Your first month of retro game collecting
Most beginners buy the wrong thing first and spend the next month untangling it. Here's the order that actually makes sense: system, display, cleaning, then collecting.
By Colin B. · Published June 6, 2026
Photo by Joss Broward on Unsplash
Retro gaming has a beginner problem. There are decades of forums, YouTube rabbit holes, and collector lore between you and the thing you actually want to do, which is sit on a couch and play a 30-year-old game that you remember or always meant to play. This guide cuts straight to the practical stuff: what to do first, in what order, and what to ignore until month two.
Week one: Pick a system, one system
Before you buy anything, decide which era and which console. This is the decision most beginners skip, and it’s why they end up with a pile of games across five platforms and no real collection of anything.
The honest framework:
16-bit (SNES or Genesis, 1989-1996) is where most people should start. The libraries are enormous, hardware is cheap and reliable, common games cost $5-20 at thrift stores, and the games hold up genuinely well. SNES leans toward RPGs, platformers, and Nintendo exclusives. Genesis has a broader action library and more sports titles. Neither is wrong. Pick the one whose exclusives interest you more and start there.
5th generation (PlayStation 1, 1994-2000) is the other strong entry. The PS1 library is massive and games are still cheap. A lot of people start here because it’s the first console they remember as kids.
N64 is a trap for budget-conscious beginners. Hardware is plentiful, but the game prices have climbed sharply. Common titles cost $30-50 where comparable SNES or Genesis games cost $10-15.
6th generation (PS2, GameCube, Dreamcast) is a valid entry if you grew up with those systems. PS2 has the largest library of any console ever made. The tradeoff is that these systems are recent enough that thrift stores haven’t flooded with them yet, so you’re mostly shopping eBay at market prices.
Once you’ve picked your system, your next job is to find the hardware locally before you spend Amazon money on it. Facebook Marketplace, Goodwill, local game stores, and garage sales will get you a working console for $30-60. Amazon will charge you twice that for a third-party listing. Check PriceCharting before you buy anything to know what it’s actually worth.
Week two: Solve the display problem
Retro consoles output analog video signals. Your TV wants HDMI. Connecting them is a one-time decision that shapes how every game looks for as long as you keep the hobby, so it’s worth doing right.
The options, from simplest to best:
Pound Technology HDMI Link Cable (~$25): If you bought a SNES, N64, or GameCube, start here. It’s a single cable that plugs into the console and outputs HDMI with noticeably better image quality than composite adapters. Zero configuration required.
Generic composite-to-HDMI adapter (~$15): If your console only outputs composite (the yellow/red/white cables), this is the $15 box that gets you playing. The image is soft and colors bleed a little. It’s fine for getting started; you’ll upgrade when it bothers you enough.
RetroTink-5X Pro (~$250): This is what the community converged on as the best all-around upscaler. It accepts every signal type, outputs 1080p, adds correct scanline emulation, and has near-zero input lag. The image is indistinguishable from a good CRT at normal viewing distance. Don’t buy it in week two. Buy it after six months when you know you’re committed.
The CRT option is real and genuinely excellent. Original hardware looks exactly right on a CRT: zero input lag, correct aspect ratio, natural scanlines, no configuration. Free or nearly free CRTs appear constantly on Facebook Marketplace. The tradeoff is size, weight, and the fact that you need a second TV in your setup. Revisit this option after month one.
Week three: Learn to clean before you play
Every cartridge you buy used is dirty. Not dirty as in cosmetically rough, but dirty as in the contact strip at the bottom of the cart has oxidation, dust, and 30 years of skin oils on it. Dirty contacts cause games to not load, crash mid-play, or show garbled graphics. This isn’t the cartridge failing; it’s the connection failing.
The fix is a cotton swab and 99.9% isopropyl alcohol. Not 70% from the pharmacy. Not rubbing alcohol. 99.9% IPA, which evaporates completely and leaves no residue.
The cleaning process takes 30 seconds:
- Dip a cotton swab in IPA.
- Rub it firmly across the contact strip at the bottom of the cart, both sides.
- Let it dry for 30 seconds.
- Try the game.
This fixes the vast majority of games that seem broken. Before you conclude a game is dead, clean it twice with fresh swabs. It’s remarkable how often “broken” carts are just filthy.
For stubborn contacts on controller ports and cartridge slots, DeoxIT D5 is the next level up. It chemically removes oxidation that IPA can’t touch. Use it sparingly (a tiny drop) and follow it with an IPA wipe to remove excess.
Week four: Start collecting with intention
You have a working console, a display solution, and a cleaning kit. Now you can actually start hunting.
A few things that make the first month’s buying better:
Set a price ceiling before you walk in the door. PriceCharting updates daily with completed eBay sales. Before any thrift run, know what the titles you’re looking for should cost. Thrift stores are increasingly aware of game prices; don’t assume a thrift store price is automatically a deal.
Loose cartridges over complete-in-box to start. A complete-in-box (CIB) copy of a common SNES game costs 3-5x what the cartridge alone costs. The box and manual don’t change how the game plays. Build your playing library in loose carts first; collect boxed copies of games that matter to you specifically later.
Learn to spot reproductions. Reproduction carts are copies of games on replacement PCBs, sold as original. They’re not inherently bad (many people use them deliberately), but you shouldn’t pay original prices for them. The tells: regular Phillips screws instead of tri-wing screws on Nintendo carts, bare green PCB with no chip markings when you open it, and label printing that looks slightly off in color or font. For expensive games ($30+), open it before paying.
Join the community. r/gamecollecting’s weekly haul threads calibrate your expectations for what games cost in different regions. People post their finds with prices; you learn quickly what’s a deal and what isn’t. The sub also has active trade threads if you want to move duplicates.
What month two looks like
If you’ve made it through a month with one console, a working display setup, and a small collection of games you actually want to play, you’re no longer a beginner. A few things will start calling to you in month two:
An Everdrive or flash cart. These load an entire system’s library from an SD card on original hardware. Immensely useful for exploring the full library before committing to specific games. Wait until you know the system well enough to have opinions.
RGB video output. Once you’ve seen what a good upscaler does to a 16-bit game, composite video looks noticeably worse. The RetroTink-5X is the community standard for a reason; buy it when the image quality genuinely bothers you.
A second system. After a month with SNES, Genesis starts sounding interesting. This is the natural progression. Just make sure you’ve built a real collection on system one before splitting your attention.
Ready to buy gear? See our retro gaming collecting guide for specific product recommendations on upscalers, controllers, cleaning supplies, and storage solutions.