As Game On Expo rings in 2027, the Retro Championships returns once again. Last year saw the legendary Paul Tesi come in, dominate the competition, and walk out the Champion. Who will it be this year? New faces land in our top 8 every year, and we expect the same this time around.
Powerfest ’94 is this year's qualifier, our finals gauntlet runs the rest of the 90's Nintendo competition carts, and Brenden's bonus tournament is back. Below you'll find everything to get ready for the weekend.
Qualifiers
Tear through five laps in Super Mario Kart, then step up to the plate in Ken Griffey Jr. and swing for the fences. Try to beat your high score as many times as you want, sharpen your routes, and secure one of the 8 finals spots.
Powerfest ’94
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Game(s)
Powerfest ’94 (Super Mario Kart & Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball)
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Format
Open play all weekend! 6 minutes 21 seconds per run. Play again to beat your high score!
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Scoring
Top 8 high scores advance to finals.
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Schedule
Expo Open - Sunday @ Noon
Bonus Tournament
Brenden’s Balloon Fight Challenge
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Game(s)
Balloon Fight (Balloon Trip mode)
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Format
Friday & Saturday! 5 minute Balloon Trip run. Play again to beat your high score!
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Scoring
High Score is the Champion
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Schedule
Runs alongside qualifiers stage
Brenden's Bonus Challenge
Finals
The top 8 qualifiers sprint through the five remaining 90's Nintendo competition carts until someone is crowned the 2027 Retro Champion.
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Game(s)
Nintendo World Championships 1990, Campus Challenges ’91 & ’92, StarFox Super Weekend, Donkey Kong Country Competition.
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Format
Gauntlet Play! 8th seed starts first.
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Scoring
Points awarded per game: 8 points for 1st down to 1 point for 8th. Highest total wins.
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Schedule
Sunday, January 17 @ 1:00 PM
We have decided to retire the Championship Belt, and we hope that isn't too disappointing. Our supplier no longer offers the belt we ordered each year, so we put that money into bigger prizes.
Go dust off your copies of Super Mario Kart and Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball, lock in those lap times and hit those home runs! We'll see you at Game On Expo 2027.
Archives
Every leaderboard, every finals bracket, every champion
from the very first tournament in 2018 through 2026.