Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Video games: How much money can you make trading in your old ones?
Marc Crosby
12th Mar 2020
Desperate to get the latest console or video games and feeling a little short on the old cash?
We’ve all been there, trying to find money lying around the house. You’ll reach down sofas to find stray pennies, look in cupboards and drawers for any loose coinage, or check old jeans and coats to see if the pockets are lined with an almost sacred fiver.
However, if it’s a few quick quid you’re trying to earn, there’s value in some of your old consoles and video games that could really help to eat away at the price of buying a brand new game or accessory.
Of course, it depends on the popularity and rarity of the item you have in your possession, but you might be surprised at how much you can actually make from getting rid of some of the discs that are just gathering dust on the shelf, or consoles that are tucked away where nobody can see or play them.
There are a whole variety of places you could look to trade in or sale your games, including:
Why and how you should trade games in:
- Why trade video games in?
- Where should I trade my video games in?
- Cash or credit?
- How much can I make?
- Alternatives to trading in
Why trade video games in?
Well, the obvious answer is you need a bit of extra cash. Getting rid of unwanted video games is a good way to make a bit of extra money and a great way to clear your clutter (something we’re very fond of at MoneyMagpie!)
However, it’s also a great way to start saving up for that new powerful console that, right now, is more an object of desire than a realistic purchase.
After all, the Xbox One and PS4 may have been on the market for a while now. But even with the price coming down a bit, they’re still an expensive buy.
The Nintendo Switch is another popular contender, allowing you to play games on the go or on your TV as you please.
And of course, the PS5 and Xbox Series X are now on the horizon. Putting aside a bit of cash each month now, perhaps by selling old games, is a good start to saving up for one!
Where should I trade my video games in?
As with any kind of transaction, it’s important that you shop around to get the best price.
It used to be quite difficult to know where was best to go. Those of us who are older gamers might remember taking a bag full of games into a store. You’d get each game valued by a member of staff (which could take five minutes or more). Then, you’d have to decide, there and then, whether you were going to accept the offer.
If you refused you’d have to put all the games back in a bag and try your luck somewhere else. Sometimes you’d walk back to the original store and embarrassingly ask for the initial offer again.
Thankfully, it’s SO much easier these days. Game, Ziffit, and CeX all let you see online exactly how much you can get for your item, all from the comfort of your own sofa. Just a quick search will make sure you get the best price for you.
Cash or credit?
It’s worth bearing in mind that if you’re trading it into a store like Game or CeX, you can often get more for your game by accepting store credit rather than cash. This won’t be ideal if you just need the cash. But if you’re looking to buy another game or console, this will probably be the better option.
Just remember to check the price of the item you want in each store as well (there’s no point getting an extra £2 for a game if the item you want to buy costs £10 more in that store than the other.)
However, if that store’s prices are good and you’re definitely going to buy another game soon anyway, the credit could at least get you some money off. Think about whether you’ll be getting another new game straight away or are saving up for a longer-term purchase, like a new console later in the year.
How much can I make?
In all honesty, you’re not going to make a fortune trading in old video games. This is especially true if they’re last generation (360/PS3). However, it’s still worth getting a bit extra cash if you’re not going to play the game again!
If it’s a current generation (PS4/Xbox One) game you’ll get a bit more.
Of course, the store will always offer you a lower price than what they’re selling it at. That’s how they make a profit. Still, it may be better to trade in a game that’s been sitting around for ages that you’re never going to play again. You’ll make space in the house and unlock some cash!
As you’ll see, it’s not huge amounts of money. But it builds up if you trade in several games at a time. If you’ve got some old games, you might even have a rare gem that’s worth a bit. For example, if you’ve got an N64 copy of Banjo Tooie, you can get £50+ for trading it in! So, don’t assume those old games aren’t worth much.
Alternatives to trading in
Another way of making money back on old games is by selling them online. Sites like eBay can be great for selling games, especially current-gen titles.
As an example, CeX will give you £23 for Zelda: Breath of the Wild, whereas on eBay it trends for around £35-£40, even second hand.
It’s worth looking around to see what price you could get. Many trade-in shops and online auction sites have tools for checking this.
On CeX, they clearly state what price they buy and sell each title for. On eBay, click on ‘Advanced’ next to the blue Search button, enter the name of your game, and then tick the ‘Completed Listings’ option.
Other handy links
- For more tips, see our Sell Your Stuff hub.
- Our article on how to make money on eBay has you covered on that front.
- Finally, see our guide to selling stuff like CDs, DVDs, and more.
For me eBay is the place to go, I don’t have to hassle with some random website. At least with eBay I take some good photo’s and I’ll get a buyer.
Great idea to trade in the games you no longer play.