About r/RetroFuturism
In its own words:
This subreddit focuses on the futurist visions of eras past. However posts may also contain contemporary art with a retrofuturist theme. Futurism was born out of humanity's sudden thrust into technological revolution. To the many that witnessed the dramatic, rapid change, it seemed a technological utopia was fast approaching. This unbridled optimism caused the collective imagination to run wild.
Community guide
r/RetroFuturism (#771, about 1.4 million subscribers) — This subreddit focuses on the futurist visions of eras past. However posts may also contain contemporary art with a retrofuturist theme. Futurism was born out of humanity's sudden thrust into technological… A recent sample averaged 6.2 posts a day (~45% image, ~30% gallery, ~9% text). Its public rules include: POSTING GUIDELINES.
What belongs here
Stay inside the room’s stated scope rather than adjacent off-topic dumps. Match posts to: POSTING GUIDELINES.
How it differs from lookalikes
Prefer this room when your post matches its description and rules—not merely a larger sibling community.
Practical pointers
Read the live sidebar/rules before posting; rules can change.
The community was created on Dec 22, 2009, which makes it 16 years old. Since Nov 2, 2026, it has gained 844 subscribers (+0.06%). It sits just behind r/EASportsFC (#769) and ahead of r/mexicanfood (#771) in our ranking.
What sets r/RetroFuturism apart
Compared with other large communities, r/RetroFuturism leans heavily on images (45% of recent posts; the typical Top 100 subreddit sits at 22%).
Subscriber growth
Between Sep 19, 2026 and Nov 9, 2026, r/RetroFuturism climbed from 1,377,023 to 1,381,386 subscribers (+4.4K, +0.32%). That is about 86 new members per day. The chart shows 10 weekly subscriber counts.
Top posts on r/RetroFuturism this week
This week’s highest-ranked posts, in Reddit’s own order (collected Nov 8, 2026).
- Retro Futuristic Conversation Pitu/Earnest_P_Worrell · Nov 7 · gallery
- The Playboy Land Yacht Concept by Syd Mead (1975)u/jgzogaib · Nov 2 · gallery
- Japanese promotional art by Ryoichi Ikegami for Dune (1984)u/StephenMcGannon · Nov 4 · gallery
- Briareos Hecatonchires, from Appleseed by Yoshiyuki Takani.u/StephenMcGannon · Nov 5 · image
- Vincent Di Fateu/StephenMcGannon · Nov 2 · gallery
- Art by Martyn and Roger Dean and Richard Clifton-Dey originally intended for Jeff Wayne’s 1977 War of the Worlds album, but never used.u/StephenMcGannon · Nov 4 · gallery
- Noriyoshi Ohraiu/StephenMcGannon · Nov 2 · gallery
- The "Swinging" Rotating Beach House Concept from May 1974 by Architect Charles Ralph Colbertu/jgzogaib · Nov 2 · gallery
- Italdesign Machimoto Concept, 1986u/Baby-Soapy · Nov 3 · gallery
- Art by Michael Whelan for Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov (1983. Acrylic on board).u/StephenMcGannon · Nov 4 · image
All-time top posts
The highest-ranked posts in the history of r/RetroFuturism, from 2017 to 2022, ranked by Reddit.
- Nuclear-Powered Sky Hotelu/Sourcecode12 · Jun 23, 2022 · 25,724 points · 3,529 comments · video
- Statue of Yuri Gagarin in Moscow, completed in 1980u/Drt-Spawn · Apr 13, 2017 · 12,569 points · 253 comments · image
- Cosplay metropolisu/Galimesh · May 18, 2018 · 12,579 points · 134 comments · image
- This was an actual space suit Grumman Aircraft Corp tried to sell NASA in 1962.u/Novusod · Jun 16, 2018 · 11,777 points · 392 comments · image
- We really messed upu/The_qp_god · Jan 22, 2021 · image
- The Missle, TIME Magazine, January 1956u/jzilla1995 · Jan 5, 2018 · 10,830 points · 294 comments · image
- 'Ship's Cat' by Keith Spangleu/jaykirsch · Apr 7, 2018 · 9,323 points · 129 comments · image
- We all live in a yellow airplane...u/earthmoonsun · Dec 28, 2017 · 9,722 points · 223 comments · image
- Whitney Wolverine .22lr pistol, designed during the atomic age.u/TheRealRhin0 · Jun 24, 2020 · image
- Worst space suit design ever?u/captainmagictrousers · Oct 14, 2017 · 10,052 points · 358 comments · image
What r/RetroFuturism talks about
We read the titles of 44 recent posts (Oct 29–Nov 4), the words that come up most are “art”, “retro”, “concept”, “future” and “david”. Other frequent themes are charles, foundation, board, cover, bookmarks and inspired. Recurring phrases include “cover art”, “bookmarks inspired”, “retro tech” and “cassette futurism”. By format, 45% are images, 30% are galleries and 9% are text posts.
Activity and best time to post
r/RetroFuturism gets about 6.2 new posts a day. The public archive holds 37,168 posts and 531,331 comments in total, about 14.3 comments per post. Last week the busiest day was Thursday (9 posts) and the quietest was Tuesday (3). Posting peaks around 09:00 UTC and is lowest around 01:00 UTC.
Rules of r/RetroFuturism
The moderators of r/RetroFuturism list 1 rules. In short:
- POSTING GUIDELINES
How to join
Open reddit.com/r/RetroFuturism and press “Join”. Read the community rules in the sidebar before you post: every subreddit is run by its own volunteer moderators.
Frequently asked questions
How many members does r/RetroFuturism have?
r/RetroFuturism has 1,381,386 subscribers (Nov 9, 2026), which makes it the #770 safe-for-work subreddit in the SubMouse ranking. It added 4,363 members between Sep 19, 2026 and Nov 9, 2026.
When was r/RetroFuturism created?
r/RetroFuturism was created on Dec 22, 2009, so it has been around for 16 years.
Is r/RetroFuturism still active?
Yes. r/RetroFuturism gets about 6.2 new posts a day (average of the last four weeks). Over its lifetime the archive counts 37,168 posts and 531,331 comments.
What is the best time to post in r/RetroFuturism?
Based on post counts from Oct 29, 2026 to Nov 4, 2026, the busiest day was Thursday and the quietest Tuesday, and most posts arrive around 09:00 UTC, with the fewest around 01:00 UTC. More posts also means more competition, so a quieter hour can help a post get noticed.
What kind of posts are on r/RetroFuturism?
The community describes itself as: “This subreddit focuses on the futurist visions of eras past. However posts may also contain contemporary art with a retrofuturist theme. Futurism was born out of humanity's sudden thrust into technological revolution. T…” Recent post titles often mention art, retro, concept, future and david. Most posts are images (45%).
Is r/RetroFuturism SFW?
Yes. Reddit does not mark r/RetroFuturism as an 18+ (NSFW) community. SubMouse lists safe-for-work subreddits only.
What are the rules of r/RetroFuturism?
Join the community on Reddit first, then use “Create post”. r/RetroFuturism accepts both text and link posts, with images, videos, galleries and polls enabled. It has 1 posted rules, starting with: “POSTING GUIDELINES”. Moderators remove posts that break the rules, so read them in the sidebar before posting.
Stats from public data (data updated Nov 9, 2026; activity, rules and archive totals via the Arctic Shift archive, Nov 6, 2026; top posts from Reddit’s public feeds). Point and comment counts are archive snapshots and can be lower than on Reddit today. SubMouse is an independent directory and is not affiliated with Reddit or the moderators of r/RetroFuturism.