RetroArch
Cross-platform, sophisticated frontend for the libretro API. Licensed GPLv3. observed · 2026-08-28
Health v2 · maintenance only
80/100
- Activity 99
- Release rhythm 45
- Longevity 100
How is this computed?
round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10) — computed 2026-09-02. Adoption (stars, forks) is never an input.
- gap_med: 60.5
- age_days: 5942
- days_rel: 286
- days_push: 7
- n_releases_24m: 5
Adoption not part of the score
13577 stars · 2188 forks observed · 2026-08-28
What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-29, confidence not recorded
RetroArch is the reference frontend for the libretro API, unifying emulators, game engines, and media players as loadable 'cores' behind a single cross-platform interface. It provides unified settings, shader support, netplay, rewind, and input handling across a very wide range of platforms.
Use cases
- play classic retro games on pc
- emulate old consoles with one app
- apply CRT shaders to retro games
- play emulated games online with netplay
- unified emulator frontend for all my consoles
- rewind gameplay in retro games
- run emulators on android tv or raspberry pi
When to choose
- you want one unified interface for many emulators and platforms
- you want advanced features like shaders, rewind, run-ahead latency reduction, or netplay
- you need a gamepad- and touchscreen-friendly UI across desktop, mobile, and consoles
When to avoid
- you want a standalone emulator with a minimal, per-system setup
- you prefer simple per-core configuration over a unified settings system
- you need a lightweight solution and find its feature set overwhelming
Facets
application · maturity stable
gui graphics audio-processing game-engine plugin-system cli gaming-tools cross-platform cross-platform windows cli emulation libretro retro-gaming frontend shaders netplay gamepad save-states rewind media-player game-development linux macos android ios desktop
5 sources
- readme: https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch · fetched 2026-08-28 · 4fb6d1d2f6c7
- homepage: http://www.libretro.com · fetched 2026-08-29 · 0f11e0ba2dc7
- site_page: https://docs.libretro.com/ · fetched 2026-08-29 · a2254514f0a9
- site_page: https://www.libretro.com/index.php/getting-started-with-retroarch · fetched 2026-08-29 · 1a248062d6d4
- site_page: https://www.libretro.com/index.php/retroarch-1-17-new-netplay-features · fetched 2026-08-29 · a71890ab40ab
Member repositories
| Repository | Role | Health v2 |
|---|---|---|
| libretro/RetroArch | main | 80 |
| libretro/libretro-database | infra | 76 |
| libretro/glsl-shaders | plugin | 77 |
| libretro/common-shaders | plugin | 66 |
For agents
markdown · JSON · MCP: product_card(name="libretro/RetroArch")
Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00 · Report a problem