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Building a complete Evercade cartridge library is one of the most satisfying projects in retro gaming collecting. The range is big enough to feel like a proper challenge, but manageable enough that a full collection is genuinely achievable. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.

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How Evercade Cartridges Are Organised

Every Evercade cartridge has a number printed on the spine of the case. That number tells you exactly where it sits in the full collection — and it’s the clearest way to track your progress as a collector.

The library is split into three distinct series, each with its own colour-coded case:

• Console Games — Red Cases. The main series, covering licensed compilations of classic console games from publishers like Atari, Namco, Interplay, Rare, and many more.
• Arcade Games — Purple Cases. Dedicated arcade compilations, pulling together coin-op classics from Technos, Data East, Toaplan, TAITO, NEOGEO, and others.
• Home Computer Games — Blue Cases. A fantastic series focused on the C64, Amiga, and home computer era, featuring collections from Team17, Delphine Software, Llamasoft, and more.

Keeping track of all three series at once is much easier with the full Evercade cartridge library on Carts & Manuals — every cart, every number, all in one place.

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The Console Games Series (Red Cases)

This is the biggest and most varied series. It includes heavy-hitters like Atari Collection 1 (Legacy), Namco Museum Collection 1 (Legacy), Rare Collection 1, and Tomb Raider Collection 1, alongside indie-focused releases like the Indie Heroes Collection 1 (Legacy) through Indie Heroes Collection 4.

Publisher series — Activision, Sunsoft, Gremlin, Piko, Interplay, Duke Nukem — each span multiple volumes, so if you love a particular publisher’s back catalogue, chances are there’s more than one cart to hunt down.

There are also some standout individual releases worth highlighting: Xenocrisis / Tanglewood, Full Void, Broken Sword Collection, and the upcoming Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack (bundled with the Evercade Nexus) are all must-haves for any serious collection.

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The Arcade Games Series (Purple Cases)

If you’re an arcade fan, the purple cases are essential. The series covers coin-op legends from Technos Arcade 1 (Legacy) right through to multiple volumes of TAITO Arcade, NEOGEO Arcade, and Toaplan Arcade.

Highlights include Data East Arcade 1 and Data East Arcade 2, Irem Arcade 1 (Legacy), Windjammers, Karnov & Friends, and the Jaleco Arcade Collection 1. There’s genuine depth here — and more volumes keep arriving.

For recommendations on where to start, check out our guide to the best Evercade cartridges for arcade fans.

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The Home Computer Series (Blue Cases)

The blue cases often fly under the radar, but they’re brilliant. The C64 Collection 1, The C64 Collection 2, and The C64 Collection 3 bring dozens of Commodore 64 classics to Evercade. Team17 Collection 1, Delphine Software Collection 1, Thalamus Collection 1, The Bitmap Brothers Collection 2, and Llamasoft Collection round out an excellent series for home computer fans.

Roguecraft DX also sits in this series — a newer indie release that fits the home computer aesthetic perfectly.

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Legacy Cartridges — The Out-of-Print Ones

Some Evercade cartridges are no longer in production. When the licence to manufacture a cart expires and isn’t renewed, that cart becomes a Legacy cartridge — no new stock will ever be made. The only way to get one is second-hand.

This is one of the trickier parts of building a complete library, but it’s also part of what makes Evercade collecting genuinely interesting. The Evercade Legacy Cartridges page has the full list of discontinued carts, along with eBay links to help you track them down.

If you’re serious about completing the set, check the legacy list early. Some of these carts are harder to find than others, and prices on the second-hand market can vary significantly.

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Tips for Finding Second-Hand Carts

Whether you’re hunting legacy carts or just filling gaps in your collection, here’s what works:

• eBay is the most reliable source for second-hand Evercade carts. Search by cartridge name and check sold listings to get a sense of fair prices before you bid.
• Facebook Marketplace and retro gaming groups can turn up bargains, especially from sellers who don’t know what they have.
• Retro gaming fairs and car boot sales are long shots, but Evercade carts do turn up — particularly the earlier releases.
• Retro gaming forums and Discord communities often have buy/sell/trade sections where fellow collectors offload duplicates at reasonable prices.
• Always check the cart number on the spine matches what you expect — it’s the quickest way to confirm you’ve got the right one.

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Don’t Forget — There Are Announced Carts Too

Blaze Entertainment occasionally teases cartridges before full details are confirmed. One to watch right now: DOOM x Evercade, officially teased in February 2026 to mark id Software’s 35th anniversary. No games list, price, or release date yet — but it’s one to keep an eye on.

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Original Manuals — A Collector’s Bonus

One of the things that makes Evercade collecting extra rewarding is the physical packaging — each cart comes with a manual. But did you know you can also browse original game manuals for many of the games in the Evercade library?

The Evercade manual scans section has a growing collection of original PDFs. Some of the most popular include the Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain manual, the Tomb Raider manual, the Duke Nukem 3D manual, and the Worms Armageddon manual.

There are also great scans for games like Another World, Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, Earthworm Jim 2, California Games, R.C. Pro-Am, and The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy — perfect for diving deeper into the history of games in your collection.

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Start With the Full Library List

The best first step for any Evercade collector is getting the full picture of what exists. Head to the Carts & Manuals page for the complete numbered library — console, arcade, and home computer — all in one place. From there, you’ll know exactly what you have, what you’re missing, and what to hunt for next.

Happy collecting!

Buying a gift for a retro gaming fan? Evercade is one of the best things in that space right now — physical cartridges, a growing library of classic games, and hardware to suit every budget. Here’s everything you need to know to get it right.

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WHAT IS EVERCADE?

Evercade is a retro gaming ecosystem built around physical cartridges, each packed with multiple classic games. There are handhelds, a home console, and even a bartop arcade cabinet — all playing from the same cartridge library. If you’re new to it, our introduction to Evercade is a great place to start.

The good news for gift buyers: you don’t need to know everything. Pick a device, grab a cartridge or two, and you’ve got a genuinely great present.

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THE HARDWARE — WHAT TO BUY AND WHY

Budget pick: Super Pocket — from £59.99

The Super Pocket is the smallest and most affordable Evercade device. It fits in a shirt pocket, takes all Evercade cartridges, and comes pre-loaded with 12–50 built-in games depending on the edition. Editions include Taito, Capcom, Atari, Technōs, Neo Geo, Data East, Rare, and Activision — so you can match it to whatever the recipient loves.

If you’re not sure whether the person you’re buying for will take to Evercade, this is the lowest-risk entry point. Great value, genuinely pocketable, and a full gateway into the cartridge library.

Mid-range pick: Evercade EXP-R

The EXP-R is the most well-rounded Evercade handheld. It has a 4.3-inch IPS screen, TATE mode for vertical arcade games, and plays every Evercade cartridge. It comes bundled with Tomb Raider Collection 1, so there’s something to play straight out of the box.

No built-in game library like the Super Pocket, but a bigger, brighter screen and a more premium feel. This is the sweet spot for most retro gaming fans who want the full cartridge experience on the go.

Premium pick: Evercade Nexus — £169.99 (launching October 2026)

The Nexus is the flagship handheld — a 5.89-inch screen, dual analogue sticks, WiFi 6, and EverSync for local wireless multiplayer between two Nexus units. It launches in October 2026 and comes bundled with the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack.

If budget isn’t a concern and you want to give the best possible Evercade experience, this is it. Perfect for someone who wants to play 32 and 64-bit titles as well as the classic 8-bit and 16-bit library.

Home console pick: Evercade VS-R

The VS-R is Evercade’s home console — it plugs into the TV via HDMI at 1080p, has dual cartridge slots, and supports up to four players via USB controllers. If the person you’re buying for prefers gaming on a big screen or plays with family and friends, this is the one to go for.

Statement piece: Evercade Alpha — from £229.99

The Alpha is a pre-assembled bartop arcade cabinet with an 8-inch IPS screen, competition-grade arcade controls, and dual cartridge slots. It comes in Street Fighter, Mega Man, and Taito editions, each with 6–10 built-in games.

This isn’t an everyday gaming device — it’s a desk or counter centrepiece for someone who loves arcade culture. A serious gift for a serious retro fan.

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THE BEST STARTER CARTRIDGES

Evercade cartridges are where the library really shines. Here are some strong picks for someone new to the platform — all tried, tested, and well-loved by the community.

For arcade fans: Capcom Collection is packed with instant classics — Street Fighter II, Mega Man, and Final Fight among them. TAITO Arcade 1 and TAITO Arcade 2 are equally essential, and Data East Arcade 1 is also a superb choice. Check our full best arcade cartridges guide for more.

For all-round retro gaming: The Activision Collection 1 is a brilliant starting point with a huge breadth of classic titles — Pitfall! and River Raid among them. Interplay Collection 1 and Team17 Collection 1 (Worms, anyone?) are crowd-pleasers. The Turrican Collection is unmissable for action platformer fans.

For indie and modern retro: Xenocrisis / Tanglewood, Alwa’s Awakening / Cathedral, and the Indie Heroes collections are all great picks if the recipient enjoys contemporary games made in the classic style.

Browse the full library on our Carts & Manuals page, or check out our best Evercade cartridges guide for curated recommendations.

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BUNDLE SUGGESTIONS BY BUDGET

Under £80 — Super Pocket starter bundle: Pick the Super Pocket edition that matches their taste (Capcom for fighting games, Taito for arcade, Atari for classics) and add one cartridge. That’s a complete, ready-to-play gift.

Around £100–£120 — EXP-R ready to play: The EXP-R comes with Tomb Raider Collection 1 included, so it’s gift-ready on its own. Add a second cartridge — Capcom Collection or Activision Collection 1 work brilliantly — and you’ve got a fantastic bundle.

£150+ — VS-R with a cartridge or two: The VS-R is a great living room gift. Pair it with a couple of cartridges (Data East Arcade 1 and Team17 Collection 1 are solid choices) and anyone who plays it will be immediately hooked.

£200+ — Nexus pre-order bundle (October 2026): The Nexus at £169.99 comes with the Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack. Add an extra cartridge and you’ve got one of the most exciting retro gaming gifts of 2026. Bear in mind the October 2026 launch date if timing matters.

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NOT SURE WHICH TO CHOOSE?

If you’re still weighing up the options, our hardware comparison page breaks down every device side by side with full specs. It’s the quickest way to land on the right decision.

When you’re ready to buy, head to our Where to Buy guide for UK, US, EU and worldwide retailers — including Amazon, Funstock, and second-hand options for anyone on a tighter budget.

Whatever you pick, you’re giving someone a gateway into one of the best retro gaming ecosystems around. They’ll thank you for it.

Sony confirmed this month that new PlayStation games will go digital-only from January 2028 — no more discs for newly released titles, though games released before that date and existing physical copies aren’t affected. Sony framed it as simply following where most players already are, since digital purchases have outpaced physical discs for years. It’s the clearest signal yet that physical games are heading toward extinction across the mainstream console industry.

Evercade’s answer to that shift has been the same since it launched in 2020: cartridges, only cartridges, every single release.

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WHAT ACTUALLY CHANGES WHEN A GAME GOES DIGITAL-ONLY

A digital game is a licence, not a possession. If a storefront closes, gets delisted, or a publisher pulls a title, your access can disappear even though you “bought” it — Sony’s own separate confirmation that the PS3 and Vita stores are closing in July 2027 is a reminder of exactly that risk (existing purchases stay re-downloadable “for the foreseeable future,” which is doing a lot of work in that sentence). A physical cartridge doesn’t have that failure mode. Once you own an Evercade cart, the games on it work forever, with no server, account, or storefront required.

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EVERCADE’S CARTRIDGE LIBRARY, BY THE NUMBERS

Evercade’s physical library has grown to 750+ games across 80+ cartridges — spanning arcade, console, and home computer classics alongside a growing run of brand-new native indie titles. Every single cartridge, without exception, ships with a full manual — that’s not a nice extra, it’s part of the core Evercade experience. Browse the complete collection on the Carts & Manuals page, or search the whole line-up game-by-game in the Evercade Games Database.

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PHYSICAL MEDIA HOLDS VALUE THAT DIGITAL NEVER CAN

A cartridge can be resold, traded, lent to a friend, or handed down — a digital licence tied to an account generally can’t be. Some early Evercade cartridges have already gone out of production as manufacturing licences lapse, which if anything makes the ones already in circulation more collectible over time, not less accessible. See which carts fall into that category on the Legacy Cartridges page.

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NOT AFFILIATED, JUST MAKING THE COMPARISON

To be clear, none of this is a dig at Sony specifically or any claim of a rivalry — Evercade has no affiliation with PlayStation. It’s simply a useful moment to point out that while most of the industry treats physical media as legacy, Evercade has built its entire identity around it from day one.

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Curious where to start? Check out our guide to the Best Evercade Cartridges, or see the full Where to Buy guide for every device and retailer.

The Evercade VS-R is the home console at the heart of the Evercade ecosystem — built to bring the cartridge library to your TV with proper multiplayer support. If you’ve been wondering whether it’s the right device for you, this guide covers everything you need to know.

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WHAT IS THE EVERCADE VS-R?

The VS-R is a home console — it plugs into your TV or monitor via HDMI and outputs at 1080p. It’s not a handheld. Think of it as the living room centrepiece of the Evercade family, designed for couch gaming rather than on-the-go play.

It runs the full Evercade cartridge library — 750+ games across 80+ cartridges — and comes with built-in WiFi and a refreshed user interface. It’s the most fully-featured way to play Evercade at home.

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HOW IT DIFFERS FROM THE HANDHELDS

The other Evercade handhelds — the Super Pocket, the EXP-R, and the upcoming Nexus — are all portable devices with built-in screens. The VS-R has none of that. What it has instead is TV output, four controller ports, and dual cartridge slots — features the handhelds simply can’t match.

If your priority is playing Evercade on a big screen with friends, the VS-R is built exactly for that.

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DUAL CARTRIDGE SLOTS

One of the VS-R’s standout features is its two simultaneous cartridge slots. You can load two different cartridges at once and switch between them without pulling either out. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference during game nights — no more swapping carts mid-session.

The retro-inspired cartridge slot lid design also gives the console a satisfying, tactile feel that fits right in with the Evercade aesthetic.

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MULTIPLAYER SUPPORT

The VS-R supports up to four players simultaneously via four USB controller ports. There’s no wireless pairing to fiddle with — you plug controllers straight in and you’re ready to go.

The included controller comes with a generous 3-metre cable, so you’re not stuck right next to the console. Additional controllers can be added for multiplayer without any extra setup. If you’d rather go wireless, Blaze released an official Evercade Wireless Controller in September 2026 with dual analogue sticks and up to 15 hours of battery life.

Want to know which third-party controllers work with the VS-R? Check out the Controller Compatibility Database for a full rundown.

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SPECS AT A GLANCE

Here’s what’s under the hood:

• Video output: HDMI 1080p (cable not included)
• Processor: 1.5GHz
• Storage: 4GB internal
• Cartridge slots: 2 (dual simultaneous)
• Controller ports: 4× USB
• Wireless: Built-in WiFi
• Power: MicroUSB 5V/2A (cable included; power adapter not included)
• Dimensions: 197mm (W) × 126mm (D) × 48mm (H)

Worth noting: an HDMI cable is not included and needs to be purchased separately. A power adapter is also not included, though the MicroUSB cable is in the box.

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WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

The VS-R comes in two colour variants — NEON RETRO and CLASSIC RETRO — each with a matching controller. Here’s what’s included:

• Evercade VS-R console
• One controller with 3-metre cable
• MicroUSB power cable
• NEON RETRO bundle: includes the Tomb Raider Collection 1 cartridge (Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider II, and Tomb Raider III with full-colour manual)

The CLASSIC RETRO version is available at participating retailers. Both styles share the same specs and dual cartridge slot design.

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WHO IS THE VS-R FOR?

The VS-R is the right choice if you want to:

• Play Evercade on your TV or monitor
• Game with friends and family — up to four players at once
• Keep two cartridges loaded and switch between them freely
• Build a home retro gaming setup with a proper console feel

If portability is your priority, one of the handhelds might suit you better — take a look at our Evercade hardware comparison to see every device side by side.

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Ready to pick up the VS-R? Head over to our Where to Buy page to find the best place to grab one — and if you’re still building your cartridge collection, the Best Evercade Cartridges guide is a great place to start.

The Evercade library is packed with licensed retro classics, but some of the most exciting cartridges in the collection are the indie and homebrew titles — games made by small studios and passionate developers, designed in the spirit of the retro era but built for modern audiences. These carts aren’t just nostalgia trips; they’re brand new experiences wrapped in that unmistakable retro feel.

Here’s a look at the best indie and homebrew cartridges the Evercade has to offer, and why they deserve a place in your collection.

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What Makes Indie and Homebrew Carts Different?

Most Evercade cartridges are licensed collections — beloved games from publishers like Namco, Atari, Capcom, and Taito, ported and packaged for the format. They’re brilliant for revisiting the classics.

Indie and homebrew carts are something different. These are original games, often created by small teams or solo developers, built specifically for older hardware or in homage to it. Many never had a physical release before Evercade came along. Owning one feels like discovering a hidden gem that deserved a proper cartridge all along.

Every Evercade cartridge — indie and homebrew included — ships with a full physical manual, part of what makes the whole format work. You can browse the full cartridge library on the Evercade Carts & Manuals page — it’s a great way to appreciate the care that goes into these releases.

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Mega Cat Studios Collections

Mega Cat Studios are one of the most prolific homebrew developers working today, and Evercade has given their work the physical release it deserves across three cartridges: Mega Cat Studios Collection 1, Mega Cat Studios Collection 2 (Legacy), and Mega Cat Studios Collection 3.

Mega Cat specialise in creating games for genuine retro hardware — think Mega Drive, NES, and Game Boy style titles made with pixel-perfect authenticity. Their games aren’t emulating a retro aesthetic; they’re actually built for the constraints and quirks of original hardware. The result is something that feels genuinely of the era, not just styled to look like it.

Spread across three carts, there’s a huge amount of variety here — action games, RPGs, sports titles, beat-em-ups. If you want to understand what modern homebrew development looks like at its best, these collections are essential.

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Morphcat Games Collection 1

Morphcat Games Collection 1 is a standout cart for anyone who appreciates genuine technical craft. Morphcat are famous in homebrew circles for pushing hardware way beyond what anyone thought possible — their NES work in particular has attracted attention from the wider retro gaming community.

This collection brings their best work to Evercade in physical form — including Micro Mages, whose original manual is available to browse — making it far more accessible than hunting down ROM files or limited homebrew runs. It’s the kind of cart that reminds you why the homebrew scene exists: pure love of the craft.

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The Llamasoft Collection

Jeff Minter is a legend of British gaming, and Llamasoft Collection is his Evercade showcase. Available as a Home Computer (blue case) cartridge, it brings together some of the most wonderfully strange and psychedelic games ever made — titles that defined a certain flavour of 80s British gaming culture.

Minter’s games are unlike anything else in the Evercade library. Frenetic, abstract, deeply personal — they’re an experience more than just a game. If you’ve never played Llamasoft titles before, this is a brilliant (and slightly mind-bending) introduction.

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Indie Heroes Collections

The Indie Heroes series — spanning Indie Heroes Collection 1 (Legacy), Indie Heroes Collection 2, Indie Heroes Collection 3, and Indie Heroes Collection 4 — is exactly what the name suggests: a celebration of indie game development across four packed cartridges.

These carts pull together original titles from a variety of small developers, giving physical life to games that previously existed only in digital spaces. Each collection has its own personality, and across all four there’s a genuinely impressive range of genres and styles.

They’re also a great entry point for anyone new to the indie side of Evercade — good value, broad variety, and some real hidden gems tucked away inside.

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Other Indie Highlights

Beyond the big collections, there are several standalone indie titles worth highlighting:

Alwa’s Awakening / Cathedral pairs two excellent modern retro platformers on a single cart. Both games are genuine love letters to the NES era, with Cathedral in particular drawing comparisons to Metroid and Castlevania. Beautifully crafted stuff.

Goodboy Galaxy/Witch n’ Wiz is another strong double-bill. Goodboy Galaxy is a Game Boy Advance-style adventure that wowed audiences when it first appeared, while Witch n’ Wiz is actually the NES game on this cart — a puzzle game about rescuing a childhood friend from a magical curse. Together they make for a brilliant cart.

Demons of Asteborg/Astebros leans hard into the Mega Drive aesthetic, with Demons of Asteborg being a gorgeous action platformer that could genuinely pass for a lost 16-bit classic. Astebros adds a co-op dungeon crawler into the mix. Great stuff for fans of the era.

Full Void is a solo release — a cinematic platformer in the vein of Another World and Flashback, built for the Evercade. If you’re a fan of that style of game, it’s well worth seeking out.

Xeno Crisis/Tanglewood is arguably one of the most celebrated indie carts in the entire Evercade library. Xeno Crisis is a superb, widely-acclaimed run-and-gun that put modern Mega Drive homebrew on the map, and Tanglewood — a Mega Drive game built on authentic hardware — is every bit as stunning, with a full physical release giving both games the treatment they always deserved.

Home Computer Heroes Collection 1 brings the same indie spirit to classic 8-bit computers — seven modern homebrew games including Attack of the PETSCII Robots and Planet X2, built for C64, VIC-20, and PET. A great pick if Commodore machines are more your era than consoles.

Roguecraft DX also belongs on this list — a modern Amiga roguelike dungeon-crawler, expanded and enhanced for its Evercade release, with three playable classes and procedurally generated levels. It won the Retro World award at the 2025 Debug Indie Game Awards, and it’s a great example of Evercade bringing a genuinely new indie release to physical cartridge.

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The Physical Experience Matters

One thing that sets Evercade’s indie releases apart from buying the same games digitally is the physical package. A cartridge. A full-colour manual. A case on your shelf. For games that often started as passion projects with no physical release at all, that matters.

The full cartridge library — including every console, arcade, and home computer release — is listed on the Evercade Carts & Manuals page, where you can browse everything available, check what games are on each cart, and explore the library in full.

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Where to Find the Full Cartridge List

The indie and homebrew carts covered here are just the highlights. The full Evercade cartridge library — including every console, arcade, and home computer release — is listed on the Evercade Carts & Manuals page. It’s the best place to browse everything available, check what games are on each cart, and find links to available manual scans.

If you’re trying to decide which indie carts to pick up first, the Best Evercade Cartridges guide is also well worth a read — it covers the strongest picks across the entire library, not just the indie side.

Gaming media is calling 2026 a pixel art renaissance — modern titles like REPLACED, Witchbrook, and Mina the Hollower are getting serious coverage, and outlets are writing entire pieces about why small teams keep choosing the pixel art look. It’s treated as a fresh trend. On Evercade, it’s been the plan since day one.

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THE FIRST-EVER NATIVE EVERCADE GAME

Back in 2021, Cathedral — included on the Alwa’s Awakening/Cathedral cartridge (cart 27) — became the first brand-new game ever made specifically for Evercade. It’s a Metroidvania built entirely in a lovingly authentic pixel art style, paired on the same cart with Alwa’s Awakening, an NES-style platformer with its own original manual scan available on the site.

That’s five years of native pixel art games on physical Evercade cartridges — well before “pixel art renaissance” became a headline anywhere else.

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GOODBOY GALAXY / WITCH N’ WIZ

Goodboy Galaxy/Witch n’ Wiz (cart 35) is arguably the high point of Evercade’s native indie output. Goodboy Galaxy casts you as Maxwell the dog, repairing a broken hyperdrive across the stars in a Game Boy Advance-style adventure with genuinely impressive pixel work. It’s paired with Witch n’ Wiz, a puzzle game about rescuing a childhood friend from a magical curse. Both are built from the ground up for Evercade — not ports, not remasters.

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THE INDIE HEROES COLLECTION — FOUR VOLUMES AND COUNTING

This is the series that shows just how committed Evercade is to the indie pixel art space. Indie Heroes Collection 1 (cart 17) launched in 2021, and Blaze has kept going ever since:

• Indie Heroes Collection 2 (cart 28, January 2023) — NES-style games including Tapeworm Disco Puzzle, Nessy the Robot, and Reknum Souls Adventure.
• Indie Heroes Collection 3 (cart 37) — 13 games from modern creators working in vintage styles, including Donut Dodo, Thunder Paw, and Magic and Legend: Time Knights.
• Indie Heroes Collection 4 (cart 43) — the latest volume, including Murtop and Flea!2.

Four cartridges, spanning 2021 to today, all built around the same idea: give modern indie developers working in retro pixel art styles a real physical release, on real hardware, with a place on your shelf next to Sensible Soccer and R-Type.

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WORTH WATCHING

A brand-new showcase called Pixel Arcadia, dedicated exclusively to retro games, is set to debut on 24 August 2026. Given how much of the current pixel art conversation Evercade’s own native library already anticipated, it’s one to keep an eye on.

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Want to see everything Evercade’s indie scene has to offer? Browse the full Carts & Manuals library, or search every game — native and licensed — in the Evercade Games Database.

If you love shoot-em-ups, Evercade has quietly built one of the best curated shmup libraries in the retro gaming space. From golden-age arcade blasters to obscure gems, there’s plenty to keep your trigger finger busy. Here’s where to start.

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THE TOAPLAN COLLECTIONS — THE CROWN JEWELS

Toaplan is one of the most beloved names in shoot-em-up history, and Evercade has given the studio serious respect with four dedicated arcade cartridges.

Toaplan Arcade 1 is the essential starting point. It includes Tiger-Heli and Truxton (known as Tatsujin in Japan) — Tiger-Heli is deceptively simple, while Truxton is fast, punishing, and arguably Toaplan’s finest hour. If you only play one Toaplan game, make it this one.

Toaplan Arcade 2 brings Twin Cobra into the mix — a vertically scrolling helicopter blaster that cranks up the chaos considerably compared to Tiger-Heli. It’s paired with Demon’s World, Fireshark, Hellfire, and Rally Bike.

Toaplan Arcade 3 continues the run with more genuine shmups — Batsugun, Batsugun Special Version, Truxton II, Vimana, plus the run-and-gun Out Zone and FixEight, and the puzzle-shooter Ghox. Toaplan Arcade 4 is more of a mixed bag — Dogyuun and Grind Stormer are solid shmups, but the cart also includes the platformers Snow Bros. 2 and Pipi and Bibi’s, and the beat-’em-up Knuckle Bash, so it’s less essential if you’re after shooters specifically.

Browsing the full Evercade cartridge library is the easiest way to see exactly which games appear on each cart before you buy.

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JALECO ARCADE COLLECTION 1 — SAINT DRAGON AND MORE

Jaleco Arcade Collection 1 is an easy recommendation for shmup fans. Saint Dragon is a genuine hidden-gem horizontal shooter, and P-47 brings solid vertical shmup action too — both hold up brilliantly today. Rice Digital called the whole collection “one of the absolute best Evercade cartridges available.”

Rod Land and Bases Loaded round out the cart, adding some welcome variety alongside the shooting action.

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VISCO ARCADE 1 — MORE SCROLLING SHOOTERS

Visco Arcade 1 is dominated by scrolling shooters, and it deserves a spot on this list. Andro Dunos is the standout — a horizontal shooter with four switchable, independently upgradable weapon types and two-player co-op. Ashura Blaster, Earth Joker: U.N. Defence Force, and Galmedes round out the shooter side of the cart.

RENOVATION COLLECTION 1 — HIDDEN MEGA DRIVE GEMS

Renovation Collection 1 packs two outstanding Mega Drive shmups: Gaiares, famous for its TAS Shot weapon-stealing mechanic, and Sol Deace. Both are genuinely hard to find outside of Evercade, and both hold up brilliantly today.

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WHICH EVERCADE DEVICE IS BEST FOR SHMUPS?

This is worth thinking about, because the device really does affect the experience.

For vertical scrolling shooters like Tiger-Heli, Twin Cobra, and Truxton, playing on a big screen is ideal. The VS-R home console is the natural choice here — plug it into your TV, sit back, and enjoy the full arcade experience with a proper controller in hand. Up to four players are supported too, if you fancy some co-op chaos.

The Evercade Alpha bartop arcade cabinet takes things even further. There’s something genuinely special about playing Truxton or Twin Cobra on a proper arcade-style setup with a joystick. If you’re serious about the arcade experience, the Alpha delivers it.

The EXP-R handheld is also worth a mention — it features TATE mode, which rotates the screen to portrait orientation. That makes it arguably the best handheld option for vertical shooters, letting you hold the device sideways for a proper tate display just like the original arcade cabinets. Clever stuff.

Not sure which device is right for you overall? The hardware comparison page breaks it all down.

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WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

The Toaplan, Jaleco, Visco, and Renovation cartridges give shmup fans a genuinely strong foundation. Add in TATE mode on the EXP-R or a big-screen setup via the VS-R, and Evercade becomes a seriously compelling way to play classic shooters.

Browse the full Evercade cartridge library to dig into exactly what’s on each cart — and check out our Best Evercade Cartridges for Arcade Fans guide for even more recommendations.