Lakka
Lakka is the official Linux distribution of RetroArch and the libretro ecosystem. Each game system is implemented as a libretro core, while the frontend RetroArch takes care of inputs and display.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application types
EUPlatforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Cubieboard
- HummingBoard
- Raspberry Pi
- Nintendo Switch
- Odroid
Features
Properties
- Gaming-focused
Features
- Emulation
- Linux-based
Tags
- retro-gaming
- retroarch
Lakka News & Activities
Recent News
- POX published news article about Lakka
Retro gaming Linux-based OS Lakka 5.0 released with RetroArch 1.17, new cores, and moreLakka, a lightweight Linux distribution designed to transform small computers into retro gaming con...
Recent activities
Lakka information
Developed by
libretro Licensing
Open Source and Free product.Alternatives
37 alternatives listedSupported Languages
- English
AlternativeTo Categories
OS & Utilities, Gaming SoftwareGitHub repository
- 1,956 Stars
- 305 Forks
- 50 Open Issues
- Updated
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What is Lakka?
Lakka is the official Linux distribution of 
RetroArch and the libretro ecosystem. Each game system is implemented as a libretro core, while the frontend RetroArch takes care of inputs and display.
Powerful
Built on top of the famous RetroArch emulator, Lakka is able to emulate a large range of hardware and has some usefull features such as Braid-like rewinding, joypad hotplug and video streaming.
User friendly
Lakka is easy to setup and use. Once installed to your SD card, you just have to put your rom on the card, plug your joypad and enjoy your favorite old games.
Low cost
The hardware required to run Lakka cost only $35. We also support PS3 and XBox360 controllers so you don't have to buy new ones. The power can be supplied by any micro USB adapter like the one of your smartphone.
Open source
Our code is free as in freedom and hosted on Github. We accept external contributions, and we do our best to integrate our own patches into upstream projects.
Comments and Reviews
Don't throw your old computer! You can revive it with this great distribution! it runs smoothly on older hardware, and works almost flawlessly as it's supposed to (despite being in Beta under heavy development). Including lots of retro consoles emulators will satisfy most tastes. I just wish they could include more modern emulators like ones for the ps2/ps3.
Despite the fact that the description of the application contains the phrase "Lakka is a lightweight Linux distribution", on its official website you can choose Windows-pockage. However, in the next step you will have to choose the hardware on which the emulator will be installed, and there is no desktop in the list, but only Raspberry, Capcom Home Arcade, Nintendo Switch, Odroid, Anbernic and similar devices.
Admittedly, the website is a bit irritating there. But there is an image you can put on basically any PC that you can find unter the "Generic PC" option: https://lakka.tv/get/linux/generic/