Summary
It might be hard to believe for gamers of a certain age, but there were consoles beforeNintendo, and thenSega, came along in the 1980s and early ’90s. Retro Games is an industry leader when it comes to giving new generations a chance to experience that era of gaming, as well as those of us who experienced it the first time around the chance to experience it again. It already has miniature versions of the Commodore 64 and Atari 400 to its name, and now it’s back with The Spectrum.
As noted byVGC’s Chris Scullion, this isn’t the first time a company has tried to revive 1982’s ZX Spectrum. This appears to be the most faithful recreation so far though, and may well be the one that finally sticks around for the long haul. What might look like little more than a retro keyboard to some at first glance will fill those who owned a ZX Spectrum with nostalgia the second they see it in the reveal trailer below. The Spectrum is unmistakably a recreation of the iconic console, and it’ll be here on June 09, 2025.
There are 48 games built-in to The Spectrum meaning you can roll back the clock and get to gaming as soon as it arrives. Included on the laundry list of titles are The Hobbit, Manic Miner, Phantis, and Football Manager 2. That’s right, theFootball Managerseries, which releases a new title each year to this very day and is more popular than ever, has technically been around since the 1980s. The series was dormant throughout most of the ’90s and revived for its current, ongoing run in 2004.
48 Games Built-In To Get You Started
If there are games from the 48 included with The Spectrum missing, unlike the original console, its 2024 version has four USB ports in which you can insert USB sticks with OG Spectrum games loaded onto them. The built-in games come with some mod-cons that weren’t afforded to gamers in the 1980s too. Four save slots per game and the ability to rewind up to 40 seconds in case you mess up and you don’t want to start over or load up a strategic save.
The Spectrum launches in the UK and Europe on July 31, 2025, and will cost £89.99. Retro Games hasn’t mentioned if the console will be released in the US, but we will update this article if a North American launch is confirmed following publication. If your retro gaming desires extend beyond the 1980s, don’t forget if you own eitherDoomorDoom 2on modern platforms,you may download both games bundled together with brand new content for free.
