Flycast vs RetroArch
Flycast
flycast.dojo.oooRetroArch
retroarch.comSide by side
| Figure | Flycast | RetroArch |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Console Emulators | 7.5 (#24) | 8.4 (#7) |
| Platforms | The product site links Windows, Linux, and Mac downloads. | The official downloads page lists Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, web browsers and various game consoles. |
| Purpose | Flycast Dojo is a fork of Flycast, a multi-platform Sega Dreamcast, Naomi, and Atomiswave emulator focused on netplay and replay. | RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players that runs classic games through a graphical interface with unified settings. |
| Support | The site directs users to the FAQ and to the Fightcade, Flycast, and Dojo Project Discord communities for help. | The FAQ directs users to the forums, Discord and documentation for help. |
Plans
In their own words
Flycast
Flycast Dojo is a free, open-source fork of the Flycast emulator for Sega Dreamcast, Naomi, Naomi 2 and Atomiswave. Its focus is netplay and replay, with training tools for supported games. Players can connect using Match Codes, direct IP connections or virtual LANs such as ZeroTier or Radmin. Match Codes use an internet relay to help start peer-to-peer sessions through firewalls without an account or extra software. Netplay sessions can be recorded and played back, or transmitted to a replay server or listening spectator. Training Mode supports RetroArch .cht cheats, savestates, and recording and playing back inputs. Players can compare ROM MD5 checksums, while successful peer-to-peer play requires matching ROM and BIOS files. The project is bundled with Fightcade and Arkadyzja. It is listed for Android, Linux, macOS and Windows, though the official site links downloads for Windows, Linux and Mac. The documentation notes that Match Codes may have problems on some cloud gaming services or corporate networks.
RetroArch
RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines, and media players, bringing them under a unified settings system. The RetroArch/Libretro project includes more than 200 cores across those categories. Its menu can group scanned games by system and display thumbnails and animated backgrounds. Common game controllers configure automatically when plugged in, and button actions can also be assigned manually.
Stackable shaders can change rendered graphics or imitate the look of CRT monitors. Built-in netplay supports hosting or joining network gaming sessions, including spectator mode. RetroArch can record gameplay to video files and stream games to Twitch or YouTube. Versions are listed for Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, and web browsers. RetroArch is free and open source under GPL version 3; the libretro API uses an MIT license. Features differ by platform and store version: the browser edition has lower performance and fewer capabilities than the full version, while Steam lacks Core Updater and thumbnail scraping and offers a selected core set.