bringing back the magic of anticipation
Relive your glory days one game at a time with curated game lists, celebrated release dates, friendly competition, mystery reveals, and a community rediscovering the classics together.
Remember the feeling?
Retro games are making a comeback. We’re blowing life into expired cartridges, modding sunburnt consoles and firing up emulators. There’s comfort in returning to worlds that asked for less and gave more in return.
But something’s still missing. We've lost the fanfare of receiving a glossy magazine in the mail, pining over peeling billboards plastered all over the train station and of the friend who shoved a disc into your hands and said you have to play this.
At hitupnext, we bottle that feeling and make it fresh again. Over and over.
More fun when you share
In just a few clicks, you can create your own shared experience or join one, already curated for you.
- Step 1
Build a quest
A creator handpicks up to twelve games, and adds their own flair to make each experience unique.
Browse quests - Step 2
Launch a run
An organiser picks a quest, a start date and a pace. Each game gets its own release window.
Browse runs - Step 3
Play together
Invite other players and enjoy each game release together by competing and sharing your impressions.
Meet the players
Every release is a special moment
Open a new piece of hype every release day and use it to build your collection.
Think of hype as a game review styled in one of the five eras of gaming. New hype is created for games all the time, so there are always more reasons to replay your favourites.
Super Metroid
“Samus has never moved with this much weight or grace. The first descent into Crateria isn’t just an opening — it’s an invitation to disappear for a month.”
Ridley has stolen the last Metroid, and Samus is going back to Zebes to get it. Nintendo has crammed her return onto a monster 24-megabit cart, and it shows: no levels, no stages, just one vast, rain-soaked planet that opens up a little more with every power-up you find.
The Grapple Beam, the Speed Booster and a map that draws itself make exploring a joy, and the bosses are huge, ugly and brilliant. Clear your weekends. This is the best adventure on the Super Nintendo.
Pick your game mode
Every run is played one of two ways: take a stroll with friends in adventure mode or challenge them for top place in battle mode.
Adventure mode
Play along, swap stories in the run log and leave your impressions.
- No pressure
- Add mystery boxes to keep everyone guessing
- Play along with the quiz bot
- Earn XP and badges
Battle mode
Climb the run's leaderboard.
- Comments, impressions and in-game achivements earn points
- RetroAchievements tracks every unlock, hardcore pays more
- Play along with battle bots
- Trophies for the top 3 players
Ready to start?
Pick a quest, join a run, and play along. No spam. Just games.
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