Education · 10 min read · Feb 5, 2026
Understanding VGA and WATA Grading
Game grading can add significant value to sealed games. Here's everything you need to know about the major grading companies and their processes.
Above $500, sealed game collecting effectively requires grading. The two dominant graders — WATA Games and Video Game Authority (VGA) — use different scales, different slabs, and have different relationships with the major auction houses. Knowing which to use, and when, is essential.
WATA Games
Founded in 2018 by Deniz Kahn, WATA quickly became the dominant grader. Heritage Auctions has an exclusive partnership — WATA-graded lots can be consigned to Heritage's video game auctions, VGA-graded lots typically can't. WATA uses a 10-point box grade plus a separate seal grade (A++, A+, A, B+, B, etc.).
- 10.0 — perfect, essentially never awarded
- 9.8 — perfect production sample, factory-fresh
- 9.6 — extremely high quality, minor production variation
- 9.4 — high quality, the typical "premium" grade
- 9.0 — solid sealed, minor wear visible
- 8.5 and below — visible wear, lower-tier grades
Video Game Authority (VGA)
VGA predates WATA by over a decade and used to be the standard. Their slab is bulkier, their grade scale similar (out of 100, with 90+ being equivalent to WATA 9.4+). VGA-graded lots show up at Goldin Auctions and many specialty dealers. For collections built before 2020, most graded inventory is VGA.
CGC Video Games
Comic Guarantee Company (CGC) entered the sealed game grading market in 2022. Smaller market share, but their slab is increasingly popular for cross-collector items (sports games, anime tie-ins) because CGC has historical relationships with comic and trading card collectors.
When to Grade
Grading Decision Framework
| Item Value | Grading Recommended? |
|---|---|
| Under $200 | No — fees exceed value-add |
| $200–500 | Probably not — marginal |
| $500–2,000 | Yes — fees recover via the grade premium |
| $2,000+ | Mandatory — buyers will not pay sealed prices for raw lots |
The Seal Grade
WATA's separate seal grade is often misunderstood. The seal grade evaluates the integrity and originality of the shrinkwrap itself — A++ is factory-fresh, A is original wrap with minor wear, B+ is original but with notable wear, anything below A is increasingly suspect for re-shrinks. The seal grade can have outsized price impact: a WATA 9.4 A++ can clear 2x the price of a WATA 9.4 A on identical box quality.
Heritage will not consign WATA-graded items below a B seal. If you receive a low seal grade back, it often indicates the grader believes the wrap may not be original.
Practical Strategy
For investment-grade pieces, WATA is the default — Heritage Auctions liquidity matters more than fee differences. For mid-tier collectibles or items aimed at specialty-dealer resale, VGA is fine and historically cheaper.