Comparison

Artifact vs RetroArch

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Artifact

Assemble fragmented ancient artworks in this unique 3D puzzle game. Explore and reconstruct relics from various cultures with intuitive controls and stunning visuals. Adjust difficulty and enjoy a relaxing, mentally stimulating experience.

Highlights
  • Assemble broken 3D artifacts
  • Puzzles inspired by real masterpieces
  • Explore relics from different cultures
  • Intuitive touch controls
  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Stunning 3D graphics and audio
Features
Read full description

Artifact is a unique 3D puzzle game where you assemble broken artworks from fragments. Dive into solving puzzles inspired by real masterpieces, meticulously modeled artifacts from various countries and cultures. Explore and assemble relics of the past, including Greek amphorae, Chinese vases, and Egyptian statues. You can even shatter them apart and start anew. Adjust the difficulty level to your preference. Artifact features stunning 3D graphics and audio that immerse you in the atmosphere of each culture. The game’s intuitive mechanics make it accessible for players of all ages. So relax, have fun, and sharpen your mind while uncovering historical treasures! How to play: - Move pieces by touching them - Rotate the puzzle by interacting with the base or background - Zoom in or out using a two-finger pinch - Shatter objects with a double-tap - Adjust the viewing angle by tilting your device Features: - 64 unique puzzles across 8 different themes - Original game idea with unique mechanics - Simple, intuitive controls - Gorgeous graphics and animations - Hard and easy modes - No annoying ads — just pure puzzle-solving fun!

About

RetroArch

This application serves as a versatile frontend for emulators and game engines, supporting a vast array of systems through downloadable cores. It offers advanced features like netplay, save states, and customizable controls for an enhanced gaming experience.

Highlights
  • Supports numerous gaming systems via libretro cores
  • Netplay for multiplayer gaming
  • Save states and fast forward/rewind
  • Controller support and key remapping
  • Customizable shaders and overlays
  • RetroAchievements integration
  • AI translations for games
Features
Read full description

RetroArch is a free, ad-free, open source, and cross platform frontend/framework for emulators, game engines, video games, media players, and other applications. Supported systems come in the form of libretro cores. The following systems are supported through various cores: * 2048 * Acorn - BBC Micro * Amstrad - CPC/GX4000 * Anarch * Arcade * Arduboy * Atari - 2600 * Atari - 5200 * Atari - 7800 * Atari - Jaguar * Atari - Lynx * Bandai - WonderSwan/Color * Cave Story * Coleco - ColecoVision * Commodore - Amiga * Commodore - C128 * Commodore - C64 * Commodore - C64 SuperCPU * Commodore - CBM-II 5x0 * Commodore - CBM-II 6x0/7x0 * Commodore - PET * Commodore - PLUS/4 * Commodore - VIC-20 * Dinothawr * Doom * DOS * Fairchild ChannelF * Flashback * GCE - Vectrex * Game Music Emu * Handheld Electronic * MSX/SVI/ColecoVision/SG-1000 * Mattel - Intellivision * Mega Duck / Cougar Boy * Mr.Boom * NEC - PC Engine / SuperGrafx / CD * NEC - PC-FX * NEC - PC-98 * Nintendo - DS * Nintendo - Game Boy / Color * Nintendo - Game Boy Advance * Nintendo - NES / Famicom * Nintendo - Nintendo 64 * Nintendo - Pokemon Mini * Nintendo - SNES / SFC * Nintendo - Virtual Boy * Palm OS * PocketCDG * Quake * Quake II * Rick Dangerous * SNK - Neo Geo AES/MVS * SNK - Neo Geo CD * SNK - Neo Geo Pocket / Color * ScummVM * Sega - MS/GG/MD/CD/32X * Sega - MS/GG/SG-1000 * Sega - Saturn * Sharp - X68000 * Sinclair - ZX Spectrum * Sony - PlayStation * Sony - PlayStation Portable * Texas Instruments TI-83 * The 3DO Company - 3DO * Thomson - MO/TO * Vircon32 * VirtualXT * WASM-4 * Watara - Supervision RetroArch supports a broad range of features, including: * Netplay * Soft patching * RetroAchievements * Save states * MFi controller support * Key remapping per core or per game * Gyro * Cheats * Custom overlays * Shaders * Fast forward and rewind * Game artwork * AI translations * Advanced latency management **RetroArch and Libretro are in no way affiliated with Nintendo. The name "Nintendo" and all associated game console names are registered trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.**

Screenshots

Artifact4 screens
RetroArch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Artifact at 4.9 against RetroArch's 4.3. Artifact also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 69%). RetroArch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Artifact sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. RetroArch asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Artifact holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RetroArch has 1.9K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Artifact's written reviews are positive against 69% of RetroArch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Artifact ships an update every 5 months, RetroArch weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Artifact versus RetroArch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArtifactRetroArch
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (14 ratings) — better4.3 (1.9K ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better69.2% of reviews
Number of ratings141.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size596 MB652 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperMikhail BakunovichLibretro

Customer experience

Artifact

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

RetroArch

All ratings1,547 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral6.9%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews1,464 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral11.3%
Negative19.5%

Bugs and requests

Artifact

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

RetroArch

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Artifact

One-time1
  • Unlock$4.99
None

RetroArch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Artifact free?
Artifact is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RetroArch free?
RetroArch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Artifact or RetroArch?
Artifact is rated higher. Artifact averages 4.9 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while RetroArch averages 4.3 from 1.9K ratings.
Do Artifact or RetroArch have ads?
Neither Artifact nor RetroArch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Artifact or RetroArch?
Artifact ships an update every 5 months, and RetroArch weekly. Most recently, Artifact was updated on October 24, 2026 and RetroArch on October 25, 2026.

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