RetroArch
362 likes
A fast, modular emulator frontend offering portability and extensive support for systems from arcade consoles to mobile platforms, featuring game engines like Doom and Quake, and capabilities for real-time rewinding and shader support on a variety of devices.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application type
EUPlatforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- iPad
- F-Droid
- Steam
- Raspberry Pi
- Playstation
- Xbox
- Haiku
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What is RetroArch?
RetroArch information
Developed by
libretro Licensing
Open Source (GPL-3.0) and Free product.Written in
Rating
Average rating of 4.3Alternatives
165 alternatives listedBadge
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AlternativeTo Categories
Gaming Software, System & HardwareApple AppStore
- Updated
- 4.31 avg rating
GitHub repository
- 14,053 Stars
- 2,238 Forks
- 2995 Open Issues
- Updated
Comments and Reviews
I just downloaded this and fiddled arond with it for 15 minutes, but I'm already impressed! The interface (the "Big Picture" one, I think it was called) is a beauty to look at. It reminds me of a PS4-style menu...I think. I don't own one, heh, but I see my roommate play on his every so often. Aside from that, if you prefer an old-fashioned interface, Retroarch offers that, too.
I just did a scouring of the options, and there's a wealth of them. One option that caught my eye was the "netplay". I just started getting into running my own server, so this sounds promising.
Per the Retroarch website it is just a front end so you will need to download specific "cores" to run a certain game that you want. However, Retroarch makes finding the core that you want easy; it provides a catalog of lots of cores to download and install.
There's more to this piece of software that I would like to learn about, but Retroarch has already left a strong first impression on me. I'm not sure why I didn't download this sooner!
The best way to emulate game consoles in 2024, highly recommended instead of downloading a bunch of emulators that probably have malware.
I was hesitant to use this type of "all-in-one" emulator for a while, mainly because most of the previous projects that tried to do this ended up being more trouble than they were worth (MAME being the exception), but now that I've learned how to use Retroarch, it's my go-to emulator for PC and Android, very easy to set up, feature-rich, and customizable.
Shit doesn't read my Switch Pro Controller anymore.
Retroarch sucks on Linux. Never ever download it on Linux. I opened it and the whole screen was dark. I uninstalled it and tried installing it a second time. The exact same happened again
This is a common problem with a common fix.
I would imagine that they wouldn't develop software on Linux if the app showed up as a black screen for every user, release after release. Probably not a good development model.
Retroarch made things a lot easier for me since I wasn't great at handling emulator settings. Plus some cores are more updated compared to other emulators like the Desmume.
Retro Arch is easy to use, has a nice interface, allows you to play a lot of games on different platforms and automatically configures a controller so you can play with it.I really recommend it.