Retro Endurance 8bit Preview Speed Running Excellence (Steam Early Access)

by Jim Smale · Published January 30, 2025 · Updated September 16, 2025

Retro Endurance 8bit Preview, Welcome to Retro Endurance 8bit! The game starts off by randomly picking some games from your current unlocked collection of games. You will then keep switching between each game every 10 seconds. In the last round of each game, the game runs at 2x the speed. The more you play, the more scores you accumulate as experience points and the more you level up. Each new level introduces either a new game or a boss battle with some existing games getting harder with new content.

Retro Endurance 8bit Preview Pros:

Decent chunky pixel art graphics.
152. 82MB Download size.
Steam achievements.
Full controller support.
Mini-game collection gameplay ranges from platforming to racing and puzzles.
44 games at the time of this Preview update.
It is like a retro WarioWare game in its presentation, but with a randomization chucked in.
A typical run in the game is a timed run and you get and play X amount (it changes) of random games in random order at the same time, I say same time but you play one for a few seconds and then swap out and when you return you are in the same spot.
Earn points from placing on the podium and in each game to unlock new games to be put into the randomize.
Local multiplayer support.
A daily run can be unlocked and keeps track of your best score and how long that daily run layout has left.
Simple one-button controls.
The games are a homage to classic games like Mario, Excite Bike, Horace Goes Skiing, Pokemon Puzzle, and many many more.
It’s such a fun game to play and is very addictive.
Your Hud stays overall games and shows timer, position, etc.
Lightning-fast loading times.
It’s a game that can help break you into the randomizer world.
In-game character interactions.
Towards the end of the run the game speed doubles.
The daily run has a local leaderboard or at least it shows just me on them all.
Disable room lets you turn off games you don’t want to appear in future runs and will show all unlocked games.
Big boss encounters and they still swap games out during it.
A shop now let’s you spend your coins on new games.
New games and existing games are more shuffled than before.
Arcade mode found in the shop has its own leaderboards and is just the one game being player with limited lives.
You can buy arcades so you have different games to play.
I want to say this is an excellent time waster but you wouldn’t be wasting time, it’s such a fantastic use of your time.
Arcade only mode on the main menu so you can leave your shuffle story mode and just play. (your best clear time is shown).
The menus have all been Revamped and changed.
You have today’s challenge mode that shows time left, and best high score, speed run challenge with best time, and insane mode with best time.
Every update feels substantial and they are regular.
This is a retro gamers heaven, it may not be the official games but they play just as well all though I would argue they play better in a lot of ways.
The arcade cabinets give you set experiences and have leaderboards etc.
Everytime I come back I love the game all over again.

Retro Endurance 8bit Preview Cons:

No actual tutorial.
The icons only showing in the disable room is not ideal.
Doesn’t have any graphic settings.
I have had many runs always containing the same game over and over.
The unlock criteria text could be clearer, it has points to the next level and it’s just not something you can quickly glance out and know.
No online leaderboards or anything, it would add a lot of replay value and healthy competition.
Unfortunately, this game will destroy your productivity for the day.
You don’t really know what game it is you are buying in the shop as you just see a small screen of it playing.
They keep adding content and quality of life updates that has me deleting them for the Cons section! (I joke of course but still)

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