PPSSPP vs RetroArch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PPSSPP
Experience your favorite PSP titles on your iOS device with high-definition graphics and enhanced features. This emulator allows you to play a vast library of PSP games with excellent performance. Access your own game files or explore free homebrew titles.
- Play PSP games on iOS
- High-definition graphics
- Extra features
- High performance
- Supports ISO/CSO files
- Built-in Homebrew Store
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Play PSP games on your iOS device, in high definition with extra features! PPSSPP is the original and only PSP emulator for mobile devices. It can run nearly all PSP games with great performance on iOS. No games are included with this download. Use your own real PSP games and turn them into .ISO or .CSO files (see the homepage for instructions), or simply play free homemade games, which are available in the built-in "Homebrew Store". PSP is a trademark of Sony. The PPSSPP project is in no way affiliated with Sony.
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
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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 in-app purchases: RetroArch at none against PPSSPP's 1. RetroArch also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. PPSSPP sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. RetroArch asks for nothing beyond the download.
PPSSPP holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.7K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of PPSSPP's written reviews are positive against 69% of RetroArch's.
PPSSPP ships an update every 4 weeks, RetroArch weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PPSSPP | RetroArch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2.7K ratings) — better | 4.3 (1.8K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.1% of reviews — better | 69.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.7K — better | 1.8K |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 652 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Henrik Rydgård | Libretro |
Customer experience
PPSSPP
RetroArch
User reviews
PPSSPP
From 2.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Supports controllers
- 🎮 Able to play classic PSP games
- 🔥 Amazing emulation experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🤔 Compatibility problems with certain games
- 🔇 Sound issues with some games
RetroArch
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat 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
PPSSPP
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when trying to load save files
- Controller mapping not working properly
- Certain games not launching or freezing
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for PS2 and PS3 emulation
- Improve save state functionality
- Implement haptic feedback for on-screen controls
- Allow customization of button mapping
- Add portrait mode support
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
PPSSPP
- PPSSPP Gold$3.99
RetroArch
No in-app purchases
