Texas gamer has the world’s largest collection of VIDEO GAMES – with an estimated worth of $2.1M

It is the largest collection of video games in the world, worth a whopping $2.1 million (£1.69 million) – but the owner insists he is not done and plans to build on his expensive hobby.

Antonio Romero Monteiro, 45, from Texas, USA, has broken the Guinness World record for the largest collection of video games.

The avid gamer, whose multi-million-dollar collection began in 1987 when he was just 10-years-old, has collected a whopping 24,268 video games.

Mr Monteiro now holds the record for largest collection of Xbox items, largest collection of Sega items, largest collection of Nintendo items, largest collection of PlayStation items and largest collection of video games overall.

Antonio Romero Monteiro, 45, (pictured) from Texas, USA, has broken the Guinness World record for the largest collection of video games, worth $2.1 million

Since buying his first Sega Genesis game more than 30 years ago, his burgeoning collection has expanded to fill a whole room, meticulously organised by system and then alphabetically.

The collection includes a wide range of games but also a bunch of accessories to go with a variety of consoles. 

Upon finding out that he had secured five world records, Mr Monteiro jumped for joy during a work meeting.

He said: ‘Originally my collection focused on purchasing and repurchasing some of the games I played in my youth.

‘I see video games as a form of art, where creativity and storytelling transcend to limitless possibilities. 

‘Each generation of video games systems gives further potential to realize creativity and share boundless stories, challenges and experiences.

‘Some of my most precious memories include video games and their experiences with family and friends.’

The gamer’s paradise holds everything from the very first Nintendo gaming consoles to the most recent videogame releases.

But with the sheer quantity of the games, even Mr Monteiro has not had a chance to play them all.

Mr Monteiro has now holds the record for largest collection of Xbox items, largest collection of Sega items, largest collection of Nintendo items, largest collection of PlayStation items and largest collection of video games overall

His collection began with his love of playing video games but collecting the games and accessories soon took over as his main hobby.

Mr Monteiro’s favourite game is Super Nintendo name, Super Castlevania IV.

He added: ‘I have some very fond childhood memories of playing Castlevania.’

It could be quite easy for games to go missing with a collection the size of Mr Monteiro’s, but his dual inventory system has helped him keep track of each one.

He uses an app which catalogues each game in his possession and uses a custom database to compare the games he owns and the game he’s still missing to complete his collection.

The internet has been his saving grace to locate video games of the past which otherwise would be near impossible to find.

Mr Monteiro explained: ‘It can be pretty challenging to find retro games and systems in local video stores, especially as you get to the last 15 per cent of a collection.

Mr Monteiro’s favourite game is Super Nintendo name, Super Castlevania IV, as it brings back ‘fond childhood memories’

‘Some of the rarest games have taken me years to find a good copy at an affordable price.’

This cost of the rarer games has delayed Mr Monteiro from completing one of his beloved Nintendo DS collection.

He said: ‘I am currently working on completing my Nintendo DS collection and am down to the last 98 games out of over 1,500 games in this collection.

‘There are two games in this collection that have been pretty hard to acquire at an affordable price, but persistence and patience is a must for any collector.’

Mr Monteiro said his collection allows people to reminisce and share their own memories of playing games now long gone for most.

To keep the older games in good shape for people to play, Mr Monteiro has come up with preservation methods to stop years of video game history from eroding.

He added: ‘Climate control is a must for preservation of games.’

Despite his huge collection, he managed to keep it a secret from most of his friends and family, who were surprised with his newfound record titles and not aware of his gaming hobby.

While he has secured five world records, Mr Monteiro is still not done and plans to complete the North America collection for all major videogame platforms.

Mr Monteiro said: ‘My estimate is that I am about 1,700 games away from achieving this goal. I am in no rush to achieve this goal however, and plan to enjoy the journey.’

For those hoping to also break a world record one day, Mr Monteiro has some simple advice: ‘As cliché as it may sound, follow your dreams.

‘If you set goals and slowly work towards them, you will be surprised at where you will find yourself with time.’

Mr Monteiro first achieved the World Record for his video game collection back in 2019, where he had 20,193 games in his possession.

In the last two years his collection has soared by more than 4,000 games.

It would be impossible to play all the games he has collected, admitting to ABC in 2019, that ‘there are many, many unopened games’.

He said he has a ‘very patient, loving wife’ who puts up with his collecting antics.

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