Rewind 99

About

Rewind 99 is a single player and multiplayer open world management game. It was developed by Real Fake Games and was released on March 11, 2026. It received positive reviews from players.

You’re not just running a video rental store. You’re running out of time. RUN THE WORLD'S LAST VIDEO RENTAL STORE You’ve inherited the last video rental store in town. You're broke, drowning in late returns, and streaming giant RentNet just opened across the street. Run your store by day. Do whatever it takes to survive by night. The longer you stay in business, the more chaotic things beco…

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 339 reviews

graphics21 positive mentions

stability28 negative mentions

Enjoyable and addictive gameplay loop with unique VHS store management mechanics and side hustles like movie mixing and fight clubs.
Charming and vibrant 90s-inspired art style reminiscent of classic Nickelodeon cartoons; filled with nostalgic references and clever humor.
Large open world with many collectibles, activities, and multiplayer support that adds replay value and cooperative fun with friends.

Numerous bugs and technical issues including game crashes, poor AI pathfinding for employees and customers, and performance problems especially in late game.
Employee AI is frustratingly poor, leading to disorganized restocking, wasted shelves, and manual micromanagement.
Gameplay systems like late fee collection, flyer distribution, side hustles, and tutorials are either tedious, poorly explained, or imbalanced, reducing overall polish.

graphics
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
54%
6%
The game’s graphics boast a distinctive, nostalgic 90s cartoon-inspired art style with vibrant, colorful visuals and thoughtful, handcrafted designs that strongly appeal to fans of retro aesthetics. While praised for its unique charm and smooth performance, some users note occasional graphical bugs and repetitive reuse of artwork that slightly detract from the experience. Overall, the graphics effectively create a fun, nostalgic atmosphere that enhances the gameplay despite needing some polish in certain areas.
- “The fact that not only was a full town modeled from scratch instead of using pre-builts, but every single piece of art was made without relying on AI shows an amazing commitment to design, aesthetic, and the very soul of what's being made here.”
- “The creative look of the graphics truly does a great job encapsulating the feeling of the 90s.”
- “That said, I adore the style and overall aesthetics - in a world of bland shop simulator games, Rewind 99 has its own fun visual identity.”
- “- Graphics on movie covers (and on delivery truck) glitch out after about 2-4 hours of constant gameplay.”
- “You only get a limited number of images and after a while the videos you create start looking almost identical because the same artwork is reused constantly.”
- “From no story which kind of makes the whole 'take them down' arc feel pointless, and an artstyle that ends up becoming less charming as it goes on, to tons of bugs, unplayable lag and crashing past level 25, and poor menus, it needs a lot of work.”
gameplay
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
8%
The gameplay features a solid and addictive core loop focused on managing a retro video rental store with various upsides such as fun mechanics, nostalgic aesthetics, and engaging tasks, though it currently suffers from rough edges like frustrating employee AI, unclear tutorials, and some awkward or underdeveloped mechanics. As an early access title, it shows promise but requires more polish, quality of life improvements, better clarity on mechanics, and additional features to fully realize its potential. Players enjoy the overall style and concept but note the gameplay can feel overwhelming or tedious at times without further refinement.
- “For the gameplay itself, all the core mechanics are there, which is fantastic for an early access game in this day and age. However, the employee logic can be extremely frustrating at times, especially that of the returns and restock employees.”
- “Playing this right now in co-op and the game is fun, the core gameplay loop is more or less what you would expect (it mostly boils down to setting up shop, managing customers and employees and, once everything is done, restocking shelves).”
- “The use of well crafted and thought out mechanics, assets and humour is a breath of fresh air when compared to a lot of sim games I've played, and I mean a lot.”
- “Overall this game has some interesting ideas, but the poor tutorial, pointless open world, repetitive mechanics, and terrible staff AI make it more frustrating than fun.”
- “The employee logic can be extremely frustrating at times, especially that of the returns and restock employees.”
- “The checkout stand is incredibly boring; the mechanics for that should be updated, maybe allowing the option to use the numpad instead of just entering the total with the mouse.”
stability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from numerous bugs and glitches affecting gameplay and multiplayer, leading to frustrating moments like stuck characters and malfunctioning staff. However, players find it enjoyable and engaging despite these issues, noting that developers are actively communicating and releasing regular updates to improve stability. Many reviewers acknowledge its early access state, expressing hope that ongoing fixes will resolve the persistent bugs.
- “Once you get the game you realize there are nonstop bugs and glitches to the point where almost everything you interact with bugs out or doesn't work right at some point.”
- “This is such a buggy mess that I never want to touch it again.”
- “Although, I'm hesitant because the game is extremely buggy in like 100 ways.”
humor
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a playful, chaotic humor with clever movie title spoofs, quirky side hustles, and physical comedy set in a pseudo-dystopian world. Its lighthearted tone is enhanced by amusing NPC interactions, funny mechanics like tape mixing, and plenty of easter eggs, making it a relaxing and entertaining simulator with a strong sense of personality.
- “The store uses a level system to unlock new equipment, with some rather funny mechanics like the tape mixer, which allows creating brand new movies by mixing two existing ones.”
- “The devs clearly have a sense of humor and love for the space.”
- “This game takes everything you love about classic store simulators and adds 1000% more chaos and unhinged humor!”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
64%
24%
The game suffers from significant optimization and performance issues, particularly in late-game and multiplayer modes, leading to frame loss, clunky mechanics, and slow animations. Despite its charm and enjoyable core gameplay, these technical flaws hinder the overall experience and need prioritization before further content updates. With fixes and improvements, the game shows potential to evolve into a strong indie title.
- “I know performance updates aren't the most interesting for a general player base, but they seem like they should be the priority before moving forward with the planned content additions.”
- “With bug fixes, performance/graphics updates and hopefully some better multiplayer stability, I definitely see this being another big indie game given enough time and updates to mature.”
- “The game 100% has a lot of issues and stuff needing to be fixed and improved, especially multiplayer like they state when you launch the game saying solo is the better optimized experience.”
- “It is very poorly optimized, to the point where r99 becomes almost unplayable.”
- “Fortunately, no crashes, which is nice, but the performance is atrocious in its current state.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The game's music effectively captures a nostalgic 90s vibe with addictive, lo-fi breakbeat and mall music influences, enhancing the overall retro atmosphere. Players appreciate the soundtrack's energy and cultural nods, though some wish for a greater variety of tracks to further enrich the experience.
- “The music's pretty addictive, making zooming around the map and vibing in different areas feel exciting.”
- “Love the art style and music; overall, the game is worth the purchase!”
- “Loved the music and the customization options!”
- “The only real gripe I have is the lack of music tracks for your video store.”
- “Wish there was more music.”
- “Feels like lo-fi breakbeat mixed with mall music and a hint of skibidi toilet timeline distortion.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's story is currently minimal and feels underdeveloped, with glitches and bugs impacting the experience. However, it evokes nostalgic 90's vibes through its setting, art style, and atmosphere, offering some engaging side quests and simulation elements despite the lack of a strong main plot. Overall, the story is minor but adds some depth for fans of simulation games.
- “As barren as it currently feels story-wise, this game is clearly bringing forward fond memories and styles of the 90's into the modern age, not just from its base concept as a video rental store but also in its colorful neon art, the NPC dialogue, music and sound design, and even in how the gameplay feels.”
- “Outside of the collectibles being insanely hard to find (we only managed to find 98 out of 99 after 6+ hours of trying), running the story is fun, being able to customize the store and make new movies.”
- “If you like simulator games mixed with a bit of story, then this game is for you!”
- “The Rentnet story is pretty much non-existent right now.”
- “From no story which kind of makes the whole 'take them down' arc feel pointless, and an art style that ends up becoming less charming as it goes on, to tons of bugs, unplayable lag and crashing past level 25, and poor menus, it needs a lot of work.”
- “Keep in mind there are still glitches and hopefully a main plot is still in the works.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game primarily involves collecting overdue rentals, reputation, and cosmetic unlocks, which can become tedious and time-consuming, especially with tasks like gathering late tapes and using the repo man. While there's a surprising amount to do and it doesn't feel overly grindy overall, some systems lack clear explanations, and repetitive collection tasks may lead to monotony. Quality of life improvements could help reduce the more tedious aspects and enhance single-player enjoyment.
- “Collecting late tapes is awful and tedious, and using the repo man is essential.”
- “Most of the time you’re just running around collecting overdue rentals, which quickly becomes tedious.”
- “On top of all this, running around town trying to collect past due tapes quickly becomes tedious and a time waster.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Users appreciate the game's vibrant and attractive atmosphere, praising its immersive mini world and map design. The engaging environment contributes significantly to the game's lasting appeal, especially for players who enjoy exploration.
- “For what it's worth, I did enjoy the atmosphere of the game and the mini world it has.”
- “The real staying power, though, is the world and general atmosphere of the game.”
- “If you're fairly easy going and just want to explore the vibrant atmosphere the game offers, then early access will fulfill that need.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is highlighted by unique, creatively designed characters with playful names, complemented by a bright and engaging art style. The varied and expansive world enhances the experience, offering plenty of exploration opportunities that enrich character interactions.
- “Unique character designs that are reminiscent of Doug.”
- “Speaking of the art style, they made an amazing choice with character designing, and don't get me started on their names like Cardi D.”
- “The world and character designs are really bright and fun with a much larger map than I expected, giving you plenty of places to roam around and explore.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users criticize the monetization for intrusive streaming ads that disrupt the experience, comparing them to unwanted subscription demands.