How Much Did Video Games Cost in the 90s?

90s game prices varied a lot by platform, mostly because of what the games themselves were made of: cartridges cost more to manufacture than CDs, and that cost was passed straight to the shelf price.

Period advertised prices

• SNES games commonly retailed around $49.99 to $59.99, though premium titles went higher, with Chrono Trigger (1995) reportedly priced at $79.99 as a large-cartridge RPG, and several Midway and Acclaim licensed titles landing in the $70 to $80 range according to period retail reporting.
• Nintendo 64 games regularly retailed at $59.99 to $69.99, sometimes higher, for similar cartridge-cost reasons.
• PlayStation games commonly retailed around $39.99 to $49.99, noticeably cheaper than cartridge-based competitors on the same shelf.

Platform differences

The core reason for the gap: CD-ROM manufacturing cost publishers only a few dollars per disc, while cartridge manufacturing, especially for larger-capacity SNES and N64 carts, cost substantially more per unit, according to widely reported industry analysis from the era. That cost difference is a commonly cited factor in the Saturn and N64's struggles against the PlayStation's cheaper game prices, alongside other factors covered in our console wars feature.

Inflation context

Using the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' CPI inflation data, $50 in 1991 has roughly the same purchasing power as about $120 in 2026. That means a $49.99 SNES game in 1991 cost noticeably more in real terms than a full-price modern game today, even before accounting for the $70 to $80 cartridge titles at the high end.

Limits of this comparison

Prices above are commonly cited retail figures, not a systematic survey of every dated newspaper ad from the decade, and actual shelf prices varied by store, region, and year within the same console's lifespan. Treat these as a general shape of period pricing, not an exact price for any specific game on any specific date.