How to Store Retro Games Long Term to Keep Them Working for 10 Years

When packing away a collection of retro games and consoles, controlling the storage environment is the most important thing to preserve their usability. The governing guidance comes not from magazine articles or forums, but from national libraries and conservation centres, which have been storing their own historical holdings in optimal conditions for decades.

The Environment That Matters

The National Archives state that to prolong the life of their holdings, the right storage conditions involve maintaining low temperature and relative humidity while avoiding sharp fluctuations. They explain that "both temperature and relative humidity have a powerful influence on the rate of deterioration, with deterioration rates increasing when either or both temperature and relative humidity increases."

Specifically, the Archives say that for items including optical media, the "most efficient and cost-effective" choice is "low temperature with moderate relative humidity, and minimizing abrupt and large fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity."

The National Archives are not alone in their advice. The Canadian Conservation Institute says that optical media, the medium that retro video games on CD and DVD use, "require 20% to 50% relative humidity, and temperatures between -10 and 23°C (or from 14 to 73°F)." Their guidelines specifically warn that "abrupt or large temperature and humidity fluctuations should be avoided" since they promote delamination, especially in sub-standard discs.

The Preservation Self-Assessment Program, based at the University of Illinois, built a tool that rates collections' environmental conditions and makes recommendations. They give their highest rating of "excellent" to cool, dry storage with moderate relative humidity. The Northeast Document Conservation Center similarly observes that temperature and relative humidity are "the two most important factors in the preservation of paper records," including vinyl library sleeves and game manuals. They recommend cooler temperatures with moderate humidity for holdings accessed infrequently and slightly warmer conditions with the same humidity range for collections accessed more regularly.

Finally, online retro game preservation advice, while not citing primary sources, matches this foundational recommendation. Armchair Arcade suggests storing games in a temperature range of 60°F to 70°F, aligning with the 30% to 50% relative humidity range recommended by archives and institutes. This guidance is echoed by other sources discussing best practices for preserving vintage video games.

Why Heat and Humidity Do the Damage

The reason that storage conditions matter

What to Remove Before Packing

The one prerequisite tip to handling retro games on this timescale is to remove batteries from the games and consoles, no matter how functional they seem. This simple step helps prevent potential damage over time.

Consoles and cartridges both use weak-cell batteries to hold their on-off state. But over time, whether they are alkaline or silver/oxide cells, their leaked or cracked cases can cause permanent damage to the memory and electronics.

Which Media Are Most Fragile

The Canadian Conservation Institute have assessed that optical media such as CDs and DVD-ROMs, while better than cassette tape, cartridge ROM, and 5¼-inch floppy disks, are most vulnerable to delamination

The Gap in the Record

The sharper online advice on battery removal, light exposure, and stacking orientation is not covered by verified sources

The Practical Takeaway

When storing a collection of retro games, the most important rule is the same in every conservation guide I found. Long-term archival preservation should hold temperature in the low 60s

That means about 60°F (or roughly 15°C) for gamers in the United States, with relative humidity ideally kept between 30% and 50%. The Archives' 2015 supplement confirms that deterioration accelerates when humidity exceeds 50% or temperatures rise into the mid-60s°F. It underscores the central point: cartridge batteries.