“It’s Their Escape”: Retro Gaming Is Back, Thanks to Gen Z

02 May “It’s Their Escape”: Retro Gaming Is Back, Thanks to Gen Z

Retro gaming is making a comeback, largely driven by people born after the Game Boy era.

According to a new survey by Pringles, a popular gaming snack, 66% of Britons have purchased some form of retro technology in the past two years, and 24% of Gen Z already own a retro gaming console. Among the most popular consoles are:

• The Game Boy, first released in 1989 and discontinued in 2003
• The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), launched in 1990 and also discontinued in 2003
• The original Xbox, which debuted in Europe in 2002 and was discontinued in 2009

For 89% of gamers, retro games provide a welcome break from the internet, while 74% agree that “nostalgic games” are more relaxing. Of those surveyed, 77% kept their retro technology for sentimental value, while others purchased retro games that had already been discontinued by the time they were born.

The youngest Gen Z members were born in 2012—the same year the Wii U was released—while the oldest were born in 1997, the same year as the launch of the Nintendo 64 (N64) and Sony PlayStation.

Earlier this month, Pringles hosted a Retro Console Clinic in London, offering free repairs for retro handheld and home consoles. The pop-up event encouraged people to bring out their old consoles and have them fixed, as reported by The Verge UK. It also invited gamers to stop by and play classic games for free. “I think younger generations experience a lot more stress now—growing up in a social media-driven world is a big mental challenge,” said Luke Malpass, one of the engineers at the event, in an interview with The Guardian. “[Retro gaming] is their refuge. It’s like their escape.”

Low-tech entertainment has a nostalgic appeal and may even offer a remedy to our increasingly fast-paced, tech-driven world. According to the survey, 78% of respondents enjoy using retro devices because it allows them to take a break from their smartphones. A separate September 2024 poll by Harris Poll found that 21% of Gen Z adults wished smartphones had never been invented.

The nostalgia trend shows no signs of slowing down, with #nostalgia amassing over 12.6 million posts on TikTok—many featuring gadgets and games from the ’90s and 2000s. Maybe it’s time to dig out my pink Nintendo DS and see how my Nintendogs are doing.