Ownership means standing your ground.
Prices for select PlayStation games have jumped since Sony announced plans to eventually phase out support for disc-based games. One standout is Mass Effect Legendary Edition for the PlayStation 4, with complete used copies now selling for around $55.
Although the game launched in 2021 at an MSRP of $59.99, retailers later discounted it heavily, and many buyers, myself included, picked up new copies for as little as $10.
I already owned the series on Windows, but I bought the PS4 version anyway. A single disc holds the entire single-player trilogy, along with nearly all of its DLC, remastered visuals, and gameplay improvements.
The one notable omission is the Pinnacle Station DLC from the original Mass Effect, which isn’t included in this edition.
Now that BioWare is shutting down, the trilogy has become a finished body of work, with no new Mass Effect titles in development. Collectors often chase physical copies of games from defunct studios, and sealed copies tend to benefit most. If retail stock keeps thinning, the PS4 edition could keep climbing from its already higher price.
While Mass Effect: Legendary Edition has been getting pricier on the secondhand market, its black sheep, Mass Effect: Andromeda, has gone nowhere. Used PS4 copies sell for around $8 to $12.
This game may be worth watching now. Completionists who already own the original trilogy may want it on the shelf, and the end of the series could bring some buyers in. Then again, nostalgia has mostly gone to the original trilogy, and a game with Andromeda’s reputation may stay cheap however sentimental the moment gets. It will be interesting to see which way it goes.
Important note: This is speculation, not a forecast, and prices could just as easily level off, so it isn’t financial advice.