A Guardian writer visited around 40 charity shops to see what second-hand video games remain available now that more valuable titles are commonly sold online. The article finds that the appeal lies less in discovering rare collectibles than in the quirky, inexpensive remnants of past gaming trends.

– Old sports games dominate shelves, particularly Xbox 360-era Fifa, Pro Evolution Soccer and Madden titles, often for 50p or less.
– Brain-training and quiz games are common, with the original Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training still recommended but many television quiz adaptations dismissed.
– Music and fitness games such as SingStar and Wii Fit are plentiful, though they are often unusable because microphones, cameras, consoles or balance boards are missing.
– The writer suggests PlayStation 2 SingStar games can still be worthwhile if buyers source compatible microphones and an adaptor separately.