What does CIB mean?
CIB stands for complete in box. On a used game it means you get the game, the original box or case it came in, and the manual. It’s the most common condition label in retro game listings, along with loose and sealed.
CIB, loose, box only and sealed
- CIB (complete in box) — the game, its original box or case, and the manual.
- Loose — the cartridge or disc on its own, with no box or manual. Also written “cart only” or “disc only”.
- Box only or manual only — the packaging or paperwork without the game. Collectors buy these to complete a loose copy.
- New or sealed — still in the factory shrink-wrap, never opened.
What counts as complete
There’s no official standard, so sellers draw the line in slightly different places. The common ground is the original box (for a disc game, the case and its cover art), the game, and the manual. Extras such as posters, maps, registration cards and catalogs are often missing from a copy that still sells as CIB. If a particular insert matters to you, look for it in the photos or ask before you buy.
Newer games change the picture: many PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch games shipped without a printed manual at all. For those, complete means the case, its cover art, and the disc or cartridge.
Why CIB costs more
Most boxes didn’t survive. Cartridge-era games came in thin cardboard boxes that got torn open and thrown away, so a Super Nintendo or Nintendo 64 game with its box and manual is often worth several times the cartridge alone. Disc games came in plastic cases that mostly survived, so for them the gap between loose and complete is usually small.
Checking a CIB listing
- Every part in the photos. Box front and back, the game, the manual. A listing that only shows the box front can’t tell you what’s inside it.
- Matching region. A North American game should come with a North American box and manual, not a European or Japanese one.
- Original or reproduction. Reproduction boxes and manuals for older cartridge games are common and cheap. They’re fine to own, but they aren’t original, and a CIB listing should say so if any part is a reproduction.
- The condition of each piece. “Complete” says what’s there, not what shape it’s in. Creases, tears and price stickers on a box should be visible in the photos.
How this shop labels condition
Games here are labeled Complete in Box, Loose or New / Sealed, and anything else, like a box on its own, says so in plain words. The photos on every listing are of the exact copy that ships, so they show exactly which parts you get.