Joe & Mac Retro Collection is bringing three of Data East’s prehistoric SNES adventures to modern hardware, with Red Art Games and G-Mode preparing the compilation for release this October. The package gathers Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja, Congo’s Caper and Joe & Mac: Lost in the Tropics in one collection.
The collection is heading digitally to Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam on 29th October 2026. Physical Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 editions are also on the way, although those are scheduled for early 2027 rather than launching alongside the downloads.
For anyone whose memories of Joe and Mac involve brightly coloured dinosaurs, clubs and a generous amount of prehistoric chaos, this is firmly rooted in the 16-bit console side of the series. These are the SNES versions rather than a collection of the arcade originals, with the Japanese Super Famicom counterparts also included.
Three SNES games with a few modern additions
Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja is the Super Nintendo version of Data East’s caveman platformer, while Congo’s Caper takes the prehistoric theme in its own direction and Joe & Mac: Lost in the Tropics returns to Joe and Mac for another adventure. Putting all three together gives the collection a neat snapshot of this particular branch of Data East’s SNES output.
Joe & Mac Retro Collection is not stopping at straightforward emulation either. Rewind and save-state functions are included, along with a CRT filter and a Boss Rush mode built around tackling the collection’s bosses as a separate challenge.
Local co-op also returns, giving both players separate health while turning food pickups into another small source of competition between them. It adds a little extra friction to the shared-screen action without changing the basic two-player setup.
The project originally went through Kickstarter, raising €36,952 from 612 backers. Red Art Games is now opening the physical releases more widely, with standard editions available alongside a more elaborate Rock Edition.
The physical Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 versions are priced at €39.99, while the €69.99 Rock Edition adds extras including a double-sided poster, badges and an acrylic stand. Those editions are expected in early 2027 for Kickstarter backers and customers ordering through Red Art Games.
It is worth being clear about what is and is not here. Joe & Mac 2 and Joe & Mac Returns are not part of the compilation, so this is not intended as a complete history of the series. Instead, the focus is tightly placed on three Data East games from the SNES era.
For SpriteFountain, that is probably the most interesting part of the announcement. Modern retro collections often cast the widest net possible, but this one is preserving a specific little corner of 16-bit console history and giving it a route onto hardware people are using now.
Joe & Mac Retro Collection launches digitally on Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam on 29th October 2026, with physical Switch and PlayStation 5 editions following in early 2027.
You can follow Joe & Mac Retro Collection on its Kickstarter page and keep up with the latest release information from Red Art Games.
