Feature channels

Name: RetroArch
Author: Libretro

Ozone menus, loadable cores, Slang and GLSL shaders, run-ahead, netplay, RetroAchievements, recording and Online Updater sit in one frontend.

Interface
Cores
Video
Input
Latency
Network
Achievements

Ozone, XMB, MaterialUI, RGUI

Ozone is the default graphical menu from RetroArch 1.7.6. Categories sit in a left column. A playlist item can show boxart plus a second thumbnail. XMB keeps the horizontal icon row. MaterialUI is common on phones. RGUI stays the compact fallback.

After Scan Directory, matching files join playlists. History and Favorites are built in. 1.22.x adds a common thumbnail background option and analog-stick thumbnail cycling.

Installation steps

MaterialUI Main Menu with Load Core selected — Main Menu: Load Core, Load Content, History, Online Updater and Netplay.

Playlists with Import Content, Explore, Favorites and Images — Playlists: Import Content, Explore, Favorites and previously viewed Images.

Settings list for Drivers, Video, Audio, Input and Latency — Settings: Drivers, Video, Audio, Input and Latency.

Quick Menu with Resume, Restart, Close Content and State Slot — Quick Menu: Resume, Restart, Close Content, screenshot and state slot.

Download cores, then load content

A core is a Libretro program. Content is the game, image or media file the core executes. Online Updater, Core Downloader is the in-app path. The public list names more than 200 cores.

Console examples: PCSX ReARMed, Snes9x Next, FCEUmm, Nestopia, Gambatte, VBA Next, Genesis Plus GX, Flycast, Mednafen PCE Fast, Mednafen WonderSwan, LRPS2
Engines: OpenLara, PrBoom, TyrQuake, DOSBox Pure, PX68K

Core Downloader listing PlayStation and 3DO cores — Core Downloader lists each core with its license, such as GPLv2 or non-commercial.

Core updater list including 2048, SNES cores and DOSBox — Core updater names installed cores, from 2048 and 3DO through Snes9x and DOSBox.

First-person core with on-screen D-pad and face buttons — PrBoom-style FPS core with L/R, D-pad and X/Y/A/B overlay.

Side-view fighter with L1 to R3 overlay buttons — 2D fighter core with L1-L3 / R1-R3 shoulders on the overlay.

3D stealth core with analog-style overlay and radar — 3D stealth core with L2/R2, Start/Select and face-button overlay.

Genesis platformer with D-pad overlay and Start — Genesis Plus GX-style platformer with D-pad and Start on screen.

In-game overlay for save states, rewind and shaders — In-game overlay: Load/Save State, Rewind, Fast-Forward and shader shortcuts.

2D fighter with D-pad and face-button overlay — 2D fighter with L/R, Start/Select, D-pad and X/Y/A/B overlay.

Video output

Shader languages are Slang, GLSL and deprecated Cg. Presets use .slangp, .glslp and .cgp. Menus run on OpenGL 1.1. Slang wants GL 3.2, Vulkan 1.0 or Direct3D 11.

Video fact	Detail
Shader languages	Slang, GLSL, deprecated Cg
Preset files	.slangp, .glslp, .cgp
Minimum GL	OpenGL 1.1 menus; Slang wants GL 3.2, Vulkan 1.0 or Direct3D 11
1.21.0 video	Vulkan adaptive vsync, shader wildcard fix, exact refresh sync with shader subframes
Recording	FFmpeg file capture and live streams to Twitch or YouTube

Video settings with 59.95 Hz refresh and custom viewport — Video: suspend screensaver, windowed fullscreen, 59.95 Hz refresh and custom viewport.

Video Synchronization, Threaded Video and bilinear filtering — Video: Synchronization, Threaded Video, bilinear filtering and CPU video filter.

RetroPad is the abstraction

Physical pads map to RetroPad. Autoconfig profiles cover many devices. Turbo fire, analog-to-digital and remap files are first-class.

1.22.1 stores turbo settings in remaps, not overrides, and can require confirmation for reset or close-content hotkeys.

Drivers list using Android input, GL video and OpenSL audio — Drivers: Android input and controller, GL video, OpenSL audio, sinc resampler.

Driver menu with glui menu driver and null record driver — Driver menu (no core): Android joypad, GL, OpenSL, MaterialUI (glui), null record.

On-screen RetroPad with D-pad, face buttons and shoulders — On-screen RetroPad: D-pad, face buttons, L1-L3 / R1-R3 and Start/Select.

Run-Ahead, frame delay, Hard GPU Sync

Run-Ahead attacks in-game lag by computing extra frames. Frame Delay and Hard GPU Sync sit later in the display path.

Official copy says there should be no perceivable gap versus original hardware when the chain is right. We do not invent timings. Threaded Video and the Latency row in Settings sit on those same menus.

Netplay, cloud sync, updater

Netplay uses a lobby plus optional spectator mode. Hosts usually forward TCP 55435.

Cloud sync in 1.22.x includes WebDAV on Android and iCloud Drive on Apple platforms. Online Updater refreshes cores, assets, controller profiles and shaders.

Netplay troubleshooting

Online Updater with Core Downloader and Update Core Info Files — Online Updater: Core Downloader, playlist thumbnails, assets and controller profiles.

Cheevos client

Achievements require a RetroAchievements login. 1.21.0 includes achievement state in netplay states. 1.22.1 upgrades rcheevos to 12.1 and can hash RVZ files.

This page does not invent badge names or user counts.

Get RetroArch 1.22.2