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.




Riko4 is described as 'Fantasy Console intended as a tool for pixel art game development. Built with Lua and SDL2' and is a game development tool in the development category. There are more than 10 alternatives to Riko4 for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Web-based and Self-Hosted apps. The best Riko4 alternative is TIC-80, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Riko4 are Mini Micro, PICO-8, quadplay and Pixel Vision 8.
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.


PICO-8 is a Lua based fantasy console for programming, sharing and playing tiny games and other computer programs. The app boots to a shell prompt with easy access to scores of game building tools.




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.


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.




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.

Pyxel is a retro game engine for Python. Inspired by fantasy consoles like PICO-8, Pyxel imposes graphic and sound limits that provide a retro aesthetic while also greatly simplifying development.




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.

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.


Picotron is a Fantasy Workstation: a self-contained creative environment built for imaginary hardware. Create cute Lua apps that can be run inside Picotron as windowed userland processes, shared as cartridge files, or exported to stand-alone HTML apps.




LowRes NX is a 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.



