The 10 Most Expensive and Interesting Collector's Editions Ever Released

Launching a game isn't the cheapest task, and after you release a title, you need to try to make as much money as possible from it. One way to do this is with different editions. In most cases, you buy an edition, receive your game, and that's it. Other times, developers release versions with exclusive in-game bonuses if you pre-order or purchase a more expensive edition.

However, for those who love the franchises and want to have the best of them, companies release collector's editions with exclusive physical items and gifts that make fans want to invest a good amount of money to own such products. But sometimes, developers go overboard and release things that exceed expectations.

Some editions include very well-made, beautiful statues that you're proud to display. Others include practical, wearable, or everyday items that show the world you're passionate about the game. And, from time to time, they go too overboard and offer things like luxury cars, roles in feature films, and other items that require a lot of money if you really want to take them home.

It's these editions we're going to talk about: some of the most expensive or interesting collector's versions ever released. If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments.

With the modest price tag of one million dollars, the collector's edition of Saints Row IV is, without a doubt, one of the most expensive ever seen.

The leader of the 3rd Street Saints has been elected President of the United States, and after a catastrophic alien invasion of Earth, he and his allies have been transported to a bizarre simulation of Steelport. With new and old friends, and an arsenal of superpowers and strange weapons, they must fight to liberate humanity from the alien overlord Zinyak and his empire, saving the world in the most chaotic open-world game of all time.

The game, which started as a "GTA clone", broke almost every boundary: superpowers, alien invasions, and the most convoluted story ever created. The over-the-top nature of the series is what made it so special, and this was reflected in the "Wad Wad" edition of the game.

There was only one "Wad Wad" edition available, and it's unclear if anyone was allowed to buy it. Priced at one million dollars, it included everything from the complete Saints Row IV Commander in Chief edition, plus a life-size replica of the dubstep gun. But it didn't stop there: it also included a Virgin Galactic space flight, hostage rescue training, espionage training, plastic surgery, a personal shopper, a capsule wardrobe, luxury stays in Dubai and Washington D.C., first-class flights, a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Prius with one year of insurance, and membership in a supercar club.

They just didn't say if a copy of the game was included.

After the exorbitant price tag of one million for Saints Row IV, what comes next is "feasible" to own. Which doesn't mean it's insignificant. Project Cars 2 was released in 2017 with two collector's editions, both giving a scale model of the McLaren 720S. However, it was the Ultra Edition that offered the most interesting perks of the premium collector's edition. Limited to 1,000 copies and originally costing around US$550, players can still find this collectible for sale on sites like eBay for up to US$800.

Included the following:

* Steelbook case and physical copy of the game.

* Download code for the Japanese car pack.

* Download code for the season pass.

* Sticker booklet.

* Collector's edition box.

* VIP eSports Live Pass.

* 200-page art book.

* A McLaren 720S notebook.

* Individually numbered cap.

* Poster signed by the SMS esports team, who worked on the creation of the game.

Assassin's Creed Origins takes place in Ancient Egypt during the Ptolemaic period, around 49-43 BC. It serves as a prequel to the entire Assassin's Creed series and explores the origins of the Assassin Brotherhood. In addition to expanding the series' mythology, it also introduced the open-world format that the franchise maintains to this day, marking the beginning of a new era for Assassin's Creed.

The special edition of Assassin's Creed Origins became even more desirable due to its rarity, with only 1,000 copies produced. Even though it wasn't a limited edition, its price of $800 was enough to deter many players. Each version included a collectible Bayek figure, an art book, the game's soundtrack, prints, a map of the game world, a metal case, a charm to wear, and various in-game bonuses.

Looking at images of the statue online, at least, it appears well-made and faithfully maintains the character's features. This isn’t the case with our next collector's edition on the list.

The Witcher 3 is an acclaimed RPG, one of the best, largest, and with significant expansions that have made it one of the most played games of all time. The third installment of Geralt of Rivia's adventure to save his apprentice and adopted daughter, Ciri, from the dreaded Wild Hunt is certainly one of the best games ever made and gave CD Projekt Red a good reputation as a developer that takes care of its products.

Initially, The Witcher 3 Collector's Edition was supposed to be one of the most incredible of this generation, with an art book, a metal case, a Witcher medallion, and a fantastic statue to complete the package. This wasn't a cheap edition, costing around US$200 when The Witcher 3 was released, and the size of the statue made it quite expensive.

And it's with the statue that things started to go wrong.

Despite being presented as highly detailed and well-painted, the final product showed a Geralt who didn't seem to be doing very well in his hunts. Geralt's face is the main problem with this statue, as, in most cases, the paint job is completely botched and the material has holes as if it had been corroded.

The final result is quite frightening, but the rest of the statue also failed to live up to expectations. Imagine spending so much money to receive such an ugly final product. What a shame.

Shadow of War was a highly anticipated sequel that continued Talion's story from Shadow of Mordor. It expanded the Nemesis system and allowed players to command entire armies of orcs. The game was released in several editions, which included a mix of digital and physical rewards. But the top-tier edition was the Mythril Edition. It cost only the modest sum of US$300.

In the Mythril edition, this price seemed fair for a collector's edition. It wasn't absurdly luxurious, but it still came with a generous amount of Lord of the Rings goodies. For those who love Tolkien's work, for those who watched the six-hour extended versions of Peter Jackson's films, then a collection like this would certainly be worthwhile.

It included all the add-ons, such as the Slaughter Tribe and Outlaw Tribe Nemesis expansions, as well as important story DLCs like The Blade of Galadriel and The Desolation of Mordor. You also get a full 30-centimeter statue representing the Tar-Goroth Balrog fighting a Carnan Drake, a set of exclusive lithographs, a cloth map of Mordor, a premium game box with a magnetic Ring of Power, an exclusive steel case, the complete soundtrack, tribal stickers, and gold and mithril war chests for in-game use.

Have you ever heard the expression "Run Crysis"? In 2007, the game was so demanding, so absurdly demanding, that even the best gaming PCs of the time couldn't run it. So, running Crysis at maximum settings became a meme and a goal for anyone who wanted to say they had a top-of-the-line gaming PC. And, to keep with tradition, Crysis 2 was also considered a demanding game with high requirements to run with "graphics maxed out", and few PCs in 2011 could run the game at maximum settings.

And so an edition, or rather, a bundle, appeared: the EVGA GTX 560 Ti Crysis 2 Maximum Graphics Edition, which included a powerful graphics card based on the NVIDIA GTX 560 Ti chip. You didn't know exactly if you were buying the card and getting the game or buying the game and getting the card, but either way, for the time, you had a card that could run Crysis 2 at maximum settings.

In addition to the video card and the game box, the package also contained a Crysis 2 poster and t-shirt. Considering that GTX 560 Ti level video cards cost approximately the same US$300 at the time, this was a very good offer and, at least, you already had the video card to play at maximum settings (whether you had memory, hard drive, RAM, that's another story).

This "Stylish Edition" of Resident Evil 6 was released only in Japan and didn't come with much, except for one item that really caught the eye. The package included a genuine leather jacket identical to the one Leon Kennedy wears in the game, in one of four sizes available to choose from at the time of purchase.

Furthermore, you also received four different game covers featuring RE6 characters and, of course, the game itself. Having Leon's jacket doesn't mean you'll become as handsome and strong as him, nor that you'll attract girls like Ada Wong, but the jacket was undeniably beautiful.

It initially sold for around US$750, and a total of 5,000 copies of the Premium Edition were produced and all sold. Currently, you can find jackets for prices reaching up to US$1,610 on eBay. You can't choose the size, but if you want to take the risk, good luck with the hunt.

The game, which offered a fresh take on the survival genre, ended up becoming one of the best zombie games ever made. You explore a vast open world, with hordes of zombies roaming free, and must use your creativity to craft weapons, escape the undead using parkour, and choose whether or not to help certain groups of survivors to secure resources for yourself or the rest of humanity. The choice is yours.

The My Apocalypse Edition includes a custom zombie-proof shelter, parkour training with real experts, a round-trip to Poland to visit the developers, a life-size Volatile zombie statue, four signed Steelbook editions, next-generation Razer gaming headsets, custom night vision goggles, adult diapers, and the option to have your face as an NPC in the game.

This collection of items made this edition even more absurd in its My Apocalypse Edition, which cost an impressive US$250,000. What would you use the diapers for? So you wouldn't even have to go to the bathroom while playing. Now, doing that or not is optional. I'd rather pause the game for a bit than get a diaper rash that would leave me walking around like a zombie for days.

This game was essentially an upgrade of the original. A "Dying Light 1.5", to be more precise. It changed its urban setting to the countryside, added cars to the series for the first time, and made other changes that made it interesting to replay for those who had already left the game behind. After the My Apocalypse edition of the first game, Techland decided to make things even more absurd and released the Spotlight edition to promote the planned connection with a movie based on the game.

The benefits of this edition included starring in a supporting role in the film, acting lessons with Roger Craig Smith, stunt training courses, a luxury personal trailer during filming, VIP access to the premiere, a copy of the film's script, and future voice acting work opportunities. In short, the chance to be a movie star was right there.

However, with a price tag of US$10 million, no one showed interest in buying it. Furthermore, it's unknown what's happening with the film, whether it will be a movie or a TV series, or if it has already been cancelled. There's no release date, cast list, or anything else. If you know any information about this Dying Light movie, leave it in the comments.

This extremely rare version of Uncharted 2 is literally priceless. That's because it was never sold. The Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition was only available through contests on the Playstation Blog, during the multiplayer beta, or during special Playstation Home events. So, to get one, you had to compete and win it.

The game follows treasure hunter Nathan Drake, drawn back into the dangerous world of mercenary thieves. He seeks the mythical city of Shambhala and the legendary Cintamani Stone in the Himalayas, attempting to stop war criminal Zoran Lazarevic from finding the artifact to obtain eternal life.

The edition includes a replica of the game's artifact, the Phurba Dagger, and a stand for it, an art book, and the game in a collector's box autographed by the developers at Naughty Dog. Only 200 copies of this edition existed. It isn’t available for public sale, but collectors are said to be willing to pay up to US$12,000 for one of these boxes in good condition. You got a spare one?