Catawiki records a 22% increase in the first half of 2025 in video games sales on the platform
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Nintendo NES, the platform launches a dedicated Nintendo auction live from 18 October to 2 November
Amsterdam, 21 October 2025 Forty years ago, 1985 gave us the Nintendo Entertainment System, Studio Ghibli and Back to the Future – three cultural touchstones that reshaped gaming, film and imagination itself. From Mario’s first leap to Ghibli’s first flight and Marty McFly’s time-travelling DeLorean, these moments still define what it means to collect, create and dream.
To mark the Nintendo Entertainment System’s 40th anniversary, Catawiki, the leading online marketplace for special objects, features a specially curated Nintendo auction, live now. The occasion also inspired us to speak with our experts and explore why 1985 has been such an iconic year, continuing to shape what collectors cherish today.
Sealed Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console with two controllers, estimated at €2,200-€2,500 Nestled at the crossroads of post-industrial change, digital acceleration and the rise of global media, 1985 produced artefacts that outlasted their era. They weren’t just toys or films: they became identifiers of belonging. The Breakfast Club captured teenage angst, The Goonies made adventure cinematic, and We Are the World united artists for a cause. It was a year for the books. “When it comes to Pop Culture, 1985 was not merely a good year; it was a cultural inflection point,” explains Toby Wickwire. “That year sits at the threshold when media artefacts became memory artefacts, when what you owned began to matter as part of who you are. The NES for example, but Miyazaki’s early works and Back to the Future were all more than entertainment; they were anchors of identity and community in a fast-changing world.” Nostalgia by the numbers On Catawiki, nostalgia isn’t just emotional: it’s measurable. And 1985 was definitely a year to keep an eye on. Video game sales rose by 22% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The Movies & TV category grew +15% in the last three months. Our new auction category, Japanese Animation, launched at the start of the year, has already seen its sales more than triple. Interest in Back to the Future is also soaring: searches for the franchise title on Catawiki have increased by 27% in the first semester of 2025 compared to the same period of last year. In fact, 1980s lovers: hang tight! On 31 October, a specially curated Back to the Future auction will launch on Catawiki, featuring exclusive items such as a highly detailed 72 cm DeLorean Time Machine replica and a hoverboard replica signed by Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the movie stars. “It’s striking that in the year the Nintendo Entertainment System turns 40, video game sales on Catawiki continue to grow,” says Toby Wickwire, Expert in Toys at Catawiki. “The NES helped lay the foundations of modern gaming, and seeing that passion endure four decades later shows how strongly these early experiences resonate with people. It’s not only nostalgia – it’s a reflection of how deeply games are woven into our shared culture.”A pop-culture supernova
Catawiki’s Nintendo auction is live now until 02 November, inviting collectors to celebrate four decades of gaming history.
