No. 28 of 54 ·Multi-System Emulators

retroemu

Windows · Mac · Linux · API

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Freedom report

Two barsScore 5.5

Free tierNo free tier on record
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

retroemu is ranked #28 of 54 in multi-system emulators on Freedom251. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Windows.

Compared on multi-system emulators

Netplay: Yes
BIOS required: Yes
Shader/upscaling: Yes
License: open-source

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The record

What it does: retroemu runs retro console games in a terminal with Node.js using libretro cores compiled to WebAssembly.
Supported systems: The README describes support for more than 25 systems, including NES, SNES, Game Boy, Genesis, Atari, and others.
Native game formats: It can also run WASM `.wasm`/`.wasc` carts and JavaScript `.jsgame`/`.jsg` games.
Video: Video can be output to the terminal, an SDL window, or both, with truecolor ANSI rendering in the terminal.
Controllers and audio: The README says SDL2 supports more than 2,100 controllers and provides direct audio output.
Saves: SRAM saves are automatically loaded and saved, and libretro save states can be saved and loaded with F5 and F7.
Remote play: Remote play lets a host share a game with a player or spectator; the guest needs no ROM or core, and video, audio, and controller data travel peer to peer over WebRTC.
Remote play signaling: The README says the signaling server brokers the WebRTC handshake and then leaves the loop, seeing about 3 KB of data.
Integrations: The project uses libretro cores and SDL2, and documents WebRTC remote play using node-datachannel and hsync for signaling.
Security: The README says JavaScript games run in a sandboxed realm.
Limits: PC Engine CD and ColecoVision require BIOS dumps supplied by the user; the README says most other listed systems do not require one.
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.
Programmatic use: The package exposes a programmatic API for loading games and controlling emulation, saves, input, and video.

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Multi-System Emulators in 2026#28 of 54

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Sources

github.com/monteslu/retroemu· checked 5 Oct 2026