# RetroArch — user reviews > 1,457 indexed App Store user reviews of RetroArch by Libretro, rated 4.31/5 from 1,762 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retroarch/id6499539433/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retroarch/id6499539433.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 1,103 · 4★ 176 · 3★ 106 · 2★ 45 · 1★ 117 ## What do users think of RetroArch? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Smooth emulation performance - 🎮 Wide range of supported systems - 🕹️ Controller support - 💯 Comprehensive emulation features - 🔓 No ads or tracking - 🎉 Brings retro gaming to iOS **Cons** - 🤯 Steep learning curve - 🤖 Unintuitive user interface - 🐛 Stability issues and crashes - 🔌 Slow loading times - 🤷‍♂️ Inconsistent core support - 🎮 Subpar touch controls **Commonly reported bugs** - N64 games not loading textures properly - Crashes when changing settings or cores - Bios files not being recognized - Inconsistent performance across devices - Saved settings not persisting **Most requested features** - Add support for PS2, GameCube, and 3DS emulation - Improve iCloud/cloud storage integration - Implement customizable button layouts - Add a more user-friendly setup wizard - Provide better documentation and tutorials ## Newest reviews (13 of 1,457) ### 4/5 — Dreamcast gamecube/wii and ps2 support? *2026-08-15, version 1.22.2* The app is overall good and all, but for some reason the developers haven’t decided to add a flycast/dreamcast core and also a gamecube and wii core and a ps2 support. Also it hasn’t updated in a while? ### 4/5 — Copy & Paste Cheat Codes Please!!! *2026-08-14, version 1.22.2* Overall it runs DS games very well, but trying to put in a 74 line Action Replay code is basically impossible when you can’t see what you’re typing and you can’t copy & paste the code. Please find a way to make copy & paste functional in the app ### 2/5 — We want PS2! *2026-07-15, version 1.22.2* WE WANT PS2!!!! ### 2/5 — Annoying UI/UX features *2026-07-09, version 1.22.2* Tried the Mac app and the UX was quite atrocious, especially having to install cores and find files through the terrible built-in file browser, with a online guide that is outdated and not hard to use. When I finally got game working and saved it to my favourites so I could replay it easily, it would never boot from there. Wanted to like it but I feel like I wasted my time. ### 3/5 — Where is the GameCube ??? *2026-07-01, version 1.22.2* Bring us the GameCube it’s classic and predates the PSP ### 3/5 — Works But Only Just *2026-06-28, version 1.22.2* The main takeaway is that if you want to play old games, it works for that. It isn't fancy and it doesn't need to be. However, in many other respects Retroarch, especially this mobile version, is clunky and buggy. Taking a screenshot with the phone, for instance, will often cause it to begin stuttering. A phone call will make it crash entirely. The menu navigation is incredibly un-user-friendly. The specific function you want is often several layers deep where you wouldn't think to look. Rewind straight up doesn't exist despite its claims, and it is nearly impossible to reconfigure the controls for SNES and other consoles. The universal button layout is neat but typically impractical. The cheat function feels held together with tape and bubble gum, often times Game Genie or Game Shark codes simply don't work. Having to slide the numbers left & right for searches is agonizingly inefficient. I am grateful to the folks who have made Retroarch and it is, as I said, good for emulating a lot of different platforms via one program... but it lacks a lot of polish, especially for something that's been around as long as it has. ### 5/5 — Brilliant (with crashes) *2026-06-21, version 1.22.2* This has all you can have without lag. I've tried loads of emulators for the ones you can't get from this, but they include lag. This does have sudden crashes, but that doesn't mean this is bad. Moreover, this has no data collection whatsoever. What next? Extremely customisable? Oh, that's done too. ### 5/5 — Best app *2026-06-17, version 1.22.2* Best app I’ve ever seen. It has everything from Atari 2600 to PlayStaition 2. And it finally is in iOS. Now I can play NES and Genesis games the best way possible. I have suggestions for the next cores when you make updates. Nintendo - GameCube - Wii, Sega - Dreamcast and PlayStaition 2 ### 3/5 — Fix the bugs *2026-06-15, version 1.22.2* I downloaded this app to play n64 and DS games and my experience wasn’t the best I would recommend this too people who have a Mac or PC but if you are on mobile it’s not good no GameCube and no Wii because you can’t get the dolphin core on mobile and it lags a lot so many crashes but it mostly a good app. Sincerely I’d guy ### 4/5 — Box art issue *2026-06-11, version 1.22.2* Could we please get the box art to show correctly when tapping on a game? Thanks ### 5/5 — Sonic the Hedgehog 3 *2026-06-11, version 1.22.2* Mario 64 ### 5/5 — Best game ever *2026-06-07, version 1.22.2* So I was playing super Mario Bros world. I said I noticed there was a wide button. I pressed it and then it was like super Mario Bros or advance or bastard but there’s no power ups so I downloaded games as a boom like super Mario Bros world remaster ### 4/5 — Good but… *2026-06-07, version 1.22.2* This is the best app,but whenever i put it to a console it will use a terrible ABXY buttons and like im using sega genesis and ABXY buttons??? We need it to change the layout for the console we are using,but this app is pretty good ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — It doesn’t work *2026-08-05, version 1.22.2* Everytime I download my games onto this app, it never works and they have stupid puzzle games that are not Nintendo, sega, or Sony ### 1/5 — Genuinely why *2026-08-02, version 1.22.2* I just wanted to play super mario bros. special, right? NOPE! NORE SHARP X1 CORE! legitimately all i wanted to do was play that game in specific, BUT APPARENTLY I CANT! ### 1/5 — Crashes *2026-07-26, version 1.22.2* Crashes everything when turning on achievements ### 1/5 — Absolute disappointment. *2026-06-26, version 1.22.2* Might be cool if it worked. No updates in over half a year and it keeps crashing. All this modern technology and we haven’t moved an inch forward. ### 1/5 — Can’t play anything *2026-06-23, version 1.22.2* I tried to play sonic championship but it’s says fb neo can’t do it an arcade dice crashis my emulator not that good ### 1/5 — Sucks *2026-06-20, version 1.22.2* Barely runs anything, and it’s complicated to load up the bios to make anything work, which ends up not working anyway. ### 1/5 — Se traba *2026-06-16, version 1.22.2* Se traba al querer guardar las partidas ### 1/5 — will not open *2026-05-29, version 1.22.2* crashes immediately upon opening. ### 1/5 — Waste of time *2026-05-11, version 1.22.2* Doesn’t work on iPhone 14 Pro Max 1 terabyte ### 1/5 — failed *2026-04-03, version 1.22.2* When I saw this app I thought it had super Mario 3D land, but I didn't see super Mario 3D land that’s how it failed me. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Peak emulator👍👍👍🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 *2026-08-13, version 1.22.2* Best emulator ### 5/5 — Add pspp *2026-07-22, version 1.22.2* If pspp app say yes put it in ### 5/5 — This is a great emulator! *2026-07-16, version 1.22.2* I love this, i usually use it to play Mega Man games and Rayman and other stuff. Would love to see you guys add GameCube and PS2 emulators and maybe even PS Vita! (Yes a PS VITA emulator exists) ### 5/5 — My favorite all time iPhone app!!! *2026-07-15, version 1.22.2* This app has become my favorite all time iPhone app!!!!! Thanks to to emulators provided by RetroArch I a now able to play all my favorite games made for consoles such as NES, SNES, sega genesis, sega CD, and N64. I thought I would never be able to play my favorite games made for those consoles ever again but thanks to retro arch I now can and I am very happy for that!!!!! I hope the developers continue to make RetroArch awesome!!!!!! ### 5/5 — Plz do it *2026-07-14, version 1.22.2* We just need Sonic cd to work ### 5/5 — Finally a free emulator that works! *2026-07-12, version 1.22.2* I was so worried about losing my game saves but this app loaded all my roms instantly for free with zero setup or configuration, I highly recommend downloading it right now before it gets taken down! ### 5/5 — FINALLY AN EMULATOR WITHOUT SUBSCRIPTIONS *2026-07-03, version 1.22.2* i love retroarch idk why people say it's hard to navigate the menus but i think it's pretty easy. also no weird subscriptions yayayay ### 5/5 — Add ps2 *2026-07-03, version 1.22.2* L want to play parappa in there but sadly it doesn’t have a ps2 core ### 5/5 — Download a core for moblie *2026-06-24, version 1.22.2* If we had Download a core for moblie then we could play MAME, DREAMCAST and etc but for now we are stuck and confined to pc only which makes me saddd :( ### 5/5 — Exited *2026-06-24, version 1.22.2* Im exited to play SA1 or SA2 on it --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-30.*