- Retroronto v06 September Update - 8 September 2026
Greetings citizens and tourists! September's update brings one of the biggest additions to Retroronto yet: Chores! Players can now take on a variety of everyday responsibilities around their home and the city, with completing them helping keep their rent under control. Two new interiors, Blahbos Grocery Store and the Laundromat, have opened their doors, providing new places to shop, complete chores, and spend some time while exploring the city.Blahbos serves as the city's main grocery destination, offering more than thirty food items across fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and other ingredients. Players can use the store to restock an empty fridge, grab a quick bite at its small eatery, and prepare for future cooking features. Meanwhile, the new Laundromats provide a place to wash and dry bedsheets, with three locations scattered throughout the city for convenience.The Laundromats also…
- Retroronto v05 August Update - 5 August 2026
Greetings citizens and tourists!August's update takes Retroronto a little further into the past. One of the game's biggest environmental overhauls to date revisits the city's overworld, shifting much of downtown to better reflect Toronto during the mid-2000s. Using historical reference imagery, iconic buildings, streets, and landmarks have been adjusted to better match the era, reinforcing the game's retro identity while preserving a snapshot of a city that has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Development this month also focused heavily on apartments and player customization. Homes now generate with a variety of wall colours, flooring styles, and furnishings, making each apartment feel more distinct from the last. To support this, a new hardware retailer, Wheelhouse, has opened its doors, allowing players to preview and purchase new flooring, wall colours, bicycles, and o…
- Retroronto v049 July Update - 6 July 2026
Greetings citizens and tourists!July's update brings some major improvements to the way players experience life in Retroronto. Following feedback gathered during Toronto Games Week, this release focuses on improving the opening moments of the demo and creating more opportunities for players to engage with the city around them.A new phone call system has been introduced, with the player's dad now checking in throughout the early game to provide guidance and tasks. These calls help introduce key parts of city life, from finding an apartment and printing resumes to getting a job, managing finances, and keeping up with rent payments. Beyond helping new players understand the basics, this system lays the groundwork for future phone interactions and a more connected world.The city has also expanded its NPC interactions through new task-based encounters. Residents may now ask for help finding…
- Retroronto v048 June Hotfix - 8 June 2026
Greetings citizens and tourists!June's update is a smaller hotfix focused on stability, polish, and preparations for a busy season of showcases and events. While most of the work this month happened behind the scenes, the game now features three distinct play modes accessible directly from the main menu. Life Mode offers the full city-life experience, Learn Mode focuses on exploring Toronto's landmarks and history, and Arcade Mode provides immediate access to Tram Panic, making one of Retroronto's hidden attractions easier to discover.Many of this month's fixes and improvements came directly from feedback gathered during XP Summit, where Retroronto returned for its third appearance at the event. Alongside showcasing the game, the summit provided valuable opportunities to meet with developers, publishers, investors, journalists, and other members of Canada's growing game development comm…
- Retroronto v047 May Update - 4 May 2026
Greetings citizens and tourists! May has arrived in Retroronto, bringing with it one of the project’s most systems-heavy updates yet. Taxi services now operate across the city, allowing players to fast-travel between destinations while exploring a newly revamped interactive map system. Delivery work has also expanded, introducing multiple job variations that begin laying the groundwork for more dynamic employment and overworld activities in the future.A familiar provincial storefront has also opened its doors. B.O.O.S. now offers alcoholic items alongside a bottle return program inspired by real-world recycling initiatives, giving players another small but meaningful way to earn extra cash while navigating city life. Combined with continued balance changes, refactors, and quality-of-life improvements, this update pushes Retroronto further toward being a deeper and more reactive urban li…
- Retroronto v046 April Hotfix - 6 April 2026
Greetings citizens and tourists!Spring continues in Retroronto, and this month’s update focuses on stability, polish, and responding to player feedback following the recent major release. This hotfix refines many of the new systems introduced last update, improving overall balance, usability, and performance across the city.While this update is smaller in scope, it represents an important step in preparing Retroronto for the next major milestone. Development will continue alternating between larger feature releases and focused refinement updates like this one to ensure the city grows on a solid foundation.As always, thank you to everyone who continues to play, report issues, and share their experiences. Every bit of feedback helps shape Retroronto into a stronger and more lived-in world. 🕹️ Play the demo: https://starspray-studios.itch.io/retroronto📰 Read the full devblog: https://www…
- Retroronto v045 March Update - 2 March 2026
Greetings citizens and tourists!Spring has begun to arrive in Retroronto, bringing with it one of the largest updates to the city yet. This release introduces daily events and broadcasts through CT24, a new television system that keeps residents informed on city happenings, upcoming changes, and shifting weather conditions. Across six in-game spring days, players can experience the early foundations of Retroronto’s evolving lore, seasonal structure, and recurring city stories.Nightlife has also officially arrived. Bars now open across the city after hours, offering new social spaces where residents gather to unwind. Drinks can temporarily boost charm while affecting coordination, creating new risks and opportunities during late-night exploration. One location even features Tram-Panic, a playable arcade game complete with leaderboards, marking a return to the project’s earliest inspirati…
- Retroronto v044.5 February Hotfix - 2 February 2026
Greetings citizens and tourists!This month’s Retroronto update is a smaller hotfix focused on balance tweaks, bug fixes, and smoothing out some of the systems introduced in the winter update. With healthcare now part of city life, this pass aims to make day-to-day play feel fairer, more readable, and a little less punishing for everyone trying to get through the colder months.January also turned out to be a surprising milestone for the project. Retroronto was featured by both the Toronto Star and CBC, bringing a wave of new eyes, players, and conversations to the game. That visibility has been energizing, and it’s helped reinforce the direction the project is heading as it continues to grow.While major feature updates will now land every couple of months, these smaller hotfixes will help keep the demo active and responsive in between. As always, thanks for playing, sharing feedback, an…
- Retroronto v044 January Update - 6 January 2026
Greetings citizens and tourists!A new season has arrived in Retroronto, and with it comes winter. This update introduces a winterized version of the city, complete with snowfall, changing weather conditions, and parks transformed for the colder months. Snow may fall lightly or heavily, rain has entered the forecast, and the city now feels a little more unpredictable, just like real life up north.Alongside the colder weather comes a new health system. Residents can now get sick, spreading illnesses through everyday conversations and sending players to newly revamped clinics for diagnosis and treatment. A familiar city staple has also opened its doors, offering medicine and essentials to help you get back on your feet. These systems lay the groundwork for deeper simulation features in the future, while helping sell the reality of life in a Canadian city.This update also marks a shift in d…
- Retroronto v043 November Update - 10 November 2025
Greetings citizens and tourists!Retroronto’s last update of the year is here, and it’s a big one! This month introduces several new gameplay systems that give players more ways to progress, earn, and explore beyond their daily grind. These new mechanics add depth and momentum to life in the city, helping Retroronto take another big step toward its full vision.Alongside these updates come plenty of polish and behind-the-scenes improvements, ensuring smoother play and a more cohesive city experience overall. It’s been a busy stretch of development, but a satisfying one to close out the year with.As development pauses briefly for the holidays, we’ll be taking time to rest, reflect, and plan what’s next for Retroronto heading into 2026. A huge thanks to everyone who’s followed along, shared feedback, or played the demo, your support has helped make this project what it is today! 🕹️ Play th…
- Retroronto v042 October Update - 6 October 2025
Greetings citizens and tourists!This month’s Retroronto update brings a bit of style to the city! Players can now customize their character’s face and facial hair, along with naming their character through a new letter selection screen. These updates were based on community feedback, and should help make each commuter feel a little more unique.We’ve also introduced a brand-new clothing store where players can buy new outfits and hats to wear around the city. Between this and the new customization options, Retroronto’s citizens have never looked more fashionable, or more distinct!Behind the scenes, a handful of bugs have been fixed and systems tuned up, keeping the city running as smoothly as possible while development continues. 🕹️ Play the demo: https://starspray-studios.itch.io/retroronto📰 Read our devblog: https://www.starspraystudios.com/devblog/retroronto-report-12📣 Join our Di…
- Retroronto v041 September Update - 2 September 2025
Greetings citizens and tourists!This month's Retroronto update focuses on refactoring the game's UI and NPCs. Several quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes have also been applied to ensure a smoother experience, making the streets and interiors feel more cohesive than ever.Alongside these behind-the-scenes tweaks, a brand-new trailer has premiered, featuring the latest environments, UI changes, and updated gameplay footage. The trailer keeps the original soundtrack and style fans have responded to positively, giving everyone a fresh look at the evolving city of Retroronto. 🕹️ Play the demo: https://starspray-studios.itch.io/retroronto📰 Read our devblog: https://www.starspraystudios.com/devblog/retroronto-report-11📣 Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/KyCAE4YRaSStay tuned for future updates as the city continues to grow and change! CHANGES/FIXES:- Player can no longer open the p…
- Retroronto v0.4 August Update - 4 August 2025
Greetings citizens and tourists!This month's Retroronto update brings a fresh wave of life to the city, along with a healthy dose of bug fixes and polish following July’s Get On My Level (GOML) showcase. Thanks to all the new eyes on the game, we were able to zero in on what needed improving, and build on what's working.New environments and parks based on real Toronto spots have been added, introducing roaming wildlife and neighborhood dogs to your daily commute. NPCs have also been given more voice, with early systems in place for unique dialogue across multiple environments, a small step toward making conversations a much bigger part of the game.A brand new banking system is now live, allowing players more flexibility in depositing and withdrawing funds through an intuitive UI menu. We've also tweaked animations, added new ambience, and tightened up the city’s overall vibe. Whether y…
- Retroronto v0.39 July Update - 1 July 2025
Greetings citizens and tourists! This month’s update to Retroronto brings a host of refinements aimed at smoothing out your city-living experience. We’ve made a ton of bug fixes and quality-of-life tweaks following June’s packed slate of public playtests and showcases during Toronto Games Week. Among the biggest additions is the new hotel system, letting players book a room for the night if they don’t have an apartmentl, perfect for skipping those long, lonely nights when the city shuts down. We’ve also added D-pad support across all major menus, a map legend, and handy ghost previews on cooking stations, helping you better navigate and interact with the city. Interior transitions now include a fade animation, players can enter buildings while riding bikes, and a slew of smaller fixes improve everything from fridge inventory to NPC behavior and paycheck clarity. It’s a big maintenance m…
- Retroronto v0.38 June Update - 2 June 2025
Greetings citizens and tourists! This month’s build adds some exciting new systems to Retroronto, laying the groundwork for more story content and gameplay variety! The generic pause menu has been fully replaced with a new in-world Phone Menu, giving you access to apps like your inventory, map, and more. We’ve also introduced a task system, a way to receive missions and objectives while navigating the city. Some tasks are educational, guiding you to real-world landmarks in Toronto, while others are tied to gameplay, like the current gym quest or your first task near Union Station. To support these changes, NPCs now populate the overworld, ready to offer dialogue or tasks, bringing more life and interaction to the streets of Retroronto. We’re also gearing up for our busiest event season yet, with plans to showcase Retroronto at XP Summit, Giant Video Games, G.R.I.D., and the Seriously Fu…
- Retroronto v0.36 May Update - 5 May 2025
Greetings citizens and tourists! This month's build brings some much-needed quality-of-life changes to Retroronto! Along with plenty of bug fixes, The Target Arrow system in the overworld has been overhauled to help guide you more clearly to locations. We've also added a toggleable World Map to help you find your way around the city more easily. Lastly, we've finally closed the rent-paying gameplay loop, so be sure to pay your bills in 7 days lest you get evicted from your apartment! This month was spent mostly tackling all the bugs, feedback, and suggestions from players at this past Toronto Game Expo, where we got to have hundreds of people check the game out on the showroom floor. Much of that visibility led to several showcases of the game on social media, namely a semi-viral one on TikTok. Feel free to read our devblog to learn more! Looking ahead, we're prepping to potentially sho…
- Retroronto v0.35 Update - 7 April 2025
Greetings citizens and tourists! Another month, another update! This latest build introduces a brand-new Pizza Delivery minigame, available once you’re hired at Two Pizzas. We’ve also improved how customer NPCs spawn during minigames, and completely overhauled our store system: items now tally up in a new “Cart” UI, requiring you to check out at the register before heading out. Behind the scenes, the inventory system’s been refactored to better support these changes. This build debuted at the Toronto Game Expo on March 29–30, where Retroronto was shown to the public for the very first time! We had an amazing time and got some fantastic feedback from hundreds of attendees. It’s only been a week since the event, but we’ve already made a handful of changes in response to player input, like adjusting sprinting and tweaking car collisions to feel more natural. Of course, there’s still plent…
- Retroronto v0.32 Update - 3 March 2025
Hello again, fellow citizens and tourists! We got a smaller update for you this March, as we wrapped up on contractual obligations with Ontario Creates in February. We took the time to fix a few more bugs, while adding in some newer features, namely having multiple apartments you can choose from to rent, as well as some minor additions to cooking and storage in said apartments! We've also made a big change by spreading out a lot of the existing places so they can be more closer to these new apartments. So get out there and explore the city! You can find out more about what we've done, and what's in store for Retroronto this coming month in our newspaper-themed devblog here! www.starspraystudios.com/devblog/retroronto-report-5 Thanks again for your support! We're working towards getting the game shown to the public at this years Toronto Game Expo at the end of March. Wish us luck, and…
- Retroronto v0.3 Update - 3 February 2025
Hello fellow citizens and visitors! We've been busy all of January bringing you this update, with lots of new additions and changes to the demo based on your feedback and bugs. The city is always under construction, and your interest has been invaluable to the game's development! Feel free to check out our newspaper-themed devblog for more information about this new update! The RETRORONTO REPORT #4 And as always, thank you for all your support both on Itch and on our Discord channel. We got some important deadlines this month we're diligently working to meet, so here's hoping that comes to pass and to return next month with another update for you! Take care! Changes - Minor UI fixes to minigame tutorial screens and interiors for WebGL build. - Minigames now end when theres no more customers left, and the timer is done. Tutorial texts has been adjusted for this. - Fixed a bug where the b…
- Retroronto v0.22 December Update! - 23 December 2024
Happy Holidays everyone! Since our demo launch in November, we've been hard at work fixing bugs, applying some feedback, and adding some new additions to the game. These changes have been made and uploaded up on itch.io, so go check out the game there! Retroronto on Itch.io If you'd like more information, be sure to check out our newsletter/devblog here: The RETRORONTO Report: 3rd Edition But hey, here's the Changes - Adjusted PlayerID Menu to have Randomize as first choice. - Changed PlayerID 'back' button to 'done' instead. - adjusted colliders and raycasting in interior environments to better interact with stations (still iffy, will continue to work on it). - Submitting an item for an order refills a fraction of order timer now. - Added a bigger arrow sprite to point to a nearby bike when starting game. - Fixed Bikes trapped in front of places, which would prevent players from gettin…
