Retro Rewind is the video store sim we did not know we were waiting for. Running the counter, building the shop of our dreams and soaking in the early 90s never got old, and while the money comes in slowly and there is no way to speed up the day, any fan of sim and management games should buy it, full price and all.
We bought our own copy on Steam. We played about 20 hours on PC, running Windows 11 with an Intel Core i7-12700KF, an RTX 3060 Ti and 32 GB of RAM.
Retro Rewind: Video Store Simulator is developed and published by Blood Pact Studios, which the studio says is just two developers who spent nearly two years on the game. It launched on Steam on March 17, 2026, as a full release, not Early Access, and costs $19.90 at full price. Within days, the studio announced that more than 100,000 copies had sold, and it promised that every update after launch would be free.
Running the Store Is the Heart of It
The core of Retro Rewind is the day-to-day work of a neighborhood rental shop. You check out rentals at the register, check returned tapes back into the system, rewind them, set aside reservations, charge late and broken fees, and sell snacks at the counter, all while customers wander the aisles and ask for help.
It sounds like a list of chores, and in a way it is, but running the store is the part we loved most. If you have enjoyed other games where you run a business from behind the counter, this is that fantasy done with real care.
Building the Video Store of Your Dreams
The other half of the fun is the store itself. You customize the walls and floors, hang posters and memorabilia, and expand the layout as the business grows, from a cramped little shop into a proper rental destination. Decorating and expanding never stopped being fun for us, and watching the place fill out is a big part of what kept us coming back for another day.
Hiring staff makes a real difference here too. Once we had employees handling daily tasks, the store ran more smoothly and the grind of doing every job ourselves eased off, which freed us up for the building and decorating we enjoyed most.
Thousands of Tapes, Every Cover Drawn by Hand
Retro Rewind gets the nostalgia exactly right. The shelves fill with thousands of movies and video games, and Blood Pact Studios says each one has its own title, genre and hand-drawn cover art. You order stock on the store’s old PC, and every week brings new releases inspired by real hits of the 80s and 90s. The covers and the weekly new releases were one of our favorite parts, and they do as much as anything to sell the feeling of walking into a real video store on a Friday night.
Then there is the Tape Dealer, a shady character who sells exclusive bootleg films out the back. It is a small touch, but it is exactly the kind of detail that makes the world feel lived in, and it gives you a reason to look forward to his visits.
Seasons, Weather and Holidays
The calendar in the back office does a lot of quiet work. Retro Rewind plays through all four seasons, the environment changes around the store as they turn, and each season brings its own holidays and festivals. The weather and the time of year also change what customers want to rent; the developer’s own description warns that rainy Friday nights are crazy busy. That variety helps break up the routine and gives each week its own shape.
Where It Drags: Slow Money and No Fast-Forward
For all that we loved it, Retro Rewind does get repetitive. The daily loop is the heart of the game, and after many hours it starts to feel the same from one day to the next.
The bigger problem for us is the pace. Earning money is slow, very slow, and there is no fast-forward to move the day along while you wait for customers or save up for the next upgrade. As fans of sim, management and tycoon games who like to play at full speed, that was the roughest spot in the whole game for us. If you are the kind of player who lives on the fast-forward button in other tycoon games, go in knowing that Retro Rewind asks for patience.
Still Growing With Free Updates
Blood Pact Studios has kept its promise of free updates. The Repair Desk update in May let you fix broken tapes, a June update added VHS player rentals and four new store levels, and the Video Game Rental Update on November 5 added two consoles to rent, the Super Tenko and the Saga Origin, with thousands of games, 16 new video game releases and a new Tech Shed electronics store in town. Small patches keep arriving between the big updates.
Performance: Smooth on Our PC
Retro Rewind is built on Unreal Engine, and on our PC it ran smoothly from start to finish. We had no frame rate problems at any point in our 20 hours.
Stability: No Bugs
Stability was just as good. We did not run into a single bug. The developer ships small patches regularly to fix issues that players report, so it is clearly keeping an eye on problems, but we never hit one ourselves.
Should You Buy Retro Rewind?
Buy it if you love sim and management games. At $19.90 it is worth full price to any fan of the genre, and doubly so if you remember the video store down the street. If you liked our other favorite tycoon of the year, Car Park Capital, Retro Rewind scratches a similar itch from behind a rental counter.
Know before you buy that it is a slow burn. If you need a fast-forward button to enjoy a management game, the pace may test you.
It sits comfortably beside the best of the year: our best cozy games of 2026 and best PC games of 2026 lists are full of games for the same mood, and if you want a bigger management game to sink into next, our Planet Zoo guides and Car Park Capital guides are good places to start.
The verdict
What we loved
- Running the store, from the counter to the shelves, is a joy
- Decorating and expanding the shop never stopped being fun
- Pitch-perfect early 90s video store nostalgia
- Hand-drawn covers and weekly new releases that riff on real 80s and 90s hits
- The shady Tape Dealer and the turning seasons keep each week interesting
- Hiring staff takes the chores off your hands
- Ran smoothly on our PC, with no bugs
What we did not
- The daily loop gets repetitive
- Earning money is very slow
- No fast-forward to speed up the day
The video store sim we always wanted: running the counter, building out the shop and soaking in the early 90s never got old for us. Money comes in slowly and there is no fast-forward, but any sim or management fan should buy it at full price.
How we review games explains what our scores mean. Retro Rewind earns its 5 by doing exactly what it promises, better than we hoped: it is a lovingly made video store you will want to keep running, slow money and all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Retro Rewind worth it? Yes, if you enjoy sim and management games. We scored it 5/5 after about 20 hours on PC, and it is worth its $19.90 full price, though the slow money and lack of a fast-forward will test impatient players.
Is Retro Rewind in Early Access? No. Retro Rewind: Video Store Simulator launched as a full release on Steam on March 17, 2026, and Blood Pact Studios says all of its post-launch updates are free.
Does Retro Rewind have a fast-forward or time skip? No. There is no way to speed up the day, which is our biggest complaint about the game.
Can you rent video games in Retro Rewind? Yes. The Video Game Rental Update on November 5, 2026, added two consoles, the Super Tenko and the Saga Origin, along with thousands of games to rent.
Is Retro Rewind on PS5, Xbox, Switch or Mac? No. Retro Rewind is on Windows PC through Steam, and Blood Pact Studios has not announced console or Mac versions.
Does Retro Rewind have multiplayer? No. Retro Rewind is a single-player game, though every movie and video game has a SKU code you can share with friends so they can order it for their own store.