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. 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.
Platform-to-Emulator Mapping
Mapping emulators to platforms is fully manual. For each emulator you add, you select which platforms it supports. You can also set a default emulator per platform, and override the emulator for individual games. See Adding Emulators for details.
RetroArch & Cores
RetroArch is a multi-system frontend that uses libretro cores. RetroVoid has special RetroArch integration:
- Core scanning: RetroVoid can scan your RetroArch cores directory and display available cores.
- Core path in arguments: you must specify the full core path in launch arguments (e.g.,
-L /path/to/snes9x_libretro.so "{rom}"). - No automatic mapping: cores are not automatically assigned to platforms. You configure this yourself.
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 |
| ScummVM | Games launch via scummvm [game-id] using the stored Game ID |
Supported Platforms
RetroVoid supports the following 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, Switch, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Virtual Boy
Sony
PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PSP, PS Vita
Sega
Genesis / Mega Drive, Sega 32X, Sega CD, 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
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.