Afterplay, a browser-accessible emulation platform that lets you play and sync your games from anywhere, has added something the retro gaming scene has been missing for a while: a proper storefront for brand new indie games built for classic hardware.
The new Afterplay store lets users purchase original homebrew titles directly from the desktop app or browser, with purchased games added to their collection and ready to play immediately through the relevant system emulator. Physical copies are available for select titles as well, for collectors who want something to put on a shelf.
For those unfamiliar with Afterplay itself, the platform combines the flexibility of a tool like Retroarch with a cleaner UI akin to Analogue. It supports cloud-synced saves, multiple save file slots, multiplayer functionality, and a premium tier that includes features like AI-assisted Japanese-to-English translation. The store is the newest addition to that lineup, and arguably the most significant one yet.
At launch, games from Incube8 and Mega Cat Studios are available to purchase, with a demo of the long-in-development Infinity also available as a free download. The selection already spans multiple platforms, including new GBA, Game Boy Color, and Sega Genesis titles, with GBA Jam entries like Discrete Orange among the games on offer. More studios and titles are described as coming soon.
The closest parallel in the retro space is the recent EmuDeck Store, bringing new games to specific pieces of hardware through a curated platform. What Afterplay is attempting is broader: a single storefront where you can buy legitimate new retro releases across multiple systems and play them immediately, without hunting down flash carts or separate storefronts. Whether the catalog grows fast enough to make it a go-to destination is the question worth watching, but the foundation is a genuinely useful one.
Source: Retro Dodo
