grading bodies?
The 10-point grading system CGC utilizes focuses on such factors as game boxes, manuals, inserts specific to the actual game, and more. The seal grading system utilizes letter grades, with the highest being an A++. The company recently introduced customer support, and overall reviews for the service seem to be positive.
One thing that CGC can say is that they haven’t been sued over allegations of artificially inflating the value of their games sold at auction, which was leveled at WATA in a lawsuit a couple of years ago.
2. Video Game Authority
Location: United States
Collectible Grading Authority is another established grading service that added a video game section, known simply as the Video Game Authority, and at one time was quite prominent in this developing field. With sections devoted to serial verification and straightforward online submissions, the service aspires to make everything as simple and hassle-free as possible. It’s just not quite as readily used for grading and pricing as it used to be, but there’s no question that they’re still a highly respected grading service.
The VGA rates games a bit differently from their contemporaries/competition, with the Video Game Authority using two different grading scales that are basically the same system, but with Qualified Grading for opened games and Standard Grading for unopened games. The rating is determined by looking at such factors as the condition of the box, whether or not an instruction book is included, and so forth.
The VGA often uses more than one expert in determining the value of a game, and the numbered score the game receives can fall anywhere between 1 and 100, with three different grading levels available:
Gold: 100, 95+, 95, 90+, 90, and 85+
Silver: 85, 80+, 80, and 75
Bronze: 70 and below
Affordably priced (around $90-$125, depending on value and other factors), with discounts often made available to members, the VGA is a good place to start your grading efforts, if WATA’s recent legal troubles concern you.
1. WATA Games
Location: United States
Despite the relatively recent controversy over how their games are graded, WATA Games is still overall the best place to bring your retro games for the NES, SNES, Genesis, PS1, or whatever the case may be. WATA offers a wide range of services beyond simple grading, and it’s worth taking a look at everything they bring to the table. No other company offers this range of services.
WATA utilizes a 10-point grading scale that begins with 0.5 and goes up from there. Factors such as the condition of the box, fading, and even whether or not the factory sealed plastic has been altered in some way. Games that fall between a 9 and 10 rating increase at 0.2 intervals, as opposed to the 0.5 intervals for the rest of the scale. WATA also distinguishes themselves from others by rating factors like the shrink wrap and state of the game’s box separately. The VGA rates these elements together, which can in fact influence the overall score.
Do your own research on WATA Games, which may or may be right for your interests. The market did seem to prefer their scores at one point, but with recent scandals and the emergence of companies like CGC Video Games, you can probably get a good price for your beloved vintage game no matter where you go, but WATA still has the reputation and dedication that we prefer.
How to Assess the Condition of Your Games
While best left to a grading service, let’s quickly cover some of the elements that go into assessing the condition of a video game, particularly a Complete-in-Box (CIB) edition:
Factory Seal: If your game is factory-sealed, that’s a plus. If the seal is determined to be pristine, that’s even better.
Color breaks and fading: White spots, cracks, and similar forms of damage from simple handling can cause color breaks, while fading refers to how vibrant the colors on the box look after 20-50 years.
Crushing/Puffing/Cracking/Etc: A puffy (partially squeezed inwards or outwards), crushed, or even dented box can impact your game’s overall grade.
Impressions, Stickers, and Assorted Markings: Impression lines from someone pressing down on the game can influence the rating. Same with the damage caused by trying to remove a sticker. Any sort of markings can bring down the grade.
And how do CIB games generally break down?
Box Condition: 50%
Cartridge Condition: 30%
Manual: 20%
With all that in mind, you have a pretty good idea of whether you should spend the cash to get your games graded.
Should I Get My Games Graded At All?
Should you get your games graded by one of the companies mentioned above? There’s no universal answer here either. Whether or not you want to establish a tangible value for your game really comes down to what you plan to do with it, and how important it is that you know exactly how much a CIB copy of Rule of Rose is worth (turns out it’s a lot). If you’re content that your collection is in good shape, and it still has the same value to you regardless, getting your games graded doesn’t have a lot to offer.
But much like trading cards and comic books, the increasing scarcity of mint-or-near-mint copies of games like Super Mario Bros and Tengen’s Tetris has created a branch of the retro game collectors community that puts a premium on both quality and quantity. There’s nothing wrong with that, just as there’s nothing wrong with not caring, but understanding grading isn’t essential for everyone. Decide for yourself if there’s value in finding out how much your old games are going for, but do bear in mind that it’s never cheap.
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