Batocera

Linux · Self-hosted

Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.4

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely1 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Batocera is ranked #11 of 40 in game library managers on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, Self-hosted. There is a free plan.

Batocera plans and pricing

All plans

Batocera Linux Free Free, open-source retro-gaming distribution · requires compatible hardware and user-provided games/BIOS for many systems github.com · 5 Oct 2026

Compared on game library managers

Free plan: Yes
Cloud sync: Yes

Best Batocera alternatives

See all 20

Two bars RetroArch Free tier No. 1Free6.8 Two bars RomM Free tier No. 2Free6.7 Two bars ES-DE Frontend Free tier No. 3Free6.6 Two bars Pegasus Frontend Free tier No. 4Free6.6 Two bars Yamata Launcher Free tier No. 5Free6.6 Two bars Attract-Mode Free tier No. 6Free6.5

The record

Purpose: Batocera Linux is a free, open-source retro-gaming distribution that can turn a computer or nano computer into a gaming console.
Boot and install: It can be copied to a USB stick or SD card and used without modifying the computer, or installed permanently.
Supported hardware: Download builds are listed for desktop PCs, laptops, Intel-based Apple computers, handheld PCs, Raspberry Pi, Odroid boards, and other devices.
Emulation: Batocera supports many consoles, platforms, emulators, and emulation-related applications.
Front end: Its front end uses a modified version of EmulationStation.
Content downloader: The built-in content downloader offers freely distributed ROMs, bezels, music themes, and other enhancements, with package management handled by pacman.
Online play: Batocera includes Netplay documentation for playing supported games with other users.
Integrations: The documentation lists Kodi, RetroAchievements, The Bezel Project, Syncthing, NAS storage, and a web server among available features or integrations.
Storage requirement: The installation guide says 16 GB of storage is the minimum and 32 GB is recommended; automatic updates are unavailable with only 16 GB.
Security: Batocera says it is not designed as a secure operating system and warns users not to expose it to the open internet; its security option can change the root password and require credentials for network shares.
Compatibility limit: Batocera focuses on retro gaming and says it will not implement emulators for current-generation consoles.
Support: The project points users to its wiki and Discord for documentation and community support.
Updates: The documentation says major Batocera releases arrive semi-regularly with bug fixes, new features or systems, and performance upgrades.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Game Library Managers in 2026#11 of 40
Best TurboGrafx-16 Emulators in 2026#12 of 32
Best Sega Genesis Emulators in 2026#14 of 29
Best Emulation Frontends in 2026#12 of 25

Is Batocera yours?

Claim it for free: prove the domain, then correct facts, plans and screenshots. An editor reviews every change.

Claim it free Promote Batocera

Sources

github.com/batocera-linux/batocera.linux· checked 5 Oct 2026
batocera.org/download· checked 5 Oct 2026
wiki.batocera.org/systems· checked 5 Oct 2026
wiki.batocera.org/install_batocera· checked 5 Oct 2026
wiki.batocera.org/updates_and_downloads· checked 5 Oct 2026
wiki.batocera.org/netplay· checked 5 Oct 2026
wiki.batocera.org· checked 5 Oct 2026
wiki.batocera.org/security· checked 5 Oct 2026
wiki.batocera.org/not_supported_emulators· checked 5 Oct 2026