- 9.20/10 1. Premium pick: The A500 Mini
- 9.40/10 2. Editors choice: Blaze Evercade VS Premium Pack
- 9.20/10 3. Best value: The C64 Mini
- 9.60/10 4. Nintendo Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda
- 8.80/10 5. Sega Astro City Mini Console
- 9.40/10 6. sega genesis mini
- 9.00/10 7. Anbernic RG351V Handheld Game Console
Looking for some retro gaming action, but don't have an old games console? No need to worry: all the big games console companies of the past are producing new, compact versions of their classic games systems.
Not sure which one to try?
These are the best retro gaming systems for playing Nintendo, Sega, and other games.
Arguably one of the most anticipated retro releases, this system is designed to resemble the classic Amiga 500 home computer and plays 25 pre-installed games. Released by Retro Games Ltd. as a successor to The C64 Mini and The C64, The A500 Mini doesn't feature a real keyboard—it's just for show.
The device is just 10x7x3 inches, making it small enough to place on any entertainment center next to your TV. It outputs in 720p at 50 or 60Hz over HDMI, and you'll find multiple scaling settings to help recreate the look of retro games on older TVs.
First released in 1987, the Amiga 500 was succeeded by the Amiga 500+, Amiga 600, and Amiga 1200, each with slightly different specifications and chipsets. The A500 Mini emulates each of these chipsets perfectly, and with the single-game controller, the Amiga style mouse, or perhaps a USB game controller of your choice, you can enjoy a library of games you probably haven't seen since the 1990s.
- 25 pre-installed Amiga games
- Ships with a single controller and Amiga-style mouse
- Perfect emulation of OCS, ECS, and AGA chipsets
- 50/60Hz in 720p HD via HDMI
- Multiple scaling options to suit your TV and gaming requirements
- CRT filter
- Supports additional games on USB
- Storage: 256MB
- Portable: No
- Multiplayer Support: Yes
- Connectivity: HDMI, 3xUSB
- Brand: Retro Games Ltd.
- Resolution: 720p
- Expanded Storage: USB up to 256GB
- An Amiga gaming experience
- Supports WHDLoad for adding more games
- Supports USB keyboards
- Small device, not a full-sized Amiga 500 replica
- Not enough two-player games included
This is perhaps the ultimate retro gaming experience. Curated cartridges of games grouped by platform or publisher, playing on a dedicated retro console with support for up to four controllers (two are included).
Following the release of the handheld Evercade in 2020, the Evercade VS is a home console variant, with dual cartridge slots (some cartridge combinations yield secret games), HDMI out, and support for Bluetooth controllers.
Boasting HDMI out and a wealth of visual options to help you recreate the original experience of playing retro games, the Evercade VS Premium Pack includes 18 games, from Data East and Technos arcade machines. These aren't console ports either, but the original arcade games. Other Evercade cartridges include games from consoles, home computers, and even some more recent indie titles.
- Two controllers included
- Other USB controllers can be added
- Includes 18 arcade games
- Other Evercade cartridges are compatible
- Some cartridge combinations reveal secret games
- Storage: On game cartridge
- Multiplayer Support: Yes
- Connectivity: 4 x USB ports, HDMI out
- Brand: Evercade
- Cartridge Bay: Dual cartridges
- Resolution: 720p
- Weight: 8.8 ounces
- Dimensions: 13.07 x 7.52 x 4.65 inches
- Supports up to four USB controllers
- Bluetooth controllers compatible (with USB dongle)
- Bundled cartridges of genuine arcade games
- Affordable
- Some game platforms are overlooked
Produced by Retro Games Ltd., The C64 Mini is a compact revival—like the Nintendo Classic Mini—of a 1980s gaming juggernaut. The Commodore 64 was a hugely successful home computer, with particular success in North America and Europe. With The C64 Mini, you get an affordable emulation system with 64 pre-installed games.
Better still, you can load your own game ROMs from a USB drive. With two USB ports and HDMI out at 720p, The C64 Mini ships with a classic-style joystick to play the games with. Two-player games were scarce on the original 1982 machine, although some are included—you'll need a second, suitable controller for these.
Many Commodore 64 games require keyboard input, but that isn't possible with The C64 Mini as the keyboard isn't real. However, you can connect a USB keyboard to the device, but you may find that a USB hub is required for situations where you're playing games from a USB drive and need a keyboard and joystick together. A larger version with a working keyboard has also been released, but its availability is not as good.
- 64 pre-installed games
- Extra games can be added
- Save states
- Multiplayer game support
- Multiplayer Support: Yes
- Connectivity: 2 x USB, HDMI out
- Resolution: 720p
- Expanded Storage: Via USB
- Dimensions: 5.5 x 14.2 x 4 inches
- Feels like you're playing a genuine C64
- Will play any C64 ROM
- HDMI cable is short
- Keyboard is fake
A follow-up to the 2020 Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros, the Nintendo Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda is a handheld, pocket-sized system featuring three games from the Zelda series. Designed to mimic the classic Game & Watch handhelds of the early 1980s, this retro-styled device boasts full-color graphics.
The four games are The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, The Adventure of Link, and Game & Watch Vermin, with Link’s likeness. This last game is presented in the form of the classic monochrome LCD game.
While clearly a retro gaming console, the Nintendo Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda also doubles as a clock. This is displayed when the device is on charge and overlays a demo of a chosen game, which you can control from any point of the adventure.
- Includes three full Legend of Zelda games
- Clock mode, displayed over a demo of the chosen game
- Take control at any stage of the game in clock mode
- Packaging doubles as a presentation case
- Portable: Yes
- Battery: Rechargeable lithium ion
- Multiplayer Support: No
- Connectivity: USB-C
- Brand: Nintendo
- Display: 2.5 inch
- Resolution: 640 x 480
- Weight: 4.6 ounces
- Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.18 x 3.54 inches
- Pocket sized
- Three challenging games
- Clock mode
- Ideal gift for retro gaming aficionados
- No save states
- Cannot add games without hacking
5. Sega Astro City Mini Console
One of the biggest retro gaming hardware releases in 2021, the Sega Astro City Mini console features 36 classic Sega titles, plus an unreleased title. Named in honor of the classic Astro City arcade systems (50,000 in Japan alone in the 1990s, perhaps as many or more worldwide), this compact replica is a 1/6 scale reproduction, fabricated from resin, and with the same joystick and button arrangement.
The four-inch screen is ideal for mobile or table-top gaming, but if you want to take things to the next level the Sega Astro City Mini has HDMI out at 720p. Pre-installed games include arcade classics such as Shadow Dancer, Shinobi, Golden Axe, and Virtua Fighter.
The Sega Astro City Mini is a limited edition replica for the US market of the original Japan-only Sega Astro City Mini. Just 3,500 units were produced, so grab one while you can.
- Joystick with 6 buttons
- 37 pre-installed Sega games
- Resin construction
- Connectivity: 2 x USB, HDMI out
- Brand: Sega
- Display: 4-inch screen
- Weight: 2.16 pounds
- Dimensions: 6.69 x 5.12 x 6.69 inches
- Features a never-before released game
- Sports a unique retro look
- No PSU
6. sega genesis mini
Designed to play Sega Genesis (known as the Mega Drive in Europe) games through a modern TV, this pack includes 42 games, authentic Sega controllers (USB only), and an HDMI cable and power adapter.
Aiming for the classic Sega experience, the games include Sonic the Hedgehog, Ghouls and Ghosts, Golden Axe, Virtua Fighter 2, Strider, and many more. There are also two bonus games to enjoy in the form of Tetris and Darius.
Far smaller than the original, this official Sega device is a successful retro gaming console, having been in production since 2019.
- 42 games
- Dual controllers
- Compact and light
- Ships with HDMI cable, power cable, adapter
- Easy to get started, just plug-in and play
- Storage: 512MB
- Connectivity: 2 x USB, HDMI out
- Brand: Sega
- Weight: 1.65 pounds
- Dimensions: 9.84 x 3.94 x 11.81 inches
- Controllers are good quality
- Almost as good as the original
- Original Sega product
- Some regions ship with only one controller
- Original controllers are not compatible
If you like to have more control over the retro games you play and don’t want to be locked to a particular platform, the Anbernic supports over 20 classic consoles. First appearances might lead you to think this is nothing more than a Game Boy clone, but inside is a quad-core CPU and 16GB of RAM, while game ROMs can be loaded from dual microSD cards.
Rear shoulder buttons accompany the D-pad, ABYX, and thumbstick controls, and the Anbernic RG351V plays games from systems as recent as the Sony PlayStation and PSP.
This portable console will slip in your pocket for convenient retro gaming anywhere, has Wi-Fi for easy updates, ROM transfers, and network play, and is available in gray, black, and wood.
- Plays games for 20 formats, including Sony PSP, Sony PS1, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 64, NEOGEO, Game Boy Advance
- Vibration motor for compatible games
- Local two player mode with a second device
- Pocket-sized Game Boy-style “vertical” form factor
- Screen Dimensions: 3.5-inch
- Portable: Yes
- Battery: 3900mAh
- Multiplayer Support: Yes
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB-C, 3.5mm audio out
- Display: 640x480 pixel 4:3 IPS LCD display
- Expanded Storage: Dual 64Gb TF storage card
- Dimensions: 6.54 x 4.84 x 1.69 inches
- Battery supports eight hours of gaming
- D-pad and thumbstick, shoulder buttons
- Plays thousands of games
- Multiplayer gaming over Wi-Fi
- System menu not intuitive
- Scant documentation
FAQ
Q: What is Retro Gaming?
If you’ve ever bought a classic game on a current-generation game console, that is retro gaming. But that is just a part of it.
“Retro gaming” is the name given to the practice of playing old games, typically on current hardware with emulation, but increasingly on original hardware. There are even small-scale manufacturers developing clones of classic computers and consoles.
Q: Where Can You Get Retro Games?
Retro games can be found in physical and online stores in reissue collections, pre-installed on some retro consoles, and online, such as in the Internet Archive's vintage software section.
Q: What Are Game ROMs?
ROMs are essentially disk images of software captured from old storage devices. They might be from disks, cassettes, or cartridges. Retro gamers rely on game ROMs run in an emulator to enjoy their favorite old games.
Note that many game ROMs found on the internet cannot be legally used without a license. If you don’t have the original, physical game, you’re breaking copyright law.