The Wii U is known as one of Nintendo’s most infamous hardware failures, including a lackluster marketing campaign that made its central gimmick, the gamepad, look like a peripheral for the console’s predecessor. Third-party support for the console was limited as well, resulting in only 189 physical games being produced.
However, this does not mean the Wii U was without its fans. Several titles from the Wii U library are highly sought after. Also, there are now fewer ways to play these games, due to the official shutdown of the Wii U and 3DS eShop in March of 2023. As a result, the rarest Wii U titles can be pretty expensive these days.
All prices were taken from PriceCharting.com and were accurate at the time of publication.
8 Shakedown: Hawaii
|
Loose |
$65.65 |
|---|---|
|
Complete in Box |
$75.75 |
|
New |
$92.00 |
Shakedown: Hawaii from Vblank Entertainment is the spiritual successor to Retro City Rampage, a 2D, top-down GTA clone. It builds upon Retro City Rampage’s foundations and focuses on a dubious CEO who sets out to build a dubious business empire throughout the island.
The title was initially released in 2019 for the PC, Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. Vblank would later port it to discontinued systems, including the Wii in Europe. Since the Wii disc was region-locked, and there wasn’t an avenue to release the Wii version in North America, the title was ported to the Wii U in 2020, complete with gamepad and touchscreen support.
7 Cabela’s Big Game Hunter: Pro Hunts
|
Loose |
$81.98 |
|---|---|
|
Complete in Box |
$82.83 |
|
New |
$214.99 |
Cabela’s Big Game Hunter: Pro Hunts is one of several hunting video games to bear the name of this popular outdoor and hunting retailer. It is a game that celebrates the beauty of nature, as well as killing innocent animals that are just minding their own business.
Being that it is a hunting game, one has to be patient with tracking prey. This is not the kind of game where one goes out guns akimbo. It requires deliberate tactics and staying undetected. The game also includes a grisly Call of Duty-style kill cam, providing an X-ray of the body parts the bullet goes through.
6 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
|
Loose |
$95.76 |
|---|---|
|
Complete in Box |
$96.85 |
|
New |
$140.31 |
If The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is the bright-eyed child of the Wii U Zelda games, then The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD is the moody teenager. Originally released on the GameCube and Wii, this title received a remaster for the Wii U, complete with gamepad integration.
Twilight Princess: The Lore Behind Zant Explained
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess’ major antagonist Zant has a unique and interesting backstory that influences other Zelda villains.
Twilight Princess is known for introducing Link’s wolf form, which emerges when he enters areas of Hyrule consumed by the creatures from the Twilight Realm. The title also sees the debut of the fan-favorite character Midna, who has yet to appear in other franchise entries. The game sold for $50 on the Wii U eShop, but physical copies now go for around $100, making this one of the most expensive Wii U games.
5 Game & Wario
|
Loose |
$99.95 |
|---|---|
|
Complete in Box |
$101.00 |
|
New |
$199.99 |
Game & Wario was meant to be a demonstration of the Wii U’s potential for innovative gameplay, offering 12 mini-games and 4 multiplayer games, as opposed to the WarioWare series’ many microgames. In this title, the gamepad is used for such things as taking photographs and playing micro-games while checking the TV screen to be sure Mom doesn't catch the player.
Game & Wario was available on the Wii U eShop, but since that closed, the physical edition is only getting more expensive. Early Wii U adopters who have this game are sitting on a gold mine, particularly those who are still to remove the plastic wrap.
4 Axiom Verge: Multiverse Edition
|
Loose |
$157.21 |
|---|---|
|
Complete in Box |
$167.78 |
|
New |
$176.22 |
Axiom Verge is a multiplatform game with several influences and is reminiscent of the 2D Metroid titles of yesteryear. A core mechanic of the game is the ability to glitch objects in the environment to progress gameplay, which helps it stand out from some of the many other Metroidvanias on the market these days.
Axiom Verge 2: All Skills, Ranked
There are four skill trees in Axiom Verge 2, but players should prioritize certain skills over others.
The Wii U version of the game was one of the last physical releases in the Wii U’s lifespan and is considered by many to be the best version of the game thanks to its gamepad integration. Sadly, the Wii U version was at the center of a video game lawsuit, and only 6,000 copies would end up printed, making it one of the rarest Wii U games.
3 Turbo: Super Stunt Squad
|
Loose |
$96.71 |
|---|---|
|
Complete in Box |
$191.61 |
|
New |
$391.03 |
Turbo: Super Stunt Squad is based on a 2013 Dreamworks movie about a snail who dreams of being an Indy 500 champion. The game was also released on the Xbox360 and PlayStation 3 and was developed by Monkey Bar Games. Torus Games developed the Wii version.
While the Wii version is a straightforward racing game, its Wii U counterpart is more like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. The snails race around environments, pull off tricks, and complete various tasks. It is an interesting premise for a snail who has gotta go fast.
2 The Book of Unwritten Tales 2
|
Loose |
$215.13 |
|---|---|
|
Complete in Box |
$219.99 |
|
New |
$300.00 |
The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is a fantasy adventure game that switches between three different protagonists. These are an elf princess who is being pressured into an arranged marriage, a human who starts the game falling from the sky, and a magic professor who is cleaning up his school.
The gameplay follows the standard adventure formula of exploring environments, talking to characters, and solving puzzles. The game has been praised for its colorful visuals and funny writing. While it was initially released as a budget title, the rarity has seen the price go up significantly. This is one of the more obscure adventure titles in recent history.
1 Devil’s Third
|
Loose |
$310.96 |
|---|---|
|
Complete in Box |
$327.97 |
|
New |
$404.26 |
Devil’s Third comes from the mind of Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki. It follows an ex-terrorist named Ivan as he is called upon by the U.S. Government to track down his old team in a mix of excessively violent gunplay and melee combat.
What makes this game work, in spite of the clunky controls, is its attitude. Devil’s Third embraces the ridiculousness of the action movie genre, and Ivan has the machismo of a Russian Duke Nukem. The game itself has had a turbulent history, initially meant to be released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The fact that it never was is in part what led to it becoming the rarest and most expensive Wii U game.