Whenever a big new game gets released, there’s nearly always a basic standard edition, a premium or whatnot edition with season passes or DLCs, and the collector’s edition with physical goodies like figurines and art books. Although physical game copies are getting rarer by the day, one category remains well nourished: collector’s editions.
Collector’s editions are meant to celebrate a game’s launch, offering the biggest fans of a franchise a tangible product to display at home, reminding them of their experience years after finishing the game. While many of these bundles simply include an art book or statue to keep price within reach, some go all in, creating some of the most ridiculous and expensive editions ever.
In this piece, I’m looking at the most expensive editions ever released. I’m not even talking about the $300 Middle-earth: Shadow of War Mithril Edition, or even the $800 Assassin’s Creed: Origins – Dawn of the Creed Legendary Edition, here. Nah, I’m talking about game editions that are so expensive, your banker might even call you to verify your identity. So, without further ado, here are the priciest collector’s editions ever made, and what they give you for your money.
Resident Evil 6: Premium Edition – $1,300
Let’s start with something still within the reach of mere mortals: the $1,300 Resident Evil 6: Premium Edition (also known as the Leather Jacket Edition). And no, this isn’t Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang’s leather jacket; that one sold for $960,000. While this collector’s edition didn’t have as many extras as some of those that came before, at least it offered a product that could be genuinely useful: a real adult-size jacket that you can wear. This jacket was a replica of the one worn by Leon in the game, recreated with intricate attention to detail.
This bundle couldn’t have launched at a worse time, however, as Resident Evil 6 got a subpar reception from players, mainly due to its action-based gameplay, which moved on from the survival horror format for which the series was known.
As if the price wasn’t prohibitive enough, this edition was also exclusive to the Japanese market, on top of being limited to just 5,000 units. You were lucky to get one during launch. Thankfully, nowadays you can find quite well-made replicas (not the official jacket) on eBay for just $160, although they’re made from faux leather. For my part, if I had to pay $1,300 for a jacket, I would have preferred the Resident Evil 4 one instead; it looked comfier.
GRID 2 – Mono Edition – £125,000 ($190,100)
With heavy competition from Need for Speed and Forza, Codemasters had to stand out from the crowd and get the media to talk about its new game, GRID 2. And how better to do this than by offering, at the time, the most expensive collector’s edition in video game history?
This collector’s edition included a BAC Mono supercar customised with GRID 2 livery, a racing helmet and suit, plus a factory tour. Yep, we’re talking about a real single-seater, road-legal BAC Mono race car powered by a 2.3L four-cylinder engine. It was rated at 280 brake horsepower and capable of accelerating from 0 to 60mph (96km/h) in 2.8 seconds, reaching 170mph (273km/h) at top speed. Oh, and you also got a PlayStation 3 console, if you wanted to play the game instead of driving the real thing.
Codemasters made and sold only one copy of Grid 2 – Mono Edition, which was purchased by the famous Canadian DJ and producer deadmau5. Due to its exorbitant price, the GRID 2 – Mono Edition claimed a Guinness World Record for the most expensive commercial game edition that actually got sold.
Nowadays, a BAC Mono base model starts at about £125,000 before tax and customisation, so deadmau5 technically got his money’s worth. This showed that racing games could not only be sold in highly unusual special editions, but also in ones that only a few can afford.
Dying Light – My Apocalypse Edition – £250,000 (~$390,000)
Following its breakthrough in the Zombie genre with Dead Island, Techland wanted something special to mark the release of its new IP (intellectual property). So, for the launch of Dying Light, which was a fantastic game by the way, Techland decided to offer a collector’s edition that cost a quarter of a million quid.
For this extravagant amount of cash, you gained access to a custom-built zombie-proof shelter provided by Tiger Log Cabins, parkour training to get you ready in case of a zombie breakout, a human-sized figurine of Volatile (a dangerous night zombie from the game), and night vision goggles to keep watch at night.
You even got a stack of adult nappies (diapers for those in the US), and the chance for your face to be featured in the game. The bundle also included a studio visit, four copies of the game, plus two sets of Razer Tiamat headphones. To put it simply, the My Apocalypse Edition lets you recreate the game’s doomsday scenario in your own bunker.
Unsurprisingly, since its announcement 11 years ago, no one has purchased this version of the game. After all, anyone with that amount of cash could build their own real apocalyptic shelter for a much cheaper price. Heck, you can get a survivor bunker for £50,000, complete with a heavy-duty blast door and an advanced air filtration system. Personally, however, I would instead opt for a Hobbit hole.
Saints Row IV – The Super Dangerous Wad Wad Edition – $1 Million
True to Saints Row’s over-the-top world and gameplay, The Super Dangerous Wad Wad Edition complement the game with equally outlandish goodies and perks from the real world. While this million-dollar bundle won’t unlock your superpowers, nor help you meet aliens, it will bring you as close as possible to the latter thanks to a Virgin Galactic space flight.
Yep, you heard that right. This collector’s edition included a suborbital spaceflight that was listed at $250,000 back when it was announced, which let you experience three-to-five minutes of zero-G weightlessness.
But that’s not all; this edition also came with a full-size replica of the Dub-Step gun, a hostage rescue experience, a spy training day, a Lamborghini Gallardo, and a Toyota Prius. You even got a plastic surgery voucher, seven nights at the Top Royal Suite of Dubai’s Burj Al-Arab, and a week for two at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington DC.
Meanwhile, extra frills were provided courtesy of a personal shopper, a capsule wardrobe, first-class flights to both destinations, and a supercar membership. Despite including all these goodies, Ars Technica did the maths and came up with a total value of $629,974.69, which is substantially short of the asking price.
Not as if this mattered anyway, since anyone capable of spending this much on a game bundle is probably doing all the above already. That said, it’s unclear if this bundle was ever truly available for purchase. All indications are that this was a simple PR stunt.
Dying Light: The Following – Spotlight Edition – $10 Million
After the My Apocalypse edition of the first game, Techland decided to raise the bar higher and released the Spotlight Edition. This version promoted Dyling Light’s expansion pack, which took you to the rural countryside to investigate a mysterious cult that held the key to immunity from the zombie virus. The new bundle had a massive a $10 million price tag, making the My Apocalypse Edition look like pocket change by comparison.
So, what could Techland possibly give you to explain this unfathomable price? Well, you were promised a supporting role in the Dying Light film, which, by the way, was never released, along with a personal on-set trailer, and 10 VIP tickets for the opening night. You would also get stunt/parkour training, an off-road driving course, the original copy of the movie script, and an effects makeup session. You would even get the chance to voice the game’s protagonist in a special edition, and receive professional acting lessons from Roger Craig Smith, the man who voiced Assassin’s Creed’s Ezio Auditore and Resident Evil’s Chris Redfield.
Unsurprisingly, no one has shown any interest in buying it, and for a reason. Anyone who has $10 million to spare probably doesn’t need an acting job. Heck, you could finance your own movie and be the main star.
Regardless, while The Following – Spotlight Edition got a listing on Guinness World Records, the Grid 2 Mono Edition still holds the spot for the collector’s edition that someone actually bought. For my part, I’d spend my $10 million on a nice private Greek island instead.
