General Guide for RetroArch (Steam Version)

Here's a sort of quick-start guide on the Steam Version of RetroArch with all the info you need to set up the emulators and get it them running.

Downloading Cores

The core downloader/updater isn't included in the Steam release, which should make it the inferior version...

BUT Steam cloud saves are supported making it the absolute definitive version of RetroArch for me.

To download all available cores, go to the Libretro Buildbot site. [buildbot.libretro.com] Click into latest RetroArch version folder, then your platform (most likely Windows or Linux), x86_64 for 64-bit systems, and download RetroArch_cores.7z. Extract these files and throw them into the cores folder (\\RetroArch\cores). Click here [indiefaq.com] if you want a more detailed guide on this.

You can also download updated shaders this way by downloading the full RetroArch.7z and replacing the shaders folder (\\RetroArch\shaders) with the one in the zip file you just downloaded.

For Steam Deck users, use this script [github.com] to automatically install ALL RetroArch cores and info files from Libretro. Super easy!

Cores of choice:

Arcade: FinalBurn Neo (fbneo_libretro) *use this over MAME for RetroAchievements support
NES: (Mesen) mesen_libretro
SNES: bsnes-mercury Accuracy (bsnes_mercury_accuracy_libretro)
Nintendo 64: Mupen64Plus-Next (mupen64plus_libretro)
Nintendo GameCube/Wii: Dolphin (dolphin_libretro)
Game & Watch: GW (gw_libretro)
Game Boy/Game Boy Color: Gamebatte (gambatte_libretro)
Super Game Boy: bsnes (bsnes_libretro)
Game Boy Advance: mGBA (mbga_libretro)
Nintendo DS: melonDS (melonds_libretro)
Nintendo 3DS: Citra (citra_libretro)
Virtual Boy: Beetle VB (mednafen_libretro)
PS1: Beetle PSX HW (mednafen_psx_hw_libretro)
PS2: LRPS2 (pcsx2_libretro)
PSP: PPSSPP (ppsspp_libretro)

Click here [emulation.gametechwiki.com] for a more detailed list of the cores and their various strengths/weaknesses. The cores above are just my personal selection but feel free to check the wiki link and form your own opinion.

Core Notes

For more accurate colors in Game Boy/Game Boy Color games with Gamebatte, launch a game, enter the quick menu, and make sure that Core Options>Color Correction is set to "Always". Make sure to save the Core Options file (top of Quick Menu) to keep your changes.

For Super Game Boy to work, you need the Super Game Boy bios (SGB1.sfc, SGB2.sfc, sgb.boot.rom, sgb_bios.bin) in the RetroArch system folder (\\RetroArch\system). The bsnes core should load Super Game Boy games automatically.

For bsnes-mercury Accuracy, you need the bsnes-bios files. Extract them all into the Retroarch system folder.

There are several other cores that require bios files as well, so make sure to put them in the system folder if prompted.

Setting up Playlists

Playlists are a nice way to display your games in RetroArch for easy launching. You'll want to create a separate playlist for each game system. To create a playlist, head down to Import Content and hit Manual Scan. Head into Content Directory, and locate the folder where your ROM files are for the system you want to set up, then hit Scan This Directory. Then, set the System Name and choose a Default Core (see the recommended list above). After this, scroll down to the bottom and click Start Scan.

If everything was done correctly, your playlist should show up in the leftmost menu with a nice icon indicating the game system you set up!

If you decide to add ROMs to your directories later, you'll need to refresh the playlist for your games to show up. To do this, go to Settings>Playlists>Manage Playlists, find the playlist you want to refresh, and scroll down to the Refresh playlist option. Your new game(s) should now show up!

Tips

You can turn on thumbnail downloads by going to Settings > Network > On-Demand Thumbnail Downloads. Thanks FL for the comment.

To enable RetroAchievements, go to Settings>Achievements and enter your username and password. Then, go to Main Menu>Configuration File>Save Current Configuration to PERMANENTLY save your login info **IMPORTANT**

If you want your current game to show up in your Steam online status, head to Settings>Steam>Enable Rich Presence. Your current game should now show up in the Friends List!
* If this doesn't work, try verifying the integrity of the game files in Steam settings.

Game Saves and Cloud Save Management

By default, RetroArch should sort saves into their own folders based on the core name. This is great for keeping your saves nice and organized. To check if this is enabled, in RetroArch head to Settings>Saving and insure that both Sort Saves into Folders by Core Name and Sort Save States into Folders by Core Name are turned ON. (If you don't see these options, make sure Advanced Settings are viewable on by heading to Settings>User Interface>Show Advanced Settings)

Refer to this page on SteamDB[steamdb.info] to see what saves are synced to the Steam Cloud.
(Note: Most of your saves should be synced automatically, but it's worth mentioning that some save file formats (like those used by PCSX2) DO NOT sync, at least at the time of writing this.)

If you want to add/delete already pre-existing saves to your save folder, make sure to do so while RetroArch is running so that the saves are caught by Steam to sync to the cloud.

Managing Wii saves in particular can be tricky as saves are stored in folders by their Wii GameID. These saves should be located in //Retroarch/saves/dolphin-emu/User/Wii/title/00010000/.
Each folder within this directory corresponds to a game, with its save nestled away within it. The names of these folders are the Wii GameIDs in Hexadecimal code. So, to determine what game a folder belongs to, copy the folder name (for example, 524d4745). Paste the code in this Hex to ASCII converter here[www.rapidtables.com] and hit convert. (In my example, 524d4745 translates to RMGE). Now, refer to this list with every Wii GameID[github.com], use CTRL+F to search and paste the code. (In my example, searching "RMGE" led me to the GameID for Super Mario Galaxy (NTSC-U).

A Winner Is You!

Follow all the steps so far? Well congrats, the hard part's over. Happy gaming!

[Princess Kenny]

@R3SM4D3 yes there is a "wii/gamecube" core all though its not a heavily supported core but can still work on retroarch. Dolphin emulator is what works but has some issues but is rare. i recommend checking out this video as an installation guide

[R3SM4D3]

is there nintendo wii

[fresh out of the dryer]

@Teeheehee14 private profiles always show Steam Level 0 to non-friends. you appear as level 0 too, you know.

@Radiant i'm using it right now to play SMRPG lol

[Teeheehee14]

level 0 steam user lol

[Radiant]

You been scammed by RetroArch. This app doesn't allow you to play retro games.