Switch RetroArch Setup Guide

Head to the official libretro install guide — docs.libretro.com/guides/install-libnx — and under “Using the stable bundle (recommended)” click “here” to download the bundle with RetroArch, all the cores and all the assets. Or skip straight to it:

⬇ Download the stable bundle (.7z)

Save it to your desktop and extract it (right-click → Extract All, or WinRAR/7-Zip) so you get a RetroArch folder. Then copy everything inside that folder to the root of your Switch SD card — you should end up with retroarch and switch folders sitting at the top level of the SD. If Windows asks, choose merge/replace.

On the root of your SD card, create a folder named after the console you're emulating with “Games” on the end — for example NDS Games, SNES Games, PS1 Games. This is where you'll place all of your ROMs for that console.

Open our core directory and find the console you want to emulate — every core has a direct download:

🎮 RetroArch Core Directory — every console

The core downloads as a .zip — extract it first so you have the .nro file inside. Then on your SD card go to SWITCH SD → retroarch → cores and drag the .nro file in.

Power the console on into the hekate menu and press Launch → EMUMMC (CFW).

From the Switch home menu, hold R while launching any installed game — this opens the homebrew menu with full RAM. (Opening it from the Album won't work here — we need the full memory.) Find RetroArch in the list and launch it.

In RetroArch, press Load Core, scroll to the bottom and press Install or Restore a Core. Go to the parent directory, open cores, find the core you copied over and select it to install it.

Then press Load Content, choose the second option “/”, open your [CONSOLE] Games folder and select the game you want to play. Enjoy!