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Multi-system · Load: light · active

RetroArch: what PC you need to emulate Multi-system

RetroArch is a Multi-system emulator (2010); FPSHQ load rating: light (35/100). 1,811 of 1,965 catalogue GPUs (92%) pass the GPU minimum (score 800), and 409 of 456 CPUs pass the CPU minimum (score 2,000). The most affordable suitable GPU is Zotac Trinity GeForce GTX 1050 Ti.

Key figures

Unique FPSHQ metrics from this page's data

800
min GPU score
RTX 3060 = 2,900
2,000
min CPU score
92%
of catalogue GPUs pass the minimum
1,811 / 1,965
90%
of CPUs pass the minimum
409 / 456
2 / 4GB
RAM: minimum / recommended
2010
first release year

Can my PC run this emulator?

Which GPUs run RetroArch: headroom over the minimum

GPU score ÷ the emulator's minimum score. ×1 — minimum, ×1.4 — comfortable at native resolution, ×2.2 — you can render at 2–3× resolution. Popular catalogue GPUs.

GeForce RTX 5070GeForce RTX 5070×7.8 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 5060 TiGeForce RTX 5060 Ti×6.1 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 3070GeForce RTX 3070×5.4 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 5060GeForce RTX 5060×5.3 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 3060 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti×4.8 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 4060GeForce RTX 4060×4.6 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3060×3.6 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 3050GeForce RTX 3050×3.0 · 2×–3×GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super×2.3 · 2×–3×GeForce GTX 1060 6GBGeForce GTX 1060 6GB×1.9 · 1×–2×Radeon RX 580Radeon RX 580×1.6 · 1×–2×GeForce GTX 1650GeForce GTX 1650×1.4 · 1×GeForce GTX 1050 TiGeForce GTX 1050 Ti×1.0 · 1×GeForce GTX 1050GeForce GTX 1050×0.9 · <1××1 minimum×2.2GeForce RTX 5070GeForce RTX 5070×7.8 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 5060 TiGeForce RTX 5060 Ti×6.1 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 3070GeForce RTX 3070×5.4 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 5060GeForce RTX 5060×5.3 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 3060 TiGeForce RTX 3060 Ti×4.8 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 4060GeForce RTX 4060×4.6 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 3060GeForce RTX 3060×3.6 · 2×–3×GeForce RTX 3050GeForce RTX 3050×3.0 · 2×–3×GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super×2.3 · 2×–3×GeForce GTX 1060 6GBGeForce GTX 1060 6GB×1.9 · 1×–2×Radeon RX 580Radeon RX 580×1.6 · 1×–2×GeForce GTX 1650GeForce GTX 1650×1.4 · 1×GeForce GTX 1050 TiGeForce GTX 1050 Ti×1.0 · 1×GeForce GTX 1050GeForce GTX 1050×0.9 · <1×

Official RetroArch requirements

CPUx86-64 / ARM64 · 2+ cores / 4 recommended
GPUdepends on the core
RAMminimum 2 GB, recommended 4 GB
Graphics APIVulkan, OpenGL, Direct3D 11/12, Metal
OSWindows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, consoles
LicenseGPL-3.0
PlatformMulti-system
Statusactive
Official siteretroarch.com

Requirements come from the project's official documentation (check date below). FPSHQ scores are our synthetic performance scale used to match against the catalogue.

Suitable GPUs by tier

At the minimum (×1–1.4)

Comfortable (×1.4–2.2)

Headroom for 4K rendering (×2.2+)

CPUs: headroom over the RetroArch minimum

CPUs that pass the RetroArch minimum

Core i3-4170Core i3-4170×1.0 · 2CXeon E5-2680Xeon E5-2680×1.0 · 8CXeon E5-2620 v4Xeon E5-2620 v4×1.0 · 8CCore i7-8750HCore i7-8750H×1.0 · 6CPentium G4560Pentium G4560×1.0 · 2CXeon E5-2630 v3Xeon E5-2630 v3×1.0 · 8CPentium Gold G5400Pentium Gold G5400×1.0 · 2CCore i5-2400Core i5-2400×1.1 · 4CCore i3-6100Core i3-6100×1.1 · 2CXeon E5-2690Xeon E5-2690×1.1 · 8CXeon E5-2670 v2Xeon E5-2670 v2×1.1 · 10CXeon E5-2650 v2Xeon E5-2650 v2×1.1 · 8C×1 minimumCore i3-4170Core i3-4170×1.0 · 2CXeon E5-2680Xeon E5-2680×1.0 · 8CXeon E5-2620 v4Xeon E5-2620 v4×1.0 · 8CCore i7-8750HCore i7-8750H×1.0 · 6CPentium G4560Pentium G4560×1.0 · 2CXeon E5-2630 v3Xeon E5-2630 v3×1.0 · 8CPentium Gold G5400Pentium Gold G5400×1.0 · 2CCore i5-2400Core i5-2400×1.1 · 4CCore i3-6100Core i3-6100×1.1 · 2CXeon E5-2690Xeon E5-2690×1.1 · 8CXeon E5-2670 v2Xeon E5-2670 v2×1.1 · 10CXeon E5-2650 v2Xeon E5-2650 v2×1.1 · 8C
In short

Which GPU do I need for RetroArch?

The minimum GPU score for RetroArch is 800 (FPSHQ scale). The most affordable suitable card is Zotac Trinity GeForce GTX 1050 Ti; rendering at 2–3× resolution needs ×2.2 headroom — the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 level and up. The project officially requires: depends on the core.

min GPU score
800
min CPU score
2,000
of catalogue GPUs pass the minimum
92%
RAM
2–4 GB
updated · source: official RetroArch documentation, FPSHQ model estimate

Frequently asked questions

Which GPU do I need for RetroArch?
The minimum GPU score for RetroArch is 800 (FPSHQ scale). The most affordable suitable card is Zotac Trinity GeForce GTX 1050 Ti; rendering at 2–3× resolution needs ×2.2 headroom — the NVIDIA Quadro P5000 level and up. The project officially requires: depends on the core.
Which CPU do I need for RetroArch?
The minimum CPU score is 2,000: 409 of 456 catalogue CPUs pass it. Official requirements: x86-64 / ARM64 · 2+ cores / 4 recommended. Emulation depends on per-core performance rather than the core count.
How much RAM does RetroArch need?
Per the RetroArch documentation: minimum 2 GB, recommended 4 GB. The emulator keeps the game image and shader cache in memory, so a RAM shortage causes stutter during shader compilation.
Which operating systems does RetroArch support?
RetroArch runs on: Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, consoles. Graphics APIs: Vulkan, OpenGL, Direct3D 11/12, Metal. On Windows, Vulkan is usually faster (if your GPU supports it); on Linux it is Vulkan/OpenGL only.
Can my PC run RetroArch?
Pick your GPU and CPU in the "Can my PC run it" block above: the page compares their scores with the RetroArch minimum (GPU 800, CPU 2,000) and shows the headroom. ×1.4 or more means comfortable play at the console's native resolution.
Is RetroArch still updated?
Yes, RetroArch is an active project; status last checked Oct 4, 2026. Official site: https://www.retroarch.com/.

Methodology and sources

This page uses the FPSHQ database: the GPU and CPU catalogue with synthetic benchmark scores, official game system requirements, FPS measurements from users of the FPSHQ app and the FPSHQ performance model. Calculated values are estimates, not a measurement of your exact configuration: the real result depends on drivers, settings and the rest of the hardware. More about the methodology →

Sources:
FPSHQ Team · Data updated

All pages with RetroArch

All graphics cards for this emulator (10)
RTX 3090 TiRX 9070RX 9070 GREPro W7800RTX 3080RX 6900 XTRTX 5060 TiRX 6800 XTNVIDIA RTX A5000RX 7700 XT