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Cheat Sheet

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rawdatafeel edited this page Apr 30, 2023 · 166 revisions

The Cheat Sheet is Your Tool to Success.

This page covers:

  • Emulator or RetroArch core names
  • Expected ROM folder locations
  • Expected ROM file types
  • Expected BIOS (if required)
  • Expected BIOS location
    • Typically, BIOS files are placed directly into the Emulation/bios folder. Do not make or use any additional folders unless otherwise specified on the charts below

Cheat Sheet Table of Contents

  1. Cheat Sheets

Cheat Sheets

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How to Use the Cheat Sheets

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  • BIOS files are placed directly into the Emulation/bios folder. Do not make or use any additional folders unless otherwise specified on the charts below
  • If the BIOS box contains: N/A, BIOS files are not required to play the respective system
  • The chart can be scrolled horizontally
  • In many cases, BIOS names are case sensitive. Match the casing to the BIOS column in the chart
  • In some cases, BIOS must be named a specific way. Match the file name to the BIOS column in the chart
  • To distinguish from RetroArch cores, standalone emulators are indicated in bold and are written with: (Standalone)
  • For systems with both standalone and RetroArch core options, or multiple standalone options:
    • Steam ROM Manager: These systems will have multiple parsers, each corresponding to a different emulator or RetroArch core
      • For example: PSX can be played through DuckStation (Standalone), SwanStation, or Beetle PSX. If you prefer to use DuckStation (Standalone) for PSX, enable the Sony PlayStation - DuckStation parser and make sure the SwanStation and Beetle PSX parsers are disabled
    • EmulationStation-DE: These systems will have a set default. However, you can change which emulator or RetroArch core is used:
      • In EmulationStation-DE, press the Start button
      • Scroll down and select Other Settings
      • Select Alternative Emulators
      • Scroll down to the system you would like to configure, press B, and select your preferred emulator
  • If you are on a computer, press CTRL + F or CMD + F together to search the chart

Arcade Cheat Sheet

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Console/System ROM Folder Name RetroArch Core (Click for Libretro Article) File Types BIOS Files
Final Burn Neo fbneo RetroArch FinalBurn Neo .zip .7z * BIOS will be searched through 3 folders:
* Emulation/roms/arcade/
* Emulation/bios/mame/
* Emulation/bios/
* EmulationStation-DE will ONLY work with the BIOS in Emulation/roms/arcade/ folder
MAME 2003 Plus mame2003 RetroArch MAME 2003 Plus .zip N/A
MAME 2010 mame2010 RetroArch MAME 2010 .zip N/A
MAME Current arcade RetroArch MAME Current .zip N/A
MAME (Standalone) arcade MAME (Standalone) .zip .chd * BIOS will be searched through 3 folders:
* Emulation/roms/arcade/
* Emulation/bios/mame/
* Emulation/bios/
* EmulationStation-DE will ONLY work with the BIOS in the Emulation/roms/arcade/ folder
Neo Geo Pocket & Color ngp RetroArch Beetle NeoPop .7z .ngp .ngc .zip N/A

Atari Cheat Sheet

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Console/System ROM Folder Name RetroArch Core (Click for Libretro Article) File Types BIOS Files
Atari 2600 atari2600 RetroArch Stella .7z .a26 .bin .zip N/A
Atari Lynx lynx RetroArch Beetle Lynx .7z .lnx .bin .zip lynxboot.img

Microsoft Cheat Sheet

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Console/System ROM Folder Name Emulator (Click for Link) File Types BIOS Files
Microsoft Xbox (Standalone) xbox Xemu (Standalone) * .iso (xiso formatted)
* How to convert ROMs to xiso format 		* MCPX Boot ROM: mcpx_1.0.bin
* Flash ROM Image (COMPLEX 4627 BIOS): Complex_4627v1.03.bin
Microsoft Xbox 360 (Standalone) xbox360/roms Xenia (Standalone) .iso N/A
Microsoft Xbox 360 Live Arcade (Standalone) xbox360/roms/xbla Xenia (Standalone) No file extension N/A

Miscellaneous Systems Cheat Sheet

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Console/System ROM Folder Name RetroArch Core (Click for Libretro Article) File Types BIOS Files
3DO 3do RetroArch Opera .iso .chd .cue and bin panafz1.bin
EasyRPG easyrpg RetroArch EasyRPG .ldb .easyrpg N/A
NEC TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine tg16 or pcengine RetroArch Beetle PCE .pce .cue and .bin .ccd .iso .img .bin .chd syscard1.pce syscard2.pce syscard3.pce gexpress.pce
NEC TurboGrafx-16 CD / PC Engine CD tg-cd or pcenginecd RetroArch Beetle PCE .pce .cue and .bin .ccd .iso .img .bin .chd syscard1.pce syscard2.pce syscard3.pce gexpress.pce
Neo Geo Pocket & Color ngp RetroArch Beetle NeoPop .7z .ngp .ngc .zip N/A
Pico-8 pico8 * RetroArch Pico-8
* EmulationStation-DE does not currently support RetroArch Pico-8		 .7z .zip .p8 .png N/A
Wonderswan & Color wonderswan RetroArch Beetle Cygne .7z .pc2 .ws .wsc .zip N/A

Nintendo Cheat Sheet

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System ROM Folder Name Emulator (Click for Link) File Format BIOS Files
Nintendo 3DS (Standalone) 3ds or n3ds Citra (Standalone) .3ds .3dsx .app .axf .cci .cxi .elf
* .cia is for INSTALL ONLY
* .cia is incompatible with EmulationStation-DE and Steam ROM Manager, .cia cannot be added to Steam as a non-Steam shortcut		 Place aes_keys.txt (for encrypted ROMs) in: Emulation/bios/citra/keys
Nintendo 64 (Standalone) n64 Rosalie's Mupen GUI (Standalone) .7z .bin .n64 .ndd .u1 .v64 .z64 .zip
Nintendo 64DD (Standalone) n64 or n64dd Rosalie's Mupen GUI (Standalone) .7z .bin .n64 .ndd .u1 .v64 .z64 .zip Nintendo 64DD BIOS:
* 64DD_IPL_US.n64, 64DD_IPL_JP.n64, 64DD_IPL_DEV.n64
Nintendo 64 n64 RetroArch Mupen64plus-Next .7z .bin .n64 .ndd .u1 .v64 .z64 .zip N/A
Nintendo DS (Standalone) nds melonDS (Standalone) .nds .app Nintendo DS BIOS (Optional):
* bios7.bin
* bios9.bin
* firmware.bin
Nintendo DSI BIOS (Optional):
* dsi_bios9.bin
* dsi_bios7.bin
* dsi_firmware.bin
* dsi_nand.bin
Nintendo DS nds RetroArch melonDS .7z .nds .zip Nintendo DS BIOS:
* bios7.bin
* bios9.bin
* firmware.bin
Nintendo GameBoy (Standalone) gb mGBA (Standalone) .7z .gb .dmg .zip N/A
Nintendo GameBoy gb RetroArch SameBoy .7z .gb .dmg .zip N/A
Nintendo GameBoy gb RetroArch Gambatte .7z .gb .dmg .zip N/A
Nintendo GameBoy Advance (Standalone) gba mGBA (Standalone) .7z .gba .zip N/A
Nintendo GameBoy Advance gba RetroArch mGBA .7z .gba .zip N/A
Nintendo GameBoy Color (Standalone) gbc mGBA (Standalone) .7z .gb .gbc .dmg .zip N/A
Nintendo GameBoy Color gbc RetroArch SameBoy .7z .gb .gbc .dmg .zip N/A
Nintendo GameBoy Color gbc RetroArch Gambatte .7z .gb .gbc .dmg .zip N/A
Nintendo GameCube (Standalone) gc or gamecube Dolphin (Standalone) .ciso .dol .elf .gcm .gcz .iso .nkit .iso .rvz .wad .wia .wbfs .m3u N/A
Nintendo NES / Famicom nes or famicom RetroArch Mesen .7z .nes .fds .unf .unif .zip FDS (Famicom Disk System) games require a BIOS: disksys.rom in Emulation/bios
Nintendo NES / Famicom nes or famicom RetroArch Nestopia .7z .nes .fds .unf .unif .zip FDS (Famicom Disk System) games require a BIOS: disksys.rom in Emulation/bios
Super Nintendo snes or snesna RetroArch Snes9x .7z .bs .fig .sfc .smc .swx .zip N/A
Super Nintendo Widescreen sneshd RetroArch bsnes hd beta .7z .bs .fig .sfc .smc .swx .zip N/A
Nintendo PrimeHack (Standalone) primehacks PrimeHack (Metroid Prime) (Standalone) .ciso .dol .elf .gcm .gcz .iso .json .nkit.iso .rvz .wad .wia .wbfs N/A
Nintendo Switch (Standalone) switch Ryujinx (Standalone) .kp .nca .nro .nso .nsp .xci .nsz * Place prod.keys in: Emulation/bios/ryujinx/keys
* Install firmware through Ryujinx GUI
Nintendo Switch (Standalone) switch Yuzu (Standalone) .kp .nca .nro .nso .nsp .xci * Place prod.keys in: Emulation/bios/yuzu/keys
* Place Firmware files in: Emulation/bios/yuzu/firmware
Nintendo Wii (Standalone) wii Dolphin (Standalone) .ciso .dol .elf .gcm .gcz .iso .json .nkit .iso .rvz .wad .wia .wbfs .m3u N/A
Nintendo Wii U (Standalone) (Proton) wiiu/roms Cemu (Standalone) (Proton) .rpx .wud .wux .elf .wad .wua * Place keys_txt (for encrypted ROMs) in: Emulation/roms/wiiu
* For more information, read the Setting up Cemu Questionnaire
Nintendo Wii U (Standalone) (Native) wiiu/roms Cemu (Standalone) (Native) .rpx .wud .wux .elf .wad .wua * Place keys_txt (for encrypted ROMs) in: /home/deck/.local/share/Cemu/
* For more information, read the Setting up Cemu Questionnaire

Personal Computers Cheat Sheet

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System ROM Folder Name Emulator File Format BIOS Files
Amiga amiga RetroArch PUAE .adf .adz .dms .fdi .ipf .hdf .hdz .lha .slave .info .cue and .bin .ccd .chd .nrg .mds .iso .uae .m3u .zip .7z Read the Libretro Wiki
Amiga 600 amiga600 RetroArch PUAE .adf .adz .dms .fdi .ipf .hdf .hdz .lha .slave .info .cue and .bin .ccd .chd .nrg .mds .iso .uae .m3u .zip .7z Read the Libretro Wiki
Amiga 1200 amiga1200 RetroArch PUAE .adf .adz .dms .fdi .ipf .hdf .hdz .lha .slave .info .cue and .bin .ccd .chd .nrg .mds .iso .uae .m3u .zip .7z Read the Libretro Wiki
Amiga CD32 amigacd32 RetroArch PUAE .adf .adz .dms .fdi .ipf .hdf .hdz .lha .slave .info .cue and .bin .ccd .chd .nrg .mds .iso .uae .m3u .zip .7z Read the Libretro Wiki
Amstrad CPC amstradcpc RetroArch Caprice32 .7z .cdt .dsk .sna .tap N/A
Commodore 16 c16 RetroArch Vice .d64 .d71 .d80 .d81 .d82 .g64 .g41 .x64 .t64 .tap .prg .p00 .crt .cue and .bin .d6z .d7z .d8z .g6z .g4z .x6z .cmd .m3u .vsf .nib .nbz .zip Read the Libretro Wiki
Commodore 64 c64 RetroArch Vice .d64 .d71 .d80 .d81 .d82 .g64 .g41 .x64 .t64 .tap .prg .p00 .crt .cue and .bin .d6z .d7z .d8z .g6z .g4z .x6z .cmd .m3u .vsf .nib .nbz .zip Read the Libretro Wiki
Commodore VIC-20 vic20 RetroArch Vice .d64 .d71 .d80 .d81 .d82 .g64 .g41 .x64 .t64 .tap .prg .p00 .crt .cue and .bin .d6z .d7z .d8z .g6z .g4z .x6z .cmd .m3u .vsf .nib .nbz .zip Read the Libretro Wiki
DOS dos RetroArch DOSBox Pure .zip .7z N/A
NEC PC-98 pc98 RetroArch Neko Project II Kai .d98 .zip .98d .fdi .fdd .2hd .tfd .d88 .88d .hdm .xdi .dup .cmd .hdi .thd .nhd .hdd .hdn Read the Libretro Wiki
Sharp X68000 x68000 RetroArch PX68k .dim .zip .img .d8 .88d .hdm .dup .2hd .xdf .hdf .cmd .m3u Read the Libretro Wiki
ZX Spectrum zxspectrum RetroArch Fuse .7z .tzx .tap .z80 .rzx .scl .trd .tzx .tap .z80 .zx .scl .trd .zip Read the Libretro Wiki

Sega Cheat Sheet

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System ROM Folder Name Emulator (Click for Link) File Format BIOS Files
Sega 32X sega32x RetroArch PicoDrive .7z .32x .bin .zip N/A
Sega CD / Mega-CD segacd or megacd RetroArch Genesis Plus GX .7z .32x .cue and .bin .chd .iso .zip .m3u * bios_CD_E.bin
* bios_CD_U.bin
* bios_CD_J.bin
Sega Dreamcast dreamcast RetroArch FlyCast .cdi .chd .cue and .bin .gdi and .bin * Create dc folder in Emulation/bios
* Place dc_boot.bin in Emulation/bios/dc
Sega Game Gear gamegear RetroArch Genesis Plus GX .7z .gg .zip N/A
Sega Genesis / Mega Drive genesis or megadrive RetroArch Genesis Plus GX .7z .gen .md .smd .zip .bin N/A
Sega Genesis Widescreen genesiswide RetroArch Genesis Plus GX .7z .gen .md .smd .zip .bin N/A
Sega Master System mastersystem RetroArch Genesis Plus GX .7z .gen .sms .zip N/A
Sega Saturn saturn RetroArch Beetle Saturn .7z .cue and .bin .iso .chd .zip * sega_101.bin (JP)
* mpr-17933.bin (US/EU)
Sega Saturn saturn RetroArch Kronos .7z .cue and .bin .iso .chd .zip * Create kronos folder in Emulation/bios
* Place saturn_bios.bin in Emulation/bios/kronos
Sega Saturn saturn RetroArch Yabause .7z .cue and .bin .iso .chd .zip saturn_bios.bin

Sony Cheat Sheet

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System ROM Folder Name Emulator (Click for Link) File Format BIOS Files
Sony Playstation (Standalone) psx DuckStation (Standalone) .cue and .bin .chd .ecm .iso .m3u .mds .pbp Example Set:
* scph5500.bin (JP)
* scph5501.bin (US)
* scph5502.bin (EU)
Sony Playstation psx RetroArch Beetle HW .cue and .bin .chd .ecm .iso .m3u .mds .pbp Example Set:
* scph5500.bin (JP)
* scph5501.bin (US)
* scph5502.bin (EU)
Sony Playstation psx RetroArch Swanstation .cue and .bin .chd .ecm .iso .m3u .mds .pbp Example Set:
* scph5500.bin (JP)
* scph5501.bin (US)
* scph5502.bin (EU)
Sony Playstation 2 (Standalone) ps2 PCSX2 (Standalone) .bin .chd .cso .dump .gz .img .iso .mdf .nrg Example Set (EU Set):
* SCPH-70004_BIOS_V12_EUR_200.BIN
* SCPH-70004_BIOS_V12_EUR_200.EROM
* SCPH-70004_BIOS_V12_EUR_200.ROM1
* SCPH-70004_BIOS_V12_EUR_200.ROM2
* Example Set (US Set):
* SCPH-70012_BIOS_V12_USA_200.BIN
Sony Playstation 3 (Standalone) ps3 RPCS3 (Standalone) * Game Folder: /PS3_GAME/USRDIR/eboot.bin in Emulation/roms/ps3
* An installed pkg file through RPCS3		 * Firmware installation required through RPCS3 directly
* Read the Quickstart Guide for more information
Sony Playstation Portable (Standalone) psp PPSSPP (Standalone) .elf .cso .iso .pbp .prx N/A
Sony Playstation Portable psp RetroArch PPSSPP .7z .elf .cso .iso .pbp .prx * The RetroArch core requires ppsspp.zip in: Emulation/bios
* ppsspp.zip is provided through RetroArch's downloader. Open RetroArch, click Online Updater > Core System Files Downloader to download ppsspp.zip
Sony Playstation Vita (Standalone) psvita Vita3K (Standalone) * Game Folder in Emulation/roms/psvita/ux0
* A valid installed ROM file through Vita3K		 * Firmware installation required through Vita3K directly
* Read the Quickstart Guide for more information
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