Everyone loves classic video games – sure, they are definitely outdated, and graphics no longer meet today’s standards, but then, they are collectible. Some people love them for the nostalgic memories they bring; others appreciate history or enjoy playing them with their friends.
All in all, if you truly love classic games, chances are you want to enjoy them on your Raspberry Pi device as well. Installing games on this unit is not as easy as it may seem. Instead, you will need an emulator, and this is when RetroArch kicks in.
Known as the most updated and best-managed emulator for the console, it has a unique interface and smooth operation. Most importantly, it allows you to enjoy plenty of classical games without too much hassle.
Installing RetroArch on Raspberry Pi 4 can be done in two different ways. Both of them are pretty simple and straightforward – you only need to follow some step-by-step instructions and spend a few minutes of your time. Here is how to do it.
How to install RetroArch through Snap Store
There are a few options, and the Snap store is probably the easiest one. It is quick to do, and it requires no experience whatsoever. The installation is straightforward – no technical knowledge is required, but just a few minutes.
The first step in the process involves installing snapd. The installation is easy – open a terminal and type:
sudo apt install snapd
In some cases, based on the permissions you set, you may have to enter the password associated with the administrator account or username. You should know if you are the only one using the device. The installation will take less than a minute.
Once complete, you need to reboot the device. Again, while there are more ways to do it, you might as well do it in the terminal with a simple command:
reboot
Give the device a few minutes and download core snap. This ensures you will get the latest version of snapd on your Raspberry Pi 4.
sudo snap install core
Finally, once these steps are complete, you can go for the actual RetroArch installation.
Open the terminal and put in the following command:
sudo snap install retroarch
RetroArch should be installed within seconds only. Once installed, you can run it through the terminal. Simply put the name in the terminal, and it will load straight away.
This is probably the easiest way to get RetroArch on your Raspberry Pi 4 device. It only needs a few minutes and is less likely to cause any errors. However, there are more options out there, and using the source code from “GitHub” is another common option, yet a bit more time-consuming.
How to install RetroArch through GitHub
This procedure implies downloading the source code over GitHub. Once downloaded, you can install it on your Raspberry Pi 4 device. Just like for the previous solution, you will need to start with a few other packages before moving on to the RetroArch installation. All in all, here are all the steps.
Before anything else, make sure your Raspberry Pi 4 device is fully updated. You need to check for all kinds of potential updates. You do not have to be an expert, though. Open up a terminal and type in the following command:
sudo apt update
If there are any packages to update, the good news is the job should not take less than a minute or two. Then, once you are done with the update, you must check the packages and ensure they are also up to date. Again, there is a simple command to get the job done:
sudo apt upgrade
The firmware update is not to be overlooked either. All these updates can be easily performed through the terminal. In some cases, you might be asked for the administrator password – less likely to happen though. Anyway, the firmware update is done through a simple command in the terminal:
sudo rpi-update
Assuming everything is alright, and there are no errors at all, you need to move on to a few dependencies. Again, you can do it through a command:
sudo apt install libasound2-dev git-core
You might be asked if you want to continue throughout the installation. Always press Y and keep going. The whole process is a matter of seconds.
At this point, everything should be set and ready for your RetroArch installation. While this option seems a bit more technical, it is fairly simple. The first step involves downloading the source code – the first step before the actual installation. Here is the terminal command:
wget https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/archive/v1.9.0.tar.gz
Do not take this command for granted, as there might be different versions. Take a look around first.
Compress the file in the following manner:
tar -xf v1.9.0.tar.gz
The command extracts files once executed. Update the directory for your new installation:
cd RetroArch-1.9.0
Now, forget about the terminal for a moment. GO into the folder and find a file called Makefile. Open it with a text editor and find “LIBS :=”, then replace it with “LIBE := -lXxf86vm -lpthread”. You might want to double check before saving, to ensure there are no mistakes.
Moving on, you need to go on with the RetroArch configuration. While often overlooked, this step ensures a top notch experience on the Raspberry Pi 4. The command is quite long:
CFLAGS='-mfpu=neon -mtune=cortex-a72 -march=armv8-a' ./configure --disable-opengl1 --enable-neon --enable-opengles3 --enable-opengles –disable-videocore
Once set, you must compile the previously downloaded files. Use the following command in Raspberry Pi 4:
make
Unlike all the other previous steps, this one will take a bit longer – maybe more than just a few minutes. There is not much you can do about it, but just give it time to complete everything. Finally, when complete, there is only one step left to do:
make install
The job is now complete.
No matter which option you choose for installing RetroArch on your Raspberry Pi 4 device, you will run it in the same manner – using the RetroArch command in the terminal. It will run by itself and take you straight to the main menu.
At that point, you will be able to load core, load content, check the configuration file, and so on – just the main menu. There are more options on the left side, such as settings, favorites, history, images, and others
The truth is once you do all the above configurations, there is not much you have to do in there – unless you are picky about every setting.
As a short conclusion, installing RetroArch on your Raspberry Pi 4 device is fairly simple. You do not need any sophisticated knowledge or technical experience – instead, there are two ways to do it, and each of them implies copying commands in the terminal.
The first option is quicker and will take less than a few minutes. The second option is longer, and the final result will be the same. At the end of the day, it is only a matter of personal preferences. The good news is no matter what you choose, you can bring back some great memories.