Beta OpenEmux now runs on Windows →
OpenEmux wraps the power of RetroArch in a clean GNOME-native frontend — so you can browse your collection with cover art, pick up a gamepad, and just play. No config files. No setup rabbit holes.
Free and open source · MIT licensed · AppImage, .deb, .rpm & Flatpak on Linux · installer & portable ZIP on Windows
RetroArch is one of the most powerful emulation platforms ever built. OpenEmux gives it an interface that gets out of your way.
Your library, organized by console with full cover art synced automatically from the libretro thumbnail archive.
On first launch OpenEmux sets up its config, downloads every libretro core, and gets RetroArch ready. You just wait for the bar to fill.
Map keyboard and gamepad inputs per system in a friendly panel. Bindings are injected into RetroArch at launch time.
Pick a CRT or scanline shader per console from a curated catalog and it just applies — no shader menu spelunking.
Built in GTK4 and Adwaita, following the GNOME HIG. Adaptive sidebar, dark mode, and the shortcuts you already know.
A clear checklist of which BIOS files each console needs and which ones you already have. No more silent launch failures.
OpenEmux is a front-end for RetroArch, built to make emulation approachable. It is not a source of games — it ships no games, no ROMs, no BIOS files, and never will.
Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Atari and more — each with its own cores, cover art, input profiles and shader settings.
Cover art, organized by console — the way a game library should look. Scroll through the systems, and click any shot to view it full-size.
ROM paths, BIOS checks, input mappings and shaders — all in one clean panel, no config files.
Grab a package for your distro, the universal AppImage, the Flatpak — or, on Windows, the installer. OpenEmux handles the rest on first launch.
chmod +x OpenEmux-x86_64.AppImage
./OpenEmux-x86_64.AppImageNo FUSE? Prefix with APPIMAGE_EXTRACT_AND_RUN=1.
sudo apt install ./openemux_*_amd64.debUbuntu 24.04 LTS or newer.
sudo dnf install ./openemux-*.x86_64.rpmFedora 40 or newer.
flatpak install -y flathub org.libretro.RetroArch
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists --no-gpg-verify \
openemux https://guilhermefeitosa66.github.io/openemux-flatpak/repo
flatpak install -y openemux io.github.guilhermefeitosa66.OpenEmuxUpdates arrive with flatpak update. A single-file
.flatpak bundle is on the Releases page too.
Both builds carry GTK 4, the Python runtime and RetroArch itself, so there is nothing to install alongside them. Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. It is new — if something misbehaves, open an issue.
OpenEmux-*-setup.exeInstalls for your user only, so no administrator prompt. The builds are not code-signed yet: SmartScreen will warn, and More info → Run anyway gets past it.
OpenEmux-*-windows-x86_64.zipUnzip it anywhere and run OpenEmux.exe from the
OpenEmux\ folder inside. Good for a USB stick or a machine you cannot install software on.
Every release ships a SHA256SUMS file. Put it next to the artifact you
downloaded and run:
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missingOK means the file is exactly what was published.
Anything else means it is corrupt or tampered with — don't run it.
On Windows, PowerShell prints the hash and you compare it by eye
with the matching line in SHA256SUMS:
Get-FileHash .\OpenEmux-*-setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256Prefer building it yourself?
make bootstrap && make run — see the build instructions.
OpenEmux was directly inspired by OpenEmu, the beloved macOS emulator that made retro gaming feel effortless and beautiful. Since OpenEmu is macOS-only, OpenEmux exists to bring that same polish to Linux. None of it would be possible without the incredible work of the RetroArch and libretro teams. ❤️
If it made your retro shelf a little nicer, consider buying me a coffee. It helps me keep improving features and stability. And come say hi on r/OpenEmux — share your setup, ask for help, or follow what's coming next.