"It represents 30% of our turnover": retro gaming continues to gain popularity (and revenue)

To coincide with Paris Games Week, the major video game show that kicks off this Thursday in Paris, RMC is exclusively revealing Easy Cash's retro gaming sales figures. On this second-hand marketplace, consoles and games created more than twenty years ago, such as the GameCube and Tetris, are topping the sales charts and selling increasingly well.

In 2025, sales of these products increased by 12% year-on-year on Easy Cash. General video game retailers have realized there's a market for them, like Maxxi Games in Kremlin-Bicêtre, near Paris, which we visited. This chain created a section a few years ago dedicated to vintage Nintendo consoles and classic Game Boy games.

“As a percentage, today retro games represent 30% of our turnover. The prices of the games vary depending on the condition,” explains Tep Keo, the manager.

He's showing off an authentic Game Boy console, complete with the original receipt. This 1992 console is worth between 200 and 300 euros. You can obviously find cheaper ones, but generally, these products appreciate in value over time . According to Easy Cash, a Game Boy Color that cost 65 euros in 2022 now costs 94 euros.

The typical retro gaming fan is someone between 30 and 40 years old. They are often nostalgic for their childhood or are collectors. They explain what attracts them to these products.

“It’s more for the memories it gives me because there were some excellent games when I was a kid. We got straight to the point with those games and it was cool,” says Hossam, 38.

“The people who designed these consoles, you can tell they really love video games. Now, I feel like marketing is taking over,” laments Anthony, 39.

This increase in sales does not surprise Julien Villedieu, former director general of the national video game union.

“It’s the Proustian madeleine for gamers. It reminds us of our youth, it allows us to socialize. And it’s also perhaps a way to resist the invasion of technology. Retrogaming is about very simple things, it’s about tried and tested gameplay that appeals to everyone,” he emphasized this Thursday on RMC.

But younger generations are also interested in retro gaming. RMC met Marwan, still in the same store; he's 18. Consoles from the 1990s aren't his generation, and yet he loves them.

"There's a certain style to it that's nice. Super Mario doesn't have a particular story, it's just about playing. And I like that," he emphasizes.

This passion is also passed down by parents. Joachim, 50, is a member of a retro gaming fan association, the WDA. With his 10-year-old son, Armand, he fires up an old computer from the 1990s to play vintage games, like Pac-Man. “What I like about these games is the graphics, which are different. And I like playing with my dad. But what I don't like is losing,” Armand laughs.

“When we play a video game together, I feel a bit like we’re the same age, like I’m 10 years old with him and we’re sharing things. And it’s also a way to show them what it was like before, it’s a rich part of our heritage,” his father emphasizes.

According to Florent Gorges, a video game historian and author of several books on the subject, there will always be fans, and even more and more of them.

“It’s a phenomenon that can be considered slippery. With each new generation of consoles, there is a generation that will be considered retro. So, depending on the age at which you started playing video games, you are likely to fall into retrogaming,” he emphasizes.

And this retro gaming, which is a huge hit, obviously occupies an entire space dedicated to Paris Games Week, which opens its doors this Thursday.