Comparison

Peglin vs RetroArch

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

Head to head
About

Peglin

Embark on a roguelike adventure combining Pachinko-style combat with deck-building strategy. Collect powerful orbs and relics to defeat dragons and reclaim your gold. Explore procedurally generated maps with unique challenges and surprises on every run.

Highlights
  • Collect and upgrade orbs and relics
  • Pachinko-like combat mechanics
  • Procedurally generated maps
  • Defeat monsters and bosses
  • Strategic use of potions and bombs
Features
Read full description

The award-winning roguelike-deckbuilder Peglin is finally available on iOS! This version lets you try it before you buy it with unlimited access to the first third of the game and a one-time purchase to own the complete game and all future updates! The dragons have been popping peglins and stealing all of your gold for as long as you can remember. Enough is enough. It's time to venture through the woods, conquer the fortress, and delve into the heart of the dragon's lair to take back what's yours and teach those dragons a lesson. Peglin plays like a combination of Peggle and Slay the Spire. The enemies are tough, and if you're defeated your run is over, but you've got powerful orbs with special effects and incredible relics that influence both your enemies and the physics you'll use to defeat them. Features: - Collect and upgrade powerful orbs and relics to defeat the monsters and bosses that stand in your way. - Fight enemies with Pachinko-like gameplay - hit more pegs to do more damage. Use crit potions, refresh potions, and bombs wisely. - Explore a new map every time, with different orbs, enemies, and surprises along the way.

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

Peglin4 screens
RetroArch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RetroArch at none against Peglin's 1. RetroArch also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.1) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Peglin sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. RetroArch asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RetroArch holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Peglin's written reviews are positive against 69% of RetroArch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Peglin ships an update fortnightly, RetroArch weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Peglin versus RetroArch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPeglinRetroArch
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (1.2K ratings)4.3 (1.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.4% of reviews69.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K1.8K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size311 MB652 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperRed Nexus Games Inc.Libretro

Customer experience

Peglin

All ratings1,192 ratings
Positive74.2%
Neutral7.6%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews340 reviews
Positive64.4%
Neutral11.8%
Negative23.8%

RetroArch

All ratings1,547 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral6.9%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews1,459 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral11.3%
Negative19.5%

User reviews

Peglin

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Unique blend of roguelike and pachinko
  • 🎨 Charming retro art style
  • 💰 Fair one-time purchase model
  • 🔁 High replayability

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
  • 🔍 Unclear mechanics and lack of explanations
  • 📱 Controls not optimized for mobile
  • 💰 Perceived high price for mobile game

RetroArch

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth emulation performance
  • 🎮 Wide range of supported systems
  • 🕹️ Controller support
  • 💯 Comprehensive emulation features
  • 🔓 No ads or tracking

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Steep learning curve
  • 🤖 Unintuitive user interface
  • 🐛 Stability issues and crashes
  • 🔌 Slow loading times
  • 🤷‍♂️ Inconsistent core support

Bugs and requests

Peglin

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Soft locks when trying to unlock full game
  • Aiming issues and unresponsive controls
  • Inconsistent behavior of certain abilities

Requested features

4 requests
  • More level variety and content
  • Ability to save and resume runs
  • Vertical mode for better mobile experience
  • Customizable controls and aiming

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

Peglin

One-time1
  • Peglin Full Game Unlock$9.99
None

RetroArch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Peglin free?
Peglin 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, Peglin or RetroArch?
RetroArch is rated higher. Peglin averages 4.1 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while RetroArch averages 4.3 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Peglin or RetroArch have ads?
Neither Peglin nor RetroArch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Peglin or RetroArch?
Peglin ships an update fortnightly, and RetroArch weekly. Most recently, Peglin was updated on September 25, 2026 and RetroArch on September 26, 2026.

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