Boxes for loose games/replacement boxes/cases

[lex2000]

I'm the type of person that likes to see all of their games up on a shelf, so it does irk me a little that I have so many loose games. My question to everyone is this: What do you use to get cases/boxes for your older loose games and what is, in your opinion, the best way to get them?

As for my case, all of my loose games are for handheld systems, I'm mostly looking for cases for the Game Boy lineup and some DS games.

[telekill]

I've seen shops on Etsy that print reproduction boxes and manuals. I've had a few Game Gear manuals printed and they came out printed a little light, but they were crisp and clear to read. I ended up making myself a Game Gear box template for my Ninja Turtles Game Gear project. I simply took the measurements and Photoshopped it up. Took it to a print shop and they did it on a nice cardstock.

[bikingjahuty]

With disc based games the case has always been a must, unless of course it was some insane deal of a disc only copy, but then I just worked on finding the case and manual after getting the game. Otherwise I only purchase disc based games complete or at least with the case.


As for carts, I initially didn't care about the box or manual, however after obtaining most of the loose carts I wanted I've been slowly working on reuiniting them with their boxes. I'm doing this with the SNES, Genesis and N64 only though; I don't care enough about the NES or most handheld systems to spend the money and time trying to do with for those. So far this has been coming along nicely, but I still have a ton of loose SNES and N64 carts especially I'm still trying to find boxes for. It's not a priority for me at this time however so I just pick them up when I come across them at decent prices in stores. Eventually I might kick this into overdrive and start using ebay to track them down, but I'm definitely not there yet.

[tripredacus]

The only carts I have no real storage solution for are the portables, like Game Boy or Game Gear. They all just go into a small cardboard box.

NES carts are no issue, since they fit onto CD spaced shelves just fine.

Genesis, Mega Drive, SMS and Famicom games fit on cassette storage.

Optical media goes into a CD book. I can see if this is a concern for console only collectors, but the amount of loose console CDs I have is probably around 20. I am already used to having CD books for PC games/software, many of which never had a nice display box.

[oldgamerz]

The only carts I have no real storage solution for are the portables, like Game Boy or Game Gear. They all just go into a small cardboard box.

NES carts are no issue, since they fit onto CD spaced shelves just fine.

Genesis, Mega Drive, SMS and Famicom games fit on cassette storage.

Optical media goes into a CD book. I can see if this is a concern for console only collectors, but the amount of loose console CDs I have is probably around 20. I am already used to having CD books for PC games/software, many of which never had a nice display box.

CD books can be dangerous I've already lost a ton of my music CD's due to them being in a CD book, they can get stuck and warp. I never put a CD into a CD book or CD wallet now, the top layer could come off not to mention the bottom layer could get scratched it no better than having them in paper sleeves.

[mrkonasoni]

I am a weird person.
But most of the time I never buy a game if it won't include both manual and box.
If the game is so expensive for the NA version then I buy the Japanese one just for collection purposes.

What most people done is buy those plastic shells for retro games.
Also I will never buy a CD game that dont include manual or case, its that hard to keep it everything for some people? It looks like.

What I done with my few loose games is make a cute tower.
It is not useful.

[Warmsignal]

I'm the type of person that likes to see all of their games up on a shelf, so it does irk me a little that I have so many loose games. My question to everyone is this: What do you use to get cases/boxes for your older loose games and what is, in your opinion, the best way to get them?

As for my case, all of my loose games are for handheld systems, I'm mostly looking for cases for the Game Boy lineup and some DS games.

You can get reproduction boxes for cartridges. Actually, I don't even pursue boxing a lot of my older games as it's just too space consuming. I bought some decent looking end labels for my N64 games tho.

[bigbossman]

I'm a big stickler when it comes to having the actual case for my disc games. Cartridge games, not so much. If I'm in a Gamestop store & see a game in the used section, with & without a case, I will buy the one with the case every time. The way I see it, since there is no discount for buying a game without the case, I believe when buying the one with the case, you are getting more for your money.

I also have to be honest, I have resorted on occasion to raiding Gamestop's dumpster & have found some interesting items, Game cases mostly. I've even sold them on Ebay for a small profit. The problem is, I started finding other stuff, which I thought I would be able to sell, but haven't. One of these days, I'm going to have to go through the spare bedroom & toss out all that stuff that I thought would sell. ...Anyways, I'm getting off topic.

When it comes to my PS1 games & PS2 games, I keep the games stored in a CD book. The PS1 games are kept separate from my PS2's.

Most of my PS2 titles have the original cases with the game. I use the cases as a display. I generally will try to get my favorite & rarer titles to stand out. I keep all my PS2 games together, alphabetized, & don't split them up based on region (US, Japan, & Europe). Since I have amassed a massive PS2 game collection across all three regions, it almost becomes a chore, when I insert newly received games into my CD books (since they are alphabetical). That collection is spread across 4 massive CD books.

My physical PS4 games on the other hand aren't stored in a CD book. I keep them stored in the original case. Out of my current 385 PS4 game collection, I only have one game that doesn't have the original case & that it Injustice 2: Legendary Edition. I bought the game off of Gamestop.com (I'll never do that again) & they sent me the game without the original case. Those cases are kept in these bags that are designed to hold Blu-Ray cases. I currently have 8 of them filled up. Each bag holds about 46 cases. Once my stack of loose PS4 cases with games gets too big, it'll be time to fill up another bag.

[oldgamerz]

If anyone is interested here is a product link from staples to buy standard empty CD cases.

https://www.staples.com/Staples-Standard-CD-Jewel-Case-24-Pack/product_390178

Some of my games are not in the original cases, but it's the game that matters most to me, for the games I've bought they at least have a case for them although I did find one game yesterday inside a paper sleeve

if you want to store them on a shelf or stand. you could always take the blank CD/DVD cases apart and write on blank sheets of paper the name of the game, if you want to.

[emporerdragon]

For Game Boy games, one popular method is using audio cassette cases, as the games easily fit inside. People have also designed printable inserts for many games to keep them displayable on a shelf.

People have also designed custom game cases for older systems that never had true game cases like the more recent generations have had. Sites like www.customgamecases.com exist where you can either order generic cases or specific ones with designed cover art for the games. They can be a bit pricey though depending on your library size.

[bizzarnage]

I'm one of the fellow "No case, no point" folks here but before I took this collections seriously I did buy some really great games disc only. Mostly PS2 games but unfortunately, rare ones. I'm talkin Chulip, Fight for New York, and Gradius V. Realistically, it's easy to fix if it's a PS3 game or something cheap. But when you're missing the manual for a game that's expensive it's pretty hard to justify buying what you already own for the books you never read but it's also irritating to do without. At least for me.

My compromise was to make my own case art. There's a really amazing website that has basically as many boxarts as you could hope for (they also allow submissions) and the files are sized for the correct dimensions of a PS2 case. I took these images in a thumbstick and got them printed with Photo-gloss paper (what PS2 box art essentially is) and printed as close to near perfect copies and they did the trick. This helped me a lot when the only affordable Wild Arms Alter Code I could find had so much water damage I couldn't stand to look at it. Now it looks pretty decent! There's plenty of options. But I know this much; no good disc should ever be left behind!

[pzeke]

My usual answer to this type of question is to always check if you can find cases for cheap at a Goodwill or even on eBay, at least for NDS, you can find bulk listings for empty cases on eBay; and you're bound to find a case or two with the artwork and all the paperwork for some of your loose games, too. If you just have empty cases, you can always go to The Cover Project and print any of the covers they have there.

For your GB games, and even for NDS, you can check Custom Game Cases (as mentioned by emporerdragon), as well as Game Case King. If you have a printer, I would recommend using audio cassette cases, since not only are they cheap to get, but convenient given they don't take much space, especially if your collection consists of more than 50 or so games.

[topspot123]

I have a YouTube series where I try to help collectors with problems like this and I made a small series about Game Boy cartridges.  While I prefer to have the original boxes, I know this isn't always possible. And in my case, I like to have my portable games very accessible, so I developed other plans that work well for me. I hope this info helps anyone looking for alternative solutions.

If any video helps you, please share it with others who'd like to see it.  Thank you.

Click any picture to see the video, thanks!


Solving Nintendo Game Boy cartridge storage / display (+ many others) (17:15)


More Box Making Tips (11:46)


Three New, Easier Game Boy Game Display Solutions (13:09)

Just in case you want to see more, here is my whole Game Room Ideas playlist.  Thanks.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtQ6VnXl2RChS4YsT1KSvIwu4iS-uVaCX

[ericsnes]

For my favorite snes and 64 games, I try my best to search ebay for original boxes if possible. Obviously, with some of the best titles, comes higher prices. If it is too high for me / an unreasonable price, then I get custom cases for them. Personally, I like the inventory / style from Custom Game Cases (customgamecases.com).

Those cases run about $5 each, are pretty good print quality for the artwork, and have slots for both the game cartridge and a manual. Additionally, if you are looking for reproduction cardboard boxes, I recommend "Dangerous Games" on Etsy. I have a repro box made by them for Super Mario World, and I am happy with it.

Hope this helps!