RetroArch AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Game Emulators

The best Game Emulator alternative to RetroArch is DuckStation, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to RetroArch and loads of them are Game Emulators so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Game Emulator alternatives to RetroArch are Lemuroid, Lakka, OpenEmu and VisualBoyAdvance.

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RetroArch alternatives are mainly Game Emulators, but if you're looking for Game Library Managers or Linux Distros you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Linux, Windows and iPhone. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to RetroArch.
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Alternatives list

  1. DuckStation icon

    DuckStation

     49 likes
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    DuckStation is an simulator/emulator of the Sony PlayStation(TM) console, focusing on playability, speed, and long-term maintainability.

    13 DuckStation alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • AppImageHub
    • Flathub
    Silent Hill
     
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    1
    Comments about DuckStation as an Alternative to RetroArch
    Douze
    Negative
    4

    DuckStation is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.

    RetroArch Icon
    DuckStation icon

    • Some users think DuckStation is a great RetroArch alternative, some don't.

    • DuckStation is the most popular Windows, Android & Android Tablet alternative to RetroArch.

    • DuckStation is Free and ProprietaryRetroArch is Free and Open Source
    • DuckStation is LightweightRetroArch is not according to our users
  2. Lemuroid icon

    Lemuroid

     38 likes
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    Lemuroid is an open-source emulation project based on Libretro. It's completely free, without ads and focused on ease of use and good user experience.

    32 Lemuroid alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid
    Lemuroid screenshot 1
    Lemuroid screenshot 2
    Lemuroid screenshot 3
     
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    7
    Comments about Lemuroid as an Alternative to RetroArch
    Teoman
    Positive
    0

    is good but i doesn't have advanced features it should have more options but still keeping it simple

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It's MUCH easier to get started for beginners, instead of overwhelming you with vague and confusing concepts like "core"s and "content"s.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Lemuroid uses libretro cores just like retroarch but it's way simpler to use and it supports SD cards without tweaks

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 4 comments
    RetroArch Icon
    Lemuroid icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Lemuroid is a great RetroArch alternative.

    • Lemuroid is Free and Open SourceRetroArch is also Free and Open Source
    • Lemuroid is LightweightRetroArch is not according to our users
  4. Lakka icon

    Lakka

     37 likes
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    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.

    37 Lakka alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Cubieboard
    • HummingBoard
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Odroid
    Splash screen
     
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    9
  5. OpenEmu icon

    OpenEmu

     65 likes
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    Open Emu is an open source project to bring game emulation to OS X as a first class citizen, leveraging modern OS X technologies such as Cocoa, Core Animation and Quartz, and 3rd party libraries like Sparkle for auto-updating.

    55 OpenEmu alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    OpenEmu screenshot 1
     
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    10
  6. VisualBoyAdvance icon

    VisualBoyAdvance

     156 likes
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    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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • MorphOS
    VisualBoyAdvance screenshot 1
     
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    7
    Comments about VisualBoyAdvance as an Alternative to RetroArch
    DifferentDance8Real
    Negative
    1

    VBA is specifically for the GBA console, whereas RetroArch can handle any console

    Guest
    Negative
    -14

    Retroarch is for ios VBA is for windows

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    RetroArch Icon
    VisualBoyAdvance icon

    • Some users think VisualBoyAdvance is a great RetroArch alternative, some don't.

    • VisualBoyAdvance is Free and Open SourceRetroArch is also Free and Open Source
  7. Ludo icon

    Ludo

     21 likes
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    Ludo is an Emulator Frontend able to run retro video games. Ludo does not emulate the consoles itself, but does it through emulator plugins called libretro cores. Libretro cores are well known emulators (like Snes9x or Genesis Plus GX or PCSX) stripped from their user interface.

    35 Ludo alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Ludo's user interface is distraction free and configuration is always optional.
     
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    8
  9. Snes9x icon

    Snes9x

     149 likes
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    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.

    30 Snes9x alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Snes9x screenshot 1
     
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    1
    10
    Comments about Snes9x as an Alternative to RetroArch
    Guest
    Negative
    8

    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    RetroArch Icon
    Snes9x icon

    • Most users think Snes9x is a great RetroArch alternative.

    • Snes9x is Free and Open SourceRetroArch is also Free and Open Source
  10. ScummVM icon

    ScummVM

     125 likes
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    ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games, provided you already have their data files.

    13 ScummVM alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Windows Mobile
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Symbian S60
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • MorphOS
    Myst: Masterpiece Edition (Windows/German)
     
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    1
    Comments about ScummVM as an Alternative to RetroArch
    Douze
    Negative
    2

    ScummVM is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.

    RetroArch Icon
    ScummVM icon

    • Some users think ScummVM is a great RetroArch alternative, some don't.

    • ScummVM is the most popular iPhone alternative to RetroArch.

    • ScummVM is Free and Open SourceRetroArch is also Free and Open Source
  11. Delta Emulator icon

    Delta Emulator

     28 likes
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    Delta is an iOS emulator that supports multiple game systems such as NES, SNES, N64, and DS, improving upon its predecessor, GBA4iOS.

    39 Delta Emulator alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • iPhone
    • AltStore
    • iPad
    Delta Emulator screenshot 1
     

    • Delta Emulator is the most popular iPad alternative to RetroArch.

    • Delta Emulator is Free and Open SourceRetroArch is also Free and Open Source
  12. Mame icon

    Mame

     94 likes
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    MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. When used in conjunction with images of the original arcade game's ROM and disk data, MAME attempts to reproduce that game as faithfully as possible on a more modern general-purpose computer.

    24 Mame alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • AmigaOS
    • MorphOS
    Mame screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Mame as an Alternative to RetroArch
    Douze
    Negative
    0

    Mame is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.

    RetroArch Icon
    Mame icon

    • Some users think Mame is a great RetroArch alternative, some don't.

    • Mame is Free and Open SourceRetroArch is also Free and Open Source
  13. ZSNES icon

    ZSNES

     198 likes
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    ZSNES is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System emulator. Aside from emulation accuracy, many interface features first introduced in ZSNES have been adopted by other emulators. ZSNES interface features include: Smoothing and dynamic image scaling; screenshot capture; state...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    ZSNES screenshot 1
     
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    7
  14. mGBA icon

    mGBA

     33 likes
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    mGBA is an open source emulator of the Game Boy Advance. The goals are speed and accuracy.

    38 mGBA alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    mGBA screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about mGBA as an Alternative to RetroArch
    Douze
    Negative
    3

    mGBA is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.

    RetroArch Icon
    mGBA icon
    • mGBA is Free and Open SourceRetroArch is also Free and Open Source
    • mGBA is LightweightRetroArch is not according to our users
12 of 122 RetroArch alternatives