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.
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RetroArch AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Compatibility Layer Tools
The best Compatibility Layer alternative to RetroArch is PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to RetroArch and eight of them are Compatibility Layer Tools so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Compatibility Layer Tool alternatives to RetroArch are CrossOver, Mythic, Phoenicis and WineGUI.
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RetroArch alternatives are mainly Compatibility Layer Tools, but if you're looking for Game Emulators or Game Library Managers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Windows, Linux, Android and iPhone. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to RetroArch.
Alternatives list
45 PlayOnLinux - PlayOnMac alternatives
46 CrossOver alternativesCross-platform utility enables seamless installation and execution of Windows applications on macOS, Linux, and Chrome OS. No Windows license required—facilitates easy app management with a few clicks, eliminates the need for virtual machines and reboots, delivering efficient compatibility layer operation.
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49 Mythic alternativesAn open-source Epic Games Launcher alternative and normal game launcher for macOS written in Swift. We started this project to create a GUI frontend for Legendary and to play Windows games using game porting toolkit by Apple.
Phoenicis is a graphical front-end for Wine, a tool to help Linux and Mac users run games and programs for Windows. The future of PlayOnLinux and PlayOnMac.
A graphical front-end for command line emulators that hides the underlying operating system and is intended to be controlled with a joystick, gamepad or spin dial. Ideal for use on arcade cabinet setups.
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WineZGUI (pronounced Wine-Zee-Goo-Eee) is a wine frontend for playing windows games with wine easily. It is a collection of Bash scripts for Wine Prefix Management and Linux Desktop Integration for easier wine gaming experience using Zenity.
This is Hangover, a project started by André Zwing and Stefan Dösinger in 2016 to run (x86_64)/x86_32 Windows applications on aarch64/(ppc64le)/x86_64 Wine. (Architectures in brackets are currently not supported).
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PlayOnLinux 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.