Retro game listings lean on three words, loose, complete and sealed, and sellers don't always mean the same thing by them. The difference matters more for some platforms than others, because cardboard boxes rarely survived and plastic cases usually did. Here's what each word should mean, what complete looks like on each platform, and how to check a box from the photos.
The three conditions
Loose means the cartridge or disc on its own. PriceCharting defines it as the game by itself with nothing else.
Complete in box, or CIB, means the game with its original box and original instruction manual. That's the floor. Collectors also weigh the rest of the paperwork, how many of the original inserts are still there, and on releases that had one, whether the spine card survived.
Sealed means the game, box and manual still in the original factory plastic. Graded games are sealed copies that a grading company such as Wata or VGA has scored and cased. Wata started grading games in 2018, scoring packaging, game and manual on a 10-point scale.
When a listing just says "complete", ask what's in it. Some sellers mean cart, box and manual. Others mean every paper item the game shipped with. A photo with everything laid out answers the question faster than a description.
Why cardboard boxes are scarce
Games for the NES, SNES and N64 came in cardboard boxes, and a lot of original owners threw them away. That's why boxed copies of cartridge games are so much scarcer than the carts. Nintendo kept its SNES boxes almost completely standardized, which makes a crushed corner or a torn flap easy to compare against a clean example.
Cardboard also wears in the same places. Look for crushed corners, creased or torn flaps, sun fading on the front, water stains, price stickers and the residue they leave behind, and names written on the box or manual.
What complete means, platform by platform
NES
For most NES games, complete means the cart, the box and the manual. Some games shipped with more, and that extra piece is part of complete. The original Legend of Zelda box had a die-cut hole showing the gold cartridge, a full-color manual and a fold-out map, so a complete gold copy includes the map. Nintendo reissued it in 1992 in its Classic Series with a gray cartridge, so make sure the cart in the photo is gold.
Box art can vary too. Super Mario Bros. 3 has a rare alternate cover with "Bros." on the left of the title instead of the center. Check the cover against the listing title, since a seller may not know which one they have.
SNES
Same idea. Cart, box and manual, plus anything the game shipped with. The big one is EarthBound, which came with a strategy guide included in every copy. A complete EarthBound has the guide.
Nintendo 64
N64 games also came in cardboard boxes, and they share the same weak spots, crushed corners and torn flaps. Ask for photos of every side, not just the front.
Genesis
Most Genesis games came in a plastic keep case roughly the size of a VHS case, and later releases moved to pressboard boxes to save cost. Plastic cases hold up better than cardboard, so a Genesis case in good shape is a realistic thing to ask for. Check the paper cover slipped under the case's plastic for fading or tears, and make sure the manual inside matches the game.
PlayStation and Sega CD
Most PlayStation games came in jewel cases, with the manual as the front insert and a printed card behind the disc tray. Early PlayStation and Sega CD games often came in a thicker, taller jewel case that has a reputation for breaking easily. A cracked case is the least important part of a disc game, since the paper and the disc are what make it complete.
Multi-disc games come in cases that hold more than one disc. Final Fantasy VII shipped on three, and complete means all three. It was also reissued as a Greatest Hits release with altered cover designs, so check which printing is in the photos. If the case looks thick, it may be a PAL copy, since PAL PlayStation cases are thicker to hold multi-language manuals.
Atari 2600
Atari games came in cardboard boxes with a manual, and AtariAge keeps box, manual and cartridge scans for most releases. It also lists label variations, like the picture labels on Adventure. Compare the listing with those scans before you buy.
Sealed copies and reseals
A factory seal is hard to prove from a photo. Shrink wrap can be put on a box after the fact. We'd only buy a sealed game for the seal if it's graded by a company you trust, or from a seller who will take it back if it turns out to be resealed. If you just want to play it, a clean complete copy gives you the same box and manual.
Look at the plastic in the photos. A seal that's loose, cloudy, or folded over at odd places deserves a question. So does a sealed box with a crushed corner and no tear in the plastic.
Reproduction boxes and manuals
Reproduction boxes and manuals are sold openly, and some end up in listings as originals. Bootleggers have also copied packaging as closely as they could. Compare the print against database scans like AtariAge's, or SNES Central's box scans for SNES games. Fuzzy text, flat colors, the wrong cardboard finish or a missing Nintendo Seal of Quality on a Nintendo-licensed box are reasons to ask more questions. Our guide to spotting reproduction carts covers the cartridges.
How to check a box in the photos
- Ask for all six sides of the box, not just the front.
- Check the corners and flaps for crushing, creases and tears.
- Look for stickers, sticker residue, writing and sun fading.
- Make sure the cart or disc in the photo is the one in the box, with the label matching the cover.
- Check the manual's front cover and ask whether any pages are loose or missing.
- Count the inserts against what the game shipped with, like the Zelda map or the EarthBound guide.
- Compare the print with a database scan when the box is the main reason you're buying.
Which one to buy
If you want to play the game, buy it loose and spend the difference on another game. If the box is part of why you want it, buy complete and be clear about what complete includes for that title. Sealed is for collectors who will verify the seal. You'll find all three in the store's cartridge listings and on each game's page.