Are you nostalgic about the old games you used to play when you were a kid? Retro gaming is very much in-fashion in 2022. Perhaps you can remember the days of playing your Game Boy or even earlier than that in the mid-80s.
You’ll see a lot of different online games with retro themes, and if you check out the best sweepstakes casino sites, you will notice many of those have games with a retro feel, including some of the coolest and most thrilling slot games, which use retro characters and designs.
Luckily, if you feel nostalgic and want to see if all those games you played when you were a kid are just as good in the modern age, there are plenty of options for you, and we’ve listed five ways to play retro games in 2022 below.
Buy the original console
This might be an expensive way of doing things, but you can consider it an investment too.
You may be able to get lucky and find a SEGA Master System at a garage sale, or you might have to go to eBay to try and find a retro console. Some of these are actually pretty affordable, so it isn’t the console itself that will badly sting your wallet. There were so many Game Boy devices in circulation, for instance, that it’s still easy to find them today. The games, on the other hand, can get really pricey, especially if they are rare.
As you’d expect, the further in time you go back, the more likely it is that you’ll be paying the big bucks.
Use an emulator
There is a big community around emulator games online. An emulator is a program that you can download on your device, which allows you to then download the individual games as files and play them just like you would have on your old console.
The controls are different, of course, and some of the files can be a bit unreliable, but generally, emulators are a great way to play the games you remember from when you were a kid. Pretty much every retro game from the 90s has an emulator version somewhere on the internet.
Use a modern reissue
Consoles have been reissued, whether you love them or hate them, they offer a way for you to play the retro games you’re craving.
This is especially good for 80s and 90s kids who remember some SEGA classics. The Mega Drive Mini is a replica that has 40 of the best SEGA games ever on it, you can even enjoy games such as Tetris, Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania and Streets of Rage 2.
It’s hard to know what the plans will be moving forward in the wake of the recent huge Microsoft Activision deal, and whether retro games will be a focus, will they be as easily accessible? In the meantime, you can get the Mega Drive Mini to ensure your precious childhood memories are preserved.
Play retro games in browser
There are even websites you can visit to allow you to play retro games within your browser. This usually means playing some of the games with smaller file sizes, so don’t expect to find full, playable PS2 games in your browser, but hey, do they even count as retro?
Some of the functionality you might not have seen in your browser a few years ago is now achievable too. You can save your progress, for instance, ready for when you return to the site. Some of the sites that offer retro gaming even include an option to set up your own controller.
The downside is you will probably have to deal with a fair number of ads if you are going to do things this way, which can get a little annoying.
Take advantage of remasters
Do you have a modern console? There are lots of remastered games out there for you to enjoy. For instance, SEGA’s collection of Mega Drive and Genesis classics can be played on Xbox One, and you can buy lots of games bundled and remastered for a pretty reasonable price.
If you go through the Xbox Store, you will also see lots of individual games that have been remastered to work on the console. In recent years, there has been a big focus on backward compatibility, and this means that a lot of users can take advantage of playing retro games without having to purchase any new hardware or change their gaming setup.
