Talking Point: How Do You Play NES Games These Days?

The NES — specifically the Nintendo Entertainment System, not the Famicom — celebrates its 40th anniversary today.

The console’s staggered introduction throughout the US renders its debut a fragmented event compared to the coordinated, global releases we are accustomed to currently. Yet, four decades prior, the initial units were sold in the United States, and Western gamers began enjoying their gaming experience.

Europe experienced similarly fragmented launches in the subsequent years. Mario became a recognizable figure there as well, even though the NES didn’t achieve the same monumental success across the ocean, where SEGA had a more prominent presence.

Nevertheless, with such a robust collection from Nintendo itself, along with third-party giants like Capcom and Konami providing excellent titles while the British development studio Rare established itself as a key Nintendo ally, the grey-brick-console captured significant mindshare regardless. You couldn’t experience Mario on a Mega Drive, could you?

Over the decades, the NES has maintained a dominant presence in the retro gaming realm, largely due to a blend of indisputable excellence, the console’s impressive sales figures, and the immense nostalgia tied to a system that many individuals cherished as children. But is that nostalgia starting to wane? Is this platform’s substantial mindshare being eroded by the passage of time?

As years go by, new gamers emerge, and there now exists a generation of video-game-enthusiast parents for whom the Nintendo Entertainment System wasn’t a pivotal console. When their children rummage through storage, they won’t discover a forgotten NES along with a stash of worn-out cardboard boxes hidden at the back. Inquiring about this monumental 40-year-old device may very well prompt puzzled expressions these days, even among Nintendo aficionados. Do you possess any NES cartridges in your collection? How many of you readers were even born in 1985?

Naturally, over a prolonged timeline, engagement and excitement diminish. Not respect – there remains an abundance of that. It would be disingenuous to overlook the monumental influence of the console and its library. However, actual fans who hold genuine fondness for the NES? It appears they might be diminishing – at least if the amiable indifference exhibited by those I’ve questioned in anticipation of the 40th anniversary is any indication!

With countless video games available and the extensive history of the medium to explore, it’s no surprise passions are shifting as the medium matures. Anyone gatekeeping or disparaging younger gamers who — tsk — haven’t explored the original Super Mario Bros. before Wonder, or who consider the DS as their first Nintendo, needs a good talking to.

The NES is potentially the most analyzed and discussed console in video game history. Every five years since the start of the new millennium, we’ve witnessed retrospectives and generational deep dives across various media outlets. Haven’t we already explored this on the 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, and 35th anniversaries!?

Well, maybe. However, as we progress, there’s always value in reflecting on our past – and it has never been simpler to sample the 8-bit era. This vintage is currently being savored, so pour on, garçon!

Looking at the official avenues for playing NES games in 2025, there’s certainly room for enhancement, but Nintendo is effectively highlighting its 8-bit library with a 79-title selection of both first- and third-party games on Nintendo Switch Online, ranging from classics to oddities to Somebody snagged an inexpensive license, hmm? to Urban Champion.

For some of us, however, the fear of access being suddenly revoked — which has occurred with one Super NES title at the moment — makes us hesitant to depend on subscription services like NSO for access.

Fortunately, there are innumerable options available to play NES games 40 years later. Perhaps you’re enjoying an NES Classic Mini conveniently placed beneath the television. Maybe you’ve opted for the MiSTer method or acquired an Analogue NT or another FPGA console – or perhaps a basic clone console. Heck, you can even play these titles in a web browser nowadays. (I’d argue they deserve better than that, but naturally, that’s my opinion.)

Or do you — shocker — still play on your original console? Have you ventured down the retro path and invested the cost of a PS5 Pro in a remarkable upscaling setup?

Or have you simply not been playing NES games lately?

No judgments here! We’re just eager to gauge your preferred method of enjoying Nintendo’s 8-bit offerings in 2025. Share your thoughts in the poll below, and join Team NL in wishing Nintendo’s little (read: actually quite substantial) grey console the happiest of birthdays. Why not celebrate retro style this weekend, hmm?

*goes and turns on UFO 50*

Close enough. Look, GOTY’s approaching, you know!? Tick tock.