Long Island Retro Gaming Expo returns to Cradle of Aviation

Take a break from all the high tech of 2026 and turn back time during the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo at the Cradle of Aviation in Uniondale from Aug. 7 to 9. The three-day event offers a wide variety of activities showcasing video games from the 1970s through the 2010s.

"The whole building is like one big interactive experience," founder and operations coordinator Joel Albino says. "There’s so much stuff to play with, experience and learn. I think just about anybody can come in and have a good time."

Here’s a guide of what to catch throughout the weekend.

Freeplay Gaming Zone and Arcades

Gamers can have a field day at the Freeplay Gaming Zone, where games are available on myriad home consoles like N64, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, PlayStation, Xbox and more.

"We are expanding into various new sections like Animal Crossing, Escape the City, Disney games like Goof Troop and Aladdin plus a Greatest Hits portion that contains franchises like Kirby, The Legend of Zelda and Game & Watch," Freeplay coordinator George Smith says. "Returning sections will be flight simulation-based video games like Steel Battalion and Virtual-On, fighting video games such as Tekken 3 and Streets of Rage plus shoot ’em up video games Star Fox 64 and Gradius plus others."

Up on the second floor, venture into the Arcade Age exhibit to play on 100 different old school arcade cabinets. Down on the first floor, the Hangar Arcade offers several Japanese two-player sit-down games with oversized monitors as well as rhythm games.

High Score Challenge and Tournaments

Test your skills at the High Score Challenge, where gamers go head-to-head in heated competitions.

"We run games for a set amount of time and record players’ scores. At the end of the set time, whoever has the highest three scores wins prizes," High Score Challenge coordinator Alyssa Armour says. "Sometimes we will have the same 15 to 20 people camped out at our section all weekend taking turns beating each other’s high scores."

The games range from Dreamcast’s Propeller Arena Aviation Battle Championship, Wordtris, Mike Tyson's Punch Out and The House of the Dead 2 to Mario Tennis, Activision’s River Raid, Dig Dug and PlayStation 2’s Dance Dance Revolution Extreme.

Additionally, people can take part in numerous tournaments, among them Mario Kart 64 (4 p.m.), Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (4:30 p.m.) and Shaq Fu (7 p.m.) on Aug. 7; Tecmo Super Bowl (11:30 a.m.), NHL '94 (noon) and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (2:30 p.m.) on Aug. 8; and Diddy Kong Racing (11 a.m.), GoldenEye 007 (11:30 a.m.) and NBA Jam (3 p.m.) on Aug. 9.

Console History Exhibit

Go through the history of retro video games by decade at the Console History Exhibit where 50 home consoles are all playable.

"People can get a sense of how video games started and where they are at now," chief preservationist George Portugal says. "We start with the very first commercially made home video game console, which is the Magnavox Odyssey that was released in 1972 and the Atari 2600 from 1977. Then there’s a big revolution of gaming in 1985 with the first Nintendo Entertainment System. Each major milestone is covered."

New this year are additions like the PlayStation Vita, which came out in 2009, and the Nintendo 3DS in 2011.

PC Games

To get a fully rounded out retro gaming experience, jump on a PC to play video games using a keyboard and mouse as controllers.

"There’s over 30 vintage computer setups from the early ’90s to early 2000s," PC free replay coordinator Anatoly Shashkin says. "Each one features a single game marked with a placard and instructions to explain the controls and the basics. People are free to play as much as they like."

Games include RollerCoaster Tycoon, Sid Meier’s Civilization, Microsoft Train Simulator, Dune, Quake and the ever popular Oregon Trail.

"The Oregon Trail is an entertainment game used for educational purposes that’s easy to play," Shashkin says. "You get to pick your starting point and supplies then enjoy the journey."

Retro Gaming Museum

Step inside the Retro Gaming Museum, where attendees can examine and play some oddball home consoles that are hard to find.

"We display weird stuff that only came out in Europe or Japan that was unpopular and didn’t do well commercially," museum coordinator Brendan Bailey says. "The oldest piece is a Nintendo game console Color TV-Game 15 from 1977 to Nintendo Satellaview from 1993, which was an early internet device that allowed people to download games from a TV satellite."

Additionally, people can enjoy seeing antique pieces like a Sharp X68000 from Japan (1987), Sharp Nintendo TV (1989) as well as Sharp SF-1 Super Famicom TV (1990).

Cosplay and the PokéLab

Dress up as your favorite retro gaming character and sign up for the Cosplay Fashion Show on Aug. 7 at 6:30 p.m. or compete in the adult (15 and older) Cosplay Contest on Aug. 8 at 3 p.m. First place wins $400, with $100 for second and $50 for third. A kids (14 and under) Cosplay Contest takes place on Aug. 9 at 1 p.m. with $75, $50 and $25 prizes for first, second and third.

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, attendees can visit The PokéLab where there will be an original Stern Pokémon pinball machine to play and you can take selfies with Pokémon characters.

Food trucks and Vendors Market

Shop at the Retro Gaming Marketplace, which contains 120 tables in the front atrium and continues on the second floor. Here, local vendors like Flashback Gaming of East Northport, Blast From the Past of Bay Shore, Retro Games & Toys of LI from Levittown, Drakken Arcades of Farmingville and Warp Zone Retro Games & Toys of Commack will be selling video games, video gaming art and retro gaming paraphernalia.

Grab a bite at the Cradle of Aviation’s cafe or check out the following food trucks: Bad "S"moothies, Extreme Empanadas, Kong Bab, The Good Food Truck, The Little Sicilian, Wild Bill’s Soda or Yankee Doodle Dandy’s.