I returned to Retro Rewind after the latest update…

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• DEVELOPER: Blood Pact Studios
• PUBLISHER: Blood Pact Studios
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: Management / Simulation
• RELEASE DATE: March 17, 2026
• STARTING PRICE: 19,90€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

A few months after taking over Steam with its nostalgic video store management gameplay, Retro Rewind – Video Store Simulator is still pulling players back in. The game already had a strong foundation with its cozy VHS-era atmosphere and addictive store management loop, but this latest update finally adds a few features that make everyday gameplay feel smoother and more rewarding instead of just repetitive busywork.

The biggest addition is easily the new repair desk. Before this update, broken VHS tapes were basically useless and had to be thrown away, which felt frustrating whenever you lost a rare movie. Now you can actually repair them yourself by opening the tape, removing the damaged parts, and putting everything back together. It’s a simple mechanic, but it adds a lot to the experience and makes collecting tapes feel more meaningful.

You can also read our full review here.

Everything you need to know

Another feature that surprisingly changes a lot is the new sidewalk sign outside the store. You can use it to promote certain products, whether that’s snacks, discounted items, or specific sales you want customers to focus on. It sounds minor, but it genuinely helps with inventory management and makes the business side of the game feel a bit more interactive.

The backstage storage expansion is also something the game desperately needed. Earlier versions had decent shelf space for VHS tapes, but decorations and extra items often ended up cluttered everywhere. Now there are proper storage shelves in the employee backroom for standees, decorations, letterbox items, and other equipment. It finally feels like the store has actual organization instead of controlled chaos.

On top of that, the update adds more decorations, including ceiling lights, movie props, new flooring, extra tape display variations, and a handful of new movie releases to discover. I still think decoration options could be expanded much further, but at least the store customization is slowly becoming more interesting.

What I like most is that these updates don’t completely reinvent the game, they just improve the parts people already enjoyed. The core gameplay is still about stocking shelves, hiring employees, organizing inventory, and slowly building your dream retro rental store. But these smaller additions add more life to the routine and make progression feel less repetitive after a few hours.

Should you come back?

The developers also seem to be listening closely to the community. Future updates are already planned, including VIP memberships, customer profiles, purchase histories, and even video games being added to the store. That feels like the natural next step for the game, especially if they continue expanding the management systems alongside customization.

There are still issues, though. Staff behavior could definitely use improvement, and some bugs are still noticeable here and there. Thankfully, the later smaller patches also fixed several annoying problems, including customers getting stuck near signs, random teleporting, and checkout visibility glitches.

After spending another few hours with the update, I wouldn’t say it dramatically changes the overall experience, but it absolutely makes the game better. Retro Rewind – Video Store Simulator remains one of those relaxing simulator games that’s easy to sink time into, and these smaller additions give it a bit more charm and personality while setting up much bigger ideas for the future.