You want to play R-Type. Or Cannon Fodder. Or Streets of Rage. Or any other game from the era when a bedroom coder with a good idea and a ZX Spectrum could make something genuinely brilliant. The question is: what do you actually need?
The good news is that 2026 is probably the best time in history to play classic games. The options range from a £5 digital download to a dedicated FPGA machine that recreates original hardware down to the clock cycle. Here’s what each approach actually involves and who it’s right for.
Option 1: Digital Downloads (Free–£15 per game)
The simplest route. If you have a PC, a Switch, a PS5, or an Xbox, you already have everything you need for a significant chunk of the classic library.
GOG.com is the first stop for PC classics. Cannon Fodder 1 and 2 are both there, DRM-free, and run on modern Windows without any configuration. Dozens of other 90s titles — Syndicate, Theme Hospital, MDK, Worms — are similarly accessible and cheap. The GOG Galaxy launcher handles everything.
Steam covers more recent retro releases and official collections. R-Type Dimensions EX (R-Type I and II, with both original and 3D graphics) is £7.19. Streets of Rage 4 is the obvious choice if you want the modern continuation. The Mega Drive Classics collection gives you over 50 Sega titles in one purchase.
Nintendo Switch Online — if you subscribe, you get access to large NES, SNES, Mega Drive, and N64 libraries at no extra cost. R-Type is in the PC Engine / TurboGrafx library (the definitive home version of the game). Cannon Fodder isn’t there, but a significant proportion of the classic console library is.
PS Plus Premium includes a classic games catalogue with PS1 and PS2 titles alongside more recent content.
Best for: Anyone who wants to start playing immediately with no extra hardware. The library isn’t complete but it’s substantial.
Option 2: The Super Pocket (£49)
If you want dedicated hardware without spending much, the HyperMegaTech Super Pocket is a compact handheld that plays Evercade cartridges and comes with built-in games. It’s not as polished as the Evercade EXP-R — smaller screen, fewer features — but at £49 it’s a reasonable entry point into the physical Evercade library.
Cannon Fodder is on the Sensible Software Evercade cart. The Neo Geo arcade library is spread across four Evercade carts. R-Type isn’t currently in the Evercade library but the arcade catalogue is growing.
Check the Super Pocket on Amazon UK →
Best for: Casual players who want physical cartridges without a big investment.
Option 3: Evercade VS-R or EXP-R (£89–£99)
The Evercade is the most coherent physical retro gaming platform available. Physical cartridges, each containing a licensed collection of 8–25 games, covering arcade classics, home computer titles, console games, and Neo Geo. The library runs to over 30 cartridges and is expanding every few months.
The VS-R (£89.99) is the home console — plugs into your TV, supports up to four controllers, ideal for multiplayer classics like Cannon Fodder and Sensible Soccer. The EXP-R (£99.99) is the handheld, with TATE mode for vertical arcade games (essential for R-Type-style shooters) and a good IPS screen.
Carts are £19.99 each. The Sensible Software collection covers Cannon Fodder, Sensible Soccer, and others. The four Neo Geo arcade carts cover Metal Slug, Blazing Star, KOF 2002, and more.
Check the Evercade EXP-R on Amazon UK →
Check the Evercade VS-R on Amazon UK →
Best for: People who want a curated physical library with proper licensed games. The best value physical retro gaming platform available.
Option 4: Raspberry Pi Build (£60–£150 depending on setup)
The most flexible option. A Raspberry Pi loaded with Batocera or RetroPie can play virtually everything from the Atari 2600 through to PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64, with the Pi 5 handling Dreamcast and some PS2 material. The library is limited only by what you put on it.
It requires more setup than any other option — loading the software, sourcing ROMs, configuring controllers — but the result is a machine that plays thousands of titles across dozens of systems, displayed on your TV, with a proper controller.
See our full guides: Raspberry Pi for Retro Gaming: What It Is and Where to Start and Best Raspberry Pi Kits for Retro Gaming 2026.
Best for: People comfortable with a bit of setup who want the widest possible library and don’t mind spending an afternoon configuring things.
Option 5: Mini Consoles (£50–£150)
Official and unofficial mini consoles offer plug-and-play access to specific libraries with no configuration required. The THEA500 Mini (£89.99) covers Amiga classics. THE400 Mini (£89.99) covers Atari 8-bit. THEC64 (£89.99) covers Commodore 64. Nintendo’s own mini consoles (NES Mini, SNES Mini) are discontinued but widely available secondhand.
The limitation is fixed libraries — you get what’s preloaded and, on most models, nothing else. They’re excellent if the built-in game selection matches what you want to play.
Check the THEA500 Mini on Amazon UK →
Check the THEC64 on Amazon UK →
Best for: People who want a specific platform’s library with zero configuration.
Option 6: Analogue Pocket (£199–£229)
The premium handheld option. The Analogue Pocket uses FPGA technology to recreate Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance hardware with pixel-perfect accuracy. With additional adapters it plays Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Atari Lynx, and others. It also supports openFPGA cores covering dozens of additional systems.
It’s expensive and it requires original cartridges (or openFPGA workarounds) but the build quality and display are exceptional. For portable retro gaming it has no serious competition.
Check the Analogue Pocket on Amazon UK →
Best for: Handheld gaming enthusiasts who want the best possible portable experience and already have or are willing to source original cartridges.
Option 7: MiSTer FPGA (£150–£300 depending on configuration)
The enthusiast option. The MiSTer uses a DE10-Nano FPGA board with community-developed cores to recreate classic hardware at the circuit level — not emulation, but actual hardware recreation. Arcade boards, home computers, consoles from the 2600 through to the Saturn. R-Type in the MiSTer arcade core is as close to the original PCB as you can get outside of owning one.
Setup is more involved than any other option and it requires sourcing the board, expansion modules, and configuring the software. The community documentation is excellent but it’s not a casual purchase.
Check DE10-Nano FPGA board on Amazon UK →
Best for: Enthusiasts who want the most accurate possible hardware recreation and are comfortable with technical setup.
Option 8: Original Hardware (£20–£300+)
There is still something about playing on original hardware that nothing else fully replicates. The weight of the controller, the specific sound of a Mega Drive, the slight delay of a CRT. Working Mega Drives appear on eBay for £30–60. Amigas for £60–150. Arcade PCBs for anything from £30 to several hundred depending on the title.
The practical considerations — power supply reliability, capacitor degradation, display compatibility — are real but manageable with basic knowledge. A Mega Drive with a Gotek floppy emulator or an Everdrive cartridge gives you a near-complete library on original hardware.
Check Mega Drive consoles on Amazon UK →
Best for: People who want the authentic experience and are comfortable with a bit of maintenance.
Option 9: AceMagic Retro X5 Mini PC (£1,299)
The premium end. The AceMagic Retro X5 is a full Windows 11 mini PC in a NES-style case, built around an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. It runs Batocera, Retrobat, or Windows natively, handles everything up to Switch emulation at 1080p 60fps, and plays modern AAA titles at 40–50fps. It’s a proper PC that happens to look like a retro console.
At £1,299 it’s not a retro gaming purchase — it’s a primary PC purchase that also happens to run every classic game ever made. If you’re in the market for a capable mini PC and the retro angle appeals, the price is justifiable. As a dedicated retro gaming device it’s significant overkill.
Best for: People who need a capable everyday PC and want retro gaming capability built in.
Which One Is Right for You?
Just want to start playing today: GOG or Steam. Download Cannon Fodder, R-Type Dimensions EX, and Streets of Rage 4 and you’re off.
Want physical cartridges without complexity: Evercade VS-R for the living room, EXP-R for on the go.
Want the widest possible library: Raspberry Pi 5 with Batocera. Spend an afternoon setting it up, have everything forever.
Want the most accurate experience: MiSTer FPGA for home, Analogue Pocket for portable.
Want original hardware: eBay. Check the power supply first.
For more, see our Raspberry Pi retro gaming guide, our best Raspberry Pi kits roundup, and our Home Computers of the 8-bit Era guide.