Retro consoles worth collecting in 2026

Retro gaming is having a long moment, and prices on the classic machines have climbed accordingly. Some of that is nostalgia; some of it is that these consoles are genuinely great to own. Here is where we point people who want to start a shelf.

The 16-bit sweet spot

The SNES and Mega Drive era is where a lot of collectors begin, and for good reason: the libraries are deep, the games have aged gracefully, and the hardware is robust enough to still work decades later. Boxed carts look wonderful on a shelf, and loose copies are an affordable way to actually play.

What to check before you buy

With any old console the two things that fail are the output and the memory. We test video output on real screens and, on cartridge machines with save batteries, we check the battery holds a save. Yellowed plastic is cosmetic and normal for the age; a console that will not hold a save is the one to avoid — which is exactly what our testing catches.

We rotate retro machines through the shop regularly — keep an eye on the consoles page, and everything hardware carries a 12-month warranty.