Retro gaming · Game platform Back2OldGames: from WordPress to a game platform of its own
Rebuilt from scratch: 56 systems, passkeys, leaderboards and an Android app
Back2OldGames · Retro gaming · Game platform
16,498 classics you play in the browser, nothing to install
A free library of 16,680 classic games across 56 consoles, handhelds, arcade boards and home computers. 16,498 of them play right in the browser with ClaBa Player, with nothing to install and no account needed, surrounded by leaderboards, daily quests, a retro passport and an Android app.
back2oldgames.com Live Screen recording of the live site ▶
The version we built in 2022 ran on WordPress, BuddyPress, WooCommerce and Elementor: a downloadable archive of 12 systems with a social layer on top. The next step was a different project: playing in the browser, more than sixteen thousand games, high scores with clean rules and daily quests. Built from plugins, every one of those pieces would have been one more plugin to maintain.
We rebuilt it from scratch as a platform of its own, with no WordPress and no BuddyPress: a 56-system catalog whose game pages leave out what is unknown instead of guessing it, ClaBa Player (built on EmulatorJS) that only loads when you press Play, passkey sign-in (or Google, X, Facebook or GitHub) instead of passwords, Score Attack with the emulator's shortcuts and cheats switched off, a retro passport with XP and stamps, and an Android app. Cloudflare and Turnstile sit in front.
From WordPress to a platform of its own
- Downloadable archive of 12 systems
- BuddyPress community with groups, badges and forums
- WooCommerce for donations and Elementor for layouts
- Every new feature would have meant another plugin
- 16,680 games across 56 systems; 16,498 play in the browser
- ClaBa Player, which only loads when you press Play
- Passkey accounts: no passwords to steal
- Leaderboards, daily quests, a retro passport and an Android app
- Hosting donated by Super Awesome Host, no ad networks
What we built for Back2OldGames
16,498 games playable in the browser with ClaBa Player: keyboard, controller or touch controls, with save states kept on the device
No account needed to play. With one, sign in with a passkey or with Google, X, Facebook or GitHub, no password: your list, favorites and history on every device
Score Attack leaderboards (no save states, rewind or cheats during a run), a retro passport with daily quests, and mini-games like Daily Pixel
The Back2OldGames project in numbers
games you play in the browser, nothing to install
systems: consoles, handhelds, arcade boards and computers (up from 12)
WordPress plugins: the platform is ours from top to bottom
What happened to Back2OldGames after launch
Moving off WordPress onto a platform of its own is one of the biggest changes a site with years of content can make, and here it kept the catalog and the idea behind the gamification: the catalog grew from 12 to 56 systems, the archive became playable in the browser, and groups and forums gave way to daily quests and leaderboards with clean rules. And no ad networks or third-party ad code: the project runs on hosting donated by Super Awesome Host (also a client of ours), credited on the site itself.
“The site nails it: huge catalog, proper game pages with real reviews, and the gamification keeps our members hooked. It runs smooth as an emulator on a good day. Couldn't ask for more.”
The tech behind Back2OldGames
Chosen for the job, not the hype. Built on Custom-built platform (formerly WordPress + BuddyPress).
What this took
We build these every week. This is the service that made it:
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