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duckstation development is active again, not sure if supposed to mean for libretro core though |
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|version = {{Version|RetroArch}} | |version = {{Version|RetroArch}} | ||
|active = Yes | |active = Yes | ||
|platform = [[Emulators on Windows|Windows]]<br/>[[Emulators on macOS|macOS]]<br/>[[Emulators on Linux|Linux]]<br/>[[Emulators on Haiku|Haiku]]<br/>[[Emulators on Android|Android]]<br/>[[Emulators on iOS|iOS]]<br/>[[Emulators on Raspberry Pi|Raspberry Pi]]<br/>[[Emulators on Pandora|Pandora]]<br/>[[Emulators on DragonBox Pyra|Pyra]]<br/>[[Emulators on PS2|PlayStation 2]]<br/>[[Emulators on PS3|PlayStation 3]]<br/>[[Emulators on PS4|PlayStation 4]] (Unofficial)<br/>[[Emulators on PSP|PlayStation Portable]]<br/>[[Emulators on Vita|PlayStation Vita/TV]]<br/>[[Emulators on Xbox|Xbox]]<br/>[[Emulators on Xbox 360|Xbox 360]]<br/>[[Emulators on Xbox One|Xbox One]]<br/>[[Emulators on GameCube|GameCube]]<br/>[[Emulators on Wii|Wii]]<br/>[[Emulators on Wii U|Wii U]]<br/>[[Emulators on Switch|Nintendo Switch]]<br/>[[Emulators on 3DS|Nintendo 3DS]]<br/>[[Emulators on GCW Zero|GCW Zero]] (Unofficial)<br/>OpenDingux<br/>BlackBerry<br/>Steam Link<br/>Leapfrog | |platform = [[Emulators on Windows|Windows]]<br/>[[Emulators on macOS|macOS]]<br/>[[Emulators on Linux|Linux]]<br/>[[Emulators on Haiku|Haiku]]<br/>[[Emulators on Android|Android]]<br/>[[Emulators on iOS|iOS]]<br/>[[Emulators on tvOS|tvOS]]<br/>[[Emulators on Raspberry Pi|Raspberry Pi]]<br/>[[Emulators on Pandora|Pandora]]<br/>[[Emulators on DragonBox Pyra|Pyra]]<br/>[[Emulators on PS2|PlayStation 2]]<br/>[[Emulators on PS3|PlayStation 3]]<br/>[[Emulators on PS4|PlayStation 4]] (Unofficial)<br/>[[Emulators on PSP|PlayStation Portable]]<br/>[[Emulators on Vita|PlayStation Vita/TV]]<br/>[[Emulators on Xbox|Xbox]]<br/>[[Emulators on Xbox 360|Xbox 360]]<br/>[[Emulators on Xbox One|Xbox One]]<br/>[[Emulators on GameCube|GameCube]]<br/>[[Emulators on Wii|Wii]]<br/>[[Emulators on Wii U|Wii U]]<br/>[[Emulators on Switch|Nintendo Switch]]<br/>[[Emulators on 3DS|Nintendo 3DS]]<br/>[[Emulators on GCW Zero|GCW Zero]] (Unofficial)<br/>OpenDingux<br/>BlackBerry<br/>Steam Link<br/>Leapfrog | ||
|type = [[libretro]] frontend | |type = [[libretro]] frontend | ||
|prog-lang = C, C++ | |prog-lang = {{Proglang|C}}, {{Proglang|C++}} | ||
|website = [https://www.libretro.com/ libretro.com] | |website = [https://www.libretro.com/ libretro.com] | ||
|support = [https://www.patreon.com/libretro Patreon]<br/>[https://github.com/sponsors/libretro GitHub Sponsor]<br/>[https://liberapay.com/Libretro/donate Liberapay] | |support = [https://www.patreon.com/libretro Patreon]<br/>[https://github.com/sponsors/libretro GitHub Sponsor]<br/>[https://liberapay.com/Libretro/donate Liberapay] | ||
|source = [https://github.com/libretro GitHub] | |source = [https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch GitHub] | ||
|license = | |issuetracker = [https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/issues GitHub] | ||
|license = {{license|GPLv3}} | |||
|release = Jan 11, 2014 (v1.0.0.0) | |||
}} | }} | ||
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===Mobile/Console Versions=== | ===Mobile/Console Versions=== | ||
*[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.retroarch RetroArch for Android on Play Store], 32-bit & 64-bit ARM (also [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.retroarch.aarch64 Plus version]) | *[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.retroarch RetroArch for Android on Play Store], 32-bit & 64-bit ARM (also [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.retroarch.aarch64 Plus version]) | ||
*[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/retroarch/id6499539433 RetroArch for iOS on App Store] | *[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/retroarch/id6499539433 RetroArch for iOS/tvOS on App Store] | ||
*[https://buildbot.libretro.com/stable/{{RetroArchVer}}/apple/ios9/RetroArchiOS9.ipa RetroArch for iOS9] ({{RetroArchVer}}) | *[https://buildbot.libretro.com/stable/{{RetroArchVer}}/apple/ios9/RetroArchiOS9.ipa RetroArch for iOS9] ({{RetroArchVer}}) | ||
*[https://buildbot.libretro.com/stable/{{RetroArchVer}}/apple/ios-arm64/RetroArch.ipa RetroArch for iOS-arm64] ({{RetroArchVer}}) | *[https://buildbot.libretro.com/stable/{{RetroArchVer}}/apple/ios-arm64/RetroArch.ipa RetroArch for iOS-arm64] ({{RetroArchVer}}) | ||
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==Features== | ==Features== | ||
*Consistency across multiple platforms, using the same UI structure and a fully featured command line interface. | *Consistency across multiple platforms, using the same UI structure and a fully featured command-line interface. | ||
*Gamepad-controlled menu system with multiple styles available, such as XMB or Material UI. (There's also a | *Gamepad-controlled menu system with multiple styles available, such as XMB or Material UI. (There's also a {{YouTubeVideo|hfuioGjCItw|QT-based 'WIMP' desktop-style interface}} for PC platforms that was announced before and released in version [https://www.libretro.com/index.php/retroarch-1-7-3-released/ 1.7.3].) | ||
*Gamepad auto-configuration profiles, so that gamepads are mapped automatically when connected. XInput controller autoconfig is built into the application, with other controller types available as external profiles. | *Gamepad auto-configuration profiles, so that gamepads are mapped automatically when connected. XInput controller autoconfig is built into the application, with other controller types available as external profiles. | ||
*Per-core and per-game configuration overrides | *Per-core and per-game configuration overrides | ||
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*Options for decreasing input latency related to vsync by eliminating buffering by the video driver, as well as using frame delay to delay polling of inputs until right before a vsync occurs on the display. | *Options for decreasing input latency related to vsync by eliminating buffering by the video driver, as well as using frame delay to delay polling of inputs until right before a vsync occurs on the display. | ||
*Supports [[Input_lag|input lag-mitigating techniques]]. One of these setting is "Run-ahead" which allows cycle-accuracy emulators to run ahead of mandatory 1 or 2 frames of input lag. These settings allow emulators to [https://medium.com/@libretro/retroarch-1-7-2-achieving-better-latency-than-original-hardware-through-new-runahead-method-1b80d26bb5d1/ achieve better latency than original hardware] (Run-ahead option official debut in version 1.7.2). | *Supports [[Input_lag|input lag-mitigating techniques]]. One of these setting is "Run-ahead" which allows cycle-accuracy emulators to run ahead of mandatory 1 or 2 frames of input lag. These settings allow emulators to [https://medium.com/@libretro/retroarch-1-7-2-achieving-better-latency-than-original-hardware-through-new-runahead-method-1b80d26bb5d1/ achieve better latency than original hardware] (Run-ahead option official debut in version 1.7.2). | ||
*[https://retroachievements.org/ | *[https://retroachievements.org/downloads RetroAchievements support]. | ||
*Libretro cores compatible with [[BizHawk]] and [[Virtual_reality#VR_game_room_simulations|EmuVR]], so if you don't like using RetroArch as a [[Frontends|frontend]] you have other options as well. | *Libretro cores compatible with [[BizHawk]] and [[Virtual_reality#VR_game_room_simulations|EmuVR]], so if you don't like using RetroArch as a [[Frontends|frontend]] you have other options as well. | ||
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Delay frames denote the maximum number of frames RetroArch's libretro cores will need to emulate at once to maintain synchronization due to actual network latency. You can figure out an appropriate ballpark for this number by pinging the other player and dividing the time (in milliseconds) by 16 (roughly the number of milliseconds in a frame from a game running at 60 fps). If the gameplay is a bit choppy, try increasing the number of delay frames a bit. | Delay frames denote the maximum number of frames RetroArch's libretro cores will need to emulate at once to maintain synchronization due to actual network latency. You can figure out an appropriate ballpark for this number by pinging the other player and dividing the time (in milliseconds) by 16 (roughly the number of milliseconds in a frame from a game running at 60 fps). If the gameplay is a bit choppy, try increasing the number of delay frames a bit. | ||
Similarly to the GGPO platform, RetroArch creates a constant stream of savestates which, along with button presses, are exchanged and compared between the server and client machines. If the savestates start to diverge, the game rolls back in time to a point where they both agree, and then the libretro cores emulates the missing frames all at once to get back to the appropriate spot. This gives the illusion of completely lagless inputs, which is invaluable for twitchy, fine controls. | |||
If you try to connect to a server and it immediately says client disconnected, open your log and make sure your ROMs match exactly (it will complain about a hash mismatch otherwise). If it gives you a weird time-out error, just close the window and try to connect again, and it should work itself out (sometimes excessive spikes in network latency can cause the states to diverge catastrophically, resulting in this error). | If you try to connect to a server and it immediately says client disconnected, open your log and make sure your ROMs match exactly (it will complain about a hash mismatch otherwise). If it gives you a weird time-out error, just close the window and try to connect again, and it should work itself out (sometimes excessive spikes in network latency can cause the states to diverge catastrophically, resulting in this error). | ||
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==Controversies== | ==Controversies== | ||
A number of controversies have sparked during the development of RetroArch, mostly due to Squarepusher/TwinAphex's attitude and actions towards upstream emulators. As a result, Reicast development has halted<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20220201223114/https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/s8poim/pcsx2_qt_still_needs_to_be_split_up_into_parts/htkalk1//</ref><ref>https://github.com/skmp/reicast-emulator/issues/1928</ref>. | A number of controversies have sparked during the development of RetroArch, mostly due to Squarepusher/TwinAphex's attitude and actions towards upstream emulators. As a result, Reicast development has halted<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20220201223114/https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/s8poim/pcsx2_qt_still_needs_to_be_split_up_into_parts/htkalk1//</ref><ref>https://github.com/skmp/reicast-emulator/issues/1928</ref>. For this reason many RA cores use different names (beetle for mednafen cores, swanstation for duckstation core, etc) | ||
==Also See== | ==Also See== | ||
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*[https://docs.libretro.com/ Libretro Documentation] (Contains extensive documentation on the usage of Libretro, Retroarch, and its cores.) | *[https://docs.libretro.com/ Libretro Documentation] (Contains extensive documentation on the usage of Libretro, Retroarch, and its cores.) | ||
*[https://forums.libretro.com/ Official forums] | *[https://forums.libretro.com/ Official forums] | ||
*[https:// | *[https://discord.com/invite/C4amCeV Official Discord server] | ||
* | *{{YouTubeChannelOwner|Libretro|Official Youtube channel}} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Software]] | |||
[[Category:RetroArch| | [[Category:RetroArch| ]] | ||
[[Category:Frontends]] | [[Category:Frontends]] | ||
[[Category:Netplay]] | [[Category:Netplay]] | ||
[[Category:Windows | [[Category:Windows software]] | ||
[[Category:Linux | [[Category:Linux software]] | ||
[[Category:macOS | [[Category:macOS software]] | ||
[[Category:Haiku | [[Category:Haiku software]] | ||
[[Category:Raspberry Pi | [[Category:Raspberry Pi software]] | ||
[[Category:Pandora | [[Category:Pandora software]] | ||
[[Category:Android | [[Category:Android software]] | ||
[[Category:iOS | [[Category:iOS software]] | ||
[[Category:PlayStation Portable | [[Category:PlayStation Portable software]] | ||
[[Category:PlayStation Vita | [[Category:PlayStation Vita software]] | ||
[[Category:PlayStation 2 | [[Category:PlayStation 2 software]] | ||
[[Category:PlayStation 3 | [[Category:PlayStation 3 software]] | ||
[[Category:PlayStation 4 | [[Category:PlayStation 4 software]] | ||
[[Category:GameCube | [[Category:GameCube software]] | ||
[[Category:Wii | [[Category:Wii software]] | ||
[[Category:Wii U | [[Category:Wii U software]] | ||
[[Category:3DS | [[Category:3DS software]] | ||
[[Category:Switch | [[Category:Switch software]] | ||
[[Category:Xbox | [[Category:Xbox software]] | ||
[[Category:Xbox 360 | [[Category:Xbox 360 software]] | ||
[[Category:Xbox One | [[Category:Xbox One software]] | ||
[[Category:Web | [[Category:Web software]] | ||
[[Category:Active software]] | |||
Latest revision as of 15:32, 10 February 2026
| |
| Developer(s) | Squarepusher, themaister, others |
|---|---|
| Release | Jan 11, 2014 (v1.0.0.0) |
| Latest version | 1.22.2 [+] |
| Active | Yes |
| Platform(s) | Windows macOS Linux Haiku Android iOS tvOS Raspberry Pi Pandora Pyra PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 (Unofficial) PlayStation Portable PlayStation Vita/TV Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One GameCube Wii Wii U Nintendo Switch Nintendo 3DS GCW Zero (Unofficial) OpenDingux BlackBerry Steam Link Leapfrog |
| Type | libretro frontend |
| Programmed in | C, C++ |
| Website | libretro.com |
| Support ($) | Patreon GitHub Sponsor Liberapay |
| License | GPLv3 |
| Source code | GitHub |
| Issue tracker | GitHub |
RetroArch (formerly SSNES) is an open-source, multi-platform libretro frontend written in C or C++. It is designed to be fast, lightweight, and portable.
Downloads
[edit | edit source]Note: Some libretro cores are maintained separately from their originators, and thus possess a different update timeline.
- RetroArch Stable Builds
- RetroArch Nightly Builds
- Windows RetroArch-Nightly-Installer
- Ubuntu PPAs: Stable, Nightly/Testing
- Arch Linux User Repositories: Testing, All
Mobile/Console Versions
[edit | edit source]- RetroArch for Android on Play Store, 32-bit & 64-bit ARM (also Plus version)
- RetroArch for iOS/tvOS on App Store
- /apple/ios9/RetroArchiOS9.ipa RetroArch for iOS9 (1.22.2)
- /apple/ios-arm64/RetroArch.ipa RetroArch for iOS-arm64 (1.22.2)
- /playstation/psp/RetroArch.7z RetroArch for Playstation Portable (1.22.2)
- /playstation/vita/RetroArch.vpk RetroArch for PlayStation Vita/TV (1.22.2)
- /playstation/ps2/RetroArch_elf.7z RetroArch for Playstation 2 (1.22.2)
- RetroArch for PlayStation 3 (DEX) (1.9.0)
- RetroArch for Xbox (1.7.4)
- RetroArch for Xbox 360 (0.9.8.3)
- /windows-msvc2019-uwp/x64/RetroArch-msvc2019-UWP_x64.msixbundle RetroArch for Xbox One / Universal Windows Platform (1.22.2)
- /nintendo/ngc/RetroArch.7z RetroArch for GameCube (1.22.2)
- /nintendo/wii/RetroArch.7z RetroArch for Wii (1.22.2)
- /nintendo/wiiu/RetroArch_rpx.7z RetroArch for Wii U (1.22.2)
- /nintendo/3ds/RetroArch_cia.7z RetroArch for Nintendo 3DS (.cia) (1.22.2)
- /nintendo/switch/libnx/RetroArch.7z RetroArch for Nintendo Switch (1.22.2)
- RetroArch for Pandora on OpenPandora's repo (1.7.3) and old 2013 variant (0.9.9.1)
- RetroArch for Pyra (1.9.6)
- RetroArch for GCW Zero (.opk) (0.1b) {Unofficial test build}
- RetroArch on Steam
Supported Systems
[edit | edit source]- Main article: libretro#Cores
Features
[edit | edit source]- Consistency across multiple platforms, using the same UI structure and a fully featured command-line interface.
- Gamepad-controlled menu system with multiple styles available, such as XMB or Material UI. (There's also a
QT-based 'WIMP' desktop-style interface for PC platforms that was announced before and released in version 1.7.3.) - Gamepad auto-configuration profiles, so that gamepads are mapped automatically when connected. XInput controller autoconfig is built into the application, with other controller types available as external profiles.
- Per-core and per-game configuration overrides
- Built-in Custom resolution/CRTSwitchRes and refresh rate for video output, with exclusive fullscreen mode and monitor index for multi-monitor setups.
- Dynamic rate control for smooth audio and video, even when the game's output rate differs from your system's. Especially obvious with systems like GBA that do not run 60Hz.
- Basic fast-forward, SRAM saving, savestate, etc. It supports serialization of the emulation state, which is used to provide real-time rewind and netplay.
- Pixel shaders and presets, primarily using Slang, Cg and GLSL, with HLSL on Xbox 360. The shader format it uses is flexible and fairly easy to use, allowing for complex multi-pass effects with adjustable runtime parameters. Also supports traditional video filter plugins that are run in software.
- Supports audio DSP filter plugins through .dsp configuration files.
- Custom overlay support.
- FFmpeg recording and playback support. It can record either the native resolution output of the core or the post-processed output of the frontend. Playback is handled through an internal FFmpeg libretro core.
- Streaming support. By adding your twitch account to RetroArch and making some small setup, it is possible to stream on Twitch the content of the game played.
- GGPO-like netplay (latency hiding rollback). It should be lag-free if everyone involved emulates at full speed, doesn't live on opposite sides of the world, and has decent internet speeds. It uses peer-to-peer UDP and supports two players. Due to rollback, it requires a fair amount of CPU power to run, and only works with cores that support serialization.
- Options for decreasing input latency related to vsync by eliminating buffering by the video driver, as well as using frame delay to delay polling of inputs until right before a vsync occurs on the display.
- Supports input lag-mitigating techniques. One of these setting is "Run-ahead" which allows cycle-accuracy emulators to run ahead of mandatory 1 or 2 frames of input lag. These settings allow emulators to achieve better latency than original hardware (Run-ahead option official debut in version 1.7.2).
- RetroAchievements support.
- Libretro cores compatible with BizHawk and EmuVR, so if you don't like using RetroArch as a frontend you have other options as well.
Building RetroArch
[edit | edit source]- Main article: Building RetroArch
Using RetroArch
[edit | edit source]- Main article: Using RetroArch
RetroArch for Dummies
[edit | edit source]- Main article: Dummies Guide: RetroArch
Netplay
[edit | edit source]Netplay is now usable from the menu in current builds, under Settings>Netplay Options. You can get it to work with the command line or the long-deprecated RetroArch-Phoenix Launcher as well in older builds.
You must specify whether you will be hosting (server) or joining (client) the game. If joining, you must also enter the host's IP address in the field below. Make sure your firewall is open on port 55435 (default; you can change it if you like) and that the port is forwarded in your router, if applicable. You can also specify 'spectator mode,' which will allow an arbitrary number of spectators to join and watch you play without being able to play themselves.
Delay frames denote the maximum number of frames RetroArch's libretro cores will need to emulate at once to maintain synchronization due to actual network latency. You can figure out an appropriate ballpark for this number by pinging the other player and dividing the time (in milliseconds) by 16 (roughly the number of milliseconds in a frame from a game running at 60 fps). If the gameplay is a bit choppy, try increasing the number of delay frames a bit.
Similarly to the GGPO platform, RetroArch creates a constant stream of savestates which, along with button presses, are exchanged and compared between the server and client machines. If the savestates start to diverge, the game rolls back in time to a point where they both agree, and then the libretro cores emulates the missing frames all at once to get back to the appropriate spot. This gives the illusion of completely lagless inputs, which is invaluable for twitchy, fine controls.
If you try to connect to a server and it immediately says client disconnected, open your log and make sure your ROMs match exactly (it will complain about a hash mismatch otherwise). If it gives you a weird time-out error, just close the window and try to connect again, and it should work itself out (sometimes excessive spikes in network latency can cause the states to diverge catastrophically, resulting in this error).
Alternative Launchers and Frontends
[edit | edit source]There are plenty of other frontends that can either work as a launcher for RetroArch or you can replace it entirely with another libretro frontend.
- Main article: Frontends
Controversies
[edit | edit source]A number of controversies have sparked during the development of RetroArch, mostly due to Squarepusher/TwinAphex's attitude and actions towards upstream emulators. As a result, Reicast development has halted[1][2]. For this reason many RA cores use different names (beetle for mednafen cores, swanstation for duckstation core, etc)
Also See
[edit | edit source]External links
[edit | edit source]- Libretro Documentation (Contains extensive documentation on the usage of Libretro, Retroarch, and its cores.)
- Official forums
- Official Discord server
- Official Youtube channel
References
[edit | edit source]Categories:
- Software
- RetroArch
- Frontends
- Netplay
- Windows software
- Linux software
- MacOS software
- Haiku software
- Raspberry Pi software
- Pandora software
- Android software
- IOS software
- PlayStation Portable software
- PlayStation Vita software
- PlayStation 2 software
- PlayStation 3 software
- PlayStation 4 software
- GameCube software
- Wii software
- Wii U software
- 3DS software
- Switch software
- Xbox software
- Xbox 360 software
- Xbox One software
- Web software
- Active software