How much are donated video games worth?
Only physical things get donated here. A digital library is licensed rather than owned, and a license generally cannot be given away at all.
- Typical value, good condition
- $3
- Published range, good condition
- $3
What a donated video games is generally worth
Fair market value is a range, so these are ranges. The suggested figure sits inside the band the source guide published for that condition.
| Item | Like new | Good | Fair | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video Game (disc or cartridge) | $3 | $3 | $3 | Source 1 for Video Game (disc or cartridge) |
| Game Console | $41 to $50 | $31 to $41 | $20 to $31 | Source 4 for Game Console |
| Handheld Console | $3 | $3 | $3 | Source 2 for Handheld Console |
| Computer Game (disc or download card) | $3 | $3 | $3 | Source 1 for Computer Game (disc or download card) |
Values are per item, in 2026 dollars, from the DeductiBee valuation dataset, edition 2026.1. A range is what the source guide published; the suggested figure is the point inside it we prefill, not a price.
How this range was derived
No primary source prices video games. Goodwill Int'l's single-value list prints "Video Game $3", a point value registered corroborating (CITATIONS.md 3.1). Zero primary sources means the corroborating fallback applies (CITATIONS.md 3.3): L*=H*=$3.00, S=0, so all three tiers collapse to one figure per the degenerate-span rule. Flagged lowConfidence. Single home for game software: the duplicate under Consumer Electronics: Gaming Consoles was removed 2026-08-04. That subcategory catalogues console hardware; a disc or cartridge is a game, and this is where a donor bagging up games looks first. CORROBORATION 2026-08-04 (registry pass, no values changed): goodwill-wnct-valuation-guide "Video Game" $3.00 point value; goodwill-northern-illinois-valuation-guide "Video game" $5.00-$40.00. All registered corroborating, so per CITATIONS.md 3.3 they do not enter the L*/H* consolidation and the published range above is unchanged.
- Like new
- Unworn or barely used, with tags or as good as. The top of the published range.
- Good
- Used, complete, clean, and working, with no notable damage. The middle of the range.
- Fair
- Visible wear but still usable and saleable. The bottom of the range, and generally the lowest condition that can be claimed at all.
What drives the value of a donated video games
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
For a disc or cartridge game, value tracks completeness in the collector's sense: the case, the printed cover art, and the manual where one existed. A loose disc in a sleeve sells for a fraction of the same title complete, and a cartridge with a peeled or missing label is hard to shelve. Disc scratches that cause a game to hang are the end of it, and cartridge contacts that need cleaning are usually fine once cleaned.
Consoles are a different product on a different row and carry a much higher band, but only when they are usable. That means the correct power supply, the video cable, at least one working controller, and, on anything modern, a factory reset with the owner's account removed. A console still signed in is effectively locked to a stranger and is not resalable, which is exactly the situation that turns a valuable donation into a paperweight.
The last driver is platform generation. Current and recent-generation games move quickly, the generation just retired sits, and older cartridges swing between near worthless and genuinely collectible depending on the title. Our sources publish one band for a game rather than tracking titles, so anything you believe sits above the row needs recent comparable sales for that specific title and condition as its support.
What evidence supports the condition you claimed
A number you can trace and defend is worth more in an audit than a generous one you cannot.
Photograph the games stacked with spines legible and the console powered on at the setup screen after the reset, with its controller and cables beside it. Record the console model number and the game count, and keep any comparable listings for individual titles you valued above the row. Ask the charity's receipt to name the console model specifically rather than listing electronics.
Like new generally means sealed or barely played, case and art intact, console unmarked with all cables. Good means played, complete, light case wear, console clean and functional. Fair means it works but the case is cracked, the manual is gone, or the console is scuffed and has one tired controller. A game that hangs, a console that does not output video, or one still tied to an account is below Fair and generally not deductible.
Items people log as a video games by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Game consoles
The console is its own row and worth considerably more than the games that go with it, so bundling them into one line understates the donation. Cables and controllers stay with the console rather than becoming separate lines.
Handheld consoles
Priced separately again, and the battery and screen are what decide the tier. A handheld with a dead internal battery or a scratched screen sits at the bottom of its band.
Computer games and digital keys
Boxed PC games have their own low row, and an already-redeemed license key has no resale value. Digital libraries are not transferable and are not a noncash contribution.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the toys and games section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
- ValuesToys and games donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesAre donated stuffed animals worth anything?What donated stuffed animals and dolls are generally worth, why many charities cannot accept used plush at all, and what to check before a toy leaves the house.
- ValuesWhat is a donated board game worth?Donation values for board games, card games, and puzzles by condition, and why completeness decides the number more than the condition of the box ever does.
- ValuesHow much is a donated pair of jeans worth?What a donated pair of jeans is generally worth, why denim is priced above other pants, and how to tell like new from good on a pair you actually wore.
- ValuesWhat is a donated winter coat worth for taxes?Fair market value for a donated winter coat, why a coat and a jacket are priced on different lines, and what evidence supports the condition you claim.
- LookupLook up any other itemSearch the whole catalog, pick a condition, and read the range with its citation.
- CalculatorWhat the deduction is worth to youTurn a documented total into a range of tax effect, with the marginal-rate assumption stated on screen.
Questions about donating a video games
Can I deduct digital games I no longer play?
Should the console and the games be one line?
What about older or retro cartridges?
Where these values come from
Every range on this page traces to one of these. Values are derived from the published ranges, never copied from another product’s valuation database, and never invented where no source covers an item.
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors (single average price variant)
Goodwill Industries International (single-value variant; copy hosted by Goodwill Industries of East Texas)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors
Goodwill of Western and Northern Connecticut
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide
Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Fair Market Value Sheet (Revised 3/1/2023)
Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries (Cincinnati, OH)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Estimated Valuation Guide & Receipt for Items Donated to the Kokomo Rescue Mission
Kokomo Rescue Mission (Kokomo, Indiana; Federal I.D. No. 351104430)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
The rules behind the thresholds
- Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated PropertyIRS, IRS publication
- Publication 526, Charitable ContributionsIRS, IRS publication
- Instructions for Form 8283IRS, IRS form
A value is evidence, not a ruling. Deductibility depends on your own facts, including whether the organization is qualified and what records you kept. This is record-keeping software, not tax advice.
A video games is rarely the only thing in the car.
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Same numbers, offline
Edition 2026.1 ships inside the app, so a value never depends on a server being up in January.
Condition on the record
The tier you picked and the photo that supports it stay attached to the item, on your device.
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