RetroArch

RetroArch

Libretro · May 27, 2022 · Free to Play, Retro, Software, Singleplayer, Arcade

RetroArch is free to play — no purchase needed. We track it so you know if that ever changes.

PC
Very Positive89% · 9,807368playing now
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →

Trailers & screenshots

Watch the RetroArch trailer →

RetroArch price

RetroArch is free to play — there is no purchase price, on Steam or anywhere else we track. We keep watching it, so if it ever stops being free the price history on this page will show when that happened and what it changed to.

About RetroArch

✦ AI summary

RetroArch is a free, open-source frontend that lets you play classic games from countless systems on modern PCs and consoles with a unified interface and advanced features like rewinding, netplay, and customizable shaders. Preserve your original game collections while enjoying modern conveniences like frame-perfect performance, lag-free online multiplayer, and pixel-perfect visual filters that capture the retro aesthetic.

RetroArch is an open source and cross platform frontend/framework for game engines, video games, media players and other applications.

While it can do many things besides this, it is most widely known for enabling you to run classic games on a wide range of computers and consoles through a slick graphical interface. Settings are also unified so configuration is done once and for all.

In addition to this, you will soon be able to run original game discs (CDs) from RetroArch. We take videogame preservation seriously and want to ensure you can run your originally bought content on modern day PCs.

RetroArch has advanced features like shaders, netplay, rewinding, next-frame response times, runahead, and more!
Maybe there is no rewind in real life, but there is a rewind in RetroArch! You can go back in time and correct your mistakes!
Seeing things as we remembered was our first priority, so with our Shading feature, you can change colors, smooth pixels or recreate your bedroom TV from 1995!
You think the excitement of playing elbow-to-elbow with friends is a bygone memory? No! With our rollback-based, latency-hiding Netplay, your Player 2 is beside you again! Fight the competition not the lag!

RetroArch — game info

Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux / SteamOS
Steam Deck
Verified
Player modes
Single-player, Online PvP, Online co-op, LAN, Split screen
Controller
Full controller support
PC Game Pass
Not included

DLC & expansions

What Steam players say

Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.

Recommended Sep 15, 2026
this game has rizz
1 found this helpful
Recommended Sep 17, 2026
Nostalgia
Recommended Sep 17, 2026
Very great Retro Emulator, just make sure the roms your downloading is from a trusted website, but the whole thing is amazing, like idk what to say. I recommend this Emulator highly.
Recommended Sep 17, 2026
Great emulator with tons of options
Recommended Sep 16, 2026
controller easy to map. also kirb
Recommended Sep 15, 2026
Phenomenal platform. It's extremely easy to inject cores like pcsx2 and it runs ROMs well. I've got 25 Ps2 games loaded so far, and the only issue I've had is with the silent hill 2 intro FMV which can be fixed with one easy core setting: CVD/DVD. I'd recommend this to anyone seeking to emulate multiple consoles on one platform as it supports almost every console you'd want to port that isn't 7th generation or later e.g. Ps3, Xbox 360. If you want to emulate Ps3 RPCS3 is outstanding. Xbox 360 is dodgy to emulate due to it's triple-core processor architecture, and many exclusives have been ported to pc so there's not much incentive to maintain or improve emulators like Xenia anyway.

Community reviews

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