Alternatives to RetroBat

Portable Windows bundle of EmulationStation and RetroArch, preconfigured. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as RetroBat.

  • ES-DE

    Emulator front end with 150 systems preconfigured and a built-in scraper.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid

    ES-DE is a standalone open source front end for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android with 150 systems preconfigured, but emulators are not bundled like RetroBat's RetroArch.

  • Batocera.linux

    A free, open-source retro gaming Linux distribution that boots from a USB stick or SD card.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Batocera.linux boots as a dedicated Linux system from USB or SD card with over 250 systems, instead of running as an app inside Windows.

  • LaunchBox

    Windows game launcher and database with a couch-friendly Big Box mode.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindows

    LaunchBox is a Windows launcher with a large metadata database and Big Box mode, but it is closed source and Big Box requires a paid licence.

  • Pegasus Frontend

    Lightweight, fully themeable launcher for emulators and game collections.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid

    Pegasus Frontend is a lightweight, cross-platform GPL-3.0 front end with QML themes, but collections are configured in text files and emulators are not preconfigured.

  • HyperSpin

    Animated arcade front end with spinning wheel menus and video previews.

    FreeProprietaryWindows

    HyperSpin offers a cinematic arcade-cabinet interface on Windows, but it is closed source and setup is notoriously manual rather than preconfigured.

  • Recalbox

    A retro gaming operating system that turns a Raspberry Pi or other hardware into a multi-system console.

    FreeProprietaryLinux

    Recalbox replaces the operating system on a Raspberry Pi or other hardware with a beginner-friendly retro console supporting over 100 systems, and is not open source.

  • RetroDECK

    An all-in-one retro gaming Flatpak for Linux that bundles emulators with the ES-DE frontend.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    RetroDECK bundles emulators with the ES-DE frontend as a sandboxed Flatpak for Linux and the Steam Deck, rather than a portable Windows bundle.

  • EmuDeck

    An installer that sets up and configures emulators on Steam Deck, SteamOS, ROG Ally and Windows.

    FreeProprietaryWindowsLinux

    EmuDeck installs and configures third-party emulators on Windows, Steam Deck and ROG Ally in one pass instead of shipping a preconfigured portable bundle, and is not open source.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.