RetroPixel Málaga 2026

This weekend I went to RetroPixel Málaga, a really cool event held at the Málaga Trade Fair and Congress Centre (FYCMA).  

For those who don’t know it, it’s the same venue as Comic-Con, meaning the biggest place in Málaga for events like this.

What I mean is that this was not some little event for four geeks like me, but a cultural and family-friendly activity, very well organised and with a good amount of resources behind it. Sadly, it wasn’t publicised enough to become the huge event it should have been. I hope the organisers take note for next year’s edition.

Well, in reality RetroPixel was the main event which, together with two others, Guadalindie -the event for Andalusian independent professional video game developers- and the ceremony for the Premios Iris Games, made up Andalucía Play Fest, the great video game gathering of southern Europe, as they call it themselves.

Now that we’re situated and have some context, let me tell you my impressions.

Impressions of the event

I arrived on Friday at 16:30, with serious heat in the streets of Málaga city, but as soon as I walked in that feeling disappeared. The Palace’s excellent air conditioning was very welcome.

That was helped by the fact that, since they had just opened the doors, there still weren’t many people, so the result was that there was no sense of being overwhelmed, none at all, which contrasted with my previous event here (the first edition of the Comic-Con). 

The first thing I came across when I entered was an exhibition with a spectacular display of retro hardware alongside the exhibition of old PCs and consoles:

In fact, it was the first time I had stood in front of popular and “not that old” devices, such as the Neo Geo CD:

A thrill for those of us who, back then, had to make do with the Mega Drive and SNES.

Besides consoles there was a lot of other retro hardware, with beauties like this Apple “laptop”:

¡Macnífico!

Also, and in honour of the 30th anniversary of Nintendo 64, there was a display case with some of its little gems (Mario 64, Zelda, ISS ‘98…) and the console’s special Pokémon editions together with the 64DD add-on, hardly known around here:

I really love this console, but I was even more moved to discover this:

What a shot of nostalgia. My first “video games”! 

And the thing is, back in 1989, before I had the Game Boy, I had an absolute blast with Nintendo’s Game & Watch (I have a special fondness for the Zelda one).

Once you passed this display area, you found the space dedicated to trying the games nominated for the Premios Iris Games:

Here I got to try the excellent Ninja Gaiden Ragebound:

A superb 2D game that deserves every award it gets. It perfectly blends the gameplay of old games with a 2D aesthetic adapted to modern times.

If this isn’t Pixel-Art then God can come down and see it.

After spending a good while with it, we entered the main area, where there were countless consoles, classic PCs, arcade cabinets and even pinball machines:

This is where we spent the most time.

And honestly, it was a real pleasure to get back behind the controls of the Nintendo 64 for a few races of Mario Kart (I have mine at my family home in the village, in Burgos, and barely get to touch it).

Also the Sega Saturn and its magnificent controller for 2D games.

Enjoying Wipeout 2097 -I didn’t remember its loading times- on an original PSX.  

Playing Pong for the first time.

Reuniting with the magnificent PES on PlayStation 2.

Getting through several stages of the original Pac-Man without dying (curiously, it seemed easier to me now than back then).

And discovering machines from the late 70s that I didn’t know about.

Conclusion

After spending a good while in the area, and thinking that if I hadn’t gone with my family I would have stayed at least a couple more hours, I couldn’t help being surprised that something like this is free.

Well, not everything was free. The Gameindie area, aimed more at professionals, was paid, and I didn’t go in, but I’ll save it for future years when I have more time.

Another thing I also left for future editions, and that left me with a little thorn in my side, was taking part in the Mario Kart 64 tournament. It was the next day and I would have liked to, because there are many hours sunk into that cartridge.

In short, a very particular event, one I enjoyed like a kid (and would have enjoyed even more with a bit more time), and to which I can only make one criticism: it needs better communication so it can grow.

Honestly, I think it’s worth it. 

So much so that I’ve already signed up here to help the organisation with future editions.