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Low-resolution games can look harshly sharp on modern screens because an emulator displays their pixels directly rather than reproducing the softer, blended look of a CRT. In RetroArch, a CRT shader is a software filter that can add selected display effects such as scanlines, phosphor masks, glow, or curvature. It is a practical starting point—not a universal or exact recreation of the television you remember.
Why old games can look too sharp in an emulator
Many classic games were designed around the characteristics of CRT televisions. On a modern flat-panel display, enlarged pixels can look hard-edged and blocky; the image may feel different from the softer, blended presentation you remember. A CRT shader changes how the emulator renders the picture to imitate selected traits of those displays.
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CRTs themselves varied, and the shader documentation does not establish that any preset reproduces a particular television or a personal memory exactly. Treat the result as a configurable visual effect: the right settings are the ones that suit your game, screen, and taste.
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Turn on a CRT shader in RetroArch
Load a game before opening the shader preset browser. Libretro’s documented example uses the CRT-Geom GLSL preset; the exact presets and menu labels available to you can vary with your RetroArch build, renderer, and platform.
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- Launch a game in RetroArch.
- Open the menu and go to Quick Menu > Shaders > Load Shader Preset.
- Choose a compatible CRT preset. The documented example is
shaders_glsl/crt/crt-geom.glslp. - If the shader pack or preset you want is not installed, open Main Menu > Online Updater and download or update the shader resources.
RetroArch supports CG, GLSL, and Slang shader languages. CG is deprecated and may not be available; GLSL is for OpenGL, while Slang is recommended when available and supports several renderers. Choose a format supported by your configured video driver and platform. See Libretro’s shader introduction for the documented workflow and compatibility context.
Choose a preset by the effect and the demands you want
CRT presets differ in how they handle scanlines, phosphor masks, sharpness, blur, glow, curvature, scaling, tuning, and performance. More elaborate effects are not automatically more convincing: they can be harder to run and may emphasize CRT traits you do not want.
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| Preset family | Useful starting point for | Tradeoffs to consider |
|---|---|---|
| CRT-Lottes | A relatively simple, general-purpose preset with few settings and good defaults, according to Libretro. | Fast and Multipass versions target speed; they are variants rather than a guarantee of the same look on every setup. |
| CRT-Geom | A customizable option and the example used in Libretro’s setup guide; the catalog describes it as suitable for non-integer scaling. | Faster and more elaborate variants are available, so behavior and load vary by variant. |
| CRT-Guest | People who want many options to tune. | Its Fast variant reduces requirements; expect to spend more time adjusting settings than with a minimal preset. |
| CRT-Royale | Detailed control over effects including phosphor mask, scanline beam, bloom, curvature, and antialiasing. | It is demanding and benefits from higher resolutions. Fake-Bloom and Intel variants lower requirements with some tradeoffs. |
| CRT-BlurPi and CRT-Pi | Lower-powered Raspberry Pi devices. | CRT-BlurPi offers sharp and soft flavors; Libretro recommends the sharp flavor with integer scaling. |
These descriptions reflect Libretro’s CRT shader catalog and, for Royale’s features and requirements, its CRT-Royale documentation. Integer scaling can help repeat scanline effects consistently, but presets differ in how they handle non-integer scaling.
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Tune the image instead of chasing a supposedly correct look
Start with one preset and change only the controls that address what looks wrong. For example, if scanlines dominate the image, reduce their visibility if the preset offers that control; if the picture feels too soft, look for sharpness or blending settings. Curvature, glow, mask visibility, and scaling can also change the overall impression.
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- With the game running, open the shader settings and choose Preview Shader Parameters for a parameterized preset.
- Adjust a small number of settings, then view the game at the size and resolution you normally use.
- Save a result you like as a new preset file so you can keep it separate from the original.
RetroArch documents previewing parameters and saving tuned values in its shader guide. If a preset is unavailable or performs poorly, try another shader language or a faster variant that your platform and video driver support rather than assuming every preset works everywhere.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When a CRT shader is not the answer
A shader is a software rendering choice, not a physical CRT or an external upscaler. You do not need to buy hardware to try this approach: the host computer or handheld runs the emulator and its shader. If you prefer a clean, pixel-sharp image, leave the CRT effect off; these filters are optional, and CRT displays differed in their appearance.
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