The Best Retro Handhelds We’ve Tested for 2026

This is one of the best-designed retro gaming handhelds, and one of the “purest.” The device is effectively a combination of the Game Boy/Game Boy Color/Game Boy Advance systems, but with an incredibly sharp OLED screen, fantastic build quality, and plenty of expandability, including a dock that lets you output video to a TV. It’s first and foremost a cartridge-based handheld, letting you play Game Boy games, along with other libraries (Game Gear, PC Engine, Lynx, Neo Geo Pocket) with adapters.

Game Boy die-hards: Out of the box, the Analogue Pocket is the best handheld for playing physical Game Boy games, offering a superior visual experience that replaces the original Game Boy and Game Boy Advance systems.

Developers: The Analogue Pocket’s OpenFPGA development platform makes the handheld appealing to homebrewers who want to see what they can create using new hardware that behaves like classic hardware.

Asus’ newest handheld PC sees some welcome design improvements, particularly its big, gamepad-like grips. It’s loaded with storage and power, packing a Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, so it won’t have problems playing your favorite classic games, whether they’re ports or emulated. And, as a Windows 11 device, it can run many new PC games.

PC gamers who value ergonomics: The Asus ROG Ally X is for people who want to play retro titles from GOG, Steam, and other game stores while enjoying a large, comfortable gamepad.

Xbox fans: In addition, the Asus ROG Ally X’s Xbox overlay makes it easier to access your newer games than on the standard Windows 11 desktop, without compromising compatibility.

The Switch 2 has all the flexibility of the original Switch as both a home game console and a handheld, and can play all the retro games the Switch can. With a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, you can play GameCube games on the go—a retro library exclusive to the Switch 2.

People who dig mouse-based games: The Switch 2’s Joy-Con controllers have a mouse mode, allowing you to accurately play specific SNES classics, such as Mario Paint and Mario & Wario.

Gamers who want to play their Switch retro titles on a TV: The Switch 2 is pricey, but it offers the full Switch experience. So, you can play your favorite retro titles in your hands or on a TV (unlike the Switch Lite).

The original Nintendo Switch might have been replaced by the Switch 2, but it’s still an excellent, flexible game system that can run many retro games. Of those models, the Switch Lite, its handheld-only variant, is best for retro gaming. At $229.99, it’s nearly half the price of the Switch 2, and it can play almost every classic game that the Switch 2 can. With Nintendo Switch Online ($20 per year), you get dozens of NES, Super NES, and Game Boy games to play on the system—and that’s only the start. Another $30 for the Expansion Pass adds Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance games to the list. You can also buy many classic Nintendo and Sega arcade titles, a surprising number of classic PC games, and nearly every Neo Geo game ever made, a la carte.

Budget-minded Nintendo fans: In this age of expensive gaming hardware, the $229.99 Switch Lite is practically a bargain. It’s $220 cheaper than the Switch 2, but it has enough muscle to run nearly everything in the Switch family’s retro catalog.

No-hassle classic gaming: The Switch Lite is the most accessible portable gaming device currently available, with loads of games beyond just retro options. Nintendo Switch Online’s classic game libraries put some of the best retro games at your fingertips, each emulated system in its own neat little app, all for a single subscription.

Valve’s OLED Steam Deck is aging a bit, but it’s still a capable handheld PC built around the Steam store. And the Steam store has lots of classic games that don’t need much power. The Steam Deck’s also one of the cheapest handheld PCs, and it features an excellent OLED screen.

Gamers with huge Steam libraries: The Steam Deck is a great pick if you have many Steam games, thanks to SteamOS, which provides a gamepad-friendly interface that clearly shows which titles work well on the handheld. However, if you want to play retro titles outside of what’s available on Steam, you must be comfortable making software modifications (either wrestling with Linux or installing a Windows partition). There’s still enough power in the device to make it worthwhile, though.

Lenovo’s flagship Legion Go 2 keeps its predecessor’s Nintendo Switch-like hybrid design, with removable side controllers and a kickstand, but rounds out the previously chunky gamepad grips and significantly bumps up the power via an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip. That makes it a terrific handheld gaming PC for playing retro games purchased from GOG, Steam, and other marketplaces. Plus, classic titles will look superb on its OLED display.

PC gamers who want fast performance and more flexibility: You can play any handheld gaming PC on your TV with the right cable. However, only the Legion Go series has detachable controllers, so you can play retro titles in docked mode without buying another gamepad. And you’ll love the OLED screen and high frame rates when you’re in handheld or tabletop mode.