Retro Handhelds has announced the winners of their Game of the Month for November 2026, continuing the community's tradition of spotlighting underrated retro gems. This month's picking process has an interesting angle with a focus on female protagonist games. This approach provides readers with a focused perspective to find hidden gems that might not be as popular in the general discussion of retro games. It demonstrates the community's passion for engaging narratives and strong characters in retro gaming eras.
Xenogears takes quarterly honor as community celebrates female leads
Retro Handhelds' Game of the Month for November 2026 follows the 'Novemb-her' theme. This theme influences the voting and selection process for the month, allowing the community to narrow down and choose games with playable female protagonists. This themed approach ensures the games chosen for November align with this thematic interest. The focus on a specific theme distinguishes the choices for November from previous months.
Super Mario Bros. 2 takes the top spot in the pre-1996 category. This game is accessible on NES, SNES, and GBA. In the 1996-2001 category, Tomb Raider wins the prize.
It's playable on Saturn, PS1, and PC. Shantae emerges as the champion in the 2002+ category. The game is available on GBC and Switch. These games are the top picks for various console periods.
Xenogears for PlayStation is crowned as the Game of the Quarter for Q4 of 2026. Additionally, weekly winners include Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa, Gungrave, The Flintstones: The Rescue of Dino & Hoppy, and Magician Lord. The additional winners provide further insights into the community's diverse interests in games.
Retro Handhelds community keeps the legacy of retro gaming alive through such methodical monthly and quarterly picks. Readers interested in their niche focus on specific hardware and software can now check out the finalized results for November 2026.
Source: RetroHandhelds
Xenogears taking the quarter crown is a solid pick. The narrative depth is unmatched for that era of PlayStation gaming.
I missed the weekly picks. Did Gungrave get a lot of votes or was it just a quiet week for action games on the retro scene?
Gungrave won the weekly slot. The community clearly appreciated the over-the-top action in that one. It stands out against the more narrative-focused monthly picks.
shantae on gbc is a hidden gem tbh the animation style holds up surprisingly well for 16 bit hardware 😂
Super Mario Bros 2 for the pre 1996 category makes total sense. The platforming mechanics are tighter than most platformers released in the late ninies.
Is Tomb Raider still the definitive 3d action game for that period or have you guys found something with better controls on the saturn?
Tomb Raider is great but the Saturn port had some texture pop in issues. The PS1 version runs smoother on modern emulators.
ngl i need to revisit Xenogears. The soundtrack is still one of the best in the genre 💀