RetroArch Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to RetroArch for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best Windows alternative is Snes9x, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to RetroArch and loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to RetroArch are PPSSPP, ePSXe, VisualBoyAdvance and Project64.

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.

RetroArch alternatives page was last updated

RetroArch

235

Free • Open Source
Game Emulator

RetroArch is a graphical frontend for emulators, game engines, and media players.

More about RetroArch

Snes9x
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Mac
Windows
Linux
37 Snes9x alternatives
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 is the most popular Windows alternative to RetroArch.
Suggest and vote on features
Snes9x Features
1. PortableSnes9x can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Comments about Snes9x as a Alternative to RetroArch
Most users think Snes9x is a great RetroArch alternative.
Guest
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.
Negative comment•
4
PPSSPP
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
Blackberry
Flathub
7 PPSSPP alternatives
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).
- - PPSSPP is the most popular Android & iPhone alternative to RetroArch.
Suggest and vote on features
PPSSPP Features
Jailbreak required
Comments about PPSSPP as a Alternative to RetroArch
Most users think PPSSPP is a great RetroArch alternative.
Douze
PPSSPP is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.
Negative comment•
0
ePSXe
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Proprietary
Game Emulator
Windows
Linux
Android
Android Tablet
19 ePSXe alternatives
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.
- - ePSXe is the most popular Android Tablet alternative to RetroArch.
Suggest and vote on features
ePSXe Features
1. PortableePSXe can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Playstation
Comments about ePSXe as a Alternative to RetroArch
Most users think ePSXe is a great RetroArch alternative.
Douze
ePSXe is a single emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and games using them !
Negative comment•
0
VisualBoyAdvance
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Haiku
AmigaOS
MorphOS
29 VisualBoyAdvance alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
VisualBoyAdvance Features
1. PortableVisualBoyAdvance can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Emulation
Discontinued
The project is no longer developed. Last version, 1.8.0 beta 3, released in October 2005, can be still downloaded from FileHippo

Comments about VisualBoyAdvance as a Alternative to RetroArch
Some users think VisualBoyAdvance is a great RetroArch alternative, some don't.
Guest
Retroarch is for ios VBA is for windows
Negative comment•
-9
Project64
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Windows
18 Project64 alternatives
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. It is an emulator, meaning that the user has the option to run ROM files that can be extracted from a Nintendo 64 game...
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Project64 Features
1. PortableProject64 can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Comments about Project64 as a Alternative to RetroArch
Some users think Project64 is a great RetroArch alternative, some don't.
Douze
Project64 is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.
Negative comment•
0
ZSNES
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Mac
Windows
Linux
33 ZSNES alternatives
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...
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ZSNES Features
Emulation
Discontinued
The program is no longer updated. Last version, 1.51, released in January 2007, can be still downloaded from the official website.

Opinions about ZSNES as a Alternative to RetroArch
Some users think ZSNES is a great RetroArch alternative, some don't.
Mame
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Mac
Windows
Linux
AmigaOS
MorphOS
15 Mame alternatives
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.
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Mame Features
1. PortableMame can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Integrated Android Emulator
Comments about Mame as a Alternative to RetroArch
Some users think Mame is a great RetroArch alternative, some don't.
Douze
Mame is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.
Negative comment•
0
DuckStation
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
Android Tablet
AppImageHub
Flathub
7 DuckStation alternatives
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.
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DuckStation Features
Emulation
Comments about DuckStation as a Alternative to RetroArch
pros, cons and recent comments
Douze
DuckStation is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.
Negative comment•
0
Lakka
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Linux Distro
Operating System
Mac
Windows
Linux
Cubieboard
HummingBoard
Raspberry Pi
Nintendo Switch
Odroid
22 Lakka alternatives
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.
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Lakka Features
Emulation
Linux-based
Gaming-focused
Opinions about Lakka as a Alternative to RetroArch
Almost everyone thinks Lakka is a great RetroArch alternative.
ScummVM
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Mac
Windows
Linux
Windows Mobile
Android
iPhone
Symbian S60
BSD
Snapcraft
Flathub
Haiku
AmigaOS
MorphOS
10 ScummVM alternatives
ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games, provided you already have their data files. The clever part about this: ScummVM just replaces the executables shipped with the games, allowing you to play them on systems for...
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ScummVM Features
1. PortableScummVM can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
2. Works OfflineScummVM can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
Jailbreak required
Comments about ScummVM as a Alternative to RetroArch
Some users think ScummVM is a great RetroArch alternative, some don't.
Douze
ScummVM is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.
Negative comment•
0
mGBA
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Emulator
Mac
Windows
Linux
27 mGBA alternatives
mGBA is an open source emulator of the Game Boy Advance. The goals are speed and accuracy.
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mGBA Features
1. PortablemGBA can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Optimal performance
Comments about mGBA as a Alternative to RetroArch
pros, cons and recent comments
Douze
mGBA is an emulator, whereas RetroArch is a front-end for multiple emulators and the games using them.
Negative comment•
0
Pegasus
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Game Library Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
Raspberry Pi
26 Pegasus alternatives
Pegasus is a graphical frontend for browsing your game library (especially retro games) and launching them from one place. It's focusing on customizability, cross platform support (including embedded devices) and high performance.
Suggest and vote on features
Pegasus Features
1. PortablePegasus can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Game Launcher