Sealed Fortnite Copy Commands $42,500 In High-End Auction

A sealed 2017 Xbox One copy of Fortnite has sold for $42,500, a figure driven less by gameplay value and more by collector demand, grading influence, and the scarcity of original Early Access Pack codes.

The sale closed on November 21 through Heritage Auctions, where the item carried a Wata Games 10 A++ grade, the company’s highest tier for condition and seal quality.

The disc inside represents Fortnite before it became synonymous with its Battle Royale mode. Epic launched Fortnite: Save the World in July 2017 as a cooperative, paid title. The boxed versions from that period included Early Access Pack codes that granted exclusive cosmetics and a system for earning V-Bucks directly through Save the World. Players with these packs could generate the in-game currency indefinitely through regular play, a feature Epic later closed off when it suspended all Founders Pack sales in 2020.

That shift set up a secondary market for unused Early Access Pack codes and sealed first-run copies. Opened, used copies usually sell in the low tens, often between $40 and $70. Sealed editions with functioning codes can reach above $1,000. The new result shows the added effect of grading on collector behavior. A 10 A++ grade signals a pristine box, an untouched seal, and near-perfect preservation. In markets shaped by grading companies, these differences can escalate bids sharply, and the combined rarity of the item creates a narrow window for high-stakes competition.

Buyers in this category tend to view the item as a collectible asset. The grading case seals the box and its contents permanently, and most collectors avoid breaking that seal because any interaction would destroy the assigned grade and its associated value. That leaves the Early Access Pack code, a central part of the item’s appeal, permanently out of reach. The sale reflects this tradeoff: preservation over use, and value defined by condition more than utility.

The broader context places Fortnite alongside other modern games that have developed high-end collectible markets despite being recent releases or tied to digital ecosystems. Graded physical copies with unique attributes or discontinued bonuses have gained traction among collectors who treat them as artifacts of transitional periods in game distribution. In Fortnite’s case, the switch from a paid co-op title to a global free-to-play platform makes these early physical editions a snapshot of a brief phase in the game’s history.

The price also aligns with increasing interest in sealed games following the rise of grading services across several entertainment categories. High-grade items from the 2010s now appear at premium auctions alongside vintage titles. The value often depends on short production windows and specific features not found in later reprints. For Fortnite, the Early Access Pack code serves as that defining marker.

Sales like this remain outliers, but they illustrate how modern games can enter the collectible space far earlier than traditional timelines once suggested. Instead of decades of nostalgia-driven appreciation, some items gain momentum through scarcity, grading, or one-time bonuses that cannot be redeemed in any other form. Fortnite’s early editions fit that mold, and the latest auction result signals continuing interest in unique pieces from the game's formative period.

Read also, Fortnite confirms Hatsune Miku’s appearance in the Zero Hour live event, marking a major moment in a storyline that has expanded from Hope and Jones in Chapter 5 to the arc involving Kendo, Jade, and Daigo in Chapter 6, as Epic prepares to close the current narrative and move toward a new era.