History KeepCirculatingTheTapes / VIDEOGAMES

* Many of Konami's late 1980s and early 1990s arcade games, such as ''Ajax'', ''Gaiapolis'' (not counting the pirated Famicom version), ''Hexion'', and ''Lightning Fighters/Trigon'', never received consumer ports, and most of their post-1987 material has never seen compilation rereleases either, so good luck finding a machine unless you decide to commit piracy and emulate. Quite a fair of amount of them were available on Game Room[[note]]''Amidar; Battlantis; City Bomber; Devastators; Finalizer; Flak Attack; Galactic Warriors; Hyper Crash; Iron Horse; Jackal; Jail Break; Jungler; Juno First; Kitten Kaboodle; Konami GT; Konami's Ping Pong; M.I.A.; Mega Zone; Rack 'Em Up; Scooter Shooter; Strategy X; The Main Event; Trick Trap'', and ''Video Hustler''; the site also hosted Atari's ''Foodfight''[[/note]], but they all lapsed into this state when Game Room was discontinued, leaving your best option for these games to make a homemade arcade machine and finding the [[UsefulNotes/ReadOnlyMemory ROM]]s to put on it. Fortunately, ''Ajax'' at least has finally seen a re-release in Konami's ''Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection''.

* Anything that was distributed via the [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom]]'s Platform/{{Satellaview}} broadcast system. Even if you manage to track down [[UsefulNotes/ReadOnlyMemory ROMs]] of the broadcast games, they're almost certainly incomplete -- the streamed audio and voice acting were not saved with the rest of the game, so a very sizable portion of the games' contents are quite possibly lost forever, with some edge cases (e.g., one team restored the audio of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaAncientStoneTablets'' but the audio came from a VHS recording of the gameplay that surfaced on the web at some point, meaning the audio includes overlapping sound effects from the playthrough). To date, the only Satellaview games which have been officially remade or re-released in any form are the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' ones, remade and included as bonus missions in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem New Mystery of the Emblem]]'', and ''VisualNovel/RadicalDreamers'', which is included in the 2022 HD remaster of ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', known as ''The Radical Dreamers Edition''.

* While it was positively received by both fans and critics alike, ''VideoGame/TimeSplittersFuturePerfect'' had rather poor sales and as such, copies of it online (or its predecessors) will cost a pretty penny. The game's developer, Free Radical Design, faced financial troubles and is now defunct which made any chance of a re-release impossible. Through a series of acquisitions, the ''[=TimeSplitters=]'' landed in the hands of THQ Nordic.

* A lot of UsefulNotes/{{arcade game}}s fall under this. While a good fraction of them have had ports, some ports range anywhere from being good but not [[ArcadePerfectPort one-to-one]] to outright {{Porting Disaster}}s. The only other legal option in these cases is to acquire the original hardware, which is costly and not designed for consumer purchase; 100 USD for a board is considered ''cheap.'' Even then you'll still need a way of playing them, whether it be a cabinet (easily available but still expensive) or a "supergun" device to bypass the need for a cabinet. Finally, with the severe decline of arcades outside of Japan discouraging developers from exporting their games and the advent of mechanisms that shut out arcade importers, such as arcade digital distribution platforms such as [=NESiCAxLive=], Japanese arcade developers limiting their games to lease-only rather than outright selling the machines, and always-online DRM (often requiring the arcade to register their machines and pay subscription fees), it is becoming harder if not outright impossible for arcade fans to legally acquire and play games through any means even if they have the money, leaving travelling to Japan the only option. If you're lucky, some of these games may get exported...to select parts of East and Southeast Asia...and may suffer anywhere from limited online infrastructure to outright BadExportForYou.
** The entire aim of the UsefulNotes/{{MAME}} project is to preserve such games and keep them from vanishing forever. Unfortunately while the program itself is legal, it's debatable whether or not the [=ROMs=] for the games themselves are.

** With the discontinuation of UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash in 2020[[note]]Adobe no longer provides updates to it and browsers are no longer compatible with it[[/note]], many games based in Flash are no longer playable without specially modified browsers or programs that have them archived like [[https://bluemaxima.org/flashpoint/ BlueMaxima's Flashpoint]].

* The VHS promotional tapes that were given out to Magazine/NintendoPower subscribers in the mid-1990s. The tapes promoted the Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and games like ''Donkey Kong Country'', ''Star Fox 64'', ''Diddy Kong Racing'', ''Banjo-Kazooie'', and early ''Pokémon'' games, as well as gave interesting behind-the-scenes looks at the making of these games. With the advent of DVD, the practice simply stopped after one release advertising the [=GameCube=], and the tapes are now highly valued by collectors and traders. The content on the tapes have since been uploaded to various video sharing sites such as Website/YouTube, but getting an actual copy is a pipe dream.

* The third and last game in the ''VisualNovel/FamicomDetectiveClub'' series, ''[[VisualNovel/BSDetectiveClubLostMemoriesInTheSnow Lost Memories in the Snow']]', where the main character of the game is recurring character Ayumi Tachibana, became unavailable to play following the end of the Platform/{{Satellaview}} (with the game having already been subjected to limited play times during the lifespan of the service). While footage of the game's chapters has been found and made available on Website/NicoNicoDouga, all audio has been lost, and the game cannot be played.

* ''[[VideoGame/ArmoredHunterGunhound Armored Hunter GUNHOUND EX]]'', a doujin run-and-gun mecha game, did see a release on Steam and PLAYISM for a time since 2013, unfortunately, since the developer's temporary suspension of 2018, the game was pulled from those stores. Its original incarnation is still available through Website/{{DLsite}}, however its only available from the Japanese version of the site and you can no longer use the EX upgrade tool the developers were supplying to owners of the original game as it can't connect to their servers anymore.

* ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble'''s original arcade version suffers from lost source code, rendering a true re-release nearly impossible. Most subsequent rehashes were done from the designer's memory and very few were particularly faithful (the Master System version was generally reckoned to be the closest). UsefulNotes/{{MAME}} relied on a bootlegged copy of the protection chip for a long time, so the gameplay was somewhat inaccurate due to the protection being tied to game logic. That is, until they were able to track down an original board, pour some liquid nitrogen on the original protection chip, and stick it under an electron microscope.

* ''VideoGame/{{Do|nPachi}}DonPachi dai ou jou'' is infamous among CAVE fans for how hard it is to get ahold of its ports. The [=PS2=] port by Arika has been long out of print and only includes the basic "white label" version and the special [[BossGame Death Label]] edition. The Xbox 360 port has it even worse: It turns out that Aqua Systems, the contractor that 5pb (who was in charge of the port) hired to do the porting [[UsefulNotes/{{Plagiarism}} copied the code from the PS2 port]] and brought a slew of bugs with it, resulting in Arika stepping in, offering to patch up the port, and [[ScrewedByTheLawyers the game being pulled out of print]], much to the dismay of those waiting for the patch to buy the game. Because of this, and 5pb still having the rights to ''dai ou jou'' console ports, it's highly unlikely ''dai ou jou'' will see another non-smartphone port for a long time.

* Would you believe ''VideoGame/{{Raiden}} II'', the face of arcade {{Shoot em Up}}s, as well as UpdatedRerelease ''Raiden DX'' fall under this? There's a CompilationRerelease that includes ''II'' and a port of ''DX'' both on [=PS1=], as well as a PC port of ''II'', but they are long out of print, and the PC port is rather inaccurate. Breakthroughs in 2014 finally brought both games to a mostly functional state in UsefulNotes/{{MAME}}; however, as neither game has an in-print release, they remain under this trope.

* On PC, ''VideoGame/SplinterCellPandoraTomorrow'' essentially exists in {{abandonware}} limbo, as it is the only game in the series that was never re-released digitally (neither on Uplay nor Platform/{{Steam}}) due to a convoluted publishing rights dispute, and the old physical copies no longer work on recent operating systems due to outdated [[UsefulNotes/DigitalRightsManagement DRM]] and lighting issues with modern hardware that retroactively make it a PortingDisaster. There are [[https://youtu.be/yGOm7sulJa0 ways to fix it]] if you manage to (preferably legally) get a copy.

* Both the PC Game Pass and Xbox versions of ''VideoGame/[[Omori]]'' were delisted by Microsoft in 2023 after their partnership deal with Omocat ended. What makes this decision baffling is that the PC Game Pass version includes all the new content included in the console versions, something that's absent from the original Steam release.

* The third and last game in the ''VisualNovel/FamicomDetectiveClub'' series, ''Lost Memories in the Snow'', where the main character of the game is recurring character Ayumi Tachibana, became unavailable to play following the end of the Platform/{{Satellaview}} (with the game having already been subjected to limited play times during the lifespan of the service). While footage of the game's chapters has been found and made available on Website/NicoNicoDouga, all audio has been lost, and the game cannot be played.

* ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA 2'' currently does not have a port, most likely due to FirstInstallmentWins.
** ''Daytona USA'' spinoff ''S.C.U.D. Race'' (aka ''Sega Super GT'' in North America) does not have a port, and it's highly unlikely it will happen in the foreseeable future. The game uses the likenesses of several real-world supercars (especially Porsche, of which Electronic Arts have the exclusive rights to in video games), and considering ''[=OutRun=] Online Arcade'' and the aforementioned ''After Burner Climax'' got nixed due to licensing issues, that may very well be the reason why no port exists.

** The entire aim of the Platform/{{MAME}} project is to preserve such games and keep them from vanishing forever. Unfortunately while the program itself is legal, it's debatable whether or not the [=ROMs=] for the games themselves are.

* ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble'''s original arcade version suffers from lost source code, rendering a true re-release nearly impossible. Most subsequent rehashes were done from the designer's memory and very few were particularly faithful (the Master System version was generally reckoned to be the closest). Platform/{{MAME}} relied on a bootlegged copy of the protection chip for a long time, so the gameplay was somewhat inaccurate due to the protection being tied to game logic. That is, until they were able to track down an original board, pour some liquid nitrogen on the original protection chip, and stick it under an electron microscope.

* ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'' is one of the most sought-after games on the [=GameCube=][[note]]the game is also available on the [=PS2=], [[PortingDisaster but that's a rushed port marred with with technical issues]] such as longer load times and frame drops; resulting in people searching for the GC version instead[[/note]], thanks to positive word-of-mouth from the very few who had played it, and thanks to [=SUDA51=]'s later games. However, Capcom and [=SUDA51=] had no plans on re-releasing it for over a decade--following its 2005 release, it would take until ''2018'' before the two (in collaboration with [=NIS=] America) announced that an remaster of the game was in the works for Steam, planned for a fall 2018 release.

* Would you believe ''VideoGame/{{Raiden}} II'', the face of arcade {{Shoot Em Up}}s, as well as UpdatedRerelease ''Raiden DX'' fall under this? There's a CompilationRerelease that includes ''II'' and a port of ''DX'' both on [=PS1=], as well as a PC port of ''II'', but they are long out of print, and the PC port is rather inaccurate. Breakthroughs in 2014 finally brought both games to a mostly functional state in Platform/{{MAME}}; however, as neither game has an in-print release, they remain under this trope.

* In an extreme case, ''VideoGame/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorldTheGame'', a tie-in game for both the [[ComicBook/ScottPilgrim comic book series]] and the then-recent [[Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld film adaptation of the same name]], was taken off of both PSN and XBLA on December 30th, 2014 without explanation, and many of the game codes stopped working as well. (This was likely a result of Ubisoft's contract from Universal expiring, as it was a tie in to the 2010 movie.) Some websites like Best Buy and [=GameStop=] still sold codes for the game on their online stores, but they too had unfortunately ran dry by 2016. We're talking about a download-only console-exclusive game here, not to mention a movie/comic book tie-in game that [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames doesn't suck]]. ''Scott Pilgrim'' creator Bryan Lee O'Malley has expressed interest in [[http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/08/11/scott-pilgrim-creator-working-to-re-release-video-game/220739/ getting the game re-licensed in late 2016]], but [[https://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/11/03/scott-pilgrim-creator-vents-video-games-delisting-psn-x-box-live-2-years-ago/ later comments he made about the situation]] by the year's end indicate he might had ran into a brick wall [[ScrewedByTheLawyers with lawyers]]. However, a re-release was later announced by Ubisoft for September 10th, 2020, albeit only on digital fronts initially until it was announced that Creator/LimitedRunGames would be producing physical editions for the Platform/NintendoSwitch and Platform/PlayStation4.

* ''VideoGame/{{XIII}}'' was removed from Platform/GOGDotCom at the very beginning of 2013 due to them losing the rights to sell the game, and as they were the only place to get digital copies of it, it remained completely unavailable until October 2019, when Gog was able to reacquire the rights following the announcement of a remake by [=PlayMagic=].

** Only after eight months since its release, ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMutantsInManhattan'' was taken off from digital storefronts due to a expired license from Nickelodeon, leaving the existing number of unsold/used copies as the only way to obtain the game. The small handful of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' titles they published after obtaining the Nickelodeon license also fall in this category. Though given the [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames divisive opinions]] on those games, it may not be that sad they expired.

** Only after eight months since its release, ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMutantsInManhattan'' was taken off from digital storefronts due to a expired license from Nickelodeon, leaving the existing number of unsold/used copies as the only way to obtain the game. The small handful of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' titles they published after obtaining the Nickelodeon license also fall in this category. Though given the [[TheProblemWithLicensedGame divisive opinions]] on those games, it may not be that sad they expired.

** Only after eight months since its release, ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesMutantsInManhattan'' was taken off from digital storefronts due to a expired license from Nickelodeon, leaving the existing number of unsold/used copies as the only way to obtain the game.

* Hideo Kojima [[http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3176763 half-admitted]] that the reason why any version of his seminal visual novel ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'' hasn't been released on digital distribution services yet (even though stuff like ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'' had been released already) is due to the fact that the game's imagery and its numerous visual nods to ''Film/BladeRunner'' and ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' almost border on copyright infringement, making it hard to re-release without heavy alterations. It's not much of an issue in Japan, where the UsefulNotes/PCEngine version is common to find on the second-hand market, but English-speaking players who want to experience the game have no choice but to pay ridiculously high prices for the English-only Sega CD version on [=eBay=] or illegally download it off the internet. Then after the Kojima fallout, Konami pulled a big monkey's paw on that last demographic in 2020: The PC Engine version was released on all three regional models of the PC Engine Mini without any alteration... and by "without any alteration", on the American and European models of the Mini this means "'''no translation whatsoever'''".
* A handful of Konami's ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' video games are unavailable legally due to Konami having dropped the ''TMNT'' license in 2007. [[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1989 The first NES game]] was available on the Platform/VirtualConsole for around five years before it was dropped from the store after the license expired. This is averted with ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame'' and ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime'': the former is available in Xbox Live Arcade and in 2019 (the franchise's [[MilestoneCelebration 35th anniversary year]]), [=Arcade1Up=] got the OK from both Konami and Nickelodeon to rerelease the two arcade games on home arcade cabinets. This was finally averted thanks to ''The Cowabunga Collection'' which includes all of the console and arcade games up to the UsefulNotes/The16BitEraOfConsoleVideoGames (the only game from the era not included is the fairly obscure PC-exclusive ''Manhattan Missions'', which should not be confused with the similarly titled third [=NES=] game.)

** Of the three Sonic games that made it to the Saturn, the absolute rarest of them all is the CompilationRerelease ''VideoGame/SonicJam'', which has never left the platform (the [[InNameOnly very superficially related]] UsefulNotes/GameCom release of the same name notwithstanding). This normally wouldn't be too eyebrow-raising, as compilation games are rarely, if ever, re-released; however, ''Jam'' is notable for being one of two ''Sonic'' compilations (the other being 2022's ''Sonic Origins'') to have actual ''ports'' of the Genesis games (rather than emulations, as has been the case for most re-releases), complete with various difficulty modes. ''Jam'' also featured various bonus content that hasn't been brought back in future compilations, the most important of which being ''Sonic World''--a 3D hubworld with missions that was effectively the closest thing Sonic ever got to a 3D platforming game on the console[[note]]and according to two sources, served as a prototype to [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure his actual 3D platforming debut]] on the succeeding console[[/note]].

* PC games in general fall into this, especially pre-2000s games. Games are known to quickly become incompatible with newer systems and can be rare to find. Website/GOGDotCom is attempting to avert this, but even they can only do so much as they don't have the source code for the games they are "upgrading," meaning all compatibility fixes must be done by reverse engineering. The only exception is if the game is a DOS game or an Platform/{{MSX}} game, in which case Platform/{{DOSBox}} or another specific emulator (such as [=blueMSX=] for MSX games) is used instead.

* Since the closure of the developer Elixir Studios and the collapse of the publisher Creator/EidosInteractive, ''VideoGame/RepublicTheRevolution'' is owned by Creator/{{Rebellion}}, who had pulled it from Website/GogDotCom in 2011 and do not list even in their own store. As such, there is currently no legal way to play the game, other than hunting down a rare used copy of Eidos' original run. Interestingly, Rebellion is more than happy to list Elixir's other game, ''VideoGame/EvilGenius'', in its store and every other digital distribution platform…

** All the games were pulled by Epic Games off of both Steam and Website/GoodOldGames on December 14th, 2022. As such, outside of auction sites, they can no longer be purchased legally and are essentially {{abandonware}}. A FreeToPlay edition of ''VideoGame/UnrealTournamentIII'' for Steam, GOG and the Epic Store was revealed shortly after the delistings, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen only for it to be quietly cancelled the following year]].

* ''VideoGame/{{XIII}}'' was removed from Website/GogDotCom at the very beginning of 2013 due to them losing the rights to sell the game, and as they were the only place to get digital copies of it, it remained completely unavailable until October 2019, when Gog was able to reacquire the rights following the announcement of a remake by [=PlayMagic=].

** All the games were pulled by Epic Games off of both Steam and Website/GoodOldGames on December 14th, 2022. As such, outside of auction sites, they can no longer be purchased legally and are essentially {{abandonware}}. A FreeToPlay edition of the third game for Steam, GOG and the Epic Store was revealed shortly after the delistings, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen only for it to be quietly cancelled the following year]].

** All the games were pulled by Epic Games off of both Steam and Website/GoodOldGames on December 14th, 2022. As such, outside of auction sites, they can no longer be purchased legally and are essentially {{abandonware}}. A FreeToPlay edition of the third game was announced shortly after the delistings, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen only for it to be quietly cancelled the following year]].

* Hideo Kojima [[http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3176763 half-admitted]] that the reason why any version of his seminal visual novel ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'' hasn't been released on digital distribution services yet (even though stuff like ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'' had been released already) is due to the fact that the game's imagery and its numerous visual nods to ''Film/BladeRunner'' and ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' almost border on copyright infringement, making it hard to re-release without heavy alterations. It's not much of an issue in Japan, where the Platform/PCEngine version is common to find on the second-hand market, but English-speaking players who want to experience the game have no choice but to pay ridiculously high prices for the English-only Sega CD version on [=eBay=] or illegally download it off the internet. Then after the Kojima fallout, Konami pulled a big monkey's paw on that last demographic in 2020: The PC Engine version was released on all three regional models of the PC Engine Mini without any alteration... and by "without any alteration", on the American and European models of the Mini this means "'''no translation whatsoever'''".
* A handful of Konami's ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' video games are unavailable legally due to Konami having dropped the ''TMNT'' license in 2007. [[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1989 The first NES game]] was available on the Platform/VirtualConsole for around five years before it was dropped from the store after the license expired. This is averted with ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame'' and ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime'': the former is available in Xbox Live Arcade and in 2019 (the franchise's [[MilestoneCelebration 35th anniversary year]]), [=Arcade1Up=] got the OK from both Konami and Nickelodeon to rerelease the two arcade games on home arcade cabinets. This was finally averted thanks to ''The Cowabunga Collection'' which includes all of the console and arcade games up to the MediaNotes/The16BitEraOfConsoleVideoGames (the only game from the era not included is the fairly obscure PC-exclusive ''Manhattan Missions'', which should not be confused with the similarly titled third [=NES=] game.)

** Of the three Sonic games that made it to the Saturn, the absolute rarest of them all is the CompilationRerelease ''VideoGame/SonicJam'', which has never left the platform (the [[InNameOnly very superficially related]] Platform/GameCom release of the same name notwithstanding). This normally wouldn't be too eyebrow-raising, as compilation games are rarely, if ever, re-released; however, ''Jam'' is notable for being one of two ''Sonic'' compilations (the other being 2022's ''Sonic Origins'') to have actual ''ports'' of the Genesis games (rather than emulations, as has been the case for most re-releases), complete with various difficulty modes. ''Jam'' also featured various bonus content that hasn't been brought back in future compilations, the most important of which being ''Sonic World''--a 3D hubworld with missions that was effectively the closest thing Sonic ever got to a 3D platforming game on the console[[note]]and according to two sources, served as a prototype to [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure his actual 3D platforming debut]] on the succeeding console[[/note]].

** All the games were pulled by Epic Games off of both Steam and Website/GoodOldGames on December 14th, 2022. As such, outside of auction sites, they can no longer be purchased legally and are essentially {{abandonware}}.

* Hideo Kojima [[http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3176763 half-admitted]] that the reason why any version of his seminal visual novel ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'' hasn't been released on digital distribution services yet (even though stuff like ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'' had been released already) is due to the fact that the game's imagery and its numerous visual nods to ''Film/BladeRunner'' and ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' almost border on copyright infringement, making it hard to re-release without heavy alterations. It's not much of an issue in Japan, where the UsefulNotes/PCEngine version is common to find on the second-hand market, but English-speaking players who want to experience the game have no choice but to pay ridiculously high prices for the English-only Sega CD version on [=eBay=] or illegally download it off the internet. Then after the Kojima fallout, Konami pulled a big monkey's paw on that last demographic in 2020: The PC Engine version was released on all three regional models of the PC Engine Mini without any alteration... and by "without any alteration", on the American and European models of the Mini this means "'''no translation whatsoever'''".
* A handful of Konami's ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' video games are unavailable legally due to Konami having dropped the ''TMNT'' license in 2007. [[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1989 The first NES game]] was available on the Platform/VirtualConsole for around five years before it was dropped from the store after the license expired. This is averted with ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame'' and ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime'': the former is available in Xbox Live Arcade and in 2019 (the franchise's [[MilestoneCelebration 35th anniversary year]]), [=Arcade1Up=] got the OK from both Konami and Nickelodeon to rerelease the two arcade games on home arcade cabinets. This was finally averted thanks to ''The Cowabunga Collection'' which includes all of the console and arcade games up to the UsefulNotes/The16BitEraOfConsoleVideoGames (the only game from the era not included is the fairly obscure PC-exclusive ''Manhattan Missions'', which should not be confused with the similarly titled third [=NES=] game.)

** Of the three Sonic games that made it to the Saturn, the absolute rarest of them all is the CompilationRerelease ''VideoGame/SonicJam'', which has never left the platform (the [[InNameOnly very superficially related]] UsefulNotes/GameCom release of the same name notwithstanding). This normally wouldn't be too eyebrow-raising, as compilation games are rarely, if ever, re-released; however, ''Jam'' is notable for being one of two ''Sonic'' compilations (the other being 2022's ''Sonic Origins'') to have actual ''ports'' of the Genesis games (rather than emulations, as has been the case for most re-releases), complete with various difficulty modes. ''Jam'' also featured various bonus content that hasn't been brought back in future compilations, the most important of which being ''Sonic World''--a 3D hubworld with missions that was effectively the closest thing Sonic ever got to a 3D platforming game on the console[[note]]and according to two sources, served as a prototype to [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure his actual 3D platforming debut]] on the succeeding console[[/note]].

** The entire aim of the UsefulNotes/{{MAME}} project is to preserve such games and keep them from vanishing forever. Unfortunately while the program itself is legal, it's debatable whether or not the [=ROMs=] for the games themselves are.

** This is the primary concern of "digital-only" consoles that do not feature disc/cartridge slots and can only run downloaded games; with the fate of the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP Go]] system in particular (one of the earliest mainstream examples of a digital-only console) pointed to as the eventual outcome. Anything that was no longer hosted on the [=PlayStation=] Store became unattainable for the system when it was still active; and access to [=PlayStation=] Store from the PSP was disabled in all territories in 2016. This means that outside of previously purchased content in your download list, obtaining ''any'' digital content for the PSP Go system is now [[[DigitalPiracyIsEvil legally]]] impossible.

* PC games in general fall into this, especially pre-2000s games. Games are known to quickly become incompatible with newer systems and can be rare to find. Website/GOGDotCom is attempting to avert this, but even they can only do so much as they don't have the source code for the games they are "upgrading," meaning all compatibility fixes must be done by reverse engineering. The only exception is if the game is a DOS game or an UsefulNotes/{{MSX}} game, in which case UsefulNotes/{{DOSBox}} or another specific emulator (such as [=blueMSX=] for MSX games) is used instead.

* The UsefulNotes/Atari2600 has this a lot. While it doesn't go for every title on the system, this generally goes for even some popular titles. Several homebrew titles on this system count. The titles released by Eblivision are sadly this despite being some of the 1st Atari 2600 homebrew games ever made.

* ''FROB-26'' was a development tool that you could plug into your UsefulNotes/AppleII and turn it into a computer to develop Atari 2600 games. Almost no info on it exists online, and no ROM of it is even around.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends2'' is a cult classic among the fanbase. The first game isn't ''too'' difficult to find -- a good near-mint copy will usually run in the $10-30 range on Ebay. This includes the disc, instruction manual, and jewel case in immaculate condition. The same quality for a copy of ''Legends 2'' will run you no less than $50, with most copies being over $100. Ebay is pretty much the best hope of finding the game at this point. That said, the game can still be purchased ''digitally'' via the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3’s PSN Store for 10 bucks.

* ''VideoGame/TheNeverhood'' has been MIA since the mid-Nineties and copies are quite scarce. [[http://www.facebook.com/NeverhoodMobile This statement]] has mentioned that a re-release on mobile platforms is in the works... if Creator/ElectronicArts (the current rights holder) collaborates, which has not been the case. EA apparently doesn't recognize the profits of releasing the CultClassic on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} either.

* The ''[=ReBirth=]'' series; a series of three {{Retraux}} games covering the ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' franchises retrospectively, was only released digitally on the UsefulNotes/WiiWare service, which has since shut down.
* ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' and ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'''s original releases are both effectively in limbo. While both games received a remaster for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/Xbox360 through the ''Silent Hill HD Collection'', said collection is infamous for being a severe PortingDisaster that is widely considered vastly inferior to the original versions. As such, many fans instead opt to either track down increasingly expensive copies of the originals or resort to piracy. The PC version of ''2'' is particularly rare, with copies often going for well over a hundred dollars due to never receiving a digital re-release. To make matters worse, the source codes for the games are [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup presumed to be lost]], resulting in the HD Collection instead using inferior betas of the games, making the chances of a proper re-release highly unlikely. The PC version of ''VideoGame/SilentHill3'' will also set one back a small fortune, at at least $100 a pop for in-box copies. ''VideoGame/SilentHill4TheRoom'', though, is available for PC on GOG.com.

* A handful of Konami's ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' video games are unavailable legally due to Konami having dropped the ''TMNT'' license in 2007. [[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1989 The first NES game]] was available on the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole for around five years before it was dropped from the store after the license expired. This is averted with ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame'' and ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime'': the former is available in Xbox Live Arcade and in 2019 (the franchise's [[MilestoneCelebration 35th anniversary year]]), [=Arcade1Up=] got the OK from both Konami and Nickelodeon to rerelease the two arcade games on home arcade cabinets. This was finally averted thanks to ''The Cowabunga Collection'' which includes all of the console and arcade games up to the UsefulNotes/The16BitEraOfConsoleVideoGames (the only game from the era not included is the fairly obscure PC-exclusive ''Manhattan Missions'', which should not be confused with the similarly titled third [=NES=] game.)
* All of the main ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' games are out of print. As a result, they tend to be sold at high prices on Amazon and other retailers, locking out players who started with the new generation of games unless they use emulators or have a friend willing to loan them a copy. While the first and second ''[=TokiMemo=]'' games are available on the [=PlayStation=] Network and the original release of ''[=TokiMemo=]'' is available on the PC Engine Mini as of 2020, the wallets of those without a UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, a UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable, a UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita, a PC Engine Mini or who would rather play the games on their original systems are in for a rough time.

* Anything that was distributed via the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Super Famicom]]'s UsefulNotes/{{Satellaview}} broadcast system. Even if you manage to track down [[UsefulNotes/ReadOnlyMemory ROMs]] of the broadcast games, they're almost certainly incomplete -- the streamed audio and voice acting were not saved with the rest of the game, so a very sizable portion of the games' contents are quite possibly lost forever, with some edge cases (e.g., one team restored the audio of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaAncientStoneTablets'' but the audio came from a VHS recording of the gameplay that surfaced on the web at some point, meaning the audio includes overlapping sound effects from the playthrough). To date, the only Satellaview games which have been officially remade or re-released in any form are the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' ones, remade and included as bonus missions in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem New Mystery of the Emblem]]'', and ''VisualNovel/RadicalDreamers'', which is included in the 2022 HD remaster of ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', known as ''The Radical Dreamers Edition''.

* The UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy and UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube libraries. The former has been left completely untouched due to Nintendo [[CreatorBacklash hating the console and its failure]], while the latter has seen very little in terms of re-releases or remakes of its first-party library. A particular note that highlights this was the Wii U's Virtual Console, which offered games from every major Nintendo home and handheld system going back to the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem... with the exception of these two systems, despite it also having Wii and even Nintendo DS games. This isn't helped by some games being financial failures (e.g. ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo''), having small print runs (e.g. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance''), or both (e.g. ''[[VideoGame/{{Cubivore}} Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest]]''), which makes buying even secondhand copies a case of CrackIsCheaper. [=GameCube=] titles that sold well, such as ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', have become victim to high prices on the used market as time has gone on, though that game would eventually receive a UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch remaster in 2024.

* Since both the Nintendo [=DSi=] Shop and the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS eShop have closed, it is now impossible to download UsefulNotes/{{DSiWare}} applications[[note]]Certain Nintendo [=DSi=] bundles had some [=DSiWare=] applications pre-installed on the systems. These bundles are now the only way that you can get these [=DSiWare=] applications[[/note]].
* The closings of the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, UsefulNotes/WiiU, and UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS eShop and UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole services means that, if one had not already downloaded a given game from the service (at which point it could be redownloaded), any game exclusive to these platforms that never saw physical releases are now impossible to purchase, leaving piracy and purchasing second-hand consoles that have the games installed as the only ways to obtain them.

** The original arcade port of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' became this for decades due to ScrewedByTheLawyers, as a lawsuit filed by Ikegami Tsushinki (whom Nintendo contracted development of the arcade cabinets to) prevented this version of the game from being rereleased in most capacities (a notable exception being a mandatory GameWithinAGame in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64''). Thankfully, this eventually changed when Hamster released the arcade version on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch eShop as part of their ''Arcade Archives'' line in 2018.
** ''Donkey Kong 64'' remains the only DK platformer to never see a Wii UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole release, possibly because it featured Rare's now Microsoft-owned UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum game ''VideoGame/{{Jetpac}}'' as an also-mandatory minigame. N64 copies have never been rare, but it was either them or nothing until it was finally released on the Wii U's Virtual Console a few years later, ''Jetpac'' and all.
* The third and last game in the ''VisualNovel/FamicomDetectiveClub'' series, ''Lost Memories in the Snow'', where the main character of the game is recurring character Ayumi Tachibana, became unavailable to play following the end of the UsefulNotes/{{Satellaview}} (with the game having already been subjected to limited play times during the lifespan of the service). While footage of the game's chapters has been found and made available on Website/NicoNicoDouga, all audio has been lost, and the game cannot be played.

** The UsefulNotes/DSiWare port fixed the multiplayer issue by adding a single player mode, but it was a free download that was only available for a limited amount of time on two occasions, meaning the only way to get it these days it to buy a used [=DSi=] or [=3DS=] that has the game downloaded to it or has it in its purchase history.

** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Pokémon Yellow]]''. While the game is available through the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS Virtual Console re-release, original copies of ''Yellow'' fall under this trope. The original Game Boy carts are strangely fragile due to rushed production to meet the demand at the height of the series' popularity, meaning that while they aren't rare, they still fetch significant prices on sites like eBay. Quite a few of the earlier spinoffs, most noticeably ''VideoGame/HeyYouPikachu'' and the ''VideoGame/PokemonStadium'' games, share this issue.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger'': A set of three games that were all released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. Getting used copies isn't difficult, and they would see re-release through the Wii U Virtual Console (...which closed in 2023), but brand-new, factory sealed copies have something those don't: the Mythical Pokémon Manaphy, which can only be found and obtained to transfer to the mainline games once per cart. Yes, cart, not save file. Being a [[TemporaryOnlineContent Mythical Pokémon]], the only other way to get Manaphy without someone else trading theirs to you would be to wait for The Pokémon Company to give one away during a special event. How often are these events? Before the year-long global 20th anniversary events in 2016 that doled out every Mythical Pokémon created up to that point, the last Manaphy event in the West was ''a decade prior''.

* Apparently, Nintendo ran into problems emulating the SNES's Super FX chip on UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole releases, which would explain the lack of several high-profile games released around that time (including ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'' and the original ''VideoGame/StarFox''). The matter of Nintendo letting the rights to the Super FX chip lapse also prevents the games from showing up on the Wii U Virtual Console even if Nintendo ''did'' get the emulation right. However, the former's UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance UpdatedRerelease got a UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole release to early adopters and a UsefulNotes/WiiU Virtual Console release for the general public.

* The ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series almost never sees re-releases of any of its games, always being stuck on the system they were produced for. The lone exception is ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros64'' for the Wii's UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole in 2009, but with the shop closing down in 2019 and never being released on the Wii U or (as of now) Switch's online service, it makes it impossible to play without tracking down a UsefulNotes/Nintendo64.
* Various Nintendo games that use the ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' branding but aren't actually ''Tetris'' games (such as ''[[VideoGame/PanelDePon Tetris Attack]]''), due to the '''''extremely''''' strict trademark licensing from The Tetris Company, because so far the only Nintendo game with "''Tetris''" in the title to be released on the Virtual Console service is the UsefulNotes/GameBoy installment (and for some reason, unlike ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'', it's the original version and not the ''DX'' UpdatedRerelease for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor), released on the Nintendo 3DS. Fortunately, in the case of the ''Tetris Attack''/''[[VideoGame/PanelDePon Puzzle League]]'' series, sequels dropped the ''Tetris'' branding, which allowed the ''Pokémon''-based games to get released on the Virtual Console. Additionally, the Super NES Online service on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch added the original Japanese version of ''Panel de Pon'' in 2020, so the game itself without the ''Tetris'' branding is available.

* Nintendo seems to have no interest in recreating their Zapper games on the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole or any other platform. Only ''VideoGame/DuckHunt'' was made an exception for the Wii U's Virtual Console because the titular characters in the game were made playable characters in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU''.

* Despite being better-received in the West and having more accessible hardware than [[UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn its predecessor]], the UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast fared not much better in its lifespan and hardware sales. Since it was the last Sega console released before the company elected to leave the hardware business, games released for this platform are also scarce in availability to contemporary platforms as well. This problem also applies to many games released during Sega's early years as a third-party publisher, due to Sega's development studios making new games and ports of existing Dreamcast games exclusive to certain platforms, some of which tanked in sales due to them failing to match the platform's demographics (Sega games released as Xbox exclusives were especially bad with this). As a further consequence, Sega during their transition as a third-party publisher decided to consolidate their studios (who were initially spun off into subsidiaries) back into organized R&D divisions within the company; resulting in many of the studios responsible for producing these games being closed and seeing their staff redirected into the newly-established R&D groups.

* The UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn is notorious for games released on it being hit with this, as in most cases the original source code to games on that system has been long lost to time. The console itself is also known for having a terribly short lifespan due its unpopularity in the West, and for being extremely difficult to develop for (which in turn partially explains why the source code for many of these games easily became lost). The only notable exception to the rule is ''VideoGame/NIGHTSIntoDreams'', which has a [[NoExportForYou Japan-only]] enhanced remake for the [=PS2=], and an updated re-release of said remake for PSN, XBLA, and Steam (thankfully available worldwide).

** ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon Saga''. Aside from the original source code being lost, the game was released in limited quantities during its short life on the UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn, and developer Team Andromeda merged with Smilebit (who is now defunct).

** The UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis game ''VideoGame/Sonic3DFlickiesIsland'' (or ''Sonic 3D Blast'' [[MarketBasedTitle as known by in North America]]) was given an UpdatedRerelease on the Sega Saturn, commissioned by Sega as a replacement for the [[{{Vaporware}} cancelled]] Sega Saturn game ''VideoGame/SonicXTreme''. This version of the game, despite sporting enhanced graphics, a new soundtrack, and a new special stage, has only seen one subsequent PC port released a year later (which lacks the fog visual effects of the Saturn version, but has a save function and a variant of the Saturn version's special stage that uses the Genesis version's 2D sprites instead of the Saturn's 3D model). Oddly, Steam has an emulation of the Genesis version available for purchase rather than the PC port.

** The original Sega Saturn version of racing spin-off ''VideoGame/SonicR'' can be considered this, as although the game was included as part of ''Sonic Gems Collection'' on the UsefulNotes/GameCube and UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 [[note]]The [=PS2=] version of ''Gems Collection'' itself can be considered this as well, due to it [[NoExportForYou only being released in Europe and Japan]], leaving the game a UsefulNotes/GameCube exclusive in North America.[[/note]], the game is based on the PC version, which is [[ZigZaggingTrope a mixed bag of]] [[PolishedPort added features]] [[PortingDisaster and downgrades]] that the Saturn version lacks, such as adding various weather effects and improved draw distance while also lacking the transparency effects for the Radiant Emerald stage. As such, the original Saturn version is quite difficult to come across.

** The original version of ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]''. Being released on the unpopular Mega CD/Sega CD add-on for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis is the reason for its obscure status in the first place, compared to the main Genesis Sonic titles. A PC port released a few years later has over time become functionally obsolete, with the game becoming virtually unplayable on computers running Windows XP and later. A planned inclusion of the game on ''Sonic Mega Collection'' was nixed due to emulation problems (mostly from tossing out the original schematics and design documents for the Mega CD/Sega CD as well as somehow losing the original game's source code), subsequently resulting in the version on ''Sonic Gems Collection'' being a modified port of the PC version (this is noticeable in how the debug menu works, and the water in Tidal Tempest being clear; [=PCs=] of the era had issues emulating the water effects, so it was scrapped). The 2011 re-release has the assets of the original game running on a engine completely re-coded from scratch, which makes it a hybrid of a PolishedPort and a VideoGameRemake; but since it's designed to be virtually identical to the original release, it's the closest thing one could get to a true re-release of the Mega CD original.

* For a pre-Tetris Guidelines example, the improperly licensed Tengen port of ''Tetris'' for the UsefulNotes/{{NES}} was only available for a brief period of time before it was pulled by shelves due to a court order ruling that Nintendo had the exclusive home console rights to the game at the time. Since the Tengen version is entirely different from Nintendo's own [=NES=] port (sharing more in common with Tengen parent Atari Games US arcade version, which was properly licensed) and is often considered [[PolishedPort the superior port]], the Tengen version has become a rare and highly sought-after collector's item.
* Creator/{{Sega}}'s Japanese arcade version of Tetris, the rights for which were sub licensed from Atari Games, was slated to get a [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis/Mega Drive]] port, but [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment it was cancelled and shelved]] shortly before release [[ScrewedByTheLawyers as a consequence of Nintendo's successful legal battle with Tengen]]. Only a few dozen copies had actually been produced, and most of those were scrapped, but about 10 legitimate copies are known to exist. Due to the home version never seeing an official release, the only way to play the game was to be lucky enough to own one of the very few legitimate cartridges of the game, obtain a Chinese bootleg cartridge, or track down a ROM on the Internet. In 2004, the port was finally officially released when it was included as part of the Sega Ages Tetris Collection on UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, but that was never released outside Japan. (The Sega Genesis Mini, released in 2019, has a new, more arcade accurate port that is different from the planned Genesis release.)

* ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble'''s original arcade version suffers from lost source code, rendering a true re-release nearly impossible. Most subsequent rehashes were done from the designer's memory and very few were particularly faithful (the Master System version was generally reckoned to be the closest). UsefulNotes/{{MAME}} relied on a bootlegged copy of the protection chip for a long time, so the gameplay was somewhat inaccurate due to the protection being tied to game logic. That is, until they were able to track down an original board, pour some liquid nitrogen on the original protection chip, and stick it under an electron microscope.
* None of the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz! Buzz!]]'' games for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable or any other games using the Buzz Buzzers have ever been re-released. While [=ROMs=] can be found online, you'll have to buy the buzzers second-hand if you want to play the non-PSP games since there is no program to actually emulate the buzzers.
* ''Captain Goodnight and the Islands of Fear'', a multi-genre action side-scroller released by Creator/{{Broderbund}} for UsefulNotes/AppleII computers in 1985, was never ported to any other platforms, and so can only be experienced today by either emulation or obtaining a working Apple II machine and floppy disk copy of the game.

* One ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' game (previously two, until ''Keen Dreams'' was KeepCirculatingTheTapes/{{rescued}}) is still unavailable to buy, despite the rest of the series being available to purchase digitally: The full version of ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen 6'', likely because the copy protection quiz (which happens whenever you start up the game) can't be removed. Similarly to ''Dreams'' until its UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch rerelease, its rights history is a mess -- id Software still owns the rights to the game, and its only releases (besides the pulled Steam version) are the original floppies (impossible to find) and a CD collection which is out-of-print and very expensive.

* After Creator/DataEast went bankrupt in 2003, their back catalog of games was divided up between several companies; while some of their old games were rereleased on ''Data East Arcade Classics'' and various download services, others, including ''VideoGame/MidnightResistance'', ''VideoGame/{{Karnov}}'' and ''Vapor Trail'', are currently unavailable, as are all of Data East's games for the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16[=/=]PC-Engine, which were pulled from the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole in March 2012. The situation is worse for games like ''VideoGame/NightSlashers'', ''The Great Ragtime Show'', ''VideoGame/LockedNLoaded'', and ''Thunder Zone'' (aka ''Desert Assault'', the SpiritualSuccessor to ''Bloody Wolf'') that weren't ported to consoles either, so they can only be played through illegal emulation. A particularly egregious case is the ''VideoGame/SpyHunter'' clone ''[[https://youtu.be/tztgBHumR4o Bandit]]'', which can be seen in in ''Film/RoboCop2'' with a ''VideoGame/TheRealGhostbustersDataEast'' marquee plastered on, but never made it past location testing, and is currently not working in MAME.

** Eventually averted: the game is confirmed to return on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch as ''Dokapon Kingdom: Connect''.

* Good luck getting your hands on Creator/SquareEnix's UsefulNotes/PlayStation cult classic shmup ''VideoGame/{{Einhander}}'' nowadays, as it has not received a digital re-release or remaster, and disc-only copies are already incredibly expensive starting at around $100, to say nothing of complete in-box listings asking up to $300.

* Something about the ''VideoGame/FantasticNightDreamsCotton'' series eludes availability. All of the games sell for high prices in secondhand markets and none of the original ''Cotton'' games have been ported to any digital storefront. Not helping is majority of the games in the series [[NoExportForYou being stuck in Japan.]] ''Panorama Cotton'' on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and ''Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams'' on the UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 CD (which did get a North American release) are probably the most infamous in this regard. The former had small production numbers in Japan (said to be around 5000 units, there's even a tea cup which is even harder to find!), and the latter had even less numbers due to the Turbo CD not being a high selling console in North America. The lone exception to this is the arcade original, which got a nice port by M2 for the Sega Astro City Mini console.

* With the release of the Pixel Remasters of the first six ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games on Steam, Android, and iOS, all previous versions of those games were removed from those digital storefronts except the 3D remakes of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' and ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV IV]]''. Though such ports were not missed much due to being {{Porting Disaster}}s (especially [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV V]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI VI]]), the Pixel Remasters lack any bonus content from the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and later versions.

* The ''very'' obscure MS-DOS version of ''[[VideoGame/{{Genocide}} Genocide 2: Master of the Dark Communion]]'' was released only in Korea and is next to impossible to find legitimately. Someone did manage to track it down and circulate it through the Internet, so it's only a matter of finding the download for the game and setting up UsefulNotes/DOSBox to run it.

* ''VideoGame/TheGuardianLegend'' is a CultClassic, but it has never been rereleased or remade, no doubt in part to its ownership being split between Creator/{{Compile}} and Creator/{{Irem}}. Compile no longer exists, but its successors seem interested in distributing its games; Irem, however, has been going through financial difficulties and pulled many of its games from the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork in 2011 and the Wii UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole in early 2012.

* Taken up to eleven with ''[[Franchise/{{Highlander}} Highlander: The Last of The MacLeods]]'' for the UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar CD. There are no emulations of the Jaguar CD in any form, the game is an exclusive to it, and worst of all the console has only 20,000 units made and [[ObviousBeta is prone to breaking down a lot]], so finding a copy and a working console is extremely unlikely.
* ''VideoGame/HotelMario'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDIGames'', the infamous UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi video games featuring officially-licensed Creator/{{Nintendo}} characters, have never been re-released in any other platform, and not just because Nintendo doesn't own the rights to them (Creator/{{Atari}} owns them via their buyout of Philips Interactive Media in 1997, when they were called Infogrames). For what it's worth, their classification of the games as [[CanonDiscontinuity non-canon]] makes any appetite for a re-release minimal. The CD-i is also notoriously difficult to emulate on other platforms, so expect to pay a pretty penny for a CD-i and these games if you dare wish to play them.

* Finding physical copies of [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]]'s ''VideoGame/{{Klonoa}}'' games for cheap prices is pretty much impossible. Besides the first game's Wii remake, the only re-releases were the UsefulNotes/WiiU Virtual Console re-releases of the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance games (which are no longer available as of March 27, 2023), and the UsefulNotes/PlayStation Network downloads of Door to Phantomile. Thankfully, this situation will likely improve with the release of ''Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series'' for Nintendo Switch, featuring remasters of the Wii version of ''Klonoa'' and the original ''Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil''.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Lunar}}'' games and remakes. The early games in the series published by Creator/WorkingDesigns tended to have small production runs, and first two games were released on the UsefulNotes/SegaCD, which was niche hardware in the first place. ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'', is actually not too difficult to find, but ''VideoGame/LunarEternalBlue'' certainly is (it doesn't help that ''Eternal Blue'' had low sales). The remake of ''Eternal Blue'' is also a hard find because it was released during the twilight of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation era. All remakes of ''Silver Star'' are not hard to acquire, though.

* Most Namco-produced [=RPGs=] suffer from this. While you can find ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} Episode I'' and ''II'' pretty easily, ''Episode III'' will cost you more. [[note]]Rumors of an HD remaster of the trilogy have circulated the web and even lead to a fan petition, though the creator of the series lamented that [[https://www.siliconera.com/katsuhiro-harada-says-a-xenosaga-hd-collection-failed-in-a-profitable-market-analysis/ it's unlikely that it will happen in the near future]] at the end of 2019.[[/note]] The ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'' series still has not had a re-release, with ''Origins'' suffering the most as it came out near the end of the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube's]] life span. And don't get us started on ''Franchise/DotHack''... The ''[[VideoGame/DotHackGU G.U.]]'' trilogy managed to get the HD treatment (''.hack//G.U. Last Recode'') [[MilestoneCelebration for the series' 15th anniversary in 2017]], though [[VideoGame/DotHackR1Games the first series of PS2 games]] has not been so lucky.

* The ''VideoGame/OgreBattle'' games ''[[VideoGame/TacticsOgreTheKnightOfLodis The Knight of Lodis]]'' and ''Legend of the Zenobia Prince'' for UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and Neo Geo Pocket Color can't be had on current consoles.

* This used to be the case for ''VideoGame/OtogiMythOfDemons'', being one of the few OG Xbox games to be completely tied to its home platform, but it was later made available digitally for the UsefulNotes/XboxOne and later platforms.
* The ''VideoGame/Persona2'' duology has experienced its own twisted version. When the two games came out on the original UsefulNotes/PlayStation, only the ''second'' game made it out of Japan. Eventually a fan translation of the first game started making the rounds (and even people at Atlus complemented its quality). Finally the games were remade for the PSP... except only the ''first'' remake has made it out of Japan. The original version of the second game has since been made available on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork, but downloads and emulation still seem rather more common, out of spite as much as anything else.

* Would you believe ''VideoGame/{{Raiden}} II'', the face of arcade {{Shoot Em Up}}s, as well as UpdatedRerelease ''Raiden DX'' fall under this? There's a CompilationRerelease that includes ''II'' and a port of ''DX'' both on [=PS1=], as well as a PC port of ''II'', but they are long out of print, and the PC port is rather inaccurate. Breakthroughs in 2014 finally brought both games to a mostly functional state in UsefulNotes/{{MAME}}; however, as neither game has an in-print release, they remain under this trope.

* ''VideoGame/RuleOfRose'', another late UsefulNotes/PlayStation2[=-=]era survival horror cult classic, is infamously even rarer than ''Haunting Ground'', apparently due to being pulled shortly after release for its controversial content, along with being [[BannedInChina outright banned in several countries]]. Loose copies command around $200 at a minimum.

* In an extreme case, ''VideoGame/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorldTheGame'', a tie-in game for both the [[ComicBook/ScottPilgrim comic book series]] and the then-recent [[Film/ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld film adaptation of the same name]], was taken off of both PSN and XBLA on December 30th, 2014 without explanation, and many of the game codes stopped working as well. (This was likely a result of Ubisoft's contract from Universal expiring, as it was a tie in to the 2010 movie.) Some websites like Best Buy and [=GameStop=] still sold codes for the game on their online stores, but they too had unfortunately ran dry by 2016. We're talking about a download-only console-exclusive game here, not to mention a movie/comic book tie-in game that [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames doesn't suck]]. ''Scott Pilgrim'' creator Bryan Lee O'Malley has expressed interest in [[http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/08/11/scott-pilgrim-creator-working-to-re-release-video-game/220739/ getting the game re-licensed in late 2016]], but [[https://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/11/03/scott-pilgrim-creator-vents-video-games-delisting-psn-x-box-live-2-years-ago/ later comments he made about the situation]] by the year's end indicate he might had ran into a brick wall [[ScrewedByTheLawyers with lawyers]]. However, a re-release was later announced by Ubisoft for September 10th, 2020, albeit only on digital fronts initially until it was announced that Creator/LimitedRunGames would be producing physical editions for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4.

** Due to compatibility issues, the iOS version of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'', which is also the only version to be officially released outside of Japan, is currently unavailable. The English script has been salvaged and backported to the UsefulNotes/GameboyAdvance version as a translation patch, but as of right now, the only way to play the iOS version itself is to have a phone that hasn't been updated in a fairly long time.
** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNINE'' was only released for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, isn't on the backwards compatibility program, and while it is playable on an emulator, it's notoriously unstable. This leaves playing it on the original hardware with a copy that's either already owned or bought used as the only reliable option.

* On PC, ''VideoGame/SplinterCellPandoraTomorrow'' essentially exists in {{abandonware}} limbo, as it is the only game in the series that was never re-released digitally (neither on Uplay nor UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}) due to a convoluted publishing rights dispute, and the old physical copies no longer work on recent operating systems due to outdated [[UsefulNotes/DigitalRightsManagement DRM]] and lighting issues with modern hardware that retroactively make it a PortingDisaster. There are [[https://youtu.be/yGOm7sulJa0 ways to fix it]] if you manage to (preferably legally) get a copy.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpongeBob_SquarePants:_Underpants_Slam Underpants Slam]]'' was delisted from the UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade due to the developer, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitz_Arcade Blitz Arcade]], going bankrupt. Thankfully, it was since relisted on September 24, 2018 by THQ Nordic.

* This seems to have happened to ''Franchise/{{Tekken}} 3''. While the first two Tekken games are available as [=PSone=] Classics on the [=PlayStation=] Store, 3 is noticeably absent. It is very likely that the inclusion of GuestFighter Manga/{{Gon}} is the culprit; Namco has cited licensing issues as an explanation for why he hasn't reappeared in the series, plus producer Katsuhiro Harada mentioned non-technical difficulties as the reason for its absence. The arcade version is playable as a bonus in the [=PS2=] version of ''Tekken 5'', but it lacks the extra features of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation port (including Gon, Dr. Boskonovitch, and the two minigame modes). Thankfully, used copies of both 3 and 5 are plentiful and cheap.

* ''VideoGame/UrbanChaosRiotResponse'' was only released on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}}, it has no backwards compatibility, and it doesn't play nice with emulators. Your only reliable option is the original hardware and a copy that's already owned or has been acquired through eBay. The most likely reason why it hasn't got a re-release is because the rights are co-owned between Creator/SquareEnix (who bought Eidos, the game's publisher) and Creator/WarnerBros (who owns Rocksteady, the game's developer).

* None of the games in the ''VideoGame/MechAssault'' series, be it the original duology for Xbox or ''Phantom War'' for the Nintendo [=DS=], have gotten any sort of re-release since their original runs, not even in the form of a compilation or remaster. Of the two games for the original Xbox, only ''[=MechAssault=] 2'' ever achieved backwards compatibility during the Xbox 360 era, with neither game receiving the same treatment for subsequent Xbox consoles, with the final nail in the coffin coming in November 2021 when Microsoft updated their list of backwards compatible games for the Xbox Series consoles for the final time, and both ''[=MechAssault=]'' games were passed over. As of 2023, the only legitimate way to play any of the games is to pick up a second-hand copy and play on original hardware; besides that, all one has is emulation.

* Hideo Kojima [[http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3176763 half-admitted]] that the reason why any version of his seminal visual novel ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'' hasn't been released on digital distribution services yet (even though stuff like ''VideoGame/MetalGear2'' and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'' had been released already) is due to the fact that the game's imagery and its numerous visual nods to ''Film/BladeRunner'' and ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' almost border on copyright infringement, making it hard to re-release without heavy alterations. It's not much of an issue in Japan, where the UsefulNotes/PCEngine version is common to find on the second-hand market, but English-speaking players who want to experience the game have no choice but to pay ridiculously high prices for the English-only Sega CD version on [=eBay=] or illegally download it off the internet. Then after the Kojima fallout, Konami pulled a big monkey's paw on that last demographic in 2020: The PC Engine version was released on all three regional models of the PC Engine Mini without any alteration... and by "without any alteration", on the American and European models of the Mini this means "'''no translation whatsoever'''".

* The UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy and UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube libraries. The former has been left completely untouched due the Nintendo hating the console and its failure, while the latter has seen very little in terms of re-releases or remakes of its first-party library. A particular note that highlights this was the Wii U's Virtual Console, which offered games from every major Nintendo home and handheld system going back to the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem... with the exception of these two systems, despite it also having Wii and even Nintendo DS games. This isn't helped by some games being financial failures (e.g. ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo''), having small print runs (e.g. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance''), or both (e.g. ''[[VideoGame/{{Cubivore}} Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest]]''), which makes buying even secondhand copies a case of CrackIsCheaper. [=GameCube=] titles that sold well, such as ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', have become victim to high prices on the used market as time has gone on, though that game would eventually receive a UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch remaster in 2024.