One of the most legendary systems ever was SNK’s Neo Geo. Only the rich could afford it, with the suggested retail price of the games often being $200 or more.
Thankfully, today the vast majority of its library is far more affordable. in the case of the Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, there are ten physical releases that include ten games on each cart. To help everyone decide on what volumes to buy, I’ve prepared a guide with the titles listed below. I’ve also provided links of where to purchase them from Play Asia and eBay.
Additionally, I’ve also put together some other bulleted lists for specific game series so that if there are certain ones you want to have, then you’ll find them near the bottom of this post. I’ve also made lists for AES launch games, and another for titles in order of their original MVS release dates from 1990 through 1992.
Of course, please be sure to confirm which games are on each cartridge before purchase. Also, none of the Play Asia links are affiliate links, although all the cover images are from that online store.
The regular price for each collection used to be around $42, plus applicable taxes and shipping fees. However, the prices have changed over the last several months, along with their availability at Play Asia. As such, I will include additional details with each link as needed. I’ve also listed one game from each collection that I consider to be the “front runner” for the collection.
Note: Be aware that as of June 20, 2026, some of these volumes are becoming harder to obtain. As such, if you want a full set of carts, this is what i would keep in mind:
- Volume 1 is still available on Play Asia, but it is usually $60+ on eBay.
- Volume 2 is also available, but on eBay, the going rate is $55+.
- Volume 3’s price is jacked up to $60 at Play Asia for both versions!
- Volume 4’s Asian cover version is sold out at Play Asia.
- Volume 5 isn’t too common on eBay.
- Volume 9 is hard to get on eBay.
- Volume 10 is sold out at Play Asia, and hard to get on eBay. The price on there is $60+!
For those curious, this is how I rank the top three releases:
- Volume 6 (Contains the most popular titles for multiple series)
- Volume 1 (Starts the series off strong with Metal Slug X, Garou, and Shock Troopers)
- Volume 10 (Includes Metal Slug 3 and some great fighters)
Of course, keep in mind that I haven’t played all the games mentioned below. A lot of my opinion is based on what I have read and watched people say about them over the years. To provide more context to these volumes, I’ve also added my first impressions for the titles on each collection.
For ease of comparing the volumes, here’s all of them linked below:
Without further ado, here are the covers and game lists for each one!
Volume 1 (Garou: Mark of the Wolves)
Volume 1 includes,
- The King of Fighters ’94
- Metal Slug X
- Garou: Mark of the Wolves
- Samurai Shodown V
- Alpha Mission II
- Riding Hero
- Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy
- Top Player’s Golf
- Savage Reign
- Shock Troopers
First Impressions: Metal Slug X, Garou, Samurai Shodown V, and Shock Troopers are great games with a mix of fighting and run and gun gameplay! I’m also glad to see Top Hunter here, too.
Volume 1 links: Japanese cover version ($33.99) and Asian cover version ($41.99). As of June 20, 2026, the Japanese cover version is in stock, but the Asian cover version is available in 1-2 weeks. You may also be able to find the volume on eBay, however, it tends to be $60 or more as of June 20, 2026. Many of the listings are also for a NGPC collection instead, too.
Volume 2 (Neo Turf Masters)
Volume 2 includes,
- The King of Fighters ’95
- Metal Slug 4
- Samurai Shodown
- Fatal Fury 2
- Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad
- Ghost Pilots
- Baseball Stars Professional
- Mutation Nation
- Neo Turf Masters
- Stakes Winner 2
First Impressions: This seems like a cart made up of “older” games. Ghost Pilots, Baseball Stars Professional, and Mutation Nation make me feel that way. Also noteworthy are Neo Turf Masters, which is supposed to be one of the best golf games ever, and The King of Fighters ’95!
Volume 2 links: Japanese cover version ($33.99) and Asian cover version ($41.99). As of June 20, 2026, the Japanese cover version is expected to be in stock in 1-5 days, with the Asian cover version available in 5-15 days. Like with volume 1, the collection is available on eBay, albeit at a significantly higher price.
Volume 3 (Blazing Star)
Volume 3 contains,
- 3 Count Bout
- Baseball Stars 2
- Blazing Star
- Fatal Fury: King of Fighters
- The King of Fighters ‘96
- Last Resort
- Ninja Combat
- Samurai Shodown III: Blades of Blood
- Sengoku
- World Heroes Perfect
First Impressions: This has some pretty good variety, with some sports, shmup, and beat’em up titles. The fighting games are a bit weaker than normal, with Fatal Fury being a bit rough and Samurai Shodown III not as popular as its predecessor. At least it has the potentially best World Heroes game.
Volume 3 links: Japanese cover version ($59.99!) and Asian cover version ($59.99!). As of June 20, 2026, both versions of this release are available in a week, but the prices have skyrocketed! The collection is also available on eBay. It seems to also be regularly bundled with volume 4 at an affordable price, at least as of June 20, 2026.
Volume 4 (Pulstar)
Volume 4 includes,
- Art of Fighting 3
- The King of Fighters 2000
- The Last Blade
- Metal Slug
- Neo Geo Cup ’98: The Road to the Victory
- Ninja Commando
- Pulstar
- Puzzled
- Ragnagard
- The Super Spy
First Impressions: Another selection with a good variety of non-fighting games. Art of Fighting 3 has great animation and Metal Slug is always fun. I am a big fan of The Last Blade, and Pulstar is also a good addition!
Volume 4 links: Japanese cover version ($40.99) and Asian cover version (Sold Out). As of June 20, 2026, the Japanese cover version is available in a week, but the Asian cover version of volume 4 is sold out! To help potential buyers find a copy of it, here’s a link to a search for it on eBay.com. It is usually bundled with volume 3 as well.
Volume 5 (Twinkle Star Sprites)
Volume 5 includes,
- Aero Fighters 2
- Aggressors of Dark Kombat
- Art of Fighting 2
- Burning Fight
- Cyber-Lip
- The King of Fighters 2002
- Real Bout Fatal Fury
- Super Sidekicks
- Thrash Rally
- Twinkle Star Sprites
First Impressions: This one is a tough sell. Real Bout Fatal Fury and Twinkle Star Sprites are the stars to me, but I’m not particularly excited about this release. The King of Fighters 2002 is the second “Dream Match” in the series, though, so that is kick butt!
Volume 5 links: Japanese cover version ($33.99) and Asian cover version ($41.99). As of June 20, 2026, the Japanese cover version is expected to be in stock in 1 week, with the Asian cover version being in stock in 5-15 days. While this volume is available on eBay, it is not listed as often on there as other collections in the series.
Volume 6 (Sengoku 3)
Volume 6 includes,
- Aero Fighters 3
- Football Frenzy
- The King of Fighters ’98
- The Last Blade 2
- Over Top
- Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
- Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge
- Sengoku 3
- The Ultimate 11: SNK Football Championship
- Zed Blade
First Impressions: A great cart for fighting game fans! King of Fighters ’98 is a stone cold classic, with The Last Blade 2, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and Samurai Shodown IV also being popular. Aero Fighters 3 is decent and Sengoku 3 is a great beat’em up. The latter is probably the best game in the series.
Volume 6 links: Japanese cover version ($46.99) and Asian cover version ($41.99). As of June 20, 2026, the Japanese cover version should be in stock in a week, while the Asian cover version is available in 1-2 weeks. As for eBay, this volume was readily available as of June 20, 2026, both as an individual purchase or as a bundle with volume 5.
Volume 7 (The King of Fighters 2003)
Volume 7 includes,
- Fatal Fury Special
- The King of Fighters 2003
- King of the Monsters 2
- Metal Slug 5
- Pleasure Goal: 5 on 5 Mini Soccer
- Power Spikes II
- Prehistoric Isle 2
- Puzzle Bobble
- World Heroes 2
- ZuPaPa!
First Impressions: Another difficult one to recommend. Like some others, this one feels like non-fighting games are the focus. The King of Fighters 2003 and Metal Slug 5 are the heavy hitters here. Still, Prehistoric Isle 2 and World Heroes 2 have their fans!
Volume 7 links: Japanese cover version ($48.99) and Asian cover version ($39.99). As of June 20, 2026, the Japanese cover version should be in stock in 1-5 days, with the Asian cover version being currently in stock at Play Asia’s warehouse. This volume was readily available as of June 20, 2026, both as an individual purchase or as a bundle with volume 8.
Volume 8 (The King of Fighters ’99)
Volume 8 includes,
- Art of Fighting
- Blue’s Journey
- Crossed Swords
- The King of Fighters ’99
- Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle
- Metal Slug 2
- NAM-1975
- Puzzle Bobble 2
- Super Sidekicks 2: The World Championship
- World Heroes 2 Jet
First Impressions: I’m fond of The King of Fighters ’99, so its inclusion in this volume has my attention. Metal Slug 2 has a ton more slowdown than Metal Slug X, sadly. For non-fighting fans, Blue’s Journey, Crossed Swords, and NAM-1975 are enjoyable, assuming you like earlier Neo Geo games. Puzzle Bobble 2 is also cool!
Volume 8 links: Japanese cover version ($41.99) and Asian cover version ($39.99). As of June 20, 2026, the Japanese cover version should be in stock in a week, while the Asian cover is version available in 5-15 days. On eBay, this volume was typically available with volume 7 as of June 20, 2026. It is a little hard to get by itself.
Volume 9 (Samurai Shodown II)
Volume 9 has,
- Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory
- Karnov’s Revenge
- The King of Fighters 2001
- King of the Monsters
- Magical Drop II
- Magician Lord
- Samurai Shodown II
- Street Hoop
- Super Sidekicks 3: The Next Glory
- World Heroes
First Impressions: Samurai Shodown II and Fatal Fury 3 are great additions! Sadly, KOF 2001 isn’t highly regarded and World Heroes is not a popular series. This is probably one of the weaker carts.
Volume 9 links: Japanese cover version ($41.99) and Asian cover version ($41.99). As of June 20, 2026, both versions are available in 1 week. On eBay, this volume was available by itself, in limited quantities, as of June 20, 2026.
Volume 10 (Metal Slug 3)
Volume 10 contains,
- Magical Drop III
- Metal Slug 3
- Ninja Master’s: Hao Ninpo Cho
- Pop’n Bounce (Not available digitally)
- Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers
- Samurai Shodown V Special
- Sengoku 2
- Stakes Winner
- Super Baseball 2020
- The King of Fighters ’97
First Impressions: This is a real rocking way to end these 10 volumes! Metal Slug 3 and KOF ’97 are quite popular! Plus, having Real Bout Fatal Fury 2, Samurai Shodown V Special, and Magical Drop III available together is great to see! This is one of the stronger collections, in my opinion.
Volume 10 links: Japanese cover version ($33.99) and Asian cover version (Sold Out). As of June 20, 2026, the Asian cover version is already sold out! At least the Japanese cover version is available in 5-15 days. On eBay, the story is bad there too. Yeah, it’s available, but at high prices. The lowest price I saw it for with the English cover was $59.99! That is, as of June 20, 2026.
What To Buy for Specific Series
Art of Fighting:
- Art of Fighting (Vol. 8)
- Art of Fighting 2 (Vol. 5)
- Art of Fighting 3 (Vol. 4)
Fatal Fury:
- Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (Vol. 3)
- Fatal Fury 2 (Vol. 2)
- Fatal Fury Special (Vol. 7)
- Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory (Vol. 9)
- Real Bout Fatal Fury (Vol. 5)
- Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (Vol. 6)
- Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers (Vol. 10)
- Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Vol. 1)
The King of Fighters:
- The King of Fighters ’94 (Vol. 1)
- The King of Fighters ’95 (Vol. 2)
- The King of Fighters ‘96 (Vol. 3)
- The King of Fighters ‘97 (Vol. 10)
- The King of Fighters ’98 (Vol. 6)
- The King of Fighters ’99 (Vol. 8)
- The King of Fighters 2000 (Vol. 4)
- The King of Fighters 2001 (Vol. 9)
- The King of Fighters 2002 (Vol. 5)
- The King of Fighters 2003 (Vol. 7)
Metal Slug:
- Metal Slug (Vol. 4)
- Metal Slug 2 (Vol. 8)
- Metal Slug X (Vol. 1)
- Metal Slug 3 (Vol. 10)
- Metal Slug 4 (Vol. 2)
- Metal Slug 5 (Vol. 7)
Samurai Shodown:
- Samurai Shodown (Vol. 2)
- Samurai Shodown II (Vol. 9)
- Samurai Shodown III: Blades of Blood (Vol. 3)
- Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa’s Revenge (Vol. 6)
- Samurai Shodown V (Vol. 1)
- Samurai Shodown V Special (Vol. 10)
Sengoku:
- Sengoku (Vol. 3)
- Sengoku 2 (Vol. 10)
- Sengoku 3 (Vol. 6)
Super Sidekicks:
- Super Sidekicks (Vol. 5)
- Super Sidekicks 2: The World Championship (Vol. 8)
- Super Sidekicks 3: The Next Glory (Vol. 9)
- The Ultimate 11: SNK Football Championship (Vol. 6)
- Neo Geo Cup ’98: The Road to the Victory (Vol. 4)
World Heroes:
- World Heroes (Vol. 9)
- World Heroes 2 (Vol. 7)
- World Heroes 2 Jet (Vol. 8)
- World Heroes Perfect (Vol. 3)
What To Buy for Neo Geo AES Launch Games
The Neo Geo AES was released on July 1, 1991. It was previously available as a rent-only system in 1990. If you to try out launch games for the system, be on the look out for these titles.
They are:
- Alpha Mission II (Vol. 1)
- Baseball Stars Professional (Vol. 2)
- Blue’s Journey (Vol. 8)
- Cyber-Lip (Vol. 5)
- Ghost Pilots (Vol. 2)
- King of the Monsters (Vol. 9)
- Magician Lord (Vol. 9)
- NAM-1975 (Vol. 8)
- Ninja Combat (Vol. 3)
- Puzzled (Vol. 4)
- Riding Hero (Vol. 1)
- Sengoku (Vol. 3)
- The Super Spy (Vol. 4)
- Top Player’s Golf (Vol. 1)
Just for ease of use, to get all these launch games, you need to buy volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9. Volumes 6, 7, and 10 have titles that came out a bit later. By the way, the list above is not an exhaustive list of all of the AES launch games.
What To Buy for Early Neo Geo MVS Games
On the other hand, if you’d like to buy the games in order of their original MVS release dates, you may want to prioritize these volumes instead. I’ve listed the games in order of release.
MVS Launch Games (April 26, 1990):
- Baseball Stars Professional (Vol. 2)
- Magician Lord (Vol. 9)
- NAM-1975 (Vol. 8)
Rest of 1990:
- Top Player’s Golf (Vol. 1)
- Ninja Combat (Vol. 3)
- Riding Hero (Vol. 1)
- The Super Spy (Vol. 4)
- Cyber-Lip (Vol. 5)
- Puzzled (Vol. 4)
- Blue’s Journey (Vol. 8)
First half of 1991:
- Ghost Pilots (Vol. 2)
- Sengoku (Vol. 3)
- King of the Monsters (Vol. 9)
- Alpha Mission II (Vol. 1)
- Burning Fight (Vol. 5)
Second half of 1991
- Crossed Swords (Vol. 8)
- Super Baseball 2020 (Vol. 10)
- Thrash Rally (Vol. 5)
- Fatal Fury: King of Fighters (Vol. 3)
First half of 1992:
- Football Frenzy (Vol. 6)
- Mutation Nation (Vol. 2)
- Last Resort (Vol. 3)
- Baseball Stars 2 (Vol. 3)
- Ninja Commando (Vol. 4)
- King of the Monsters 2 (Vol. 7)
Second half of 1992:
- World Heroes (Vol. 9)
- Art of Fighting (Vol. 8)
- Fatal Fury 2 (Vol. 2)
- Super Sidekicks (Vol. 5)
Cheap Retro Gaming 
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