TIC-80 is a fantasy computer where you can make, play and share tiny games. Comes with built-in tools for development: code, sprites, maps, sound editors and a command line.




LowRes NX is described as 'Simulated retro game console which can be programmed in the classic BASIC language. Make your own retro games on a virtual game console. Create sprites, tile maps, sound and music with the included tools' and is a game development tool in the education & reference category. There are more than 25 alternatives to LowRes NX for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Web-based and Self-Hosted apps. The best LowRes NX alternative is TIC-80, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like LowRes NX are Mini Micro, PICO-8, Pixel Vision 8 and Usagi Engine.
TIC-80 is a fantasy computer where you can make, play and share tiny games. Comes with built-in tools for development: code, sprites, maps, sound editors and a command line.




Mini Micro is an easy-to-learn environment for game programming, all based on MiniScript, a new language explicitly designed to be simple, syntax-light, and easy to use while still having all the power and expressiveness you need.






Pixel Vision 8 is a platform that standardizes 8-bit fantasy console limitations built on top of an open source C# SDK. Developers can customize these restrictions to match actual legacy hardware or create something new. It is ideal for game jams, prototyping ideas or having fun.




Usagi is a 2D game engine for making pixel art games in Lua 5.5. It features live reload, single-command cross-platform export, and a pause menu with input remapping built in.




atto is a virtual fantasy computer system that's designed to teach people coding through a BASIC-like programming language. It offers a mix of simplicity from the days of 1980s computing, paired with the modern functionality of computers today.

The quadplay fantasy console bundles an emulator and advanced development tools including an adept IDE and tools for use with other IDEs like VS Code, Vim and Emacs.


Bitsy is a little editor for little games or worlds. The goal is to make it easy to make games where you can walk around and talk to people and be somewhere.

The nano JAMMER is a fantasy console for tiny games. It is perfect for hobby coding, a game programming course, and tweetjams.

Develop your programming skills by quickly creating and modding retro arcade games with Blocks, JavaScript and Python in the online MakeCode editor, the offline app or your own local pxt-arcade server.




WASM-4 is a low-level fantasy game console for building small games with WebAssembly. Game cartridges (ROMs) are small, self-contained .wasm files that can be built with any programming language that compiles to WebAssembly.

