Video Game Consoles

The 10 best video game consoles and systems of all time

Our feature list, built from Retro Gamer reader votes, running from number 10 down through the top of the chart.

1. 10. Nintendo SwitchHybrid hardware that works as both a handheld and a home console.
2. 9. Atari LynxEarly colour handheld with ambitious technical design for its era.
3. 8. Amstrad CPC 464Home computer with a built-in cassette deck and a vast software library.
4. 7. Nintendo 3DSStereo 3D handheld that expanded the Nintendo DS line.
5. 6. The new sony PSPPortable PlayStation hardware with a wide multimedia feature set.
6. 5. Neo-Geo AESHome version of the arcade heavyweight, famous for its 4MB of cartridge RAM.
7. 4. PC EngineCompact Japanese console that was small, powerful and hard to get hold of.

The full list continues with the remaining three entries in the article, including the Xbox.

Video game consoles remain one of the most discussed corners of gaming culture, and this section is dedicated to the hardware that frames how every session feels. From the early home era of living-room machines through to today's modern hybrid systems, each console generation introduces its own rhythm of play. The coverage mixes retro classics with current-generation hardware, so readers can look back at the systems that defined childhood living rooms while also tracking what is new on the shelf right now.

Alongside the written reviews, this console hub builds ranked lists of the greatest systems ever made, drawing on community opinion and reader favourites rather than official rankings. Votes from dedicated players help shape which entries climb the list and which fall away, giving the feature a distinctly crowd-sourced character. Readers who grew up with cartridge-based hardware can weigh in alongside those whose first memories are of disc-based consoles, creating a genuine cross-generational conversation about design, library, and longevity.

Reviews and gaming news fill out the same space, so console discussion is never limited to specification sheets. Coverage touches on how a machine handles shooters, single-player adventures, and multiplayer chaos, and how new titles transform the feel of older hardware. Multiplayer shooters, military simulation experiments, and story-driven worlds all show up in the wider gaming coverage on the site, tying console choices back to the games, events, and community experiences that surround them for real players.