The Best Budget Retro Gaming Handhelds Under 70$
Updated June 2025
Back in early 2023 when I got my first retro handheld, the Miyoo Mini Plus, there were already quite a few options to choose from when it came to affordable emulation consoles. This task has only gotten more difficult, with many companies competing in this space and releasing dozens of new handhelds each year. The good news is that, generally speaking, prices have been going down (excluding tariffs and shipping fees), while overall quality has been improving.
Nowadays, emulators for older retro consoles require very little processing power. NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and anything older can run on basically any modern chipset. Even Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 1 titles are easy to emulate and run smoothly on most devices. Dreamcast and PlayStation Portable is where a bit more power is required, but all handhelds on this list can handle them competently, even the cheaper options.
The price bracket of 50 to 100 dollars is, in my opinion, where you get the most bang for your buck. Without the need for power-hungry and heavy internals, these devices can focus on being portable, affordable and, well, fun! Here's a list of the ones I think are most worth your time and money. You just have to think about which games you want to play and which form factor suits you best.
Quick List:
- Best Overall:
- Best for Beginners:
- Best Widescreen:
- Best 1:1 Aspect Ratio :
- Best Clamshell Budget:
- Best Under 40$:
- Best Tiny:
1. The Best Budget Retro Handheld Overall:
Pros
- Build quality feels premium
- Well-lit screen
- Amazing price to performance ratio
- More...
Cons
- May Heat up noticeably during heavy play
- 3.2” screen might be too small for some
2. The Best Budget Retro Handheld for Beginners:
Pros
- Colors look great on this screen
- Good community support, multiple CFWs available
- Small device, very pocketable
- More...
Cons
- No Bluetooth
3. The Best Widescreen Budget Retro Handheld:
Pros
- Amazing price to performance ratio
- Good community support, multiple CFWs available
- Access to some PC ports with PortMaster
- More...
Cons
- Black bars when playing older retro systems
- No L3/R3 (button presses on analog sticks aren't mapped to anything)
- Not powerfull enough for higher end emulation
4. The Best Budget Retro Handheld with a 1:1 Aspect Screen Ratio:
Pros
- Amazing price to performance ratio
- Good community support, multiple CFWs available
- The square screen is perfect for Game Boy, NES, SNES, Pico-8...
- More...
Cons
- Not powerfull enough for higher end emulation
5. The Best Clamshell Budget Retro Handheld:
Pros
- Amazing price to performance ratio
- Good community support, multiple CFWs available
- Can be connected to a larger display
- More...
Cons
- Device can feel bulky
6. Best Retro Handheld Under 40$:
7. The Best Tiny Retro Handheld:
Pros
- Premium-feeling metal shell
- Tiny device, extremely pocketable
Cons
- No Wi-fi (no retro achievements, box art scraping, file transfer etc...)
- 2.4” screen might be too small for some
- No Bluetooth
