Frontends

Launcher types

These "Launchers" or "Executors" use their own graphical interface to start emulators. They're generally very adaptive and can support different arguments between emulators to ease integration. These frontends can be used with almost any emulator of your choosing, as long as they support command-line arguments.

Name	Platform(s)	Latest Version	Active	Recommended
PC / x86
LaunchBox		10.0	✓	✓
Attract-Mode		2.6.1	✓	?
Nostlan		1.6.0	✓	?
Pegasus		Alpha 13	✓	?
RetroFE		0.9.0	✓	?
Mobile / ARM
LaunchBox		0.33 ($)	✓	✓
Attract-Mode		2.6.1	✓	?
Pegasus		Alpha 13	✓	?

Comparisons

LaunchBox

Was originally built as an attractive front-end for DOSBox but has since expanded to support both modern PC games and emulated console platforms. It comes with an integrated metadata scraper, and the interface is highly customizable, likely the most customizable alongside HyperSpin, but only with a license for the premium version. Premium also includes Big Box, which is an HTPC version of the frontend. Launchbox can also be launched natively from Kodi.

Integrated emulator types

These "frontends" have a graphical user interface that lets you launch emulators that are included with the system, meaning it's not possible (or very difficult) to incorporate other emulators. They may or may not contain original emulator cores. If a program has mostly original cores, then it's called a multi-system emulator and is not included here.

Name	Platform(s)	Latest Version	Active	Recommended
PC / x86
OpenEmu		2.4.1	✓	✓
BizHawk		2.9.1	✓	?
RetroPie		4.5.1	✓	?
Mobile / ARM
RetroPie		4.5.1	✓	✓

Comparisons

OpenEmu

A frontend for various emulators that runs under macOS.

Launcher mods

These programs aren't launchers themselves, but instead tools for changing other launchers.

Name	Platform(s)	Latest Version	Active	Recommended
PC / x86
Steam ROM Manager		2.2.22	✓	?
Ice		1.0.0	✗	✗

Comparisons

Steam ROM Manager

A tool that adds emulator launching capabilities to the Steam client.

Libretro

Name	Platform(s)	Latest Version	Active	Recommended
PC / x86
RetroArch		1.18.0	✓	✓
Ludo		0.10.4	✓	?
Phoenix		0.0.1 (pre-alpha)	✗	✗
Mobile / ARM
RetroArch		1.18.0	✓	✓
Ludo		0.10.4	✓	?
Consoles
RetroArch		1.18.0	✓	✓

Comparison

RetroArch

The flagship project for libretro, and the most widely available.

MAME

MAME was originally designed as a command line program. However, when the project relicensed as open source in February 2016, they merged the frontend MEWUI into the main project as part of the MAME executable. MEWUI uses the ten-foot interface philosophy which accounts for large television displays where the user is expected to use a TV remote-like input device to navigate the menus. However, MAME still supports command line arguments, so many old launchers still work with newer versions.

Name	Platform(s)	Latest Version	Active	Recommended
PC / x86
QMC2		0.195	✓	?
MAMEUI64		0.264	✓	?
Negatron		0.99.7	✓	?
Mobile / ARM

Mednafen

Mednafen is a command line program with no graphical interface whatsoever. These programs generally ease the process of launching games, but doesn't address things like controller configuration which is done by pressing hotkeys in-game.

Name	Platform(s)	Latest Version	Active	Recommended
PC / x86
Mednaffe		0.8.8	✓	✓
MedGui Reborn		0.110	✓	?
MedLaunch		0.5.25.3	✗	?
MedGui		1.99999	✗	✗

Others

Mupen64

Model 2

Model 3

See also

• Comparison of Emulator Frontends