5 Seconds vs RetroArch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
5 Seconds
Engage in rapid-fire challenges that test your reflexes and quick thinking. Compete solo to improve your scores or go head-to-head with players globally in intense, five-second rounds.
- Intense 5-second challenges
- Solo practice mode
- Global multiplayer competition
- Tests reflexes and reaction time
- Quick and exciting gameplay
Read full descriptionHide full description
5 Seconds of intense competition! Play solo or online against the world! Welcome to 5 Seconds, the thrilling new game that puts your speed and reaction time to the test! Players can challenge themselves or compete against others in fast-paced multiplayer games that last just five seconds each. In single player mode, players can work on their skills and try to beat their high scores, while in multiplayer mode, they can face off against friends or players from around the world. With a range of different challenges that test your reflexes, quick thinking, and hand-eye coordination, 5 Seconds is the perfect game for anyone looking for a quick and exciting way to pass the time. So what are you waiting for? Download the game now and show the world what you're made of!
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: RetroArch at none against 5 Seconds's shown. RetroArch also leads on monetization model (free vs ad-supported) and device support (5 vs 3). 5 Seconds's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 69%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 5 Seconds | RetroArch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.3 (1.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 69.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 108 MB | 652 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Kilonova Interactive Inc. | Libretro |
Customer experience
5 Seconds
RetroArch
Bugs and requests
5 Seconds
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
5 Seconds
No in-app purchases
RetroArch
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is 5 Seconds free?
Is RetroArch free?
Do 5 Seconds or RetroArch have ads?
Which is updated more often, 5 Seconds or RetroArch?
Other comparisons
