# Long-Lost Pokémon Game Apparently Pops Up on eBay After 20 Years — Though You’ll Need $9,000 to Buy It

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/long-lost-pokemon-game-apparently-pops-up-on-ebay-after-20-years-though-youll-need-9000-to-buy-it/
- Published: 2026-07-30T12:06:30+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-30T13:21:34+00:00
- Original publisher: IGN
- Original article: https://www.ign.com/articles/long-lost-pokemon-game-apparently-pops-up-on-ebay-after-20-years-though-youll-need-9000-to-buy-it
- Topics: Asia

## Key points

- Possible lost Pokémon game cartridge listed for about $9,145.
- The 2005 game was only temporarily distributed in Japan.
- Fans hope a preservation-minded buyer shares its contents.

## Summary

A Nintendo DS test cartridge that may contain the long-lost Pokémon Fishing Contest DS has appeared on eBay, with an asking price of €7,999 (about $9,145). The game was distributed only briefly at Japanese events and Pokémon Centres in 2005, so a playable copy could be significant for preserving previously inaccessible Pokémon software.

Pokémon Fishing Contest DS was a Download Play title available from May to August 2005 for a high-score competition, and it disappeared when players switched off their consoles because it could not be saved. The German seller says the cartridge boots to a Japanese high-score ranking communication screen, but its origin is undocumented and it remains unclear whether it contains the full game or only server-related code; no bids had been placed when IGN reported the listing.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.