Computed from player tags · Not ranked by quality
24 games like RetroArch (2026)
Every game below overlaps with RetroArch on things players said about it rather than on our opinion of what feels alike. Each entry shows what it matched on, so you can throw out the ones matching on the part you did not care about.
The short version
- Closest match: Capcom Arcade Stadium, which shares 9 player tags including Arcade, Free to Play and 1990's.
- RetroArch is tagged Free to Play, Retro, Software, Arcade, Singleplayer, Classic, Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer by Steam players. Those tags are what the matching runs on.
- 24 games qualify, each with at least fifty player reviews behind its sentiment figure.
- 5 are free to download, so you can test the resemblance yourself at no cost.
How these were matched
Steam tags carry the most weight, because players apply them and they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Souls-like, Atmospheric and Cozy exist as tags and as nothing else, which is exactly the vocabulary this question needs. Formal genres count for less, themes and a shared studio for more.
Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are thrown out before matching. Nearly everything is tagged Singleplayer, so matching on it is matching on nothing. That cutoff is computed from the catalogue rather than fixed, so it moves as the catalogue grows.
All 24, closest first
- 1
Capcom Arcade Stadium
Why it matched: shares 9 player tags including Arcade, Free to Play and 1990's; released around the same time (2021).
Relive the Capcom classics! Get 1943 -The Battle of Midway- and game logo wallpapers free with your download!
Capcom Arcade Stadium at a glance Released 2021 Studio CAPCOM Co., Ltd. Player sentiment 55% positive of 4,765 Price Free ArcadeFree to Play1990's1980s2DRetroLocal MultiplayerPixel Graphics
- 2
Zero Wing
Why it matched: shares 9 player tags including Arcade, 2D and Controller.
Defend the galaxy from vicious space pirates! Seize your foes and fire them back at their allies for devastating destruction in Toaplan's legendary horizontal arcade shooter, now on PC with all-new features and quality-of-life bonuses!
Zero Wing at a glance Released 1989 Studio Toaplan Player sentiment 88% positive of 85 Price $7.99 Arcade2DControllerPixel Graphics1980s1990'sOld SchoolRetro
- 3
SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics
Why it matched: shares 9 player tags including Classic, RPG and Retro.
SEGA’s collection of Mega Drive & Genesis Classics comes to a new generation, now updated with even more features: online multiplayer, achievements, mirror mode, rewind, save states, VR and more! Over 50 classic games in one great package. Get into the classics!
SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics at a glance Released 2010 Studio D3T Limited Player sentiment 79% positive of 12,207 Price Not listed ClassicRPGRetro1990's2DArcadePixel GraphicsOld School
- 4
Vampire Survivors
Why it matched: shares 7 player tags including Pixel Graphics, 2D and Arcade; released around the same time (2022).
Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you. Be the bullet hell!
Vampire Survivors at a glance Released 2022 Studio poncle Player sentiment 98% positive of 265,103 Price $3.74 Pixel Graphics2DArcadeRPGControllerRetro1980s
- 5
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium
Why it matched: shares 7 player tags including Arcade, Free to Play and 2D; released around the same time (2022).
Play more of your favorite arcade hits from yesteryear. Includes SONSON for free!
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium at a glance Released 2022 Studio CAPCOM Co., Ltd. Player sentiment 68% positive of 1,269 Price Free ArcadeFree to Play2D1990's1980sLocal MultiplayerRetro
- 6
METAL SLUG 3
Why it matched: shares 7 player tags including Arcade, Classic and Retro.
“METAL SLUG 3”, the masterpiece in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game series, still continues to fascinate millions of fans worldwide to this day for its intricate dot-pixel graphics, and simple and intuitive game controls, heads out to the Steam gaming platform!
METAL SLUG 3 at a glance Released 2014 Studio SNK CORPORATION Player sentiment 90% positive of 9,156 Price $7.99 ArcadeClassicRetro2DPixel GraphicsOld SchoolLocal Multiplayer
- 7
Pinball FX3
Why it matched: shares 7 player tags including Free to Play, Simulation and Arcade.
Pinball FX Classic is the biggest, most community focused pinball game ever created. Multiplayer matchups, user generated tournaments and league play create endless opportunity for pinball competition.
Pinball FX3 at a glance Released 2017 Studio Zen Studios Player sentiment 88% positive of 5,432 Price Free Free to PlaySimulationArcadeRetro1990'sLocal Multiplayer1980s
- 8
Worms
Why it matched: shares 7 player tags including Classic, 2D and Retro.
Throw a grenade down memory lane with the original and classic turn-based strategy game Worms™! Up to 4 teams of worms do battle over an ever-changing battlefield with falling weapon crates, crazed exploding sheep and more besides. Winner of many industry awards, find out what all the fuss was about.
Worms at a glance Released 1995 Studio Team17 Player sentiment 83% positive of 705 Price $7.99 Classic2DRetroPixel GraphicsArcade1990'sLocal Multiplayer
- 9
Punch Club
Why it matched: shares 7 player tags including Pixel Graphics, RPG and Simulation.
Train hard, fight crocodiles and find love. Earn your place in the Punch Club ranks, and discover who brutally murdered your father, in this choose your own adventure boxing management tycoon.
Punch Club at a glance Released 2016 Studio Lazy Bear Games Player sentiment 80% positive of 15,767 Price $9.99 Pixel GraphicsRPGSimulationArcade2DRetro1990's
- 10
Touhou Mystia's Izakaya
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Pixel Graphics, Simulation and RPG; released around the same time (2021).
A brand new pixel art restaurant simulator based on the Touhou Project! Play as Mystia, the owner of a small izakaya. Collect ingredients by day, cater to the customers by night, learn recipes from familiar characters, and become the best izakaya owner in all of Gensokyo!
Touhou Mystia's Izakaya at a glance Released 2021 Studio 二色幽紫蝶 Player sentiment 99% positive of 32,698 Price $4.79 Pixel GraphicsSimulationRPG2D1990'sOld School
- 11
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Pixel Graphics, Retro and 2D.
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the complete Shovel Knight collection, containing all 5 games in the epic saga! Dig, blast, slash, and bash your way through a fantastical, 8-bit inspired world of pixel-perfect platforming, memorable characters, and world-class action-adventure gameplay.
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove at a glance Released 2014 Studio Yacht Club Games Player sentiment 96% positive of 16,898 Price $39.99 Pixel GraphicsRetro2DOld SchoolArcadeRPG
- 12
Rivals of Aether
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Pixel Graphics, Local Multiplayer and 2D.
RIVALS OF AETHER is an indie fighting game where warring civilizations summon the power of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Play with up to four players either locally or online.
Rivals of Aether at a glance Released 2017 Studio Aether Studios Player sentiment 96% positive of 38,134 Price $29.99 Pixel GraphicsLocal Multiplayer2DControllerArcadeRetro
- 13
Ikaruga
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Arcade, Classic and 2D.
Shoot! Dodge! and... Get Hit!? "Ikaruga" is a vertical shoot 'em up that features an unique polarity-switching gameplay. Switch the ship's polarity and "get hit and absorb" enemy bullets! Achieve High Score with the chain bonus!
Ikaruga at a glance Released 2001 Studio Treasure Player sentiment 95% positive of 2,364 Price $9.99 ArcadeClassic2DRetroControllerLocal Multiplayer
- 14
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Pixel Graphics, Retro and 1980s.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is the brutal conclusion to the Hotline Miami saga, set against a backdrop of escalating violence and retribution over spilled blood in the original game.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number at a glance Released 2015 Studio Dennaton Games Player sentiment 94% positive of 79,987 Price $14.99 Pixel GraphicsRetro1980s2DArcade1990's
- 15
Metal Slug
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Arcade, 2D and Retro.
“METAL SLUG ”, the very first title in SNK’s legendary 2D run & gun action shooting game series where all began, returns to the missions on the Steam gaming platform!
Metal Slug at a glance Released 1996 Studio Nazca Corporation Player sentiment 89% positive of 5,258 Price $7.99 Arcade2DRetroClassicLocal MultiplayerPixel Graphics
- 16
Metal Slug 2
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Arcade, 2D and Retro.
“METAL SLUG 2”, the 2nd entry in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game returns to the battlefield on the Steam gaming platform!
Metal Slug 2 at a glance Released 1998 Studio SNK Player sentiment 89% positive of 1,432 Price $6.99 Arcade2DRetroClassicPixel GraphicsLocal Multiplayer
- 17
Super Crate Box
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Free to Play, Pixel Graphics and 2D.
Vlambeer's SUPER CRATE BOX is coming to bring back the glory of the golden arcade age, when all that really mattered was getting on that high score list. Grab your baseball cap and loosen your pants, it's time to fight endless hordes of enemies and collect every weapon crate you can.
Super Crate Box at a glance Released 2012 Studio Vlambeer Player sentiment 89% positive of 6,444 Price Free Free to PlayPixel Graphics2DArcadeRetroController
- 18
Maniac Mansion
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Classic, 1990's and Retro.
Quick, Dr. Fred's Kidnapped Sandy and he's about to start the experiment...
Maniac Mansion at a glance Released 1987 Studio Lucasfilm Games Player sentiment 88% positive of 226 Price $5.99 Classic1990'sRetroPixel Graphics2D1980s
- 19
Live A Live
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including RPG, 2D and Pixel Graphics.
The legend is alive! LIVE A LIVE, originally only released for the Super Famicom in Japan, is being revived on Steam! Experience this legendary RPG, brought alive in the same HD-2D visual style as OCTOPATH TRAVELER.
Live A Live at a glance Released 1994 Studio Square Player sentiment 86% positive of 938 Price $49.99 RPG2DPixel GraphicsController1990'sRetro
- 20
Another World
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Retro, 2D and Old School.
Also known as Out Of This World™, Another World is a pioneer action/platformer that released across more than a dozen platforms since its debut in 1991. Along the years, Another World™ has attained cult status among critics and sophisticated gamers alike.
Another World at a glance Released 1991 Studio Éric Chahi Player sentiment 83% positive of 2,044 Price $9.99 Retro2DOld SchoolController1990'sClassic
- 21
Distant Space
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Arcade, Pixel Graphics and 2D.
Distant Space are present the arcade game of cosmic fights in arcade style of the 80's, this is a game where you can control the spaceship and forced to destroy extraterrestrials, which are moving in the certain order.
Distant Space at a glance Released 2016 Studio PixelMouse Player sentiment 82% positive of 3,458 Price $0.99 ArcadePixel Graphics2D1980sRetroController
- 22
Flashback
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Retro, 1990's and Classic.
FLASHBACK™, the hit action-adventure game with over 2.2 million units sold, is back!
Flashback at a glance Released 1992 Studio Delphine Software International Player sentiment 78% positive of 603 Price $9.99 Retro1990'sClassic2DOld SchoolPixel Graphics
- 23
Pinball Arcade
Why it matched: shares 6 player tags including Free to Play, Simulation and Arcade.
Pinball Arcade by FarSight Studios features exact recreations of the all-time greatest pinball tables from Stern Pinball® and Gottlieb® together in one game. Every flipper, bumper, sound effect, and display pixel has been painstakingly emulated in astonishing detail.
Pinball Arcade at a glance Released 2013 Studio FarSight Studios Player sentiment 74% positive of 4,174 Price Free Free to PlaySimulationArcadeClassicRetro1980s
- 24
Post Void
Why it matched: shares 5 player tags including Pixel Graphics, Arcade and Retro; released around the same time (2020).
Post Void is a hypnotic scramble of early first-person shooter design that values speed above all else. Keep your head full and reach the end; Kill what you can to see it mend; Get the high score or try again.
Post Void at a glance Released 2020 Studio YCJY Games Player sentiment 97% positive of 12,379 Price $2.99 Pixel GraphicsArcadeRetro1990'sOld School
Common questions
What game is most like RetroArch?
Capcom Arcade Stadium, on the evidence we have. It shares 9 player tags including Arcade, Free to Play and 1990's. That is a statement about overlap, not a promise you will like it as much: two games can share every tag and still feel different to play.
How is "similar to RetroArch" decided?
By overlap on the tags Steam players applied to each game, the formal genres, the themes both sit in, and whether the same studio made them. Tags carry the most weight because players write them, so they describe how a game feels rather than how it was filed. Tags carried by more than a third of the catalogue are ignored: matching on "Singleplayer" is matching on nothing. Every entry below shows exactly what it matched on.
Are these ranked by quality?
No. They are ordered by how much they overlap with RetroArch. Where two games overlap equally, the better received one goes first, but that only moves a game a place or two. Each entry shows its own player sentiment so you can weigh that separately.
Do you get paid for these recommendations?
No. The order is computed from tag and genre overlap and nothing else. No placement here can be bought, and a game appearing high on this page is a statement about resemblance rather than an endorsement.