Old Video Games Are Booming — And It’s Not Just About Nostalgia

29 Ago Old Video Games Are Booming — And It’s Not Just About Nostalgia

Retro video games have a special kind of muscle memory. Blowing into a Super Nintendo cartridge might seem silly now, but 33 years ago, it was part of a gaming ritual I’ve come to associate with simpler times. With just a button press, everything flows back in a glorious 16-bit rush: bombing through enemies in A Link to the Past or dodging pesky bees in the jungles of Donkey Kong Country.

And while everyone is eager for a brand-new Nintendo Switch 2, more and more players are getting into retro games. At Retro City Games, owner Douglas Haughaboo has seen his collection of classic games and consoles (Atari 2600, Game Boys, PlayStation Portables, etc.) fly off the shelves.

“There’s really nothing I can keep in stock. We’re constantly trying to restock,” Haughaboo says. “In this PS2 section, we put out four or five hundred games a week — and they just keep selling. But the top sellers are still the cartridges. Nintendo is still king.”

When Haughaboo and his wife opened the first Retro City Games in 2014, they had no idea how quickly the retro resurgence would take off. Over the past 10 years, growing demand has led them to expand from their original Town Square location to new stores on Stephanie Street and at the South Premium Outlets, with a third store on the way at the North Premium Outlets.

With physical media, coming back to your hometown after 30 years is different. Things change. You can feel nostalgic all you want, but the BBQ joint on the corner doesn’t taste exactly like you remember. The taco place is a little off, too,” Haughaboo says. “But with video games, especially, it’s the exact experience you remember in every way. It’s tactile. It uses multiple senses. It just transports you there.”

That consistency stands in stark contrast to the frustrations of modern gaming. Digital games can be pulled from online stores. New releases are often launched unfinished, plagued with bugs and in need of day-one patches. And playing fully offline is becoming a thing of the past — titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 require an internet connection even in single-player. When PlayStation Network suffered an outage in February, players were reminded that simply owning a game isn’t enough.

The magic of retro games lies in their simplicity. They’re fast, snappy, and reliable. You plug in and play — no strings attached. Modern tech has also made retro consoles more accessible. The newly launched Atari 2600+, a replica of the original 1977 console, includes HDMI output, several built-in classic games, and a joystick — all for under $150. Haughaboo used to sell a few Atari cartridges a day. Now he sells at least 60.

“My biggest Atari 2600 collector started coming in when he was 7,” he says. “Sure, some age groups grew up with this stuff, but I feel like there are new discoveries happening every day.”

He attributes much of that growth to social media, where retro gaming content has exploded. In 2023, YouTube reported that videos about classic games and consoles (repairs, unboxings, let’s plays, and more) were being uploaded 1,000 times more frequently than in 2007.

Affordability plays a role, too. With tariffs forcing companies like Nintendo and Microsoft to raise prices, retro gaming offers more value for your money.

“If you want a PS5 and a couple of games, and you’re talking about an extra controller, that’s about $700 with tax,” Haughaboo explains. “Compare that to $100 for a Super Nintendo — and I could buy 70 games.”

In the end, it all comes down to taste. But retro fans can rest easy: the classics aren’t going anywhere.