RetroGameCon returned this October, expanding to a full three-day weekend at The Oncenter. From October 10th to 12th, the convention hall buzzed with the energy of gaming’s past and present, uniting fans of all ages through classic titles, modern indie gems, and a shared passion for play. We dove into the action, exploring a massive vendor hall, engaging panels, live music, and special guest appearances. After soaking it all in, here’s our inside look at the sights and sounds of RetroGameCon.
With three days of events and activities, RGC completely takes over The Oncenter. The main floor houses over 100 vendors, multiple consoles and arcade cabs, and a stage for tournaments. That area alone takes some time to explore, but we couldn’t forget to make time hanging out in the lobby to get some photo ops and check out the official merch.
Vendor Area
The vendor area for RetroGameCon this year was huge, with a great variety of vendors and what they had for sale. Of course, there were plenty of games to dig through from the earliest computer games and consoles like the Atari 2600 through modern consoles, but there were also artists selling artwork and handcrafted goods, retro toys, VHS, and random finds that you didn’t even know existed. We always love digging through bins, looking for hidden gems, and seeing what awesome finds we can discover. Zach bought some Laserdiscs, including our beloved Sidekicks, from Forgotten Freshness and a few Choose Your Own Adventure books from Retro Ed Games.
Console Area
The console freeplay area is always a great area to spend some time in during RetroGameCon. There were also plenty of obscure consoles, including two Super Famicom Box models available only to hotels and commercial buyers who wanted to offer customers games without constantly swapping cartridges. There was also a full two-player setup for Typing of the Dead, NeoGeo, Atari Jaguar, Super Famicom, Sega Master System, and other classic consoles. If you wanted to go all the way back to the beginning of gaming, there were also consoles like the Channel F or Tennis for Two, running on an oscilloscope, which were the earliest forms of interactive entertainment. Most of them were set up with some multiplayer game, so it was the perfect opportunity to grab some friends and revisit a golden era of gaming.
PS2 Anniversary
The PlayStation 2 just turned 25 on October 26th, but RetroGameCon was celebrating early with an entire area dedicated to one of the greatest consoles of all time. Games like Ratchet & Clank, Marvel vs Capcom, GTA: San Andreas, and other defining titles were available to revisit in this special area. It’s hard to believe the PS2 is already 25 years old, as it seems like just yesterday we were playing games like MGS 2, God of War, Sly Cooper, Devil May Cry, Gran Turismo, and other iconic titles in our living rooms or bedrooms.
Arcade
Along with consoles, there was a selection of arcade machines to play on, most of which were provided by Retroware Arcade. There were quite a few Japanese rhythm games to test your reflexes and musical ability on, along with one of our favorites, Point Blank, the classic light gun shooter, and the Mario Kart arcade game. All of them were set to free play, and it was consistently one of the convention’s busiest areas each day.
Pinball
Skill Shot Arcade, a local Syracuse arcade and event space, brought plenty of great pinball machines to the convention. There were some old-school classics mixed with the latest cutting-edge machines. Some of the games we got some flipper time on included Scooby-Doo: Where Are You?, Monopoly, No Fear, Sword of Fury, and Avengers: Infinity Quest. Pinball is always a highlight of any video game con for us, and it’s always cool to see the older machines compared to the new ones, which are jam-packed with flashing lights, table gimmicks, and full video displays.
PC Area
The PC area at RetroGameCon felt bigger than ever, with tons of classic PCs loaded with titles. The PCs were mainly arranged in a sort of timeline around the PC area, so you started with the most basic black & white or green text PCs that played simple maze games or Space Invaders clones, up to PCs running Windows 95/98 with games like Quake, Command & Conquer, Star Wars: Jedi Knight, and more. It’s always interesting to see the variety of PCs available back in the day and how their designs, graphics, and GUIs evolved in a pretty short time. There were some interesting PC cabs; once bulky workstations, now we can run Alien vs. Predator in all its polygonal glory on a 2000s graphics card.
TF2 Lan Party
Considering that it featured most of the special guests attending the convention, it only made sense to set up a whole LAN of Team Fortress 2 in the PC area. 16 PCs were hooked up together, allowing teams of 8 to battle it out as the wacky cast of characters featured in TF2. We played a few rounds to quickly reacclimate to the game’s quirks and gameplay, getting smoked by players who had either been playing all day or had put in the grind to become effective squadmates. Regardless, everyone had fun, and no one took the competition seriously enough to rage quit. All these years later, TF2 is still a fantastic game with memorable characters that play differently, and it still feels fast and fun, even compared to other multiplayer games that followed.
Elite Tournaments
Elite Gaming, an eSports and gaming event space in Syracuse, was running various tournaments and events on the convention floor stage. Each day kicked off with Rock Band Karaoke, which featured a customized version of the game jammed with way more songs than the official release ever had, and anyone could go up and rock out to their favorite songs. There were also tournaments for Street Fighter 6, Smash Bros Ultimate, and the brand new Mario Kart World.  This is also where the big Extra Life charity auction was held on Sunday afternoon, which, combined with other charity efforts throughout the convention, raised an amazing $17,000+ for Extra Life.
Sucker Punch
Syracuse Sucker Punch, a local fighting game community, is always on hand for an exhibit related to a particular game or franchise, and this year, they had a display highlighting the history of SNK. They had several games that represented the company’s history, including some NeoGeo classics and the latest release, Fatal Fury: City of Wolves, so you could get an idea of how SNK has evolved and where one of their most popular franchises is currently. They also had some informational displays and promotional material to check out.
Special Guests
RGC brought a colorful collection of talent this year, bringing the actors who have voiced characters on projects from game studios like Valve, Square Enix, Bethesda, and Larian Studios. The guest area was busy with fans patiently waiting in line to meet these guests. Some brought items for signing, or wanted to share a moment with someone who brought their favorite characters to life.
Side Quest Room
Something new this year was a dedicated fan-run room called the Side Quest. There was a lineup of activities for attendees to join freely, including group cosplay photos, crafts, and games. It felt like camp where you did a small project with strangers and hopefully made a new friend.
Cosplay Makerspace: Make a Keychain
One of the activities we attended was a crafting session on making a keychain. This was done with good old-fashioned shrinky dinks technology and crockpots. These were crafting crockpots only, so there wasn’t any fear of leftover meals spoiling the dinks.
Stage Time Entertainment Presents: NES Music Bingo
Zach decided to take a break on Saturday and play some NES Music Bingo, hosted by Stage Time Trivia, who host trivia and other events around Central New York. On your phone, you clicked a link to get a digital bingo card, and then you marked off the spaces as you heard the NES game music for that space. It was a fun way to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the main show floor, listen to some classic video game music, and maybe win a prize. As a bonus, there was also a round of Weird Al music bingo, the same concept but with Weird Al tracks.
Main Theater Panels
The main theater room hosted multiple talks, game shows, and musical acts throughout the event. It’s by far the roomiest panel room, allowing almost everyone to get a perfect view of the people on stage. We stopped in on a few panels and even got to help host a few of the guests.
Voices of Valve TF2 & Portal Cast
Hosted by Jon St. John, the voices of Valve’s TF2 & Portal cast—Ellen McLain, John Patrick Lowrie, Mike Shapiro, Dennis Bateman, Elle Newlands, Gary Schwartz, and Robin Atkin Downes—spoke about their experience bringing characters to life. They shared great insights about acting and how line delivery is slightly more important than context. Robin Atkin Downes definitely made that a point by shouting “Baboon Heart” multiple times and getting laughs from the crowd.
Fallout Q&A with Courtenay Taylor & Wes Johnson
Hosted by our very own Chris, the Fallout Q&A with Wes Johnson and Courtenay Taylor gave the audience a chance to hear the inspirations behind the many characters that roamed the wasteland. Wes Johnson and Courtenay Taylor talked about their favorite lines and the meta experience of Taylor portraying a character who pretends to voice The Silver Shroud, who Wes Johnson voices. It was interesting to hear how actors have to observe and adapt other performers’ styles, which can easily turn into a silly parody if not respected. The Q&A also allowed the audience to ask Johnson and Taylor questions; some focused on what-if scenarios in games, breaking into acting, and hobbies outside of nerdy things. Wes Johnson ended the panel with a passionate thank-you to all the geeks and gamers who encouraged his remarkable recovery and helped him get back to doing the things he loves again. It did not leave many in the audience or us dry-eyed.
Ben Starr Voice Actor Q&A
Ben Starr has been in video games since 2016; however, he has been a geek and a gamer since childhood and has only found more creative ways to do what he loves. Starr’s breakout success came with his award-winning role as Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI, and he has since voiced Dorian in Date Everything!, Verso in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Count Dycedarg Beoulve in Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. Chris interviewed Starr about his career and what it was like embodying Jimbo from Balatro at the BAFTA Gaming Awards. Before Chris opened the Q&A to the audience, he asked if Starr could recreate the banana-eating scene he did for the Balatro DLC commercial. Starr, being the serious and cool actor, gladly accepted. Starr’s big takeaway from the panel is that life should be played weird, and it can open doors if you let it.
Voicepalozza
Gathering most of the special guests in attendance, Wes Johnson hosted the lively and hilarious Voiceapalooza panel on Saturday night of RetroGameCon. Along with performing lines submitted by the audience, the group acted out ridiculous scenes, such as one featuring Ellen McLain as Batman and a game show called “Get Off My Wife”. John Patrick Lowrie also led the group in a performance of his TF2-inspired song “Sandvich Blues,” and he and Ellen also led the crowd in singing “Still Alive” from Portal.  Between the actors on stage and the audience, everyone was having a fantastic time, and it was a great way to wrap up the day’s events.
Cosplay Stage Walk & Award
The cosplay stage walk and award ceremony offered a lively mix of creativity and celebration to a ton of nerdy fandoms. Contestants took to the stage one by one, showing off their handiwork in everything from armor designs, playful mashups, and original interpretations. Each participant got a few seconds to strike poses and soak in the applause. After a long session, the top four cosplayers were given awards.
Table Top Freeplay
When you need a break from all the digital games, going into the tabletop room gets gamers back to the thrill of tangible play. There was an excellent selection of games to browse, covering all sorts of game types and styles that would fill 20 minutes or last 2 hours. We decided to pop in on Saturday to rest our feet and play a few games that caught our interest.
Forklift Frenzy
Forklift Frenzy is a dexterity game in which two players use toy forklifts to try to lift colored barrels and arrange them in a specific pattern before the other player can. You press down on the top of the forklift to lower its forks, then drive it around, load the barrels, and return it to your stand. The fastest way to do this is to try to collect multiple barrels at once, but the more you collect, the more precarious the entire stack is, so you have to work fast but also delicately to keep the stack from collapsing and then starting over from scratch. Once you get the hang of how the forklift works and how much pressure you need to put on it to lift it up and down, it’s a fun and frantic race to try and be the first to complete a stack.
Beat the 8 Ball
We got introduced to Beat the 8 Ball at the Spring Edition of RetroGameCon, and we found it again at the main show. The concept is simple but weirdly addictive: you roll an 8-ball into a funnel, then play chicken with the other players, deciding when to launch your marble down your ramp and into the scoring slot. You get points for getting your marble into the scoring slot before the 8 ball, but you actually get more points if you are one of the last players into the scoring area, so you want to wait until you think it’s the last possible moment and then release your marble. It’s a fun party game that anyone can understand, and we bet it would make a great drinking game, like say forcing whoever doesn’t beat the 8 ball to drink.
Mega Jackpot
Board game designers can seemingly turn anything into a game, and Mega Jackpot is a perfect example. The mechanics of playing a slot machine got transformed into a strategic, competitive card game. The players take turns flipping cards, trying to get three of a kind, and getting the “payout” from the machine. Each player receives one free spin, but then the slot machine/gambling aspect comes into play as players can pay with the cards in their hand to keep spinning the reels. However, if you use up all your cards, you only get the one free spin each turn. There’s also the option, if you get a match, to go for the Mega Jackpot by flipping one of four special cards, but there’s also a mischievous monkey card that will cause you to lose everything. It’s an interesting way to turn the random chance of a slot machine into something more strategic while still keeping its gameplay and look.
Nerdy Drinks
It’s been a tradition to grab at least one adult cocktail at RetroGameCon, especially if it’s fruity and boozey. The Donkey Kong-inspired banana daiquiri didn’t return, but a refreshing lineup of other mixed drinks was available, providing adult gamers with an extra pep to their day. We ordered up a Stardew Valley Saloon Special, which consisted of bourbon, ginger ale, and cherry juice, after a long day of roaming the con.
After-party
After two days of doing con stuff, it was time to unwind and party it up at the exclusive RetroGameCon After Party, which this year was held at dance club and concert venue The Song & Dance. The after-party extends the convention buzz into the night, blending music, mingling, and plenty of geeky company. Whether you’re hitting the dance floor or catching up with friends, it was the perfect way to close out the night.
The Arkadian
The Arkadian is a metal band that plays 80s heavy metal-inspired songs about video games. Founded by Jon O’Neal, the group first played at PAX East in 2018 and has played conventions like MagFest and RetroGameCon, as well as releasing albums such as 2019’s Playing With Power.  One awesome thing was that the band performed some tracks from various pinball tables, which seems like an area of gaming music that doesn’t get explored that often. One of the tracks was from Swords of Fury, a table that was available to play on the show floor. All the tracks were rocking, and it was a great way to kick off the trio of musical guests at the after-party.
Sumpp
Nothing could have prepared us for the insanity of Sumpp, who performs “Punk Rap” and “Acoustic Hip Hop”. Hailing from Detroit, Sumpp has performed with groups like Epic Rap Battles of History and delivered a non-stop, chaotic set where he performed songs about taking pills, getting laid off, being forced to sell things when low on cash, Meaty Lances, and a song called “Terminator 2 Was Right” that used the Terminator theme but with a ska/punk edge. We were definitely amped, but also confused, by the time Sumpp’s set was over.
PowerGlove
The headliners of the after party were Powerglove, who have been shredding for 20 years now with face-melting covers of video game music and cartoon theme songs. The band played several of their incredible covers, including “Guile’s Theme”, “X-Men”, “Pokémon”, “Super Smash Bros.”, and “The Fastest Thing Alive” (the theme song for Sonic the Hedgehog), with special guest vocals from Jon O’Neal from The Arkadian. We’ve been massive fans of Powerglove for years, and it’s always awesome to throw up the horns and rock out to their thrashing cover songs.
Last Thoughts
RetroGameCon 2025 was an amazing fan-run experience that doesn’t disappoint if you love nerdy stuff, interesting people, and, of course, gaming. There are not many places that house functional and playable retro tech and present it in an easy-to-approach manner. We met fun people, we bonded over remembering retro games and movies, then challenged them to a quick game of TF2 to see who was the bigger Heavy. There were plenty of activities spread out, so the crowd levels were manageable to navigate easily, and there were still gaps to recharge the mental batteries. You can count on us as repeat attendees, and we look forward to watching this RGC grow and expand further.
