Mixtape Is a 90s Coming-of-Age Road Trip — And It Drops Tomorrow

Tomorrow, May 7, Mixtape arrives on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 — and it might be the most emotionally interesting game releasing this month. It is also available day one on Xbox Game Pass.

Developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive, Mixtape is a coming-of-age narrative adventure set in 1990s Northern California. It has John Hughes vibes, a carefully curated soundtrack, and gameplay that keeps changing shape to match each memory it explores.

The Story

You play as Rockford, a teenager who has dreamed of becoming a music supervisor since she was eight years old. On the last night of high school, Rockford and her two best friends — Slater and Cassandra — pile into a car and head to a final party together.

But the road trip turns into something more. A perfectly curated playlist pulls the trio into dreamlike reenactments of their shared memories — pivotal moments from their teenage years that shaped who they became. It is part road trip, part memory trip, and it sounds like exactly the kind of game Annapurna does best.

The Gameplay

Mixtape does not lock you into a single genre. Instead, it works like its namesake: a curated collection of different experiences, each one tuned to a specific memory or mood.

Across the game you will be doing things like:

• Skateboarding through 90s suburbia
• Taking photos at an abandoned theme park after hours
• Launching fireworks from the backseat of a moving car
• Hitting baseballs in empty neighborhood lots at dusk
• Flying — literally — through one of the game's dreamlike sequences

Each vignette is short and self-contained, but together they build something larger. It is the kind of game that works better felt than explained — you have to play it to understand why the structure works.

The Music Is Everything Here

Given the concept, the soundtrack is not background decoration — it is a core design element. Rockford's entire identity is built around music, and the game treats its playlist with matching seriousness.

Expect a carefully chosen mix of era-appropriate tracks that reinforce the emotional weight of each memory. If the music lands the way it should, Mixtape could hit the way Celeste or Night in the Woods hit — games where audio and story fuse into something you carry with you long after the credits roll.

Why This One Matters

Annapurna Interactive has a track record that commands attention. Their publishing roster includes What Remains of Edith Finch, Outer Wilds, Stray, and Florence — games that consistently punch above their weight emotionally. Mixtape looks like it belongs in that company.

Beethoven & Dinosaur previously made The Gardens Between, a quiet puzzle game about the fragile nature of childhood friendship. Mixtape feels like a natural evolution of that vision, with more ambition in scope and a much bigger canvas to work with.

Narrative games like this typically run 4-6 hours — but that is by design. A focused, complete emotional experience is more valuable than padding for padding's sake.

How to Play

Mixtape releases on May 7, 2026 across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2. If you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, it is included from day one at no extra cost.

If you have been looking for a game that slows down and actually says something about growing up, friendship, and the music that stitches memories together — this is the one to watch tomorrow.