RetroAchievements

RetroAchievements

Developer(s)	Scott Breen and the RA Staff
Release
Latest version	N/A
Active	Yes
Platform(s)	See emulator list below
Website	retroachievements.org
Source code	GitHub (website)

RetroAchievements is an online service which provides users with fan-made achievement sets for many platforms which are listed below. The latest console to get achievement support, as of March 19, 2026, is Wii, bumping the amount of total systems supported up to a whopping 54 consoles, handhelds, computers, and other platforms.

Supported emulators and games

See each individual dedicated system pages to see provided up-to-date listings and in-depth information on specific aspects such as enhancements features like RetroAchievements support.

RetroAchievements is currently implemented in the following emulators/frontends, hardware, and video games:

[For an up-to-date list of supported emulators visit the RetroAchievements website]

x86

Name	Platform(s)	Version	Platform(s) emulating	Platform(s) supported in RA	Endorsed?	Develop	Active	Recommended	Notes
Afterplay		Website Play in browser	Various	Various	✓	✗	✓	✗	A multi-system payware emulator. Officially supported since July 30, 2025. Locks basic features like fast forward, multiple save states, and cheats behind a monthly subscription paywall. Violated multiple emulators' licenses. However, after complying with RetroAchievements' requests, Afterplay remains hardcore-compliant, but its Snes9x and Genesis Plus GX cores were deprecated on September 12, 2025 due to their non-commercial licensing.
BizHawk		Dev builds 2.11.1	Various	Various	✓	?	✓	✓	First emulation frontend to support Nintendo DSi achievements.
Dolphin		Dev 2606a			✓	✓	✓	✓	Introduced GameCube achievements since July 15, 2024 on x86 platforms.RetroAchievements support for Wii and WiiWare was released on March 19, 2026, but the new minimum requirement to earn Hardcore achievements for both GameCube and Wii games now requires Dolphin v2603a/2603-81 or newer.
DuckStation		Preview Latest Older builds for obsolete hardware			✓	?	✓	✓
Firelight		0.12.2 git	PCE/TurboGrafx-16 SuperGrafx Game Gear		✓	✗	✓	✓	A libretro-based multi-emulation frontend.
Flycast		CI Builds git	NAOMI 1 & 2, Atomisware		✓	?	✓	✓	While the libretro core introduced Dreamcast achievements on February 12, 2022, the standalone version has implemented RetroAchievements for Dreamcast games in the v2.4 release on October 23, 2024 and was officially supported on April 4, 2025, two days after other emulators became officially supported, with releases/builds released after January 22, 2025 being supported at minimum. RetroAchievements and Flycast also support Dreamcast-based arcade systems, including NAOMI, NAOMI 2, and Atomisware.
Gopher64		git			✗	✗	✓	?	Implemented in v1.1.16 on April 16, 2026. However, it is not supported by RetroAchievements, and thus, achievements can only be unlocked in Casual mode. According to the developer—after requesting a Hardcore Compliance review on RetroAchievements—Gopher64 was rejected for Hardcore support on May 14, 2026, due to a lack of an in-game achievement browser, which the developer had difficulties implementing due to the coding of the emulator's user interface.
Luna's Project64		git 3.7.3			✓	?	✓	?	Implemented in v3.5.4 on December 2, 2024 and was officially supported on April 2, 2025 after v3.5.6's release of March 4, 2025. Upon v3.7.3's release on August 15, 2026, v3.7.3 is the new minimum requirement for hardcore unlocks.
PCSX2		2.8.2 (Stable) and Nightly builds paraLLEl-GS build: Win, Linux			✓	✓	✓	✓	Introduced PlayStation 2 achievements since v1.7.3347 of the QT version on October 1, 2022. The original wxWidgets user interface version of PCSX2 and the LRPS2 libretro core hard fork of PCSX2 do not support RetroAchievements. As of September 19, 2025, PCSX2 versions (including stable versions) before nightly build v2.5.162 was forced into Casual mode, so it's highly recommended to use the latest stable or nightly builds.
Playback		1.8.0 & nightly builds			✓	?	✓	?	Playback is an emulation frontend to manage and play physical games from supported external devices. Currently supports the GB Operator, which can play physical GB, GBC, and GBA games that are emulated in the mGBA core in Playback. RetroAchievements supported since v1.8.0 on July 8, 2025.
PPSSPP		Dev Builds Dev Builds (Artifacts) libretro core 1.20.4			✓	✓	✓	✓	The libretro core introduced PlayStation Portable achievements on October 1, 2021. The standalone version has received official support since v1.16 on September 9, 2023. While PPSSPP was released on more platforms, PPSSPP for Windows XP stopped receiving support after v1.8 and thus does not have RetroAchievements.
RAGens		0.057	Sega CD/Mega-CD		✗	✗	✗	✗	Fork of Gens originally used to develop achievements for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, and was the first emulator used to develop emulators for the RetroAchievements service in 2012. The first video game that received RetroAchievements support was Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. However, this emulator was retired sometime after May 18, 2020 when RAIntegration v0.78 was released due to issues that could not be fixed with the emulator, being a fork of an old emulator.
RALibRetro		1.8.0 git	Various		✓	✓	✓	?	Libretro emulation frontend used to develop achievements for supported platforms.
RAMeka		1.0 git	, various 8-bit Sega systems	, SG-1000, , GameGear	✓	✓	✗	?	Fork of MEKA to develop achievements for supported platforms.
RANes		1.1 git	Famicom Disk System		✓	✓	✓	?	Fork of FCEUX to develop achievements for NES games. As of February 26, 2026, Famicom Disk System (FDS) is now treated as a separate system on RetroAchievements, which the latest version of RANes and RALibRetro has access to with the latest DLL.
RAProject64		1.0 git			✓	✓	~	?	Fork of Project64 to develop achievements for Nintendo 64 games.
RAppleWin		1.3.1 git	Apple II		✓	✓	✓	✓	Fork of AppleWin to develop achievements for Apple II games. Also, it is currently the only way to earn achievements for Apple II games.
RAQUASI88		1.2.0 git	PC-8000/8800		✓	✓	✗	?	Fork of QUASI88 to develop achievements for PC-8000/8800 games.
RASnes9x		1.2.0 git			✓	✓	✓	?	Fork of Snes9x to develop achievements for Super NES games.
RAVBA-M		1.2.0 git			✓	✓	✓	?	Fork of VisualBoyAdvance-M to develop achievements for Game Boy/Color/Advance games.
RetroArch	Various	1.22.2 Nightly builds	Core list	Various	✓	✗	✓	✓	While many libretro cores are supported for RetroAchievements, here is a list of libretro cores that are not supported in RetroAchievements.
SkyEmu		git Play in browser (latest build)			✓	✗	✓	?	Officially supported on May 5, 2025 during development for v4.
WinArcadia		36.55	Various obscure 70s and 80s consoles/computers and Pong systems	Arcadia 2001, Elektor TV Games Computer, Interton VC 4000	✓	?	✓	✓	Arcadia 2001, Elektor TV Games Computer, Interton VC 4000 achievements were introduced on July, 1 2023. The Android version DroidArcadia received official support on April 2, 2025.

ARM

Name	Platform(s)	Version	Platform(s) emulating	Platform(s) supported in RA	Endorsed?	Develop	Active	Recommended	Notes
AetherSX2		NetherSX2 Patch 1.5-3668 (apk, no ads) Builds 1.5-4248 (play store latest with ads)‡			✗	✗	✗	✗	Emulator abandoned. Use the NetherSX2 patch (v1.8 or newer or Classic v2.0a or newer) for official PlayStation 2 achievement support.
Afterplay		Website Play in browser	Various	Various	✓	✗	✓	✗	A multi-system payware emulator. Officially supported since July 30, 2025. Locks basic features like fast forward, multiple save states, and cheats behind a monthly subscription paywall. Violated multiple emulators' licenses. However, as of August 14, 2025, after complying with RetroAchievements' requests, Afterplay remains hardcore-compliant but with Snes9x and Genesis Plus GX cores removed from support.
ARMSX2		2.6.9 (Android) 2.5.2 (iOS) git Google Play			✓	✗	✓	? (WIP)	Officially supported on June 22, 2026 for both Android and iOS. As of July 24, 2026, v2.6.5 of the Android version is the new minimum version requirement for Hardcore mode, with the next iOS update also being the new minimum on iOS.
Delta		1.7.3s Website git	Patreon version only		✗	✗	✓	~	Was officially supported on April 2, 2025 for NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 games with handhelds and Sega Genesis supported later. However, as of August 14, 2025, Sega Genesis games are restricted to Casual mode due to Sega Genesis emulation and its RetroAchievements integration being locked behind a paywall on Patreon,, and thus Delta has been delisted with Hardcore mode disabled on September 12, 2025 until changes are made to make Genesis Plus GX and its RA integration free for all users.
Dolphin		Dev 2606a Google Play			✓	✗	✓	✓	The Android version of Dolphin received achievement support for GameCube achievements since v2509-503 on November 22, 2025. RetroAchievements support for Wii and WiiWare was released on March 19, 2026, but the new minimum requirement to earn Hardcore achievements for both GameCube and Wii games now requires Dolphin v2603a/2603-81 or newer.
DroidArcadia		4.6	Various obscure 70s and 80s consoles/computers and Pong systems	Arcadia 2001, Elektor TV Games Computer, Interton VC 4000	✓	?	✓	✓	Arcadia 2001, Elektor TV Games Computer, Interton VC 4000 achievements were introduced with WinArcadia on July, 1 2023. DroidArcadia received official support on April 2, 2025.
DuckStation		Beta git 0.1-5494 0.0.1.02 Pyra			✓	✗	~	✓
Flycast		CI Builds git	NAOMI 1 & 2, Atomisware		✓	?	✓	✓	While the libretro core introduced Dreamcast achievements on February 12, 2022, the standalone version has implemented RetroAchievements for Dreamcast games in the v2.4 release on October 23, 2024 and was officially supported on April 4, 2025, two days after other emulators became officially supported, with releases/builds released after January 22, 2025 being supported at minimum. RetroAchievements and Flycast also support Dreamcast-based arcade systems, including NAOMI, NAOMI 2, and Atomisware.
GoGBA		Website Google Play App Store			✓	✗	✓	?	Officially supported on December 19, 2025.
Gopher64		git			✗	✗	✓	?	Implemented in v1.1.16 on April 16, 2026. However, it is not supported by RetroAchievements, and thus, achievements can only be unlocked in Casual mode. According to the developer—after requesting a Hardcore Compliance review on RetroAchievements—Gopher64 was rejected for Hardcore support on May 14, 2026, due to a lack of an in-game achievement browser, which the developer had difficulties implementing due to the coding of the emulator's user interface. An Android port was released on May 28, 2026 with the release of v1.1.22.
Linkboy		3.9.0			✓	✗	✓	✓	Officially supported on September 4, 2025.
Manic EMU		Apple App Store git	Various	Various	✓	?	✓	✓	A libretro-based emulation frontend supporting various popular home consoles and handhelds by Nintendo, Sega, and Sony. Officially supported on September 18, 2025 with most cores supported for achievements except Nintendo DS achievements are still W.I.P.
melonDS-Android		git Beta 1.10.0 PS WatermelonDS fork	Nintendo DSi		✓	✗	✓	✓	As of January 2, 2026's nightly build and in melonDualDS v0.5.0 (SapphireRhondite's dual/external screen fork, currently known as "WatermelonDS" as of August 8, 2026), DSiWare titles can directly be booted without having to boot Nintendo DSi's home screen, allowing DSiWare titles to be detected by RetroAchievements if booting directly (will not detect DSiWare games booted from the Nintendo DSi home menu). On February 18, 2026, achievements can be earned offline in Casual mode and be synced online later in melonDualDS v0.6.0. Also in v0.6.0 of melonDualDS, Nintendo DS(i) games archived in the .7z archive format are now fully playable and detectable for RetroAchievements. All of these new changes and improvements from the dual-screen fork were then implemented into the main project in melonDS-Android's v2.0.0 update on April 18, 2026, excluding features that are in beta testing, such as Vulkan support. As of July 23, 2026, v0.7.0 RC5 is the new minimum version requirement for melonDualDS (soon to be renamed to WatermelonDS) and the offline unlocking feature in Casual mode has been integrated in RAOfflineProxy. By its v0.7.0 release, melonDualDS was renamed to WatermelonDS.
NetherSX2		Main git Classic git			~	✗	✓	✓	Was officially supported in v1.8 and newer on April 2, 2025. The Classic version was updated to v2.0a on April 8, 2025 to include Hardcore support. May eventually be succeeded by EtherealSX2. However, with ARMSX2 being actively developed and having Hardcore support, NetherSX2 will lose Hardcore support on July 16, 2026.
OpenEmu-Silicon		git	Supported systems	Systems supported for RA	✓	✗	✓	?	Officially supported v1.2.4 and newer on June 25, 2026.
Pizza Boy A		Basic v2.2.3 Pro v3.5.9 ($)			✓	✗	✓	✓	Officially supported on April 2, 2025 with Basic v2.2.3 and Pro v3.6.4 supported at minimum as of April 21, 2026.
Pizza Boy C		Basic v3.0.7 Pro v7.1.10 ($)			✓	✗	✓	✓	Officially supported on April 2, 2025 with Basic v3.0.3 and Pro v6.9.11 supported at minimum as of April 10, 2025.
Pizza Boy SC		Basic v1.1.17 Pro v1.4.19 ($)	GameGear		✓	✗	✓	✓	Officially supported on April 2, 2025 with Basic v1.0.4 and Pro v1.3.3 supported at minimum as of April 10, 2025.
PPSSPP		Dev Builds Dev Builds (Artifacts) 1.20.4 libretro core			✓	?	✓	✓	The libretro core introduced PlayStation Portable achievements on October 1, 2021. The standalone version has received official support since v1.16 on September 9, 2023 and x64 versions of Android and iOS are supported. While PPSSPP was released on other platforms such as BlackBerry 10, DragonBox Pyra, Pandora, and more, these ports stopped receiving updates before v1.16 and thus do not have RetroAchievements.
RetroArch	Various	1.22.2 Nightly builds	Core list	Various	✓	✗	✓	✓	While many libretro cores are supported for RetroAchievements, here is a list of libretro cores that are not supported in RetroAchievements.
SkyEmu		git Play in browser (latest build)			✓	✗	✓	?	Officially supported on May 5, 2025 during development for v4.
Yaba Sanshiro 2 (Yaba三四郎2)		1.20.5 (free) 1.20.5 (Pro) ($)			✓	✗	✓	✓	Android version officially supported since the v1.18.0 release for both the free and paid Pro versions on August 2, 2025. Windows and iOS ports are planned for support.

Consoles

Name	Platform(s)	Version	Platform(s) emulating	Platform(s) supported in RA	Endorsed?	Develop	Active	Recommended	Notes
DolphinUWP		git			✓	✗	✓	✓	Unofficial port of Dolphin for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Xbox Series X/S recommended for better performance.
DuckStation		uwp git 20221203-uwp Switch git			?	✗	~	?
Emu4VitaPlus		git 0.68 (VitaDB) (outdated)	Core list	Various	✓	✗	✓	✓	An emulation frontend for the PlayStation Vita based on the Libretro API, containing Libretro emulation cores for various systems that the PlayStation Vita can run. This frontend was supported as of April 23, 2026. The latest version can be obtained from GitHub, as the VitaDB webpage usually falls behind on updates.
Flycast		CI Builds git	NAOMI 1 & 2, Atomisware		✓	?	✓	✓	While the libretro core introduced Dreamcast achievements on February 12, 2022, the standalone version has implemented RetroAchievements for Dreamcast games in the v2.4 release on October 23, 2024 and was officially supported on April 4, 2025, two days after other emulators became officially supported, with releases/builds released after January 22, 2025 being supported at minimum. RetroAchievements and Flycast also support Dreamcast-based arcade systems, including NAOMI, NAOMI 2, and Atomisware.
PPSSPP		Switch libretro core			✓	?	~	✓	The libretro core introduced PlayStation Portable achievements on October 1, 2021. The standalone version has received official support since v1.16 on September 9, 2023.
RetroArch	Various	1.22.2 Nightly builds	Core list	Various	✓	✗	✓	✓	While many libretro cores are supported for RetroAchievements, here is a list of libretro cores that are not supported in RetroAchievements.
XBSX2		UWP git Original git			✓	✗	✓	✓	XBSX2 UWP officially supported on April 2, 2025. XBSX2 UWP is a fork of XBSX2.0 that continues its development. The original XBSX2.0 is no longer maintained and thus is in Casual mode, as well as older versions of XBSX2 UMP below PCSX2 v2.5.162 starting on September 19, 2025.

Single-board computers

List of single-board computers (SBC) software supported in RetroAchievements.

Name	SBC	Websites	Platform(s) playable	Platform(s) supported in RA	Endorsed?	Develop	Active	Recommended	Notes
MiSTer (odelot)	MiSTer FPGA	Odelot's Main_MiSTer FPGA cores	Various	Famicom Disk System	✓	✗	✓	✓	The first SBC software supported for RetroAchievements, using Odelot's MiSTer fork and cores. NES/Famicom and FDS games were officially supported in the NES_MiSTer core on April 27, 2026. Mega Drive and SNES cores were officially supported on May 23, 2026. PlayStation and Nintendo 64 cores were officially supported on June 28, 2026. Other cores may have RetroAchievements implemented and may be usable in Casual mode, but Hardcore mode is not yet supported for them. For more information about MiSTer: MiSTER FPGA Documentation, MiSTER-devel Github.

Standalone games

In addition to video game emulators and single-board computers, some standalone computer games receive RetroAchievements support, usually through a game mod or through a private server for online games.

Game	Supported platform(s)	Websites	Achievement sets	Notes
Final Fantasy XI (via HorizonXI)		HorizonXI RA forum guide	Base Set Hero of Nations Hardcore Hero	First non-emulated game to receive RetroAchievements support. Implemented in the HorizonXI private server since February 8, 2024. Along with the base set of achievements, there is a subset of achievements for Hero of Nations and Hardcore Hero (FFXI's hardcore mode), as well as achievement sets for the Rise of the Zilart and Chains of Promathia expansions (see in this list). HorizonXI does not require the original game to play and earn achievements.
Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia (via HorizonXI)		HorizonXI RA forum guide	Base Set	The second expansion pack for Final Fantasy XI in the HorizonXI private server received achievement support on May 22, 2026.
Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart (via HorizonXI)		HorizonXI RA forum guide	Base Set Endgame (TBD)	The first expansion pack for Final Fantasy XI in the HorizonXI private server, which also has its own set of achievements. An Endgame subset of achievements is planned.
Terraria (via tModLoader)		Terraria (Steam) tModLoader (Steam) RA mod for tModLoader RA forum guide Subset mods: Completionist Player World	Base Set Completionist Player Difficulties World Modes & Seeds	Implemented via a RetroAchievements mod for tModLoader (a mod launcher for Terraria) and published on February 15, 2025. Along with the base set of achievements, there are subsets for Completionist, Player Difficulties, and World Modes & Seeds.
Undertale		RA Compatibility Patch for Steam & GOG	Base Set FUN Neutral Endings In for a Bad Time	Undertale received RetroAchievements support on July 26, 2026, along with several subsets related to story routes and easter eggs.

Emulators and games planned for RetroAchievements

While not yet supported or implemented, here is a list of emulators, frontends, and standalone games that may support RetroAchievements in the future. Implementation is not guaranteed and could be canceled, but they have at least been considered by their developer.

• ares (multi-system emulator for computers) - Considered, but there is a roadblock.
• Azahar (Nintendo 3DS emulator for computers) - Being worked on since February 18, 2026 by a contributor, but currently being backlogged as of March 3, 2026 by PabloMK7.
• EtherealSX2 (a W.I.P. PlayStation 2 emulator for Android)
• melonDS (Nintendo DS emulator for computers) - Considered in melonDS's 9th Anniversary news update on November 3, 2025 upon popular requests.
• Red Viper (Virtual Boy emulator for Nintendo 3DS) - Being worked on since by a contributor (has a working test fork in Casual mode), approved by the main developer, with a pull request submitted to the main project since April 18, 2026.
• Super ZSNES (Super NES emulator for computers, Android, and later iOS)
• Yaba Sanshiro 2 (Sega Saturn emulator for Windows and iOS) - Implemented and officially supported in v1.18.0 of the Android version since August 2, 2025 so far.
• xemu (Xbox emulator for computers) - Considered with the help of other contributors (potentially as a plugin), as the emulator developer is focused on improving emulation quality and stability. Despite listing Xbox games on RetroAchievements, on May 28, 2026, an announcement was made on the RetroAchievements Discord server's #community-news channel that Xemu will not yet be supported until a large chunk of games are fully playable.

Supported Systems

Note: for more details on supported emulators, see this doc. For unsupported emulators see this other doc.

As mentioned before, there are currently 52 supported systems, and they are the following:

Atari Atari 2600 Atari 7800 Atari Jaguar Atari Jaguar CD Atari Lynx NEC PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 PC Engine CD/TurboGrafx-CD PC-8000/8800 PC-FX Nintendo Famicom Disk System Game Boy GameCube Game Boy Advance Game Boy Color Nintendo 64 Nintendo DS Nintendo DSi NES/Famicom SNES/Super Famicom Pokemon Mini Virtual Boy Wii Sony PlayStation PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable

Sega 32X Dreamcast Game Gear Genesis/Mega Drive Master System Saturn Sega CD SG-1000 SNK Neo Geo CD Neo Geo Pocket Other 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Amstrad CPC Apple II Arcade Arcadia 2001 Arduboy ColecoVision Elektor TV Games Computer Fairchild Channel F Intellivision Interton VC 4000 Magnavox Odyssey 2 Mega Duck MSX Standalone (standalone computer games with RetroAchievements support via game update, game mod, private server for online games, etc.; see the standalone games section for information about the available supported games) Uzebox Vectrex WASM-4 Watara Supervision WonderSwan

Planned sytems Amiga Atari 5200 Atari ST Cassette Vision Commodore 64 DOS FM Towns Game & Watch Nintendo 3DS Nokia N-Gage Oric PC-6000 PC-9800 Philips CD-i PlayStation 3 Sega Pico Sharp X1 Sharp X68000 Super Cassette Vision Thomson TO8 TI-83 TIC-80 VIC-20 Wii U Xbox Zeebo ZX Spectrum ZX81

Features and Functions

How RetroAchievements Works

Main doc: How RetroAchievements Works

RetroAchievements (RA for short) is an online community service that provides users the ability to earn achievements in retro and standalone games from an RA achievement set. It awards achievements by comparing a game’s memory, henceforth referred to as RAM, to achievement code written by an RA developer. Achievement code, also known as logic, is a list of memory conditions chosen by the developer, that when all are simultaneously true on a single frame, will award an achievement.

Game Identitication

Main doc: Game Identification

After connecting to the Internet and signing into RetroAchievements on their supported emulation software, to be able to detect games and earn achievements for them, RetroAchievements relies on the hashes of the game file(s) (usually the MD5 hash); if the player is using the correct file of the supported game that matches the hash of the game in the "Supported Game Hashes" page of a game's achievement page, the emulator would show a notification that the game is successfully detected by RetroAchievements, with the list of achievements appearing in the emulator's settings. Otherwise, you'll receive a notification that RetroAchievements does not detect the game. To compare MD5 hashes of your game with the Supported Game Hashes page, you can use any checksum tool such as emn178's MD5 File Checksum tool. If the MD5 hash is correct, the game should be detected in RetroAchievements.

Some games may offer multiple versions (including multiple regions, revisions, etc., and may include QoL improvement patches or fan translations that don't affect gameplay) that can be seen in the game's Supported Game Hashes page. The Supported Game Hashes page may also display other versions of the game that are not supported or have not yet been tested.

Casual and Hardcore Modes

Main docs: Glossary and Hardcore Compliance Requirements

There are two modes in which achievements can be unlocked: Casual mode or Hardcore mode.

Casual mode

Formerly known as Softcore mode, this is the unrestricted mode where players are allowed to use save states, built-in emulation cheats, and rewind features. All non-hardcore-compliant emulators (including outdated emulators and unofficially supported emulators) that have RetroAchievements implemented can be used in Casual mode. Casual achievements can also be earned offline via RAOfflineProxy (available for Android and Linux) and be synced online later once connected to the Internet, but the game must be run online first to collect the achievement set's data from the website. However, the only things that Casual mode does not have access to are online leaderboards, and players cannot earn mastery badges for 100%ing an achievement set.

Hardcore mode

This is the restricted mode where players must play games the way they are intended: Without the use of save states (you can still save states, but not load states in Hardcore mode), and built-in emulation cheats, rewind features, etc. are not allowed. The only emulation feature allowed in Hardcore mode, for time's sake, is Fast Forward. The player also gains access to online leaderboards to submit high scores or timestamps. Players can also earn Mastery badges by 100%ing all achievements in Hardcore mode. Any achievements previously unlocked in Casual mode can also be unlocked in Hardcore mode. Hardcore mode is only available in emulation software officially supported by RetroAchievements that complies with the Hardcore Compliance Requirements; non-supported and outdated emulators with RA implementation cannot gain access to Hardcore mode.

Choosing whether you want to earn achievements in Casual mode or Hardcore mode depends on your general preferences when playing a game. If you are someone who loves to casually play games, using emulation features like save states, then stick with Casual mode. But if you want to really show you are capable of mastering games, for bragging rights, try Hardcore mode, especially if you are an achievement hunter. If a game's achievement set or a specific achievement(s) seem to be too difficult for you in Hardcore mode and you want to master a game's achievement set in Hardcore mode, don't be afraid to do them and practice them in Casual mode; you can practice boss fights or other challenging activities in Casual mode with save states (be sure to backup your main save file first), then give Hardcore mode another try if you are aiming to get them in Hardcore mode.

Game Variety

RetroAchievements does not only support retail games, but it also has demos, hacks, homebrew, prototypes, unlicensed games and even a few test kits (only 2 of these currently have achievements), and several games have subsets. Hacks typically require patches, which only contain the altered stuff for the game it should be applied to.

Multiset

Main doc: Multiset and Subset Types

Some games offer multiple achievement sets, offering different challenges not provided in the base set. Previously, only one set could be played at a time, and games would have to be patched by an RA-made patch to access the specific game subset. Ever since the Multiset feature was introduced on December 12, 2025 in beta, and was publicly released on January 16, 2026, many games can access multiple subsets from the base game, or the subset patches can be used to access the mainset without accessing other subsets, by toggling the opt-in button for each achievement set on a game page.

Trivia

• It was first created on November 2nd, 2012.
• The first console to ever be supported was the Genesis/Mega Drive and the first game to ever receive a set was Sonic the Hedgehog.
• New sets are constantly being developed and released almost daily, so there is a lot of activity.
• More consoles will be supported in the future, with the currently (publicly) confirmed ones being the Commodore 64, MS-DOS, the TI-83, and the Wii.

External links

• RADocs (documents several aspects of RetroAchievements such as emulator support, how RA works, etc.)
• RAGuides (guides for achievement sets)
• RANews (monthly online magazine which talks about RA-related news and other stuff)
• RAPatches (patches for supported hacks, subsets, etc.)
• Userscripts (official userscripts for RetroAchievements, also links to unofficial ones)