RetroArch

About

RetroArch is a single-player action game that offers a collection of classic games and emulators, allowing you to play retro titles on your device. The game features lots of grinding and, while it offers an enjoyable experience, it can be quite buggy at times. With a wide variety of games to choose from, RetroArch is a great choice for fans of classic gaming.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,020 reviews

monetization24 positive mentions

optimization11 negative mentions

RetroArch is a powerful all-in-one emulator that supports a wide variety of systems, making it a great choice for retro gaming enthusiasts.
The app is free and ad-free, providing a seamless experience for users who want to play classic games without interruptions.
Once users familiarize themselves with the interface, they can enjoy extensive customization options and features that enhance their gaming experience.

The user interface is often described as confusing and unintuitive, making it difficult for new users to navigate and set up the app effectively.
Many users report frequent crashes and performance issues, particularly with certain cores, leading to frustration during gameplay.
The app has limited support for external storage on newer Android versions, preventing users from accessing their ROMs stored on SD cards.

monetization
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
6%
28%
The monetization aspect of the app is highly praised, as it is completely free, open source, and devoid of any ads or in-app purchases. Users appreciate the absence of annoying advertisements, which sets it apart from many other emulators, allowing for an uninterrupted gaming experience. Overall, the lack of monetization barriers enhances its appeal, making it a top choice for retro gaming enthusiasts.
- “It's free (and open source), it has no ads or in-app purchases, and it has just about every retro emulator you need all in one place.”
- “The great thing is it's totally free and has no in-app purchases.”
- “No ads, no in-app purchases, Gran Turismo 2 runs great, what more could you want!”
- “Yet other free emulators that are full of ads somehow work better.”
- “Hands down the best thing you can download on this godforsaken app store that is filled with copies upon copies of other good games, games that shove ads down your throat on every minuscule action and pay-to-win garbage which makes it impossible to find a playable and enjoyable game when searching for a way to pass time, they simply drown out anything good because of the sheer amount of them.”
- “The ads were ok I guess, but the inability to remove cores once added was trivial.”
optimization
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
46%
31%
Overall, the optimization of the emulator is a significant concern among users, with many reporting poor performance, especially on older systems like the Nintendo DS and PSP. While some users appreciate the ability to consolidate multiple emulators into one app, they often find the setup process tedious and the interface unintuitive, leading to subpar performance compared to standalone emulators. Despite some improvements in recent updates, many still feel that further optimization is needed for a smoother experience across various devices.
- “Great multi-core emulator, optimized and updated often for multiple operating systems.”
- “I really loved this multi emulator and have it for almost all platforms I have because it brings back memories, and the emulator itself is getting better and better over time. However, to achieve high performance, I need to tweak a bit on several less compatible cores and use it on a flagship phone. RetroArch deserves to be called a shining emulator.”
- “There was a performance issue with the previous version, but this seems to have been fixed with the latest update.”
- “Performance is fine (if not great) for older consoles, but newer platforms are infinitely better served by stand-alone emulators.”
- “The app is alright, the cores work, but the interface is not very user friendly, and it takes too much time to set it up, and when you set it up, you might see less performance than another app of the same system that's being emulated.”
- “Bad performance compared to any other emulator and keeps crashing; I don't recommend it for mobile phones.”
stability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The stability of the emulator is widely criticized, with users reporting frequent crashes, bugs, and glitches that hinder gameplay and setup. While it offers a convenient all-in-one interface for classic games, many features are either unreliable or difficult to configure, leading to a frustrating experience that often requires extensive troubleshooting. Overall, the app shows potential but suffers from significant stability issues that detract from its usability.
- “Some other emulators might be better at one specific system, but this app adequately emulates most popular classic video games with few or no glitches.”
- “No ads, no in-app purchases, Gran Turismo 2 runs great; what more could you want!”
- “I've found it's been a bit buggy since this and the previous update, random crashes while playing or even scanning a folder.”
- “It's a buggy, complicated mess with tons of potential.”
- “Garbage app. I don't know why it doesn't matter what console you run in this app, and yes, I am using the right core for the ROM, but as soon as I click on a ROM to play it, the app freezes and kicks me back to the home screen. I'm done with this app; I never can seem to get it to work.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The graphics in this emulator are generally praised for their quality and customization options, allowing users to adjust settings down to the graphics firmware. However, some users report issues with small button graphics and occasional glitches, as well as problems with downloading artwork. Overall, while the graphics are considered good, there is room for improvement in certain areas.
- “I play GBA games on this; unlike other emulators, it has many options to customize the screen, the graphics, the core, and much more.”
- “The graphics are great and the features are amazing as well.”
- “Better using this playing emulator games, excellent graphics and the best bit of color you can get!”
- “Needs for graphic and sound improvement.”
- “Graphics can be a little better, with some trims here and there.”
- “Geeky way to play with, awesome emulator collection, though I can't get Dreamcast ROM working, did everything, black screen only, full customizable from graphic to gamepad layout, lot of shader options, and definitely not for newbies.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, often citing a lack of a clear learning curve and complicated setup processes. Many report issues with slow gameplay and audio delays, which contribute to an overall cumbersome experience, particularly for those using less powerful devices. While some appreciate the concept and performance, the general sentiment leans towards the setup being unnecessarily complicated and time-consuming.
- “There's no learning curve, just a bunch of simple stuff made tedious by the fact that you're emulating more than one device from a singular piece of software.”
- “To the layman it's confusing and unnecessarily tedious.”
- “It's just so tedious to set up and navigate.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Gameplay in RetroArch is highly dependent on the device's specifications, with users reporting laggy performance and audio issues, particularly on lower-end devices. The emulator's interface is considered unfriendly, lacking clear instructions, and while it offers advanced features like shaders and save mechanics, many users find it complicated and frustrating to navigate. Additionally, the absence of local network co-op gameplay is noted as a significant drawback.
- “I don't normally rate let alone review stuff, but RetroArch by far deserves it. I found this emulator on my computer and thought if I could move my gameplay beyond my computer, and I could. RetroArch for Android was great.”
- “Your smooth gameplay depends on the source emulator core. For example, you can't play DSi games on a 2GB RAM device, and you need at least 8GB RAM with Snapdragon 9xx to play PS2 games.”
- “It is very complicated, but it is fast and has better save mechanics.”
- “Can access the shaders through a file explorer, high chance of crashing when navigating the menus (but during gameplay), and you can't use all of the shaders provided.”
- “Then the GUI is unfriendly, the slow motion doesn't work, and overlays are not customizable... but most importantly I feel the biggest feature missing is a local network co-op gameplay (using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth).”
- “All the ROMs were slow and the audio was delayed. I'm not sure if it's my device, but I've tried every setting that should've fixed it, and it was always the same distorted audio and slow gameplay. I would recommend this to people who have a good device, but my experience was tedious and slightly frustrating.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of hilarity and frustration, particularly regarding the overwhelming number of on-screen buttons and the confusing user interface. Users find amusement in the irony of the marketing claims and the shared struggles of setting up the system, highlighting a blend of absurdity and relatability in their experiences.
- “I can't tell if that's hilarious or just sad.”
- “The amount of buttons on screen (due to the amount of systems it must account for) is both hilarious and annoying, too.”
- “"Multi versatile program" is funny marketing.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Users report that the music in the app is often choppy and distorted, particularly with NDS games, leading to a frustrating experience. While PSX games run smoothly at 60 fps, the overall audio quality and performance issues significantly detract from gameplay enjoyment.
- “After fiddling around with the app (it doesn't have any apparent instructions, you have to just figure it out), it loaded my NDS game with choppy music and the gameplay was laggy.”
- “PSX works at 60 fps and has barely any problems, but now it's garbage. It runs at like 20 fps and the music/sounds are very distorted.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story aspect of the game is highlighted by its engaging narratives, with users particularly enjoying titles like Cave Story. However, there are some technical issues, such as crashes with specific games like Mega Man Legends 2 and Dragon Quest 4, which detract from the overall experience.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express frustration with the emotional impact of accidental touchpad interactions on the controller, which disrupts gameplay and leads to persistent issues that are not easily resolved through default settings. This technical annoyance detracts from the overall gaming experience.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find that while the game offers random and fun elements for replayability, the implementation of cheats can be confusing and not user-friendly, particularly for those who may be less experienced.