Supported Emulators
Emulator compatibility and platform reference for RetroVoid.
RetroVoid is completely emulator-agnostic. It works with any emulator that accepts a ROM file path as a command-line argument. There is no hardcoded emulator list and no auto-detection. You add whatever emulators you prefer and configure them yourself.
Recommended Emulators & Launch Arguments
The table below lists commonly used emulators with their recommended launch arguments for RetroVoid. The same table is shown in the app while you add or edit an emulator. This is an informational reference. None of these emulators are bundled with or required by RetroVoid.
| Emulator | Platforms | Launch Arguments |
|---|---|---|
| PCSX2 | PlayStation 2 | -batch "{rom}" |
| DuckStation | PlayStation | -batch -- "{rom}" |
| RPCS3 | PlayStation 3 | --no-gui "{rom}" |
| PPSSPP | PSP | "{rom}" |
| Dolphin | GameCube, Wii | -b -e "{rom}" |
| Cemu | Wii U | -g "{rom}" |
| Ryujinx | Switch | "{rom}" |
| Citra | Nintendo 3DS | "{rom}" |
| melonDS | Nintendo DS | "{rom}" |
| mGBA | GBA, GBC, Game Boy | -f "{rom}" |
| Xemu | Xbox | -dvd_path "{rom}" |
| RetroArch | Multi-system | -L /path/to/core "{rom}" |
Tip: The
{rom}placeholder is replaced with the full path to the game file at launch. A{title}placeholder for the game's display name is also available. See Adding Emulators for full setup details.
Other emulators work the same way. Vita3K (PS Vita) and ShadPS4 (PlayStation 4) both take a plain {rom}, and RetroVoid handles Vita3K's preference for launching installed titles by ID automatically.
Platform-to-Emulator Mapping
Mapping emulators to platforms is fully manual. For each emulator you add, you select which platforms it supports, then pick that emulator as a platform's default in Settings > Platform Defaults. If a launch fails because no default is set, the game's detail view offers a one-off Launch with Emulator picker listing every compatible emulator. See Adding Emulators for details.
RetroArch & Cores
RetroArch is a multi-system frontend that uses libretro cores. RetroVoid has a dedicated Settings > RetroArch tab:
- Core scanning: point RetroVoid at your RetroArch executable and cores folder, then click Scan for Cores to list the libretro cores you have installed.
- Per-core platforms: tick the cores you want and choose which platforms each one handles. RetroVoid pre-selects likely matches.
- Save Enabled Cores: each enabled core becomes its own emulator entry named
RetroArch (Core Name), with the core path already written into its launch arguments. Unticking a core removes its entry.
You can also add RetroArch as a plain emulator and write the core path into the arguments yourself. There is no {core} placeholder.
See Adding Emulators for full setup instructions.
Special Platform Handling
Some platforms have unique launch behavior that RetroVoid handles automatically:
| Platform | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Windows | Native .exe games launch directly without an emulator |
| Steam | Games launch via steam:// URL protocol |
| PS3 | PS3_DISC.SFB paths are converted to PS3_GAME/USRDIR/EBOOT.BIN for RPCS3 |
| Wii U | meta.xml paths are converted to the .rpx file in the code/ folder for Cemu |
| PS2 | .cue paths are converted to the data file the cue sheet names, because PCSX2 cannot open cue sheets |
| PS Vita | With Vita3K, installed titles launch by their title ID rather than the archive path, so the game isn't reinstalled every launch. Titles that aren't installed yet launch from the file so Vita3K can install them |
| ScummVM | The Game ID is stored in place of a file path, so {rom} expands to the ID |
Supported Platforms
RetroVoid ships with 44 pre-configured platforms for library organization and ROM scanning. See Managing Your Library for the full list of supported file extensions per platform.
Nintendo
NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Nintendo Switch, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Virtual Boy
Sony
PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita
Sega
Sega Genesis, Sega 32X, Sega CD, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, Master System, Game Gear
Atari
Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari Jaguar, Atari Jaguar CD, Atari Lynx
Other
Xbox, Xbox 360, Arcade, Neo Geo, DOS, ScummVM, Windows, Steam, 3DO, CD-i, TurboGrafx-16, TurboGrafx-CD
In the sidebar these appear grouped by manufacturer: Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Microsoft, Atari, SNK, NEC, Panasonic, Philips, PC, and Various. Only groups you actually own games for are shown.
BIOS Files
RetroVoid does not manage BIOS files. BIOS setup and configuration is handled entirely through each emulator's own settings. The only BIOS-related behavior in RetroVoid is that neogeo.zip is automatically skipped during library scanning (since it's a BIOS file, not a game).
Consult each emulator's documentation for their specific BIOS requirements and setup instructions.
Adding Unlisted Emulators
Since RetroVoid is emulator-agnostic, any emulator that accepts a ROM path on the command line will work. See Adding Emulators for instructions on adding and configuring emulators.