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Freedom251 › Blog › Jellyfin

How to Play Your Retro Game Library Remotely with Jellyfin and Moonfin

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

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Jellyfin can be part of a retro-game setup, but it does not natively treat ROMs like movies or TV episodes. The game-library workflow uses the Moonbase plugin with Moonfin clients: Moonbase exposes selected folders of game files, and a compatible client browses and emulates them. Playing away from home requires a separate, working remote connection to your Jellyfin server; installing the plugin does not make the server internet-accessible.

What Jellyfin, Moonbase, and Moonfin each do

Jellyfin provides the self-hosted server and media-streaming layer. Its ordinary media-library scanner is not a ROM manager. Moonbase, a Jellyfin plugin, adds game-specific library routes and features, while Moonfin clients provide ways to browse and play supported games. The files are served by the server, but emulation happens in the client.

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This is different from streaming a PC game that is already running on a gaming computer. Moonbase and Moonfin serve ROM files for client-side emulation; Moonlight with a host such as Sunshine streams a game running on a PC. Moonlight describes Sunshine as its recommended host: Moonlight project site.

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Set up a ROM library with Moonbase

  1. Install and enable Moonbase for your Jellyfin server, then open the plugin’s Games tab and enable retro games.
  2. Select the Jellyfin libraries that contain your game files.
  3. Arrange the files beneath folders named for their systems, using recognizable system names. Moonfin says it fills in game metadata and artwork from public databases.
  4. Check whether a system requires BIOS files. Moonfin’s guide describes placing BIOS files loose in the relevant system folder; it does not provide ROMs or BIOS files.
  5. Open the library in a compatible Moonfin client and check that the system and game appear before attempting playback.

ROMs, BIOS files, emulator cores, and save states serve different purposes: ROMs are the game files, BIOS files are firmware some systems require, cores perform emulation, and save states capture a point in gameplay. Use game files and firmware you are entitled to use; their legal status depends on the files and jurisdiction.

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Moonbase supports range-based streaming of ROM files. Its guide also describes extracting ZIP or 7z archives on the fly when an archive contains one ROM.

Choose a playback mode your client supports

Web player

Moonfin’s web player uses EmulatorJS in a web view. Web emulator cores load from a public CDN by default. An administrator can instead install the core bundle locally; Moonfin’s guide estimates that bundle at about 290 MB, a project-specific figure that may change. Using a local bundle avoids a runtime dependency on that CDN.

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Native cores

Selected Moonfin applications can use native emulator cores. The project describes these as faster than web cores, but availability and compatibility depend on the client and system. Confirm support in the specific app you plan to use rather than assuming every Jellyfin client can play games.

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System-specific requirements

Moonfin’s Admin Guide says PSP games in Moonfin Web on Jellyfin require cross-origin isolation. That requirement is specific to this playback path and may depend on the versions and configuration in use. Check the guide for your release: Moonfin Admin Guide.

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Moonfin’s retro-games guide documents the setup and playback behavior: Moonfin Retro Games guide.

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Make the server reachable away from home

Remote play has two separate requirements: the game must work in the chosen Moonfin client, and that client must be able to reach your Jellyfin server. Jellyfin streams over HTTP(S), but its automatic server discovery works only on the local subnet. A device outside your home therefore needs a server address and a configured network route to it.

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Jellyfin says a self-hosted server does not have to be exposed to the internet. If you choose remote access, configure a route appropriate to your security needs and make sure your client uses it; the right setup depends on your network, and there is no single router or proxy recipe that applies to everyone. Do not assume that enabling Moonbase opens remote access or makes a network configuration secure. See Jellyfin networking documentation and Jellyfin client guide.

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Know what carries over between devices

Moonfin’s guide says save states sync per user through the server. It distinguishes these from local cartridge battery saves, and native and web-player save states use separate formats. Do not assume a state created in one playback mode will load in the other. A gamepad is optional, but useful when the client device supports one.

When this setup is the wrong fit

If your goal is to play installed PC games remotely, rather than browse a ROM library and emulate games on the client, Moonbase is not that architecture. Moonlight and Sunshine are designed to stream games running on a host PC. If you want to play ROMs through Jellyfin, first confirm that your Moonfin client supports the system and playback mode you need, then configure remote network access independently.

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