Atari is a company with a long-running history in the gaming industry, both good and bad. One of the more unique and turbulent parts of that history is the release of the Atari Jaguar. It was one of the first consoles to release on the market in 1993, beginning the fifth generation of home video game consoles. But the Atari Jaguar never found a big audience to support it enough, as both the original PlayStation and the Nintendo 64 dominated living rooms in the mid-90s. Eventually, production of the Atari Jaguar was discontinued in 1996, and support from developers came to an end.

For many retro gaming fans, the Atari Jaguar library contained games that were interesting ideas for the time they were released. Unfortunately, they never garnered as much attention as everything else that was coming out for other platforms back then. Because of this, some Atari Jaguar games became rare gems for retro collectors to find, selling at high prices on the second-hand market. Here are five of the rarest Atari Jaguar games that you'll never get to own.

AirCars

Three-dimensional destruction

AirCars is a shooting game that was developed in 1997 by MidNite Entertainment. It's a 3D shooter that is very similar to other games like Cybermorph on the Atari Jaguar, with a first-person perspective and 3D visuals. In a post-apocolyptic society, a group called E.B.N.E.R.S. tries to rebuild modern society and protect it from external threats. However, government spies uncover a plot by E.B.N.E.R.S. to control everyone through the use of various prototype technology, including vehicles called aircars. In response to the threat, the government sends an agent to pilot a prototype aircar and destroy targets that are controlled by E.B.N.E.R.S. before they can execute their plans.

Armed with a variety of weapons and subweapons, players can use their aircar to maneuver through environments and destroy enemies that are protecting targets. After destroying key targets, players then have to exit the area via a teleportation point to complete a mission. AirCars has a total of 32 missions that also contain boss battles at various points. The game was one of three titles planned for the Atari Jaguar by MidNite Entertainment, but was the only one to actually release for the console. Loose copies of the game are worth around $193, while complete-in-box copies are valued at over $670. Some online auctions for the game have gone as high as selling it for nearly $1,500 at the time of sale.

Another World (Out of This World)

Cinematic platforming epic

Some games back in the 90s were ported to many different platforms. One such game is Another World, which is also known as Out of This World in North America. The game was published by Delphine Software in 1991 for the Amiga and Atari ST. The game was also planned to be released for the Atari Jaguar in 1994. However, that version of the game was never released, and the Jaguar was discontinued shortly after. But after many years of being in limbo, the Atari Jaguar version was released in 2013 on a cartridge as part of a limited collector's release, in collaboration with the Retro-Gaming Connexion.

Gameplay in Another World is different from most other games. Everything has a cinematic presentation to it, with both gameplay and cutscenes taking place in real-time and utilizing tons of unique animations. Players control a character called Lester, who can interact with various objects in the world around him in different ways, along with an alien ally that accompanies him. The limited release cartridge of the game from 2013 can be valuable to some collectors. Loose copies of it are valued at over $200, while a complete copy of the game can be worth around $300.

Wormhole 2000

Homebrewed space action shooter

In the wake of the Atari Jaguar losing developer support and being discontinued from production, some people have tried to create their own unique titles that were based on the Jaguar hardware. This led to a homebrew community of people creating games that would have fit nicely into the library of the console back in the day. Wormhole 2000 was released as a homebrew title for the Jaguar in August 2020. The game is similar to arcade classics like Tempest, and was developed by PhoBoz and published by SongBird Productions.

The visuals of the game have a space theme, with various planets appearing in the background behind the action. Wormhole 2000 can be played solo or with a second player cooperatively, with both players shooting at incoming enemies on the screen. The game had a physical release by SongBird Productions, with a reprint of it in 2025. Copies of the game were very limited for a homebrew title, which led to physical copies of it becoming valuable. Loose copies of the game are worth $225 alone, with complete-in-box copies of it skyrocketing in price. Complete copies of Wormhole 2000 with all of its contents in the box can be worth anywhere between $490 to $1,000 at auctions held online.

AirCars 94

A prototype of concept released

While the original AirCars came out officially for the Jaguar in 1997, there was a version of the game that was planned way before then. AirCars 94 is the original prototype version of the same game, but with a different presentation to it. The content of the game is essentially the same as the one from 1997, so both games are very much alike. This version of the game was never released officially. However, the prototype was revealed to the world after permission from the owner of the prototype was given to reproduce it for a cartridge in 2010.

The reproduction of the cartridge was done by AtariAge community member Gaztee, which included the box and other items included with it. A loose copy of one of these cartridges can be worth $375. However, complete-in-box copies of AirCars 94 can skyrocket in price, often hitting the range of $825 to $1,600 when complete with all of its contents.

BattleSphere

Space combat simulated

One of the most expensive games for the Atari Jaguar also has an interesting development history. Originally conceptualized in 1993, BattleSphere entered production in 1994, but was not published for the system until the year 2000. This was because around that time, the company Hasbro Interactive declared the Atari Jaguar to be an open-platform to develop games for in 1999, following their purchase of JTS and acquiring assets for the Atari brand. Development of BattleSphere had been going on since 1994, so the game was able to release without any licensing troubles and finally reach audiences.

The main premise of BattleSphere is simulation space combat. Much like other popular titles in the genre, such as Star Wars: TIE Fighter on the PC, players control a ship they can fly around and fire various weapons to destroy enemies. There are multiple game modes that include game types like free-for-all, gauntlet, and more. The screen displays different ship functions and key components, such as the shield and hull integrity, which players need to pay attention to during skirmishes. Just like in Star Wars: TIE Fighter, managing these systems is key to surviving and getting ahead of opponents. Loose copies of the game are valued at $625 without all the boxed contents included. But complete copies of the game are worth much more, with some complete versions being sold for as much as $1,750 in online auctions.

Jaguar gems worth looking for

The history of the Atari Jaguar is as unique as the games that make up its library. While the system has found more fans in the years following its discontinuation, many retro game collectors like to seek out games that are valuable gems. It may be weird to see homebrew titles fetching high prices for a now legacy console, but it further reinforces how different the Atari Jaguar is compared to its other console contemporaries. But unless you plan on spending a lot of money on these Jaguar games, don't expect to find them in your collection anytime soon.