The glow of a monitor lit up Alex’s face as he refreshed the browser for the hundredth time that evening. It was late spring, 2026, and he was deep into a quest that had consumed many of his waking hours—tracking down a pristine copy of the Among Us Ejected Edition. What started as a casual nostalgia trip had turned into a full-blown obsession, the kind that only a true collector would understand. The game that once dominated pandemic-era Zoom calls and Twitch streams had long since settled into the status of a beloved classic, but its physical editions were another story entirely. They had become unicorns, with the most coveted version—the Ejected Edition—fetching eye-watering sums on auction sites.
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Back in late 2021 and early 2022, when Innersloth first announced that Among Us would get the physical treatment, the community was abuzz. The Crewmate Edition dropped on December 14, 2021, packing a respectable bundle: a physical disc for current and next-gen consoles (though no PC version, much to some folks’ chagrin), all DLC, a retail-exclusive bonus, a slick 3D lenticular case, a sticker sheet, one of twelve Mira HQ holographic access cards, a Skeld map poster, and six wallpapers designed by Innersloth’s own Amy Liu. At a cool £27.99, it was a steal for anyone who wanted a tangible piece of the phenomenon. But Alex—and thousands of others—had their eyes on the bigger fish.
The Imposter Edition, priced at £44.99, amped up the swag with a crewmate vs. imposter lanyard, a plush purple crewmate that was cuter than it had any right to be, an enamel pin, and a limited-edition box that practically screamed collector’s item. Even so, it was the Ejected Edition that really took the biscuit. For £69.99, you got everything from the lower tiers plus a fleece blanket sporting a crewmate design and a red imposter beanie so cosy it could make a murderer look approachable. The box itself was a limited-run masterpiece. Alex kicked himself for not jumping on the preorder bandwagon when he had the chance, convinced at the time that the digital Game Pass version on December 14, 2021, would suffice. Who needed a physical copy when you could play for no extra cost and enjoy cross-play across PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch? That decision now felt like a right clanger.
As the months rolled by after the March 31, 2022 release of the Imposter and Ejected editions, the stock dried up quicker than a puddle in a heatwave. The 2020s had been an era when physical media started to feel like a quaint relic, and limited runs meant that once they were gone, they were gone. By 2026, the Ejected Edition was the stuff of legend. Alex had seen one pop up on a resale platform with a price tag that made his eyes water—£300 and climbing. He’d told himself he wouldn’t go that far, but here he was, scrolling through forums filled with equally desperate crewmates, swapping tips and commiserating over near misses.
“Blimey, another one bit the dust,” he muttered, reading a post from a seller who’d sold their copy in the time it took to type a reply. The slang of Among Us had burrowed into everyday speech for a whole generation, and even now, years later, saying someone “acted sus” or got “ejected” was as natural as breathing. Alex’s friends ribbed him about his search, calling him the ultimate detective for hunting down a physical version when the game was still thriving online with regular updates. Just last month, Innersloth had rolled out a new mode featuring a shapeshifting role that had the community in a tizzy all over again, proving the game still had legs. But Alex wasn’t after the digital thrills; he wanted that tactile, hold-it-in-your-hands connection to a game that had been a lifeline during lockdown.
The hunt had taken him through dusty second-hand game shops and shady online listings where the photos showed the Imposter Edition but the description vaguely hinted at something else. He’d learned the hard way that not all listings were on the level. The original retailer, GAME, had notoriously shown the Ejected Edition contents under the PS5 and Xbox Series listings, while only the PS4 version displayed the correct info. Many an eager fan had been left holding the wrong bundle. Alex was determined not to be that plonker.
Finally, on a drizzly Tuesday evening, a notification pinged. A seller in a collector’s Discord server—someone who was having a clearout before moving abroad—had listed an Ejected Edition, complete with the fleece blanket and the beanie, both still in their original packaging. The photos were meticulous, showing the limited-edition box in all its glory. Alex’s heart hammered as he typed a message, fingers flying faster than an imposter stabbing in Electrical. After a brief negotiation (and a promise not to haggle like a cheapskate), the deal was done. He had bagged it for a price that felt like a small victory—not cheap, but fair for a piece of gaming history.
A few days later, a battered parcel arrived. Inside, nestling in bubble wrap, was the Ejected Edition box, its artwork practically winking at him. He unfolded the fleece blanket—softer than a crewmate’s alibi—and plopped the red imposter beanie on his head, looking in the mirror with a grin that could only be described as triumphant. The Mira HQ holographic access card glinted under his desk lamp, and he pinned the enamel badge to his jacket straight away. The Skeld map poster soon found a home above his monitor, a constant reminder of the countless hours spent accusing friends and getting away with murder.
Alex’s mate Dave, who had ribbed him the most, stopped by that weekend and let out a low whistle. “You actually found it! I thought you were having us on.” Alex just shrugged, the beanie still perched on his head. “Told you I’d suss it out. Now let’s boot up the game and hope nobody shapeshifts into me while I’m in the loo.” The quest was over, but the adventure with Among Us—both digital and now gloriously physical—was far from done. And as any collector will tell you, there’s always another treasure to chase, always another memory to pin down before it vanishes into the void of cyberspace.