The Gold Standard of 3D Adventure

Released in 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time revolutionized 3D gaming. To reward early adopters who pre-ordered the game, Nintendo released a special "Collector's Edition" featuring a shiny gold cartridge and a foil-stamped cardboard box.

Current Collector Market Data (2024-2026 Estimates)

  • Loose Gold Cartridge: $60 - $100 USD
  • Complete in Box (Collector's Ed.): $300 - $600 USD
  • Factory Sealed (V1.0): $3,000 - $5,000+ USD

Version 1.0 vs Later Prints

The gold cartridges exclusively contain Version 1.0 of the software. This version is highly sought after by purists and speedrunners. It contains the original Islamic chanting in the Fire Temple music and features red blood during the final battle with Ganon.

Later versions (V1.1 and V1.2), found in standard gray cartridges, altered the Fire Temple music to a generic choral track and changed Ganon's blood from red to green to comply with stricter content ratings. The unpatched history embedded in the V1.0 gold carts cements its status as a premium collectible.

Official Zelda Portal