The Crown Jewel of 16-Bit RPGs

Chrono Trigger was developed by a group that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, and Dragon Ball author Akira Toriyama. Released late in the SNES lifecycle (1995), it pushed the limits of the console's 32-megabit cartridge format.

Current Collector Market Data (2024-2026 Estimates)

  • Loose Cartridge: $200 - $280 USD
  • Complete in Box (CIB): $800 - $1,200 USD
  • Factory Sealed / Graded: $4,000 - $8,000+ USD

Authentication & Collection Specifics

Collectors should be aware of reproduction cartridges (repros), which flood the market. An authentic Chrono Trigger board will feature specific ROM chips and a save battery layout that can be verified by opening the cartridge using a 3.8mm security bit.

A true CIB copy requires not just the box and cartridge, but the manual, the two double-sided posters (featuring Akira Toriyama's artwork), and the registration card. The presence of the posters can swing the price of a CIB copy by hundreds of dollars.

Official Square Enix Page