[TUTORIAL] RetroArch: the complete beginner's guide (cores, BIOS, controllers, shaders)

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[TUTORIAL] RetroArch: the complete beginner's guide (cores, BIOS, controllers, shaders)

Post by Tgames »

Automatically translated from French.

[TUTO] RetroArch : le guide complet pour bien débuter (cœurs, BIOS, manettes, shaders)

RetroArch runs almost every retro console in a single program, but its menu is confusing: this guide explains cores, BIOS files, controllers and the settings that matter.


The idea: one program, several “cores”

RetroArch does not emulate anything by itself. It is a common interface into which you load cores (cores): a core is an emulator adapted to RetroArch. The benefit: a single controller configuration, a single save and shader system, for every console.

Current version: RetroArch 1.22.2, released in November 2025. It is still the latest stable version in October 2026, with development continuing in nightly builds.


1. Where to download it
  • Windows: on retroarch.com, the installer or the portable version. Install it in your user folder (for example C:\Users\YourName\RetroArch) and not in Program Files, where it cannot write its files.
  • Steam: convenient, but without the core downloader: cores are installed as free DLC, and only 65 are offered.
  • Android: prefer the APK from the official website or F-Droid. The website itself states that the Play Store version has not been updated for more than a year.
  • macOS, Linux, iOS: official versions on the same page.

2. Installing cores

Main Menu → Online Updater > Core Downloader. Our picks to get started:
  • NES: Mesen. Super Nintendo: Snes9x. Game Boy, GBC, GBA: mGBA.
  • Mega Drive, Master System, Mega-CD: Genesis Plus GX.
  • PlayStation: Beetle PSX HW (the most accurate, lets you raise the resolution) or SwanStation (lighter).
  • Nintendo 64: Mupen64Plus-Next.
  • Dreamcast: Flycast.
For the PS2, GameCube, Wii or PSP, the standalone emulators (PCSX2, Dolphin, PPSSPP) remain simpler and better maintained: see our guide to emulation on PC.


3. BIOS files

Some cores (PlayStation, Mega-CD, Dreamcast, GBA in its most accurate mode…) require the original console's BIOS. It goes in RetroArch's system folder, whose location is shown in Settings > Directory > System/BIOS.

To check: load the core, then Information > Core Information. The list of expected firmware files is displayed, marked “present” or “missing”. The file name must be exactly the one shown.


4. Adding your games

Import Content > Scan Directory, then select your games folder. RetroArch recognizes each game by comparing its hash with its databases (update them first: Online Updater > Update Databases) and creates one playlist per console. If a game is not recognized, amanual scan adds it anyway.


5. Controller and hotkeys

Most controllers are recognized automatically. Hotkeys are set in Settings > Input > Hotkeys. The tip that changes everything: set a hotkey enable button (for example Select), so that combinations do not trigger while you play. On the keyboard, by default: F1 opens the menu, F2 saves the state, F4 loads it back, Space fast-forwards, Esc quits.


6. The three settings that make the difference
  • Shaders: Quick Menu > Shaders > Load Preset. A CRT shader gives 8- and 16-bit games the look of the cathode-ray screen their graphics were drawn for. Update them from the Online Updater. A preset can be saved globally, for a core, or for a single game.
  • Run-ahead: Quick Menu > Latency. It removes the delay between pressing the button and the reaction on screen, by computing one or two frames ahead. Start at 1 frame: set too high, the game stutters.
  • Saves: the save states (states) freeze the game at a given moment; the in-game saves (.srm files) are the ones the game makes itself. Keep both: a state can become unreadable after a core update, an in-game save cannot.

7. Most common errors
  • “Failed to open libretro core”: on Windows, the Visual C++ libraries are often missing; elsewhere, the core does not match your RetroArch version. Download it again from the Online Updater.
  • The game boots to a black screen: BIOS missing or wrongly named. Check in the core information.
  • Settings do not stick: the configuration is not saved on exit. Enable Settings > Configuration > Save Configuration on Quit.
  • The Online Updater menu is empty: you are using the Steam version, whose cores are installed from the game's page.

⚠ Warning: games and BIOS files must come from your own cartridges and consoles. And beware of sites imitating RetroArch's: the only official address is retroarch.com.


Sources and official guides: RetroArch · libretro documentation · BIOS · Run-ahead · Releases (GitHub)

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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