RetroArch

RetroArch is a frontend which allows you to manage several dozen emulators for a variety of consoles, comfortably from the same interface. The program is completely free, open source, and multi-platform, so it can be run on Android, but also on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and even some consoles like the PS3, PSP or Wii.

Choose between more than thirty emulators

RetroArch is much simpler to use than it may seem at first glance. Basically, the app includes a list of cores (plugins needed to emulate consoles) that you can download directly, with a single tap. Among them you will find: PlayStation 1 (PCSX ReARMed), Super Nintendo (SNES9x Next), Nintendo Entertainment System (FCEUmm/NEStopia), GameBoy/GameBoy Color (Gambatte), GameBoy Advance (VBA Next), Arcade (Final Burn Alpha), Neo Geo Pocket Color (Mednafen NGP), Virtual Boy (Mednafen VB), Sega Genesis/Mega Drive (Genesis Plus GX), Sega Master System/Sega Game Gear (Genesis Plus GX), Sega CD/Mega CD (Genesis Plus GX), Dreamcast (Flycast), PC Engine/PC Engine CD (Mednafen PCE Fast), WonderSwan Color/Crystal (Mednafen Wonderswan), PS2 (LRPS2). As we have come to expect, new cores, new consoles and new emulators are added to this list with each new update.

In addition to console emulators, classic game engines

As if the complete catalogs of all the consoles mentioned above weren't enough, RetroArch also offers cores to comfortably play some of the great PC classics. Tomb Raider (OpenLara), Doom (PrBoom) and Quake (TyrQuake) are just some of the available cores. Please bear in mind that RetroArch doesn't come with any ROM or BIOS. Emulator cores can easily be downloaded from the cores section of the app, but any ROMs you want to play or any official assets must be downloaded separately. You will find a whole host of content in the Internet Archive.

Very easy to configure

One thing that has made RetroArch so popular with respect to other similar apps is just how easy it is to set up. The app has a simple interface which makes it very easy to download the cores, configure the ROM directories, or map the controls of each console. In fact, if you have Android-compatible Bluetooth controllers, you can use them to play your favorite games. What's more, as it is so popular, there are hundreds of tutorials available that will explain how to configure any element step by step.

Play online and earn achievements in classic games

RetroArch also allows you to play online with a friend, as if they were by your side. Netplay Mode means you can set up online games and join your friends' online games. Setting up an online game for the first time can be tricky, so it's best to follow the complete tutorial from the official website. It only takes about ten minutes and you can play online whenever you like. As if all this weren't already enough, the app allows you to unlock achievements for old games, as if you were playing on a modern console. To do this, you will need to log in with your Retro Achievements account, of course.

All your emulators in a single app

Download RetroArch and enjoy what is by far the best Android emulation app around. Other emulators can help you play games from one or two consoles, but RetroArch has the potential to emulate tens of thousands of games, all from a single interface. A real treat for fans of video games in general and those passionate about emulation in particular.