Welcome to Retro Games Online
Retro Games Online is a free, browser-based retro gaming directory and editorial reference dedicated to documenting and discussing classic video games from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Visitors can browse organized catalogs, read game descriptions, view release information, and discover titles by platform, genre, publisher, developer, or year — all in a clean, ad-light, mobile-friendly interface.
Our Mission
Classic video games are a living part of digital history. Countless titles from the Nintendo, Sega, Atari, and arcade eras shaped the games people still love today, yet many of them grow harder to find or reference each year as original hardware ages, magazines disappear, and second-hand markets fragment. Our mission is to provide a curated, well-organized, educationally useful reference about these titles — their developers, publishers, release context, gameplay mechanics, and cultural footprint — while respecting the creators and rights holders who built this legacy.
What You'll Find Here
- Thousands of catalog entries organized by platform — NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Game Gear, PlayStation, NEC TurboGrafx, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx, Atari Jaguar, Arcade, MSX, Neo Geo Pocket, WonderSwan and more.
- Editorial pages for each title with original written summaries, control references, frequently asked questions, and related-game recommendations.
- Browsing by platform, genre, publisher, developer, and release year — so you can explore eras, studios, or specific systems.
- Documented content types — we mark official releases separately from ROM hacks, mods, prototypes, homebrew, fan games, and translations so you always know what you are reading about.
- Editorial transparency — our content sourcing and verification approach is documented in our Editorial Policy.
How It Works (Technical Model)
Retro Games Online does not host, store, or distribute any game ROM files, BIOS files, copyrighted
software, or proprietary game assets on its servers. Our website is a static editorial directory built with
PHP, MySQL, and standard web technologies. When a visitor clicks a game page, the optional playable preview is loaded
entirely from independent third-party emulator services via iframe — we do not
stream, mirror, cache, or relay any game files ourselves.
Every page is primarily editorial content (descriptions, controls, FAQ, related games). The embedded emulator window is provided for convenience and historical reference. If you represent a rights holder and would like content related to a specific title removed from our catalog, please see our DMCA / Copyright page for the formal takedown process — we typically respond within 48 hours.
Our Editorial Approach
Game metadata, descriptions, and how-to-play guides combine community-sourced information with editorial curation. We write original summaries for each title rather than reproducing publisher marketing copy, and we mark hack/mod/homebrew titles distinctly from official releases. For full details on how we research, write, and verify game content, please see our Editorial Policy.
Respecting Creators & Rights Holders
We take copyright, trademark, and creator attribution seriously. All game titles, characters, logos, console names, publisher names, and box art referenced on this site are trademarks of their respective owners and are used in good faith for purposes of identification, discussion, and historical cataloging only. Official releases are attributed to their original publishers (Nintendo, Konami, Sega, Capcom, etc.), and fan-made content is clearly marked with its creator or team when known.
If you represent a rights holder and believe content on this site should be removed or revised, please review our DMCA / Copyright page for the formal takedown process. Valid takedown requests are processed within 48 hours.
Get in Touch
Have a broken page, a correction, a suggestion, or a thank you? We read every message. Visit our Contact page to send us a note.
Disclaimer: Retro Games Online is an independent editorial project run by retro gaming enthusiasts. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or associated in any way with Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Atari, NEC, Capcom, Konami, Microsoft, or any other publisher, developer, or platform holder mentioned on this site. All trademarks and copyrights are property of their respective owners. This site is intended for editorial, educational, and historical reference purposes.