Find the 'Retroarch-1234-56789.cfg' file (the numbers will be random) and delete the file. To do this: using a file manager app, navigate to the RetroArch directory on your phone (internal storage -> Retroarch -> config, by default). If RetroArch is crashing, bugging out by not showing on-screen controls, and other minor frustrations, you may want to delete the RetroArch config file to refresh the app. Once you're ready, scroll to the bottom and tap Start Scan. (You may want to check the file extension of the ROMs you've been struggling to scan and enter it here.) Here you can select the directory to scan, which system or core to associate scanned content with, as well as the file extensions to scan for. (On a PS4 controller, I like to set this as the PS button.) If you don’t have a core loaded, you can go to the “Settings menu -> Input -> Input Hotkey Binds” to set quick buttons for things like Save State, Rewind, and, crucially, “Menu toggle,” which takes you to the Retroarch menu.

If you’re running a game, you can go to the Quick Menu to “Save State” and “Load State” (a godsend if you’re playing saveless NES games). When it comes to BIOS, the ones you’ll need are the following:įrom the Quick Menu for a given core, you have all kinds of features.

It’s for the desktop version, but the same general rules apply. You can find out more details about PS1 emulation on Retroarch in our guide. With PS1 and PS2 games, however, you’ll need to find the relevant BIOS files yourself (you can find them online) and put them in the “system” folder of Retroarch on your Android device. BIOS files are pretty much the first thing an emulator looks for when running with a different BIOS file required depending on the global region of the game you’re playing. In fact, if you run into trouble running a game, one of the first things you should do is update the cores.įor the most part, you don’t need to worry about BIOS when running emulators and games because the relevant files are included in the emulators. This will inevitably improve stability, performance and myriad other factors. On the one hand, you should keep Retroarch up to date through the Play Store, but that will only update the app itself and not any of the cores, assets, thumbnail lists etc., within the app.Įvery now and then you should manually update your installed cores to make sure you’re running the latest version. There’s something important you need to consider when using Retroarch. You still run your games through Retroarch but browse and explore them through DIG, which looks much nicer, organizes your games by genre, year, etc., and gives you nice historical synopses on your games.įor a full guide on how to set yourself up with the DIG frontend, read our DIG tutorial. To do this, tap the Playlists icon (middle option at the bottom of your Retroarch screen), then “Scan Directory.”ĭIG is probably the best emulation frontend for Android, scanning your entire phone, then displaying all your games with some great presentation options. Alternatively, you can set up proper playlists. Once you have the games on your device, you can load them one by one by going to “Load Content,” then navigating to them from there. (We stress that these should be copies of games you already own.) Sega Saturn – Yabause (very strenuous performance-wise)Īfter you have your cores all set up, to get Retroarch to detect your games, you’ll need to get the ROMs and ISOs for your games onto your Android device.Sega Genesis/Game Gear – Genesis Plus GX (PicoDrive from Sega 32X games).They should work fine on relatively recent devices, but older/low-end Android devices may struggle. Note: cores for more demanding consoles with 3D graphics and so on (N64, PS1, Sega Saturn) will be more straining on your device. There will be certain games that don’t quite conform to this list, but for most people, we believe that it’s optimal. Which cores are best for which console? Below are our core picks for the most popular consoles, based on the broadest compatibility and best performance with the most games. (The only way to then uninstall a core is to go to the Retroarch app settings and “Clear Data.”)Īlso read: How to Set Up RetroArch, The Open-Source Cross-Platform Retro Game Emulator Note that as soon as you tap a core in the list, it will download to your device.

Retroarch core