![10 Best Retro Gaming Gifts of 2026 [All Tested]](https://storage.ghost.io/c/58/fd/58fdc82a-ad84-44e2-ad58-166d1b419bc4/content/images/size/w1600/format/webp/2026/10/best-retro-gaming-gifts.webp)
Be it Christmas or your friend’s upcoming birthday, you’ll need a go-to list of retro gaming gifts that can help you with any of your gift-buying needs, crafted by real retro gamers.
There’s nothing more annoying than reading a gift guide written by someone who isn’t the target audience! So I personally assure you, as someone who has reviewed gaming products for over 10+ years, these are my favourites that I know any retro gamer would love. These retro gaming gifts range from a handful of pennies all the way up to a small loan, so don’t feel as though this is the normal price to spend on retro gamers.
This list will fit all budgets, and believe us when we say that any gift on this list will go down well because I have personally tested every single one. So let’s jump right in with the ultimate retro gaming gifts list!
⭐️ TL;DR - Give Me The Results! ⭐️
- Best Under $30: 8BITDO FlipPad
- Best Under $40: GAMENOOK The Throne
- Best Under $75: ANBERNIC RG SP
- Best Under $100: LEGO GAME BOY
- Best Under $200: Evercade Nexus
- Best Under $250: ModRetro M64
1. Evercade Nexus
- Release Date: October 2026
- Price: $199/£199
- Where To Buy: Amazon
- Read our full review
The Evercade Nexus surprised us, and we even said that in our full review. It's Evercade's flagship handheld, offering retro gamers a way to play and collect physical cartridges on a 5.8" bright display, nostalgic ergonomics and fully licensed gameplay that solved our gaming fatigue in a time of overabundance.
This is not a cheap gift, and I totally understand that, especially when you consider their cartridges, which come with multiple games, also cost $20+, but for me, it brings back the joy of retro gaming and physical collecting. Each game comes with a fully licensed cartridge, a box and even a manual, just like the good old days, forcing you to read and take your time with the game.
The handheld itself is well designed, is very big, though doesn't weigh much due to the large screen and newly added dual joysticks that offer a new way to explore Evercade cartridges alongside opening up more modern games such as Doom and Banjo Kazooie to the Evercade line.
The user experience on the Nexus is great too, with a retro feeling yet a modern look, with easy-to-understand directions and a disconnected feel to the device that keeps you away from the fast-paced instant game gratification that typical handheld emulators offer, all paired with 3 - 5 hours of battery life and flawless gameplay quality thanks to the ROMs being fully licensed and authentic.
It's not perfect; I have a sticky menu button, the display isn't laminated, and cartridges do get expensive, especially when Evercade decide to stop making them, which is the case for some of their cartridge licenses, but if you're after a popular and new way to play retro games that scratches the retro physical collecting itch, this is the best on the block right now.
2. Console Heroes SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Playset
- Release Date: Late 2025
- Price: $29.99+
- Available At: Amazon
These brand new collectables from Console Heroes are certainly going to be a popular gift this year, thanks to their affordable $20 price tag and the fact that there are many to collect, with official licensing and multiple SEGA characters featured.
These are pretty much like Polly Pockets or Mighty Max toys from back in the ’90s. For example, each set is hidden in a SEGA Genesis cartridge that opens up to reveal a level in the game, complete with minifigures and extras to make the diorama come to life.
They’re great for storing in game rooms, and if you are crazy enough to complete the set, there’s even a larger set that features the SEGA Genesis console itself, allowing you to build a colosseum-like playset with all of your characters featured in one display.
It’s a great new company that we had the pleasure of talking to on our podcast, and I believe they’ll go far, creating more retro-gaming-focused collectables for adults and children. I’ve personally demanded SEGA Game Gear and SEGA Dreamcast dioramas, so my fingers are crossed; hopefully they're listening!
3. Epilogue SN Operator
- Release Date: May 2026
- Price: $71.99
- Where To Buy: Epilogue.com
- Read our full review
This is an incredibly cool accessory that SNES fans from all over the world will enjoy. It's called the SN Operator, and to put it simply, it's a premium cartridge reader that you connect to your PC/Mac in order to open up an array of nostalgic features to help play and preserve your games.
It connects via the USB-C port and requires you to install a unique app to your computer called PlayBack, allowing you to play your authentic cartridges on your desktop, using your keyboard or a controller to explore your favourite SNES games. Not only that, it can also save, backup and patch your save files and games entirely so that you never lose a save state again, just like their older GB Operator for GAME BOY, GAME BOY Color, and GAME BOY Advance.
It can dive into deeper settings too, such as adding filters and integer scaling; you can even load your own ROMs and games onto a blank cartridge if you have one, and it will tell you if your cartridge is real or fake too, allowing you to authenticate the cartridges you have in your collection, or even the ones you are buying too, which is a nice touch.
The product itself is incredibly well made, and offers a look into the motherboard and cartridge reader via its transparent shell, alongside the addition of a very grippy bottom pad to keep it in place when removing and inserting cartridges. It's the perfect gift for SNES enthusiasts, though make sure to read our full review as there are some minor niggles, such as Super GAME BOY adapters not working, etc.
4. ModRetro M64
- Release Date: July 2026
- Price: $229
- Where To Buy: ModRetro Website
- Read our full review
This is probably the most expensive product on the list, and a remarkable gift for yourself or friends who love the Nintendo 64. This is the ModRetro M64, an FPGA-based console that can play your Nintendo 64 cartridges on a modern HDTV using an array of wireless or wired controllers, completely revamping the way you play your old games.
It's very plug-and-play friendly, and you can even purchase ModRetro's premium N64 controller that's made with a metal backplate if you want to go all out. But accessories aside, it offers a highly accurate way to emulate your games on a hardware level, even offering overclocking abilities that increase the output of the console beyond what the original can do, making more power-hungry games such as 007 work at silky smooth frame rates.
If you want to dig deeper into the intricacies, you can, by scaling your gameplay, adding filters, changing the look of your games, you can pair with Nintendo controllers, and if need be, you can completely change the firmware on here due to its being open-source and free to tinker with. It comes in an array of different colours to choose from too, all slightly transparent and overexaggerated in its design.
It's hands down one of the best ways to easily and effortlessly play Nintendo 64 games to this day, adding many quality-of-life improvements and endless updates that keep making this console better and better as the months and years go on. ModRetro even publishes new Nintendo 64 games too, for those wanting to explore new, never-before-published games on the N64/M64.
5. ANBERNIC RGSP
- Release Date: August 2026
- Price: $64.99
- Where To Buy: ANBERNIC's Official Website
The ANBERNIC RG35SP is one of my favourite affordable retro handhelds on the market right now, not only because it looks like a Game Boy Advance SP clone, but also because it can emulate lots of retro consoles, including N64, PS1, Dreamcast, and Game Boy Advance, straight out of the box.
ANBERNIC has a habit of releasing lots of handhelds that are pretty mediocre, but at just $64.99, this is a device from them that’s hard to hate. It features a semi-powerful processor, a 3.5″ 4:3 IPS display, enough battery life to play for 7 hours straight, and an easy-to-understand user interface.
That’s all wrapped in a high-quality clamshell design with GBA SP aesthetics that has been refined in 2026 in comparison to their older "SP" handhelds. It has a sleep-wake function when shut, and a headphone jack. The emulators will even add a unique border to your games, adding official logos and making it look a little more natural if your screen ratio is different.
There are some minor flaws, like a few UI bugs and the shoulder buttons being a bit rattly, but it’s an all-round great device that’s a perfect gift for handheld enthusiasts and those who have never dabbled in the world of emulation before. It's a great starter handheld for anyone wanting good emulation up to DC/N64.
6. GAMENOOK The Throne
- Released: Late 2025
- Price: £24.99
- Available At: GAMENOOK.co.uk
- Discount code: 10% off using "RETRODODO"
This product is actually made by our sub-brand GAMENOOK. The Throne is a custom display stand made specifically for retro handhelds and cartridges. The neat part? It’s made from 100% plastic waste sourced from our planet in order to help clean up our public areas and to remove dangerous plastics from wildlife and coastlines.
Only 9% of the world’s plastic is recycled, and GAMENOOK wants no part in that. Their products are well built, using aluminium moulds to create incredibly durable products that last.
Featuring two colourways: Cluster (made from plastic waste sourced from land) and Coastal (plastic waste sourced from our Oceans), each design is unique thanks to the hand-crafting method we use by churning different plastics together and melting them down into moulds.
The Throne fits hundreds of handhelds and an array of GAME BOY cartridges, with space for up to 4x AA batteries, enabling you to have a retro setup ready to grab and go. Each purchase helps clean the planet, and GAMENOOK will also plant one tree per sale, helping our future home even more.
7. LEGO GAME BOY
The LEGO set we have all been waiting for is finally here: the original GAME BOY DMG. Coming in at just 421 pieces, it is admittedly a fairly small set, but that means that the price is smaller too, making it a great gift for your friends, family or yourself, without it hurting the wallet.
It offers a 1:1 size replica of the original handheld and features lenticular screens that can pair with the two cartridges that you have to build. The two games are Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda, two of the best GAME BOY games ever made.
The set is very tactile and responsive. For example, the buttons have rubber behind them to make them bounce, and it can be made in a couple of hours, making it a great evening build with little ones. It also comes with a display stand so that it can be shown off in your home or office space.
It’s one of the best retro-gaming themed LEGO sets ever made, and we’re hoping it’s the start of more GAME BOY sets coming from LEGO. There's even a Raspberry Pi mod kit called the BrickBoy that will turn this set into a working console if you really want to go all out!
8. 8BitDo FlipPad Controller
- Release Date: July 2026
- Pricing: $29.99
- Where To Buy: Amazon or 8BITDO
- Requirements: iOS 26.2 & above + Android 13 & above.
- Read our full review
This is an awesome little product for those who like to play their retro games on their smartphone. All thanks to 8BITDO's history of creating unique controllers and a demand from the iOS and Android emulation market, this product is called the FlipPad controller; the magic is in its name.
The FlipPad connects via USB-C and has a flippable hinge that allows you to pop on/off the controller on/off your screen quickly and effectively, allowing you to message someone back, make some gaming tweaks or jump into new applications entirely- something many physical controllers don't do.
It doesn't require charging either because it's connected to your port, and comes with a bunch of on-face buttons that make emulating and gaming incredibly easy. I found myself using it with the Delta emulator on iOS the most as it works and connects in seconds without any setup which is why it comes with me a lot of the time, chucked in my pocket or sling.
And because 8BITDO made this, the button quality is great, and so is the connectivity. The back of the device has a rubber grip that stops the controller from moving side to side when playing, and you can map buttons to your emulator in a way that feels more you. It's a great affordable device for anyone with a modern iOS/Android smartphone.
9. 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard
- Price: £84.98/$89.99
- Available Variants: NES, Famicom, C64, IBM Model M, Nintendo 64
- Available From: Amazon, 8BitDo
8BitDo are renowned for creating superb products; we’ve reviewed many in the past. One of their most recent “retro” reveals is the brand new Retro Mechanical Keyboard, and it comes in an array of themes and colourways, their most recent being the Retro87, which is themed after the Nintendo 64, more specifically the blue transparent version.
The one I use the most is styled after the original Nintendo Entertainment System, with many nostalgic nods to the past and large A + B buttons that can be mapped to whatever you please, which is great for those who like to smash their keyboards. Again, it’s another subtle nod to the classic NES controller, alongside all of their retro keyboards having subtle nods to certain consoles, such as the Sega Saturn and Commodore.
The keyboard itself is built on an aluminium interior, with high-quality Kailh Box White Switches, a number of knobs that can be twisted and turned, and detailing that will please many retro gaming fans who have a taste for good product design.
The keyboard works on PC, Mac and Android devices; it retails for around $99 on Amazon and has recently been partnered with a bunch of cool accessories too! It’s the perfect gift for retro gamers who want to pimp out their desk setup a little and upgrade their keyboard to something that will last a very long time. I've been using these keyboards for years.
10. A Handheld History
- Release Date: 2023
- Price: $29.99+
- Available At: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones
Hands down, the best retro gaming gift of the year has to be our very own coffee table book, A Handheld History. We may be biased, but we have proudly crafted a premium, hardback coffee table book about the history of handhelds. We have partnered with talented journalists, the gaming industry’s best artists and well-known influencers to give you a nostalgic tome that takes you back through the best handheld game consoles of all time.
Big names like our very own Brandon Saltalamacchia, Jason Bradbury, Kevin Kenson, and Ashens were involved in this book, researching and crafting beautiful stories about consoles, accessories, and well-known retro games.
With over 260 pages of incredible content, this thick book will go down well with any retro gamer, especially if they have (or had) a passion for handheld gaming, as we cover most of it in this book.
We also bring weird and wacky handhelds into the spotlight that you may have never seen before. You will also be supporting Retro Dodo and the future of the A Handheld History series should you snag a copy, so let me personally say a big thank you if you do!
