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Who Actually Publishes New Retro Games: A Guide to Homebrew Labels

Q: Where do I buy new retro cartridges?

Directly from the publishers own online stores. Almost none of this is sold through Amazon or normal retailers. Many individual developers also sell cartridge runs from their own itch.io pages, which is usually the cheapest route.

2026-08-31 · Buyer's guide · Updated 2026-08-31

Once you notice that new games are still being made for the NES, the Game Boy and the Mega Drive, the next question is who is making them.

The answer is a scattering of small labels, most of them run by a handful of people, operating something like independent record labels. Developers make the games. The label handles manufacturing, packaging, distribution and the unglamorous business of ordering three thousand plastic shells.

This guide covers who they are, what each does well, and the practical business of buying from them, which is less straightforward than buying from a normal shop.

The Landscape At A Glance

Publisher	Systems	Known for	Price range
ModRetro	Game Boy, GBC	Licensed classics with modern conveniences	$29.99–$99.99
Incube8 Games	Game Boy, GBC	Indie originals, strong curation	$30–$50
Mega Cat Studios	NES, SNES, Genesis	Volume and range across systems	$40–$65
Bitmap Bureau	Genesis, multi	Arcade action, very high polish	$50–$75
Broke Studio	NES, Famicom	Production quality, French label	$45–$60
Piko Interactive	SNES, Genesis, more	Unreleased commercial era games	$50–$70
Limited Run Games	Various	Periodic retro cartridge runs	Varies
Second Dimension	NES	Lower prices, plainer packaging	$25–$40
Neofid Studios	Genesis	Large scale action RPGs	$60–$80
itch.io developer stores	All	Direct from creator, cheapest	$25–$40

The Game Boy Labels

ModRetro is the most visible name in the Game Boy space, partly because it also manufactures the Chromatic handheld. Its catalogue has grown past 20 cartridges, split between original games and licensed re releases of classics like Earthworm Jim and Rayman 2 Forever at $44.99.

What sets it apart is that the licensed titles add modern conveniences. Earthworm Jim ships with auto save and level select, which the 1990s original badly needed. Every release includes a printed colour manual, a collectible box and a charm.

The recurring complaint is stock. Most of the catalogue is sold out most of the time.

ModRetro sells through its own store and GameStop. Not an affiliate link.

Incube8 Games has been publishing physical Game Boy cartridges since 2021 and is largely responsible for turning Game Boy homebrew from a download into a product. Its catalogue includes Deadeus, a well regarded horror game with 11 endings.

Its Lite imprint is worth knowing about: cartridge only, no box or manual, lower price and shorter lead times. If you want the game rather than the shelf presentation, that is the cheaper door.

Incube8 sells direct at incube8games.com. Not an affiliate link.

Our new Game Boy cartridges guide covers this scene in full.

The Nintendo Console Labels

Mega Cat Studios does the most volume across the widest range, publishing for NES, SNES and Genesis. It opened 2026 with three cartridges launched on a single day in January. It manufactures and distributes in house, which makes it one of the more reliable places to actually find stock.

Mega Cat sells direct at megacatstudios.com. Not an affiliate link.

Broke Studio publishes NES and Famicom cartridges from France with production values at the top of the scene. Twin Dragons is the title most people know.

Second Dimension has been quietly producing NES homebrew and translations for years at lower prices with simpler packaging. A good place to look if the $50 boxed releases are more than you want to spend.

Piko Interactive does something different from everyone else here. It acquires the rights to games finished or nearly finished during the commercial era and never released, then produces them as cartridges. These are lost commercial games rather than fan projects, which is fascinating, though quality varies since some were cancelled for good reasons.

Details on both scenes in our new NES games and new SNES games guides.

The Sega Labels

Bitmap Bureau is the standard bearer for Genesis homebrew, and Xeno Crisis is the game most often used to prove that homebrew can match commercial quality. It operates separate UK and EU shops, sells multi region cartridges, and also sells ROM downloads of its own games directly.

Neofid Studios produces larger scale Genesis titles, with Demons of Asteborg being an action RPG of a scope that is unusual for the format.

Big Evil Corporation made Tanglewood on original Mega Drive hardware using period tooling, which remains one of the more remarkable production stories in the scene.

Full coverage in our new Genesis games guide.

Limited Run Games And The Bigger Operators

Limited Run Games occasionally produces retro cartridges as part of a much larger physical release business. Availability is exactly what the name implies. These are tied to specific announcement windows rather than being permanently stocked, and they sell out quickly.

They are worth following if you want a specific announced title. They are not a place to browse for retro cartridges generally.

The Cheapest Tier: Developer Stores

The most overlooked option, and often the best value.

A great many homebrew developers arrange their own small cartridge runs and sell them directly, usually from the same itch.io page hosting the digital version. No label, no distributor, no markup.

What you get: lower prices, direct support to the person who made the game, and frequently the option to buy digitally for a few dollars instead.

What you give up: plainer packaging, longer shipping times, and no customer service department. You are buying from one person who is also the programmer.

This is where the bargains are, and it is where you should look first if you have a specific game in mind rather than a specific system.

How To Actually Buy: The Practical Bit

Six things that will save you frustration.

1. Everything is limited, and everything restocks. Publishers make a batch, sell it, and reorder when they can. The scarcity is real but usually temporary. If a title is sold out, it is likely to return without a published schedule.

2. Follow the publishers, not the storefronts. These labels announce restocks and new titles on their own channels. There is no aggregated marketplace covering the whole scene.

3. Buying direct is normal here. Almost none of this appears on Amazon. You will be ordering from a dozen different small shops, and that is simply how the scene works.

4. Factor in international shipping. Bitmap Bureau is UK based, Broke Studio is French, and others ship from the US. Shipping and customs can add meaningfully to the price.

5. Check the digital option first. Most publishers sell a ROM download alongside the cartridge for a fraction of the price. Combined with a flash cart, that is a much cheaper way to play on original hardware.

6. Resale is not a reliable investment. Sold out runs hold value inconsistently, and publishers restock more often than the scarcity messaging implies.

The Flash Cart Alternative

If you want to play widely rather than collect, one flash cart per system beats buying cartridges.

EverDrive Flash Carts

Combined with buying digital versions directly from developers, this gets you the games on original hardware and the developer still gets paid. Our flash cart guide compares options per system.

A Note On What We Cover

Every publisher here sells legitimately licensed or original games, and every purchase route we describe pays the people who made the work. That is the whole appeal of this corner of retro gaming, and it is why homebrew is the cleanest thing to write about in this hobby.

We only cover playing games you own and supporting preservation. We do not link to or discuss ROM download sites. Buying a ROM download from the developer who made the game is an entirely different thing, and one we encourage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who publishes new retro console games?

A dozen or so small labels. ModRetro and Incube8 Games handle Game Boy, Mega Cat Studios covers NES, SNES and Genesis, Bitmap Bureau and Neofid focus on Genesis, Broke Studio and Second Dimension publish NES, and Piko Interactive produces unreleased commercial era titles.

Where do I buy new retro cartridges?

Directly from the publishers' own online stores. Almost none of this is sold through Amazon or normal retailers. Many individual developers also sell cartridge runs from their own itch.io pages, which is usually the cheapest route.

Why is everything always sold out?

These are limited manufacturing runs. Making cartridges means ordering PCBs, shells, labels, boxes and manuals in fixed quantities, so publishers produce a batch, sell it, and reorder later. Most titles restock eventually, but rarely on a published schedule.

What is the cheapest way to play new homebrew games?

Buy the digital version directly from the developer, which most publishers offer for a fraction of the cartridge price, then play it on a flash cart on original hardware or on an emulation handheld. The developer still gets paid.

Which homebrew publisher is best?

It depends on the system. Bitmap Bureau has the highest quality ceiling on Genesis, ModRetro has the most polished Game Boy packaging, Mega Cat has the widest range across systems, and itch.io developer stores offer the best value.

Do homebrew cartridges work on original hardware?

Yes. These are standard cartridges for their systems, not a proprietary format. Check region compatibility for NES and SNES titles. Genesis homebrew is often sold as multi region, which avoids the problem entirely.

Is buying homebrew legal?

Completely. These are original games sold by the people who made them, or licensed re releases produced with rights holder permission. Homebrew is the most legally straightforward part of retro gaming, which is why creators frequently give the digital versions away.