The original PlayStation, now known as the PS1, was released in Japan in 1994. At the time, this was a risky move as the video game console market was already pretty saturated. Of course, 27 years later, PlayStation has produced some of the best-selling consoles of all time. In fact, the PS2 is the best-selling video game console of all time, having sold over 155 million units worldwide. Additionally, the PS1 was the first console from any brand to sell over 100 million units.
Over the years, PlayStation has released a number of special edition consoles across all of its generations. This list includes some of the rarest PlayStation consoles ever, many of which are impossible to find today. And the ones that can be found, are worth thousands of dollars.
As of July 2021, the information on this list is as accurate as possible and will be updated as needed.
- PSX
- 500 Million Edition PS4 Pro
- 20th Anniversary Edition PS4
- Hatsune Miku PS Vita
- Taco Bell Gold PS4
- Net Yaroze
- 10 Million Edition PlayStation 1
- Warhammer 40K: Squad Command PSP
- Hitman Briefcase PS4
- “Nintendo PlayStation”
Release Date: December 13, 2003
Original Retail Price: ¥79,800 (160 GB) or ¥88,800 (250 GB)
Current Price: $140 – $360 on various resale sites
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Did you know?
Sony initially planned to release the PSX to other regions of the world, but these plans were scrapped after the poor sales in Japan.
Release Date: August 24, 2018
Original Retail Price: $499.99
Current Price: $950 – $3,000 on various resale sites
photo source: PlayStation Blog
Since the release of the original PlayStation, Sony has marked major milestones with limited addition consoles. In 2018, PlayStation celebrated 500 million PlayStations sold worldwide by releasing the 500 Million Limited Edition PS4 Pro console and matching controller. Only 50,000 units were sold worldwide and of course, the console quickly sold out. This has led to incredibly high asking prices today for the 500 Million Limited Edition PS4 Pro.
Did you know?
Each 500 Million Limited Edition PS4 Pro came with a commemorative copper plate on its front with its limited edition serial number and some of them had serial numbers that commemorated important events in PlayStation’s history.
Release Date: December 2014
Original Retail Price: $500 for bundle
Current Price: $950 – $4,775 on various resale sites
photo source: PlayStation Blog
PlayStation celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2014 and marked the occasion with a special 20th Anniversary Edition PS4 bundle. The bundle was available for pre-order and only 12,300 units were produced. The design of the 20th Anniversary Edition PS4 console and matching controller paid homage to the original gray PlayStation. The original retail price for the 20th Anniversary Edition PS4 bundle was a reasonable $500, but consoles are now selling for thousands of dollars.
Did you know?
It might seem strange that Sony chose to make only 12,300 20th Anniversary Edition PS4 bundles, but this number pays tribute to the PlayStation’s original release date of December 3, 1994.
Release Date: June 28, 2012
Original Retail Price: ¥10,000 (about $125 at the time)
Current Price: $333 – $2,000 on various resale sites
photo source: play-asia.com
The Hatsune Miku PS Vita is probably the rarest version of the PS Vita handheld console. It was a Japan exclusive released over the Summer of 2012. No one knows for sure how many of the Hatsune Miku PS Vitas were made, but estimates say about 10,000 or so units. The special PS Vita was all white and featured a beautiful image of popular Vocaloid character Hatsune Miku on the back. The bundle also came with a copy of the PS Vita game Next Hatsune Miku Project Diva, original design AR card, a specially-designed screen protector, and a 4GB memory card.
Release Date: September 2015
Original Retail Price: N/A – given away as prizes
Current Price: $500 – $4,400 on various resale sites
photo source: Polygon
Back in 2016, Sony randomly released a limited edition Gold PS4 through a giveaway run by Taco Bell. According to the giveaway, one of the Gold PS4 bundles was given away every 10 minutes from September 24 to November 4. A total of 6,500 Gold PS4 consoles were produced for the giveaway. To enter the giveaway, participants needed to purchase a $5 Big Box at participating Taco Bell locations. Each box had a code that could be texted to a special number, revealing immediately if the code was a winner.
Did you know?
The Taco Bell Gold PS4 console came with a matching gold and black controller and a copy of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, which hit stores in October of that year.
Release Date: June 1996
Original Retail Price: $750
Current Price: $1,150 – $2,000 on Ebay
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
Official figures for the number of Net Yaroze kits sold were never released, but reportedly a few thousand were sold around the world. A number of games and demos were made by hobbyists and these games were compiled onto demo discs released with magazines such as the Official UK PlayStation Magazine and PlayStation Underground.
Did you know?
The Net Yaroze got its name because Yarōze means “Let’s do it together” in Japanese.
Release Date: August 18, 1997
Original Retail Price: N/A – given away to Sony employees or as prizes
Current Price: $3,000 – $9,000 price paid in private sales
photo source: consolevariations.com
The 10 Million Edition PS1 is another mysterious and rare PlayStation console. Information regarding the console is hard to come by as it was released way back in 1997. Reportedly only 100 of these limited edition consoles were made by Sony to commemorate hitting the milestone of 10 million PS1 consoles sold around the world. Supposedly the 10 Million Edition PS1 consoles were either given away to Sony employees or given out as prizes. According to one Reddit user, the 10 Million Edition PS1 is a dark midnight blue color and has an interesting matte finish.
Did you know?
The 10 Million Edition PS1 came with a matching controller and memory card.
Release Date: November 2007
Original Retail Price: N/A – given away as prizes
Current Price: N/A – none currently listed on resale sites
photo source: pocketgamer.com
To celebrate the launch of Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), THQ had six limited edition PSP handheld consoles made. The Warhammer 40K: Squard Command PSP consoles were created by Games Workshop, a team of professional modelers. The only way to get one of the exclusive Warhammer PSP consoles was to enter THQ’s giveaway. Other prizes in the giveaway included a copy of the Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command game and t-shirts. So far, none of these special Warhammer 40K: Squad Command PSP consoles have come up for sale.
Release Date: June 30, 2016
Original Retail Price: N/A – given out as prize at charity auction
Current Price: Unknown – purchased in private sale for unknown amount
photo source: pocketgamer.com
The Hitman Briefcase PlayStation 4 console is incredibly unique and rare. The console is an exact replica of the briefcase used by the protagonist of the Hitman games. The console was originally made in 2016 and was supposed to be given away as a prize through a giveaway held by Square Enix, Hitman’s publisher at the time. However, according to the current owner of the Hitman Briefcase PS4, the console was never actually given away due to mysterious “technical reasons.”
So, Hitman’s developer, IO Interactive held on to the Hitman Briefcase PS4 until the company decided to include the console as a prize for a charity auction held during the 2020 Holiday Season. This time, the Hitman Briefcase PS4 was actually given to the winner of the charity auction. A few months later, this person, sold the console to Reddit user TheBlackVulture for an undisclosed amount.
Did you know?
No one had seen any evidence of the Hitman Briefcase PS4 since the initial Square Enix giveaway until TheBlackVulture posted about it on Reddit and YouTube.
Release Date: N/A – created around 1992
Original Retail Price: N/A – never made it to retail
Current Price: $360,000 (price paid at auction in 2020)
photo source: Heritage Auctions
For years, the Super NES CD-ROM System, which is commonly called the “Nintendo PlayStation,” was only known through stories about the PlayStation’s history. However, in 2015, rumors popped up that a Nintendo PlayStation prototype had been found. After some reviews, the system was deemed legitimate. This is the only known Nintendo PlayStation in existence, making it the rarest PlayStation console ever in the world. The owner of the Nintendo PlayStation, Terry Diebold, held onto the console for years before selling it through Heritage Auctions in 2020 for $360,000.
Did you know?
This Nintendo PlayStation reportedly belonged to former Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson and it was left behind during Ólafsson’s time with Advanta, a banking company. Terry Diebold was a former Advanta employee who obtained the Nintendo PlayStation as part of a lot during Advanta’s 2009 bankruptcy auction.
