Didn’t they say everything’s bigger in Texas?
Well, Antonio Monteiro’s video game collection is another proof of that. Because this man holds the Guinness World Record of the biggest video game collection. And he lives in Richmond, Texas.
Monteiro has a total 20,139 games that took eight days to count, according to a Guinness blog post.
This puts him in another level over gamers who build up an extensive collection over the years. He has the biggest one on the planet, after all.
This also means he gets to play whatever he wants and whatever title. His collection includes consoles from 2nd to the 8th generation.
Guinness listed his entire collection and it was massive. These include:
- More than 1,000 games for PlayStation 1
- More than 1,100 games for Nintendo DS
- More than 900 games for PlayStation 4
- Every PS Vita game released to-date in North America
- More than 500 games for Xbox One
- 118 Nintendo Switch games
- Turbografx games
- Super Famicom games – Super Nintendo equivalent for Japanese/European marketplace
- Japanese Saturn games
- Japanese Dreamcast games
- Nintendo 64 collection
- Every Neo Geo Pocket game released in North America
- Atari and Gauge games
- SEGA PICO games
He also has a complete collection of:
- PlayStation 2 for North America
- PlayStation 3 for North America
- PSP for North America
- Xbox for North America
- Xbox 360 for North America
- Wii U games for North America
- Game Cube for North America
- Wii for North America
- Sega Dreamcast for North America
- 32X
- Atari Jaguar System for North America
- SEGA CD games for North America
- Game Boy for North America
- Game Boy Color for North America
- Game Boy Advance for North America
- NES games for North America including unlicensed games
- Atari Lynx retail releases for North America
Because he owns more than 100 consoles, he only needs more time to play every single game he owns. His beautiful wall of games is heaven for avid gamers.
Makes you wonder how long he spends learning each title and playing each one. Does he bother with tutorials or read online resources like www.blackjack.org that aspiring blackjack players pore over to find strategies to best the house?
He started collecting and compiling games while he was still a child, which explains the number of titles he’s collected over the years.
What’s more impressive is that he started collecting after receiving a copy of Golden Axe for Sega Genesis from his parents. Whoever said parents are not supportive about video games are not entirely correct.
But like any gamer, Monteiro also plays favorites.
Game Collection Highlights
With 20,139 games, you can expect to find unusual games in his collection that you will have a hard time finding anywhere else.
The Max Basic Rifle Marksmanship Program, for example, was released exclusively by Nintendo to the US military for shooting practice. It was never released for public distribution, making the collection more than unusual.
Then, there’s CJ the Elephant, a rare Sega Game Gear game, and Timeless Math, a series of educational games by Sega Dreamcast. What Monteiro particularly liked about this series is that he can take it to school and play with it.
There’s also his complete collection of Nintendo 64DD games that were only released in Japan.
Out of all the game titles in his collection, however, he has a single favorite, Super Castlevania 4. He described it as a “masterpiece.”
Developed and published by Konami, the 1991 platform game was originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System but has been re-released several times. There’s even a version of it for the Super NES Classic Edition.
Set in 1691 Transylvania, the story revolves around Dracula and vampire killer Simon. When it was localized in North America, the story was modified so it will continue after Simon’s Quest.
Although the title is often considered a remake of Castlevania I based on the timeline in the Japanese Castlevania, Konami USA retained it as a canon sequel to Simon’s Quest.
Quoting an excerpt of the U.S. Manual of Super Castlevania IV:
Unbeknownst to them, an evil group of people is holding a ceremony in the old destroyed abbey outside of town, attempting to revive the Prince of Darkness … Once again, Dracula is revived!
It is time once again for Simon Belmont to call forth the powers of good to aid him in his battle. Armed with his mystical whip, his courage and the centuries-old knowledge of Belmont family training, he sets forth on his mission…
To say Monteiro is lucky is an understatement. His years of game collecting was finally recognized and by the Guinness World Record, no less.