Toy Story: Retro Roundup! Review | A Toy Chest Full of Gaming History
To infinity and beyond! If you were old enough to hold a controller of your favorite game system in the 1990s and early 2000s, chances are you experienced a time when movie tie-in games were practically everywhere, and they usually were terrible. But Disney Interactive was at its peak and brought us some classic games and that included Toy Story, which was always a franchise with plenty of potential for gaming.
Toy Story: Retro Roundup! brings together a collection of classic games from that era, giving us another chance to revisit those adventures on modern hardware. Developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Atari, this collection combines six games, spanning multiple generations of consoles, with modern quality-of-life features and a generous helping of gaming history. Digital Eclipse has really locked in on how classic games and game collections should be made and went all in on this collection. But do these old games still hold up today? Do the added features offer enough additional content and will Woody and Buzz ever make it back home to Andy?
What Is It?
Toy Story: Retro Roundup! is a retro gaming collection celebrating the video games inspired by Pixar's Toy Story universe, alongside a bonus adventure featuring those lovable little insects from A Bug's Life. It comes out the same day as the Toy Story 3 complete edition (read our other review) and is actually available in a dual pack with that game. In true Digital Eclipse fashion, did not simply package a few old games together and called it a day. Instead the team at D.E. brought its familiar preservation-focused approach to work, adding modern conveniences, historical material, interviews, and tools designed to make these classics more accessible today.
In total the collection brings together six games originally released between 1995 and 2001, with multiple console and handheld versions represented. That essentially means there are 11 versions of the games to explore across the collection, covering different interpretations of these adventures from the era.
Here's what you'll find inside the toy chest:
- Toy Story (1995): Play through an adventure inspired by the original film, with versions from the Sega Genesis, SNES, and Game Boy.
- Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! (1999): Take control of Buzz in the PlayStation adventure based on the second movie.
- Toy Story 2 (1999): A separate Game Boy Color platforming adventure starring Buzz Lightyear.
- Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000): Join the Galactic Alliance in adventures based on the animated television series, with PlayStation and Game Boy Color versions.
- Toy Story Racer (2001): Race around familiar Toy Story-inspired locations as your favourite characters in this kart racing game, available in PlayStation and Game Boy Color versions.
- A Bug's Life (1998): The bonus game brings Flik and his insect friends into the collection, with PlayStation and Game Boy Color versions.
Finally you can try for yourself which version was the best, and let the console wars continue or finally settle the debate. All without the need to blow into cartridges, swap memory cards, we can relive our fondest or worst memories. For younger players, it offers a fascinating look at how games based on familiar films were made before every release came with enormous worlds, cinematic cutscenes, and online services.
Gameplay
Toy Story: Retro Roundup! is a varied collection where each game has its own personality, and the differences between console and handheld versions offer a glimpse into how developers adapted the same franchise to the hardware available at the time.
The original Toy Story is a side scrolling platformer that has a reputation for challenging jumps, tricky sections, and moments that can test even experienced players. It also amazed people with its large sprites that looked ripped straight from the movie.
The PlayStation version of Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! offers a different experience, with Buzz exploring larger environments, collecting items, and working through objectives to rescue Woody. It has a more adventurous 3D platforming feel, making it an interesting contrast to the earlier side-scrolling game.
The Game Boy Color version of Toy Story 2 is a different beast again. Its side-scrolling action is designed around the limitations of handheld hardware, with Buzz running, jumping, and using his laser to deal with enemies.
Then there is Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. A game based on the Disney Cartoon series, which takes the action beyond Andy's bedroom and into the wider world of space adventures and Buzz's origins.
Toy Story Racer shifts gears into kart racing, giving players a chance to put familiar characters behind the wheel. It is not trying to be another Mario Kart, but instead offer its own experience with your favorite toy.
And lastly a Bug's Life provides another platforming adventure based on a beloved Pixar film of the world of Bugs.
Helpful Features
I will not lie to you , some of these games will feel better to play than others. Controls, camera behaviour, level design, and difficulty all reflect the period in which they were created. In some ways that is all part of the experience and the charm, but it can also mean that a few adventures require,.... patience and resilience. Thankfully, Digital Eclipse understands that revisiting an old favourite should not have to mean recreating every frustration that came with the original hardware and they have provided the collection with some helpful features to take on the games more difficult challenges.
First of all there is the Rewind feature, seen in many retro adaptations this handy assigned button can take any mistake, missed jump, or death, and roll back gameplay to try again without restarting the entire section. It is your built in mulligan to allow you to try , try and try again.
Naturally, some retro purists may prefer to play without assistance. That's fine, too. The important thing is that the option exists, letting players choose how much of the original challenge they want to preserve.
The collection also includes save states, allowing you to save and load your progress at practically any point and not be stuck to old school save points that can cause a lot of back tracking. These save states make it much easier to fit a little retro gaming into a busy day. Got ten minutes before dinner? Save your progress and come back later and continue, or easy roll back to a set point in the game when you fail without having to start from the beginning.
Then there's Rex's Cheat Codes, which let players unlock helpful advantages such as unlimited lives, invincibility, and access to levels or other content, depending on the game. These cheats are particularly useful for players who want to explore the games, experience their stories, or discover later stages without becoming stuck on a difficult section.
But my favorite feature must be the added Practice Mode. These old school games could be difficult to understand, especially without a guide, and particularly when an objective was hidden away in a large environment or a platforming section demanded precise timing. We would read the included booklet of course, but it was not always enough and there was no online forum to find a solution.
Practice Mode helps bridge that gap by providing guided playthroughs in game. You can watch a section being completed by the CPU and learn how it works. But what is wild is that you can jump into the action yourself when you're ready at any point in the playback. Rather than simply showing you a video and leaving you to figure out the rest, the feature allows you to take over and practice the section right there and then.
Lastly Retro Roundup also includes updated "How to Play" instructions, with illustrated guidance, modernised controls, and localisation designed to make the games easier to understand.
Presentation
One of the things I appreciate about Digital Eclipse's approach to game collections is that the games themselves are only part of the experience. It shows that they understand its history and its place within it. There is an effort to explain where they came from, who made them, and what they meant to the people involved.
Toy Story: Retro Roundup! continues that approach with an extensive archival section, including development materials, historical imagery, and behind-the-scenes information. For longtime fans, the archival material offers a chance to revisit the era in which these games were created.
They crown jewel here might just be six behind-the-scenes video featurettes, totalling more than an hour of content. These feature interviews and insights from people connected to the Toy Story franchise and its games, including Jason Katz, Head of Story at Pixar; Luigi Priore, VP and GM of Disney and Pixar Games; Jon Burton, founder of TT Games; and Jim Hanks, actor and voice performer.
This is more than a quick collection of promotional clips. Digital Eclipse went out to PIXAR and went to connect to the creative journey behind the films and games, supported by not only archival materials and development imagery , but also new interviews and content.
The interviews also help put the games into perspective. They capture a period when the relationship between Hollywood animation and video games was evolving rapidly, with developers working to bring cinematic characters into interactive worlds.
If you enjoy gaming documentaries, development interviews, or simply learning how things were made, these featurettes are well worth your time.
Another lovely inclusion is the music player, which brings together soundtracks from the games in the collection. That includes an uncompressed, CD-quality version of the original Toy Story game's soundtrack.
The visual presentation varies between games because the collection preserves experiences from different systems and generations. The original Toy Story and Game Boy Color titles have their own distinctive looks, while the PlayStation games represent a different stage in the transition towards 3D gaming. There are a few options to add a CRT filter or stretch the screen, but they feel a little barebones even if they work well.
For supported PlayStation titles, the collection offers upscaled visuals, with the option to switch back to the original-resolution presentation. Some players will prefer the cleaner look of the enhanced presentation. Others will want the original image, complete with the visual character they remember from their childhood, even if it looks a little off on a modern flatscreen.
One final thing, Digital Eclipse has added an extra menu that can be accessed by pressing down on the right stick during gameplay. This additional menu is where you'll find the collection's quality-of-life options, including the tools that make these older games easier to manage. It's also the way to quit a game and return to the main collection menu. If you are wondering how to get back to the main menu, try pressing down on the right stick.
Parental Advice
Toy Story: Retro Roundup! is a strong option for families who want to explore classic gaming together. The collection features familiar Pixar characters, cartoon-style action, platforming challenges, and racing, with a range of experiences that can appeal to different ages. The games do vary in difficulty. Some of the older platforming sections can be demanding, and the controls or level design may feel less forgiving than those in modern family games. Rewind, Practice Mode, save states, and Rex's Cheat Codes help reduce those barriers, giving younger players more ways to enjoy the experience.
As always, check your regional age rating and consider how comfortable your child is with older controls and challenging platforming.
Final Thoughts
Toy Story: Retro Roundup! is another wonderful example of how to bring classic games back without forgetting what made them special in the first place. In some cases thought the games are a bit rough, especially the ones on limited hand held hardware, while others still hold up surprisingly well. Just remember these are not full remasters.
But the games are only half the story. Digital Eclipse's modern quality-of-life features make these adventures more approachable, while the archival materials, interviews, and music player give the collection a value that goes beyond simply being able to play old software on modern hardware. This offers an accessible way to experience these games as they were, with modern tools to help you appreciate them rather than fight against them. The price of this collection feels a tad to high depending on what you can get out of these older games, but in a bundle with ToyStory 3:Complete edition it is a heck of a deal.
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Publisher: Atari, Digital Eclipse
Release Date: October 15, 2026
Genre: Retro Collection, Platformer, Action, Racing
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Price: Digital $29.99 / Digital Bundle: Toy Story: Retro Roundup! and Toy Story 3: Complete Edition for $39.99. Physical Edition: Two-game physical edition for $39.99, with a higher-priced Nintendo Switch 2 edition
DadGeek (Rob) is the co-founder of GeeksVsGeeks. He is a product of the eighties and never let go of his geek interest and hobbies no matter how often someone told him to stop. His love for gaming and all things geek has been part of his parenting style and permeates throughout the whole family. A family of Geeks vs Geeks.
