A Game That Feels Like a Playlist You Made at 17
Some games try to tell big stories about saving the world. Mixtape tells a smaller one — and it's all the better for it.
Released for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, Mixtape is a narrative adventure set over the course of a single summer day. You play as Stacey Rockford, a music-obsessed high school grad who's hours away from packing her bags and leaving her quiet California suburb for New York City. Before she goes, there's one last day to live — and it unfolds exactly like the best coming-of-age movies you grew up loving.
High School Tropes Done Right
On the surface, Mixtape leans hard into the familiar: there's banter about the meaning of life, debates about what song would play if you walked into a room in slow motion, the eternal quest for booze before a big party. If you've ever seen a John Hughes film or rewatched Superbad for the fifth time, you'll recognize the DNA.
But Mixtape earns its tropes. Under the surface-level nostalgia is a genuinely thoughtful exploration of what it feels like to stand at the edge of something new — excited, terrified, and desperately clinging to the people and places that made you who you are. Stacey's relationships feel real, her anxiety feels earned, and the small moments land harder than you'd expect from a video game.
The Soundtrack Is the Star
The real hook — and the thing that elevates Mixtape above your average narrative indie — is the music. The game is packed with classic hits that do more than just set a mood. Songs are woven into the gameplay itself, shaping how scenes unfold and what emotions land. It's less background noise and more the connective tissue of the whole experience.
For anyone who grew up making mixtapes (or Spotify playlists) as a form of self-expression, that design choice is going to hit differently. The game understands that music isn't just something you listen to — it's how you explain yourself to the world.
Short, Sweet, and Worth Your Time
Mixtape isn't a long game, and that's exactly right. It doesn't overstay its welcome. Like the best summer days, it ends before you're ready, and you'll probably sit in the credits wishing there was more.
It's not a perfect game — some of the high school dialogue leans a little too hard into genre cliché, and players who aren't already nostalgic for this era of music may not connect as deeply. But for those who do? It's a portrait of teenage life that's warm, funny, a little sad, and surprisingly resonant.
If you've ever wished a video game could feel like a coming-of-age movie with a great soundtrack, Mixtape delivers exactly that.
Source: The Verge
