[TUTORIAL] Batocera or Recalbox: turn a Raspberry Pi or an old PC into a retro console

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[TUTORIAL] Batocera or Recalbox: turn a Raspberry Pi or an old PC into a retro console

Post by Tgames »

Automatically translated from French.

[TUTO] Batocera ou Recalbox : transformer un Raspberry Pi ou un vieux PC en console rétro

Batocera and Recalbox turn a Raspberry Pi, an old PC or a handheld into a complete retro console. Here is which one to choose, and how to install it.


How it works

These are complete systems: you write an image to an SD card or a USB stick, boot from it, and land on a controller-friendly interface that sorts games by console. Nothing to configure in Windows, nothing to install alongside. On PC, Batocera can even boot from a USB stick without touching the hard drive.


Which one to choose?
  • Recalbox (version 10.1.1, September 2026): a project that is French, the easiest to get started with, very polished on Raspberry Pi. New versions go to its Patreon supporters first, before reaching everyone. Version 10.1 added arcade competitions, the GunCon 2 and Naomi 2 at 60 frames per second on the Pi 5.
  • Batocera (version 43.1, May 2026): completely free, more than 250 systems, more settings, and the widest choice of hardware (Raspberry Pi, PC, Steam Deck, Anbernic, Retroid and AYN handhelds…).
In short: Recalbox for simplicity, Batocera for breadth. Both are free to use, and you can try one and then the other on two SD cards.


What hardware?
  • Raspberry Pi 5: the best choice today, up to the Dreamcast, the PSP and part of the GameCube library. The Pi 4 is still very good up to the PS1 and the N64.
  • An old PC: often more powerful than a Pi, it goes up to the PS2, the GameCube and the Wii depending on the graphics card.
  • A 32 GB SD card or USB stick recommended (16 GB minimum), from a known brand.

Step-by-step installation
  1. Download the image for your hardware from the official website: batocera.org or recalbox.com.
  2. Write it to the SD card or USB stick with Raspberry Pi Imager (recommended by both projects; Batocera also mentions USBImager). Raspberry Pi Imager even offers Recalbox directly, in its gaming systems category.
  3. Insert the card, plug in a controller, and power on. On first boot, the system expands its partition and reboots: do not power off during this step.
  4. Configure the controller from the menu (START button, controller settings), then Wi-Fi in the network menu.

Adding your games and BIOS files

Over the network, the most convenient way: in Windows File Explorer, type \\BATOCERA or \\RECALBOX in the address bar (or the IP address shown in the network menu). You reach the folder share:
  • roms: one folder per console. On Batocera, a _info.txt file in each folder lists the accepted formats.
  • bios: the BIOS files, with no subfolder unless stated otherwise.
Via USB stick: on Recalbox, first plug in a stick formatted as exFAT so that it creates the folder structure, then copy your games into recalbox/roms/.

Then check the BIOS files: Batocera has a missing BIOS screen, in the game settings, which even gives the expected MD5 hash; Recalbox has its own check screen in the menu. After copying, update the game list (Update gamelists).


Most common errors
  • Black screen on first boot: image made for other hardware (a Pi 4 image does not boot on a Pi 5), or a badly written card. Write it again.
  • A PS1 or Dreamcast game does not start: missing or wrong BIOS. Check its MD5 hash in the BIOS screen.
  • The network folder cannot be found: use the IP address rather than the name, and check that the PC and the console are on the same network.
  • Slowdowns: the emulated console is too much for your hardware. Change the emulator for that system in the advanced options, or lower the internal resolution.
To play on PC without changing your system, see our guide Emulation on PC.


⚠ Warning: games and BIOS files must come from your own cartridges and consoles. SD cards and “retro boxes” sold preloaded with thousands of games are illegal, and their files are often faulty.


Sources and official guides: Batocera · Batocera wiki (installation) · Batocera wiki (games and BIOS) · Recalbox · Getting started with Recalbox

Tgames provides no games, BIOS files or keys: only use backups of your own games and your own console. A question? Reply to this topic.
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