retroemu

Spec sheet

What it does

retroemu runs retro console games in a terminal with Node.js using libretro cores compiled to WebAssembly.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Purpose

retroemu runs classic console games in a terminal using libretro cores compiled to WebAssembly.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Integrations

The project uses libretro cores and SDL2, and documents WebRTC remote play using node-datachannel and hsync for signaling.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Security

The README describes jsgame games as running in a sandboxed realm.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

License

The repository lists the project license as MIT.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

BIOS limit

PC Engine CD and ColecoVision require users to provide their own BIOS dumps because the README says no free replacement exists.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Controllers and audio

The README says SDL2 supports more than 2,100 controllers with automatic mapping and provides direct SDL2 audio output.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Display requirement

Terminal output requires a truecolor terminal; the README names iTerm2, Kitty, Alacritty, Windows Terminal, and GNOME Terminal as examples.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Install and runtime requirement

The README gives `npm install -g retroemu` as the installation command and requires Node.js 22 or later.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Integration

Frontend applications can launch retroemu with an IPC channel and control it through JSON-RPC.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Limits

PC Engine CD and ColecoVision require BIOS dumps supplied by the user; the README says most other listed systems do not require one.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Native game formats

It can also run WASM wasmcart games and JavaScript jsgame games through its rendering pipeline.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Programmatic use

The package exposes a programmatic API for loading games and controlling emulation, saves, input, and video.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Remote play

Remote play lets a host share a game with a joining player or spectator, with video, audio, and controller input sent peer-to-peer over WebRTC.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Remote play signaling

The README says the signaling server brokers the WebRTC handshake and then leaves the loop, seeing about 3 KB of data.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Requirements and installation

The README requires Node.js 22 or later and a truecolor terminal, and gives `npm install -g retroemu` as the installation command.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Saves

Battery-backed SRAM is saved automatically on quit, and save states can be saved or loaded with F5 and F7.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Supported systems

The README describes support for more than 25 systems, including NES, SNES, Game Boy, Genesis, Atari, and others.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com

Systems

The README lists support for more than 25 systems, including NES, SNES, Game Boy, Genesis, Atari, N64, and PlayStation.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Video

Video can render as ANSI art in the terminal, in an SDL window, or in both at once.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com

Plans and prices

Every retroemu plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Multi-System Emulators#28 of 547.9