Modern video games are amazing. With lifelike graphics, realistic physics, extensive artificial intelligence, and online multiplayer options, today's video games are so much more sophisticated than older games.
That doesn't change the fact that some of the greatest 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 swore 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 classic game compilation systems you can get now, along with a few other options for retro gaming. If you want to play on your computer, check out our list of the best emulators. If you fancy playing classics on the go, take a peek at the best retro gaming handhelds.
There is a bit of a hiccup for retro gaming systems, though. Most of the different "classic" and "mini" systems out there are out of production and very rare. That's good for collectors, but not if you were hoping to buy them for the around-$100 they originally sold for.
Nintendo Switch
Best for Nintendo, Sega, and SNK Classics
Why We Picked It
The 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 For
The 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
- Kirby's Adventure
- StarTropics
- Super Mario 64
- Super Mario Bros. 3
- Super Metroid
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
→ View the latest prices for Nintendo Switch in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Sony PlayStation 5
Best for PS2 and PS3 Games
Why We Picked It
The 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 For
Any 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 It
- Dark Cloud 2
- God of War II
- Ico
- Split/Second
- Wild Arms 3
→ View the latest prices for Sony PlayStation 5 in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Microsoft Xbox Series X
Best for Backward Compatibility
Why We Picked It
Microsoft 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 For
Xbox 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
- Dead Space
- The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- Fallout 3
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- Psychonauts
- Rare Replay
→ View the latest prices for Xbox Series X in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Arcade 1Up Mortal Kombat Deluxe Arcade Game
Best for Starting a Home Arcade
Why We Picked It
Arcade1Up'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 For
If 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
- Killer Instinct
- Mortal Kombat
- NBA Jam
- The Simpsons
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time
→ View the latest prices for Arcade 1Up Mortal Kombat Deluxe Arcade Game in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Raspberry Pi 4
Best for DIY Retro Gaming Projects
Why We Picked It
Why 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 For
This 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+.
→ View the latest prices for Raspberry Pi in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Neo Geo Mini (International Version)
Best for SNK Arcade Classics
Why We Picked It
The 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 For
SNK 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
- Garou: Mark of the Wolves
- The King of Fighters '98
- Metal Slug X
- Samurai Shodown II
→ View the latest prices for Neo Geo Mini (International Version) in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Nintendo NES Classic Edition
Best for NES Games
Why We Picked It
This 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 For
Like 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 It
- Castlevania
- Kirby's Adventure
- The Legend of Zelda
- Mega Man 2
- Metroid
- Super Mario Bros. 3
→ View the latest prices for Nintendo NES Classic Edition in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Nintendo Super NES Classic Edition
Best for SNES Games
Why We Picked It
After 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 For
If 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
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- Super Mario World
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
- Super Metroid
→ View the latest prices for Nintendo Super NES Classic Edition in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Sega Genesis Mini
Best for Genesis Games
Why We Picked It
After 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 For
Sega 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 It
- Gunstar Heroes
- Mega Man: The Wily Wars
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Streets of Rage 2
→ View the latest prices for Sega Genesis Mini in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Sega Genesis Mini 2
Best for Genesis Games
Why We Picked It
Yes, 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 For
This 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.
→ View the latest prices for Sega Genesis Mini 2 in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Sony PlayStation Classic
Best for PlayStation Die-Hards
Why We Picked It
A 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 For
The 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
- Final Fantasy VII
- Metal Gear Solid
- Mr. Driller
- Resident Evil Director's Cut
→ View the latest prices for Sony PlayStation Classic in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Analogue Pocket
Best for Cartridge-Based Game Boy Games
Why We Picked It
This 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 For
If 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.
→ View the latest prices for Analogue Pocket in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Analogue Mega Sg
Best for Cartridge-Based Genesis Games
Why We Picked It
If 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 For
Like 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.
Analogue Super Nt
Best for Cartridge-based SNES Games
Why We Picked It
If 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 For
This 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.
Playmaji Polymega
Best for CD-Based Consoles
Why We Picked It
The 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 For
If 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.