Best RetroArch Alternatives
RetroArch is described as 'graphical frontend for emulators, game engines, and media players' and is a very popular Game Emulator in the gaming software category. There are more than 100 alternatives to RetroArch for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac, Android and BSD. The best alternative is Lutris, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like RetroArch are PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac, Snes9x, ePSXe and GameHub.
RetroArch alternatives are mainly Game Emulators but may also be Compatibility Layer Tools or Game Library Managers. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of RetroArch.
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Blackberry
- iPad
- OpenPandora
- Steam
- Raspberry Pi
- Playstation
- Xbox
- Free • Open Source
- Linux
- Online
Lutris is an open source gaming platform for GNU/Linux. It allows you to gather and manage (install, configure and launch) all your games acquired from any source, in a single interface.
Lutris vs RetroArch opinions
retorarch is a frontend for emulating multiple game consoles. Lutris is primarily a frontend for running windows games on linux
Lutris is not an frontend for emulators.
BrouwareRetroarch is a frontend for emulators, Lutris for PC games.
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Linux
- BSD
- Wine
- FreeBSD
PlayOnLinux is a graphical frontend for the Wine software compatibility layer which allows Linux and Mac users to install Windows-based video games, Microsoft Office (2000 to 2010), Microsoft Internet Explorer, as well as many other applications.
PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac vs RetroArch opinions
BrouwarePlayOnLinux is a compatibility layer to play Windows games (or other software) on Linux. Retroarch is a multi-platform emulator frontend. They are not at all similar.
Snes9x is a portable, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) emulator. It allows you to play most games designed for the SNES and Super Famicom Nintendo game systems on your PC.
Snes9x vs RetroArch opinions
Retroarch is not an emulator. Retroarch is a frontend for Libretro, which is a backend in which "cores" can be implemented and then run through a frontend(RA in this case.) These cores are emulators, and are what do most of the work of emulating systems. The vast majority of Libretro cores are simply preexisting emulators (like Snes9x!) ported into the Libretro API.
ePSXe (enhanced PSX emulator) is an emulator of the PlayStation video game console for x86-based PC hardware. ePSXe makes use of a plugin system to emulate GPU, SPU, and CD drive functions, similar to the model first introduced in PSEmu Pro.
Games library manager. Supports: Steam, GOG, Humble Bundle, Humble Trove, Wine and RetroArch.
PPSSPP is a PSP emulator written in C++, and translates PSP CPU instructions directly into optimized x86, x64 and ARM machine code, using JIT recompilers (dynarecs).
- Free • Open Source
- Linux
- Wine
- Steam
- Proton
SteamOS is a Debian based Linux distribution designed to run Valve's Steam and Steam games. It also provides a desktop mode (https://alternativeto.
SteamOS vs RetroArch opinions
AshleyJazzleySteamOS is a linux distribution, on it's own it has nothing to do with emulation.
- Free • Open Source
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
- Haiku
- AmigaOS
- MorphOS
VisualBoyAdvance (VBA) is a free software (GNU GPL) emulator targeted for the Game Boy, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance handheld game consoles sold by Nintendo.
Discontinued
The project is no longer developed. Last version, 1.8.0 beta 3, released in October 2005, can be still downloaded from FileHippo
VisualBoyAdvance vs RetroArch opinions
Retroarch is for ios VBA is for windows
Project64 is a Nintendo 64 emulator for the Windows platform. It employs a plugin system that allows 3rd party developers to implement their own software.
DuckStation is an simulator/emulator of the Sony PlayStation(TM) console, focusing on playability, speed, and long-term maintainability. The goal is to be as accurate as possible while maintaining performance suitable for low-end devices.
