Arts | Posted on September 9th, 2026 | return to news

Relive your arcade youth with the retro-gaming craze

Retro games are a booming business and a great opportunity to relive your carefree arcade or home gaming times.

Do you find yourself randomly humming the theme tune to Bubble Bobble? Notice your fingers tapping the Konami code? Want to drift your car effortlessly around a corner like you used to in Sega Rally? Perhaps you remember all-night social sessions of Worms, FIFA or Madden, or spending hours building that perfect RPG party?

In that case you have a case of video game nostalgia, but the good news is, there’s a cure for that.

Dorset’s thriving retro gaming and arcade scene provides quick bursts of gaming nostalgia. Or you can buy a new generation of gadgets that let you relive those times at home. From the 8-bit home computer and console days, all the way up to the original PlayStation or Nintendo 64, the retro boom means those classic games’ time has come again.

Challenger, choose your platform

Evercade represents a British-based approach to this trend. It offers a range of hardware from sub-£100 portables for on-the-go gaming, to classic-looking consoles that plug into your 4K TV and mini-bartop arcade cabinets to recreate that arcade feel.

Do you remember Gremlin Graphics, Rare or The Bitmap Brothers, alongside American giants Atari, Activision or Interplay? With over 90 cartridges that fit any of those machines, they provide licensed collections at affordable prices.

There are plenty of other options you can find in online stores, including official hardware products from Atari (a brand reborn after decades in the doldrums), or GameStation that collaborates with legends like Japan’s Capcom to scratch that nagging Street Fighter II itch.

If you’re wondering where Nintendo’s historic games are? The Japanese giant limits its retro gaming to an Online Classics subscription feature for Switch 2 console owners to enjoy old-school Mario, Star Fox, Metroid and many others.

Enter the final level

Lastly, the ultimate challenge for some gamers is to dive into the second-hand market and buy the original hardware and games. If money isn’t an option, those games and Mega Drive, SNES or original Xbox consoles (that you once passed on or sold cheaply) are available from collectors’ shops, chains like CeX (that will soon launch dedicated retro stores), or from online auctions at massive premiums.

Perhaps you might find a decent and hefty CRT TV set to play them as they were meant to be enjoyed.

Whichever (Out Run) route you take to relive your youth, perhaps try the classics for the first time, or get your children involved in gaming beyond modern adult-focused titles like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, retro gaming is a pure delight for all.