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(Credit: Zain Awais)
Modern video games are amazing. With lifelike graphics, realistic physics, extensive artificial intelligence, and online multiplayer options, today’s titles are so much more sophisticated than older games.That doesn’t change the fact that some of the greatest video games ever made came out in the 1980s and 1990s, and that many of those titles still hold up. It also doesn’t change the Gen X/early Millennial nostalgia for sprites, cartridges, low-res polygons, and CDs. Whether you swear by the NES, the Sega Genesis, or the PlayStation, there’s a new, modern console for you to replay the games of your youth. Even better, these consoles leverage contemporary technology, so you don’t need to worry about digging up analog video cables or buying graphics upscalers.Here are the best retro gaming consoles you can buy, split into three groups. These are modern consoles with strong back catalogs; mini-consoles, the hard-to-find, smaller versions of original systems packed with classic games; and new systems that play legacy titles on modern TVs.
Modern Systems for Digital Classics
Modern Systems for Digital ClassicsYou can play classic games on most modern systems, but the available titles wildly vary. Then there are the more unique options, like Arcade1Up cabinets, that offer preinstalled arcade releases on nearly full-sized arcade uprights, making them as useful as gaming furniture as they are gaming hardware.
Best for Nintendo, Sega, and SNK Classics
Nintendo Switch (With Nintendo Switch Online)
Why We Picked ItThe Nintendo Switch is an amazing console, but we weren’t sold on the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service when it first came out due to its dubious online features and small number of NES games. After a few years of updates, the $20 annual subscription is well worth it, with dozens of Game Boy, NES, and SNES games. You can optionally spend $30 more for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, which adds Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, and Sega Genesis games to the mix. If you don’t mind buying à la carte, there are also many, many Neo Geo and Nintendo arcade games available for download.Who It’s ForThe Nintendo Switch is an excellent console in general, able to shift between home game system and handheld easily. It also has a fantastic selection of modern games in addition to its classics, along with countless, excellent indie titles and remastered PC and 6th-through-8th-generation games.Best Games On It
MSRP $299.99
Best for PS2 and PS3 Games
Sony PlayStation 5 (With PlayStation Plus Premium)
Why We Picked ItThe PlayStation 5 already has a fantastic PlayStation library via the PS Plus Collection, but that isn’t really retro. The big, classic gaming appeal comes with a PlayStation Plus Premium membership, which gives you access to the Classics Catalog. We’re talking about dozens of PlayStation, PS2, PS3, and even PlayStation Portable games. There’s some gold in there.Who It’s ForAny PlayStation fan can be drawn in by the classic games on PlayStation Plus Premium, but it’s the true cultured gamers who will get the most out of the service with games like Dark Cloud 2, Intelligent Qube, and Okage: Shadow King. Oh, and something about a war god or whatever.Best Games On ItDark Cloud 2God of War IIIcoSplit/SecondWild Arms 3
MSRP $499.99
Best for Backward Compatibility
Xbox Series X (With Xbox Game Pass)
Why We Picked ItMicrosoft has turned the Xbox Series X into a surprisingly great classic Xbox game system on its own, thanks to its extensive backwards compatibility list that reaches back to the original Xbox (which is three generations before the Xbox One, but try not to think about that). If you have nearly any Xbox or Xbox 360 game worth playing besides Sneak King, you can play it on the Xbox Series X.Don’t feel bad if you don’t have your original discs, though. Xbox Game Pass adds to that collection with dozens of classic games made digitally available through the membership. You can play some of the best games from those generations, and probably discover some you didn’t know about.Who It’s ForXbox fans will appreciate the opportunity to play some original Xbox and Xbox 360 classics, but any gamer can find something they’ll like on Xbox Game Pass. PC gamers benefit even more from Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which opens up a library of PC games to the mix, along with cloud gaming on your phone.Best Games On It
MSRP $499.00
Best for Starting a Home Arcade
Arcade1Up Arcade Cabinets
Why We Picked ItArcade1Up’s arcade cabinets are faithful, scaled-down reproductions of classic machines with full-size arcade controls, excellent arcade emulation, and multiple games in each cabinet. If you spent your formative years in an arcade, you probably wanted your own arcade cabinet, and this is the most convenient way to get one.Who It’s ForIf you have the room for them, Arcade1Up’s systems are pretty great for making it clear “this is a gaming space.” They cost far less than authentic arcade cabinets, and their slightly smaller size make them a bit easier to find a spot for in your home.Best Games On It
MSRP $499.99
Best for DIY Retro Gaming Projects
Build Your Own RetroPi System
Why We Picked ItWhy buy a retro game system when you can build your own? RetroPi is an operating system package for the Raspberry Pi that easily turns the inexpensive microcomputer into a retro game system that can play nearly any title made before 2000. It requires some work to get going, but you’ll have the pride of knowing you put it together yourself. Add a Retroflag shell to give your retro box a retro look. There’s just one problem: It’s perpetually sold out.Who It’s ForThis is for makers and tinkerers. It’s not just a classic game system, but a fun project that involves minor electronic work and programming (or at least Linux configuration). It’s also fairly cheap (in theory), and you can do nearly anything with it that its processor can handle. These little microcomputers are hard to get, but there are several similar devices that can serve the same purpose, like the Libre Le Potato, Orange Pi 5, and Odroid N2+.
MSRP $35.00
Mini Retro Systems
Mini Retro SystemsThe good news with mini retro systems is that they almost all universally look good and come packed with classic games. They also look great on the shelf, possibly stacked right on top of the larger original systems. The bad news is that they tend to be manufactured in limited amounts, and almost none of the ones on this list can be easily found at their originally reasonable prices. They’re collector’s items themselves, and that means you must make effort to find them. Good luck getting any of them for list price.
Best for SNK Arcade Classics
Why We Picked ItThe Neo Geo didn’t see the same kind of runaway commercial success as Nintendo’s or Sega’s consoles, but it was an arcade mainstay and its home console version could produce an arcade-perfect experience (if you were able to afford the VHS-sized cartridges). The Neo Geo Mini is for old-school arcade fans more than console fans, but it’s still full of classic video game nostalgia. Some of SNK’s best can be found on this system, with many, excellent fighting games.Who It’s ForSNK fans will dig this one, obviously. If you see a guy in jeans and a red-and-white cap, and think “Terry Bogard” instead of “Ash Ketchum,” try hunting down this system.Best Games On It
MSRP $109.99
Best for NES Games
Nintendo NES Classic Edition
Why We Picked ItThis is the system that got the retro console trend rolling. There were other retro compilation consoles in the past, like the Atari Flashback series, but the NES Classic is the first to come directly from the company that made the original NES (Nintendo, of course). Who It’s ForLike most of the “mini” consoles on this list, the NES Classic isn’t a system you’ll find at retail price. This is for collectors, especially NES fans who want a mini-NES with fantastic games.Best Games On ItCastlevaniaKirby’s AdventureThe Legend of ZeldaMega Man 2MetroidSuper Mario Bros. 3
MSRP $59.99
Best for SNES Games
Nintendo Super NES Classic Edition
Why We Picked ItAfter the 8-bit mini-console became a smash hit, Nintendo released its 16-bit successor. The Super NES Classic has fewer games than the NES Classic, but the jump in console generations means you can play some of the best 16-bit video games of all time.Who It’s ForIf you didn’t play the games when they first came out or haven’t tried them through other ways, the SNES Classic is a must-have for gaming historians. Some of the best games ever made are here, and that’s not hyperbole. Good luck finding one at its original price, though. This is an expensive system for collectors.The Best Games On It
MSRP $79.99
Best for Genesis Games
Why We Picked ItAfter stumbling with a mediocre AtGames-manufactured Sega Genesis compilation system, Sega decided to take matters into its own hands and make its first console since the Dreamcast. The Sega Genesis Mini does for the Genesis what the SNES Classic does for the SNES. It has numerous games (with a few puzzling omissions) and good emulation, and you can even trick it out with the Genesis Tower Mini accessory pack, adding (non-functional) Sega CD and 32X systems, and Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog cartridges.Who It’s ForSega Genesis fans, obviously. Though there’s some real gold in here for anyone who loves the 16-bit era. Sonic and Mario were neck and neck in popularity for years, and this shows the flip side of Nintendo’s juggernaut. And, yep, this one will cost you, as well.Best Games On ItGunstar HeroesMega Man: The Wily WarsSonic the Hedgehog 2Streets of Rage 2
MSRP $79.99
Best for Genesis Games
Why We Picked ItYes, this is a second Sega Genesis Mini, and it’s worth hunting even if you own the first one. That’s because the Sega Genesis Mini 2 has a completely different list of games, including Sega CD games like Ecco: The Tides of Time, Final Fight CD, and Sonic CD. It also comes with a six-button gamepad, like the original should have, and it’s modeled after the second iteration of the console, so it’ll even look different next to the first version on a shelf.Who It’s ForThis is a must-have for any classic Sega fans, along with anyone curious about early CD games. Night Trap and Sewer Shark aren’t good titles by any measure, but they’re historically fascinating in the context of what video in mid-1990s games looked and played like.
MSRP $99.99
Best for PlayStation Die-Hards
Why We Picked ItA mini PlayStation seems like a no-brainer, but there’s a reason the PlayStation Classic comes last on the list of classic compilation consoles. It looks like a tiny PlayStation, but its library leaves out system-defining titles like Crash Bandicoot and Tomb Raider. Plus, its underpowered emulation and strange use of 50Hz PAL versions of many games does the system’s already rough-looking polygons no favors.Who It’s ForThe PlayStation faithful. This is a hard sell to anyone else due to the console’s clunky interface, subpar performance, and strange game choices.Best Games On It
MSRP $99.99
Best for TurboGrafx-16 Games
Why We Picked ItAmerican millennials generally grew up as Nintendo kids, Sega kids, or Sony kids. There weren’t many TurboGrafx-16 kids, even though it was a totally valid 8/16-bit (it’s technically complicated) console with a strong game library. The TurboGrafx-16 Mini could be the best retro game console you’ve never heard of. This little system packs 50 titles from both the TurboGrafx-16 and Japan’s PC Engine consoles, including the excellent Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and numerous shoot ’em ups. Just be prepared for some its adventure and RPG games to be unplayable unless you know Japanese.Who It’s ForThis is another rare one, so retro game collectors will dig it. Japanese readers will appreciate Snatcher, and Castlevania fans will note that Rondo is Blood is considered by many to be the best pre-Symphony of the Night game in the series.Best Games On It
MSRP $99.99
Consoles for Cartridge Collectors
Consoles for Cartridge CollectorsThese are the systems for the true collectors, discerning connoisseurs who keep shelves of cartridges and discs of their favorite systems. These consoles run original media, reproducing and upscaling the graphics to look fantastic on modern screens. If you have your own collection of classic titles, these are the systems to play them on. They’re typically more expensive than the other devices on this list, but the experience is worthwhile. They also tend to have a deep back-order list, too, so you hopefully have enough patience to wait for them.
Best for Cartridge-Based Game Boy Games
Why We Picked ItThis is one of the greatest handheld gaming systems, full-stop. It uses the same FPGA technology found in the Analogue Super Nt and Mega Sg, reproducing Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games perfectly and upscaling them for the gorgeous 1,600-by-1,200 OLED screen. It also is the first system with Analogue’s open-source openFPGA platform, inviting anyone to develop for the hardware (and yes, that includes running roms on it). Oh, and a dock is available so you can play on your TV, which is why it’s on this list, as well as our list of the best retro gaming handhelds.Who It’s ForIf you’re a GB/GBC/GBA collector, you need this handheld. It’s the best Game Boy ever made, and can run your collection flawlessly with a far better picture than what the Game Boy Advance SP AGS-101 produced. If you’re a homebrew developer, the openFPGA platform is also a neat, game-creation playground.
MSRP $219.00
Best for Cartridge-Based Genesis Games
Why We Picked ItIf you still have your Sega Genesis cartridges, but don’t know how (or don’t want) to hook up your system’s RF switch to your TV, the Analogue Mega Sg is here for you. It’s basically a Sega Genesis, capable of playing any Genesis or Mega Drive cartridge, and upconverting it to 1080p over HDMI with stellar image processing.This isn’t an emulation system; it use cartridges as if it was original hardware thanks to its FPGA circuitry, just like the Super Nt. It comes with Hardcore, a DICE-developed game.Who It’s ForLike the Super Nt, this is for cartridge collectors (but for the Sega Genesis instead of Super Nintendo). It’s also hard to find, because it’s often out of stock.
MSRP $189.99
Best for Cartridge-Based SNES Games
Why We Picked ItIf you’re a Nintendo fan, the Analogue Super Nt is an excellent pick. It’s just like the Mega Sg, only it’s for SNES/Super Famicom cartridges. It features the same fantastic upconversion, the same faithful cartridge reading, and it comes with the previously unreleased Super Turrican: Director’s Cut as a bonus.Who It’s ForThis is for SNES cartridge collectors who want the best experience possible with their games. The Super NT’s FPGA circuitry replicates how the original SNES behaves, and it uses original SNES controllers. It tends to be out of stock regularly, though, so keep an eye out for it.
MSRP $189.99
Best for CD-Based Consoles
Why We Picked ItThe Polymega is a retro game system that can handle nearly any classic game you throw at it, thanks to emulation and robust cartridge and card support, like the Retro Freak. Unlike the Retro Freak, the Polymega includes an optical drive so you can play PlayStation, Sega CD, Sega Saturn, TurboGrafx CD, and Neo Geo CD games on the base unit.For cartridges and cards, you can attach different $60 modules that add media slots, such as Power (NES), Super (SNES and Super Famicom), Mega (Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and 32X), and Turbo (TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine). Each module comes with its own wired controller modeled after its associated systems, while the base unit comes with a wireless dual analog controller.Unfortunately, Playmaji appears to be chronically backlogged in fulfilling orders, and it could take at least half a year to get your system after you order it.Who It’s ForIf you have old-school CD games from the PlayStation and before, this is an ultimate retro gaming device. The modular cartridge accessories also mean you can play (and back up) your favorite cartridge games, too, but it gets fairly expensive. More than anything else, this system is for collectors with patience; you’ll be waiting a while to get this unit.
MSRP $399.99
More on Retro Gaming
If you prefer to play classic games on your PC (or want to know what games-focused software to install), check out our guide to the best emulators. Want to play retro games on the go? Read up on the best retro gaming handhelds.
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