Dragon Warrior III Nintendo NES: PSA Pop Report + Loose / CIB / Sealed Prices
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PSA has graded 31 Dragon Warrior III Nintendo NES copies on record — 21 CIB, 10 sealed. Sealed copies trade for $1,491+ on the open market. This page is the per-game pop + price + grading reference for Dragon Warrior III on Nintendo NES — updated weekly from PSA’s official population data and PriceCharting’s market catalog.
Quick Facts
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Title: Dragon Warrior III
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Console: Nintendo NES
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Variants tracked by PSA: 1
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Total PSA-graded copies: 31 (Loose: 0 · CIB: 21 · Sealed: 10)
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PriceCharting market data: available
PSA Pop by Condition
PSA tracks Dragon Warrior III populations independently for loose carts, complete-in-box (CIB), and factory-sealed copies — collectors price each condition separately because rarity and demand diverge sharply. Tables below show the grade-tier breakdown per condition, aggregated across 1 variant PSA recognizes for this title.
Loose Cartridge
PSA hasn’t graded any loose copies of Dragon Warrior III for Nintendo NES yet.
Complete in Box (CIB)
Total graded: 21
| Variant | Pop | Grade Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Made in Japan | 21 | 9.4: 4 · 9.0: 1 · 8.5: 4 · 8.0: 5 · 7.5: 4 · 7.0: 2 · <6.5: 1 |
Factory Sealed
Total graded: 10
Sealed summary by variant:
| Variant | Total Pop | Top Numeric Grade | Best Seal Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made in Japan | 10 | 9.8 | A++ |
Factory Sealed Grade × Seal Matrix
Rows show PSA numeric grades. Columns show seal grades. Cell values are PSA population counts. Aggregated across all variants. Top observed grade: 9.8 (PSA scale extends to 10).
| Grade | A++ | A+ | A | B+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.8 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| 9.6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 |
| 9.2 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 4 |
| 8.5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7.5 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
Current Market Prices
All prices below are pulled directly from PriceCharting’s public catalog and refreshed each time this article regenerates (typically weekly). PriceCharting computes their values from active and recently-sold listings on eBay + their dealer network — independent of any data on this page. The Sealed column reflects PriceCharting’s “manual-only” / new tier — factory-sealed retail at average condition; specific graded-sealed prices vary sharply by numeric grade + seal letter (use the Sealed eBay browse link below for grade-specific comps).
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Loose cartridge: $115
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Complete in Box (CIB): $373
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Sealed: $1,491
Heritage Graded Sales
Heritage Auctions sold results below are real auction transactions for Dragon Warrior III on Nintendo NES. They complement the PriceCharting loose / CIB / sealed benchmarks above; they are not estimates and they are not blended into PriceCharting’s ungraded market prices.
Summary rows are title-level Heritage sale signals, sorted by format, recency, and realized-price signal. PSA production variants can price differently, so the sale records keep Heritage’s own variant notes visible instead of pretending every auction lot maps cleanly to a PSA variant row.
High-grade games can trade years apart, so older auction records stay visible; treat the latest-sale date as part of the comp, not just the dollar amount.
| Format | Grade | Sale signal | Latest sale | Comps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq R) | WATA 9.6 A++ | Last sale $12,500 | Nov 22, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq R) | VGA 80+ | Last sale $4,000 | Aug 23, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq R) | WATA 8.5 A | Last sale $3,750 | Nov 23, 2024 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq R) | WATA 7.5 B+ | Last sale $2,125 | Feb 22, 2025 | 1 |
| Factory sealed | WATA 9.2 A+ | Last sale $26,400 | Apr 5, 2021 | 1 |
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq R) | WATA 9.2 A | 2 comps, wide spread $10,800-$25,200 | Jan 28, 2022 | 2 |
| Factory sealed (Oval Soq R) | CGC 9.0 A | Last sale $6,600 | Apr 22, 2023 | 1 |
| CIB (Oval Soq R) | CGC 9.6 | Last sale $625 | Jan 22, 2026 | 1 |
| CIB (Oval Soq R) | WATA 7.5 | Last sale $250 | Jul 29, 2025 | 1 |
| CIB (Oval Soq R) | WATA 8.5 | Last sale $432 | Mar 21, 2023 | 1 |
| CIB | WATA 8.5 | Last sale $288 | May 3, 2020 | 1 |
Sale records:
View all 12 Heritage sale records
| Date | Sold For | Grader / Grade | Format | Variant Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 2026 | $625 | CGC 9.6 | CIB | Oval Soq R | Lot 44343-79007 |
| Nov 22, 2025 | $12,500 | WATA 9.6 A++ | Factory sealed | Oval Soq R | Lot 7428-28011 |
| Aug 23, 2025 | $4,000 | VGA 80+ | Factory sealed | Oval Soq R | Lot 7416-28134 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | $250 | WATA 7.5 | CIB | Oval Soq R | Lot 312530-70008 |
| Feb 22, 2025 | $2,125 | WATA 7.5 B+ | Factory sealed | Oval Soq R | Lot 7411-28106 |
| Nov 23, 2024 | $3,750 | WATA 8.5 A | Factory sealed | Oval Soq R | Lot 7382-28014 |
| Apr 22, 2023 | $6,600 | CGC 9.0 A | Factory sealed | Oval Soq R | Lot 7307-28026 |
| Mar 21, 2023 | $432 | WATA 8.5 | CIB | Oval Soq R | Lot 312312-68033 |
| Jan 28, 2022 | $10,800 | WATA 9.2 A | Factory sealed | Oval Soq R | Lot 7284-28014 |
| Jul 9, 2021 | $25,200 | WATA 9.2 A | Factory sealed | Oval Soq R | Lot 7261-28017 |
| Apr 5, 2021 | $26,400 | WATA 9.2 A+ | Factory sealed | — | Lot 7242-93010 |
| May 3, 2020 | $288 | WATA 8.5 | CIB | — | Lot 7229-97099 |
Listings
Each link below opens an eBay search filtered to that condition, scoped to Dragon Warrior III on Nintendo NES. “Sold” pulls completed/sold listings (use this for price research). “Listings” pulls current active listings (use this to find a copy to buy).
Why Dragon Warrior III Matters for Grading
With 31 PSA-graded copies on record, Dragon Warrior III sits in the mid-rarity tier for Nintendo NES — graded copies surface periodically on eBay but command meaningful premiums over raw. The sealed-to-loose price ratio is roughly 12× — sealed copies trade at $1,491 while loose carts move around $115. That spread means a fresh sealed find is the move; raw cart flips have thinner margins after grading fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dragon Warrior III Nintendo NES worth grading?
Yes for clean, top-condition copies. Dragon Warrior III has a healthy 31-copy graded population, and the higher-tier grades (9.4+) consistently command meaningful premiums over raw. Mid-tier grades (7-8) often net break-even after grading fees, so submission strategy matters.
How rare is a graded CIB copy of Dragon Warrior III?
PSA tracks 21 graded CIB copies of Dragon Warrior III for Nintendo NES. The grade-tier breakdown above shows how those split across PSA’s numeric grades — top-grade copies (9.4+) are the scarcest and typically command the strongest premiums.
Should I buy a graded or raw copy of Dragon Warrior III?
Depends on your goal. Graded copies cost more upfront but come with PSA’s authenticity + condition guarantee — the right move for buy-and-hold collectors. Raw copies are cheaper but require condition assessment yourself, and the grading lottery means a $50 raw cart can come back as a $25 PSA 7 OR a $200 PSA 9.4. Use the per-condition pop and price data above to calculate expected value before you commit.
Why does PSA track multiple variants of Dragon Warrior III?
PSA’s database currently shows one tracked variant for Dragon Warrior III on Nintendo NES. That doesn’t mean only one variant exists — production codes that haven’t been submitted yet won’t appear on the census. Check the back of your cartridge for production-location markings (“Made in Japan”, “Made in Mexico”) and the box for ESRB-rating placement to identify your specific variant.
Sources
Pop counts pulled weekly from PSA Video Games population data. Prices from PriceCharting. PSA acquired WATA in July 2021 and completed the rebrand to PSA Video Games on October 20, 2025. PSA Video Games population data is the continuation of WATA’s population history. Heritage graded-sale comps come from Heritage Auctions sold archive lot pages linked in the sale-record table.
Related Resources
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Nintendo NES Game Library (forthcoming) — every variant PSA tracks for this console.
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Retro Video Game Collecting — pillar with broader strategy, market dynamics, and grading economics.