Video Games made in the style of games from a past era. Most of these are Indie Games, as the simpler style means the development of the game doesn't require expensive detailed models or effects. Many successful creators have intentionally continued to use classic styles in their games to allow them to focus on other elements of games that they find more interesting, such as story or puzzle design.
Alternatively, they're Doing It for the Art. It is very common for a retraux game to imitate the style of a specific classic game or console.
A large amount of these are also freeware.
For modern games actually on older hardware, see Homebrew Video Games. See also modern Text Adventure Games and Visual Novels, which have continued to be created long after computers could display only text and simple static images.
- .flow
- 2Dark
- 7Days (2013)
- 8Bit Killer
- Eighties Overdrive
- 1917 - The Alien Invasion DX
- L'Abbaye des Morts
- Abobo's Big Adventure
- Action 52 Owns
- ADACA
- The Adventure of Little Ralph
- Adventure Ponies!
- Adventures In In In In
- The Adventures of Elena Temple
- Agent Armstrong — released in 1999, but looks like a comic book from the 1930s
- Aggelos
- Aground
- Aka Manto
- Alisa
- Alwa's Awakening
- AMC Squad
- AMID EVIL
- Andro Dunos 2
- The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures
- Annalynn
- Anodyne
- Anomalous
- Ara Fell
- Arthurian Legends
- Astalon: Tears of the Earth
- A.W.O.L.
- Axiom Verge
- Back in 1995
- Balacera Brothers
- BallisticNG
- Balmung Cycle
- Battle Axe
- Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril
- Battle Kid 2: Mountain of Torment
- Battle Princess Madelyn
- Berserk Boy
- Beyond Sunset
- Beyond the Edge of Owlsgard
- Bik
- Bio Lab Wars
- bit Dungeon
- BIT.TRIP
- Blaster Master Zero
- Blazing Chrome
- Bleed
- Blood Breed
- Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
- Bloodwash
- Blood West
- Bomberman Tower
- Boxbrawl Delivery
- BoxxyQuest: The Gathering Storm
- Buddy (2020)
- Buddy Simulator 1984
- Burger & Frights
- Breath of Death VII
- Call Of Saregnar
- Camp Sunshine
- Canabalt
- Cannibal Abduction
- Carrie's Order Up!
- The Case Of The Golden Idol
- Castle in the Darkness
- Castlevania Rebirth
- cat planet
- Cat Poke
- Cataegis: The White Wind
- Cave Story (unintentionally due to the game's extremely long development by one person)
- Cavern of Dreams
- Celeste
- Celestial Mechanica
- The Citadel
- Citri Plays Noirwood
- Clarence's Big Chance
- Clockwork Calamity In Mushroom World
- Coffee Crisis
- Cognitive Dissonance
- Colorgrave Universe
- Continue/Stop/Rise
- Contra Rebirth
- Cookie Clicker
- Core Decay
- Corn Kidz 64
- Craz'd!
- Creepy Castle
- Crowscare
- Cruelty Squad
- CTHON
- Cthulhu Saves the World
- CULTIC
- Cuphead (not based on retro games but on The Golden Age of Animation)
- The Curse of Issyos
- Cyber Shadow
- Dangeresque: The Roomisode Triungulate
- Dark Judgement
- Dead County
- Dead Seater
- Dead Pixels
- Deathless Hyperion
- Devil Daggers
- Devil's Bargain Bin (Prototype Mansion and Garden Variety Body Horror)
- Diamond Hollow II
- Digital: A Love Story
- Dikembe Mutombo's 4½ Weeks to Save the World
- Diluvian Ultra
- Dino Run
- Dino Trauma
- Drawgun
- DLC Quest
- Dogurai
- Don't Chat with Strangers
- Don't Look Back
- Don't Shit Your Pants
- Donut Dodo
- Doombringer
- Door In The Woods
- Double Dragon IV
- Dragon Sinker
- Dread Delusion
- Dread Templar
- The Drifter
- Dubloon
- Duck Game
- Dungeon of the Endless
- DUSK
- Dynamite Alex
- Eat Girl
- Endeavor
- The Enigma of Salazar House
- Environmental Station Alpha
- Escape From Lavender Town
- Escape from the Underworld
- Escape Lala
- Eschatos
- Evoland
- Evoland 2
- Eversion (the original freeware version more so than the Steam release)
- Ex-Zodiac
- Exit Fate
- Eyra the Crow Maiden
- Factorio
- Fading Afternoon
- FAITH: The Unholy Trinity
- Familiars.io
- Fatum Betula
- Fez
- Fight'N Rage
- Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
- Final Vendetta
- Find the Cure!
- Fishing Vacation
- Five Nights at Freddy's World (original paid version)
- Flappy Bird
- Flesh Birds
- Fluunix
- Flywrench
- Franko: The Crazy Revenge - the sequel, Skinny and Franko
- Formula Retro Racing
- The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa
- Future Fragments
- Frebbventure
- Freedom Planet
- Game Dev Story
- The A Game with a Kitty series:
- Gamer 2
- Gang Garrison 2
- Ganryu 2
- Garage
- GG Aleste 3
- Ghostlore
- Ghost Hospital
- Ghostly Matter
- Ghoulboy
- Gloomwood
- Golden Force
- GRAVEN
- Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar
- Gyossait
- Haiku, the Robot
- Half-Minute Hero
- Halloween Hide & Seek
- Hammerwatch
- Hand Of Doom
- Hasslevania
- Hard Hat
- Haunted Halloween 85
- Hazelnut Hex
- Heartbound
- Heidelberg 1693
- Hellbound
- Hero Core
- Holdover
- HOME (2013)
- Hotline Miami
- Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
- HROT
- How to Raise a Dragon
- Hydorah
- Hyper Light Drifter
- Hyper Princess Pitch
- HYPERVIOLENT
- Iji
- Ikachan
- illWill (2023)
- INCISION
- Indiana Rodent
- Infernax
- Ion Fury
- Iron Meat
- It's Not Me, It's My Basement
- I Wanna Be The Fangame
- I Wanna Be the Guy
- I Wanna Be the Guy: Gaiden
- Jables's Adventure
- Jed
- Jiggly Zone
- Jim's Computer
- Jitsu Squad
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The 7th Stand User
- Jumper
- JumpJet Rex
- Jump King
- Just a Cleric
- KAIMA
- Karoshi
- Kero Blaster
- Killer Bear
- Killer Bees
- A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV
- Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! Fukkatsu no Beldia
- Kyle & Lucy: Wonderworld
- KUNAI
- Kvark
- Lakeview Cabin
- La-Mulana
- Lasagna Boy
- The Last Door
- Last Legacy
- Lasting
- The Last Night (the original web game; the updated version uses pixel art with 3D lighting and effects)
- Legend of Dungeon
- Legend of Princess
- Lethal Omen
- Level Up
- Life of Pixel
- Linx
- LISA
- LISA: The Hopeful
- LISA: The Pointless
- Little Medusa
- Little War Game
- Lone Survivor
- Lost in Vivo
- Lunacid
- Lunistice
- Lyle in Cube Sector
- M.Stain
- Mago
- Make a Good Mega Man Level Contest
- Maldita Castilla
- A Mall Near You
- Manos: The Hands of Fate
- MapleStory
- Mari0
- McPixel
- Mechanic Man
- Mega Girl
- Mega Man 3D
- Mega Man 9
- Mega Man 10
- Mega Man 72
- Mega Man: A Day in the Limelight
- Mega Man DOS Remake
- Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Final Attack
- Mega Man Perfect Blue
- Mega Man Revenge Of The Fallen
- Mega Man Rock Force
- Mega Man Rocks
- Mega Man Super Fighting Robot
- Mega Man's Christmas Carol
- Mega Man: The Final Chapter
- Mega Man Unlimited
- Mega Mash
- Meikyuujou Hydra
- Mercenary Kings
- The Messenger (2018)
- METAGAL
- Metaloid Origin
- Mibibli's Quest
- Micro Emblem
- Middens
- Midnight Ultra
- Mighty Goose
- Mighty Gunvolt
- Mighty Jill Off
- Minecraft
- Mini Mix Mayhem
- Minicraft
- Mondo Medicals
- Mother (HorrorShopGames)
- Mother (Irwin Segarane)
- Mother, Is That You?
- Mouth Sweet
- The Mummy Demastered
- Mummy Sandbox
- Mushroom Kingdom Fusion
- Mutant Mudds
- Mute Crimson
- Mystik Belle
- Nestalgia
- Newtrogic Panic
- Nidhogg
- Night at the Gates of Hell
- Nightmare of Decay
- Nightmare Reaper
- Night of the Consumers
- The Night Of The Scissors
- Ninja Outbreak
- Ninja Senki
- No Delivery
- no-one has to die.
- No One Lives Under The Lighthouse
- Nothing
- Observo
- Odallus: The Dark Call
- Oddity
- Oedipus in my Inventory
- OFF
- Office Point Rescue
- Of Love and Eternity
- Oh Jeez, Oh No, My Rabbits Are Gone!!!
- OMORI
- One Button Bob
- One Chance
- OneShot
- Oniken
- Opossum Country
- Orchard
- Organ Trail
- Panzer Paladin
- Papers, Please
- Paprium
- Paranoiac (more so the original 2011 version; the remake has more updated graphics)
- Paratopic
- Part Time UFO
- Party Hard
- Pathway
- Pause Ahead
- Peasant's Quest
- Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rainslick Precipice of Darkness: Episode Three
- Perilous Warp
- Peripeteia
- Pillars of Dust
- Phlegethon
- Phoenotopia
- Pixelvader
- Poacher
- Pocket Stables
- Polyroll
- Postal: Brain Damaged
- Pot of Legend
- Prison City
- Progressbar 95
- Project Warlock
- Protect Me Knight
- PsychoFlesh
- Psychosomnium
- Psycho Waluigi
- Putrefaction
- Pylons
- Raging Justice
- Read Only Memories
- The Red Strings Club
- Remnants
- Retro City Rampage
- Retro Game Challenge
- [REVIVE]
- The Rewinder
- Rex Rocket
- Risk of Rain
- Rivals of Aether
- Riverbond
- River City Girls
- River City Ransom: Underground
- Rockmen R: Dr. Wily's Counterattack
- Rogue Legacy
- ROM Check Fail
- Sailor Moon Another Story 2
- Sauna 2000
- Savage Halloween
- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game
- Seashells
- Seven Simple Wonders
- Shadow's Ladder
- Shadows of Adam
- Shakedown: Hawaii
- Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
- Sharpshooter 3D
- She Dreams Elsewhere
- Shovel Knight
- Shütshimi
- SIGNALIS
- Sky Serpents
- Slain
- Slay Bells
- Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer
- Slide in the Woods
- Snailiad
- Sol Cresta
- Sonic and the Fallen Star
- Sonic: Before the Sequel
- Sonic.exe
- Sonic Axiom
- Sonic Galactic
- Sonic Mania
- Sonic Robo Blast
- Sonic the Hedgehog DVD
- Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble 16-Bit (16-bit remake)
- Songs for a Hero
- Sorry, We're Open
- Spark & Sparkle
- Spark the Electric Jester
- Sparklite
- Spelunky
- Spuds Quest
- The Spy Who Shot Me
- Squad 51 vs. the Flying Saucers
- Starbound
- Star Command
- Stardew Valley
- Steel Assault
- Stinkoman 20X6
- Stonks 9800 Stock Market Simulator
- Strafe
- Streemerz
- Street Fighter X Mega Man
- Streets of Rage Remake
- Summit
- Super Amazing Wagon Adventure
- Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
- Super Catboy
- Super Columbine Massacre RPG!
- Super Crate Box
- Super Cyborg
- Super Kiwi 64
- Super Mario 63
- Super Mario Bros. Crossover
- Super Mario Fusion Revival
- Super Mega Man 2
- Super Smash Land
- Super Rad Raygun
- Super Tanooki Skin 2D
- The Supper
- Supplice
- The Sydney Hunter series.
- Sylvie Lime
- Syobon Action
- Tanuki Justice
- Tanzer
- Tcheco in the Castle of Lucio
- Team Fortress Arcade
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
- Terraria
- Tess
- ThanksKilling Day
- They Bleed Pixels
- The Third Shift
- Thunderflash
- Thy Dungeonman
- Tick Tock Isle
- Titan Souls
- Toadette Strikes
- Today I Die
- To Do List
- To the Moon
- Touhou Mother
- TowerFall
- Tower of Greed
- Tower of Heaven
- Treasure Adventure Game
- The Treasure Hunter Man series:
- Turbo Overkill
- Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge
- ULTRAKILL
- Undertale
- UnMetal
- An Untitled Story
- VA-11 HALL-A
- Vaccine
- Valfaris
- Valkie 64
- Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider
- Venture Kid
- Verdict: Guilty!
- Vernal Edge
- Viscerafest
- Vivid
- Void Stranger
- Voxatron
- VVVVVV
- Walk
- Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
- Weebish Mines
- White Hell
- Wibble Wobble
- The Wind
- Within a Deep Forest
- Wizorb
- Wizordum
- The Wolf and the Waves
- World of Horror
- Wrack
- WRATH: Aeon of Ruin
- Xeno Crisis
- Xeodrifter
- Yes, Your Grace
- YIIK: A Post-Modern RPG
- You Have to Burn the Rope
- You Have to Win the Game
- Yuki Onna (2020)
- Yume Nikki
- Zelda Classic
- ZeroRanger
- Zortch