Batocera vs RetroPie: Which One Should You Install in 2026?
The first retro game I played on a Raspberry Pi was Super Mario on RetroPie. Back then, RetroPie was almost the default recommendation, and it’s the setup I used for years. But things have changed. Batocera has improved a lot, and it’s now one of the first options I recommend to beginners.
Batocera is the best choice for most users who want to start playing games quickly with almost no setup. RetroPie offers more flexibility and customization, but it also requires more time and troubleshooting.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time using both systems over the years, so in this guide I’ll compare them side by side. We’ll look at installation, ease of use, customization, performance, and a few other differences to help you pick the right one.
By the way, if you’re looking for some great retro games, I’ve got a list of my 24 favorites for Retropie, Recalbox, or Lakka. It’s packed with screenshots, descriptions, and download links to make it easy for you. Grab the list for free here!
What Is Batocera?
The new favorite.
Batocera is a dedicated retro-gaming operating system that is built around the idea that your Raspberry Pi should act as a gaming console and not a computer. That means you can turn the Raspberry Pi on, select a game, and get started playing immediately.
You don’t need to navigate the desktop or run commands in the terminal. This project was started in 2016 as a fork of RecalBox, which is another good retro gaming platform we have talked about on this website.
Check this: Make Passive Income with Raspberry Pi
Today, Batocera is one of the most polished and actively maintained retro-gaming projects out there. It supports over 100 systems (closer to 200), receives regular updates, and has a solid community behind it.
When I say “systems,” I mean Batocera can emulate dozens of different gaming platforms, including classic home consoles (NES, PlayStation, …), arcade machines, handhelds (DS, PSP, …) and vintage computers like the Commodore 64 or Atari ST.
Another good point is that game controllers are detected automatically, and you don’t need to do any button-mapping. I’ve personally tried a bunch of different controllers with it, and they honestly work right out of the box every single time.
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That’s why I generally recommend Batocera to beginners. It gets almost everything right out of the box, so you can spend your time playing games instead of configuring emulators.
What Is Retropie?
The OG gaming system for Raspberry Pi.
RetroPie is one of the oldest and most popular retro-gaming projects in the Raspberry Pi community. Released in 2021, it has one of the biggest user communities, and most guides about retro-gaming on Raspberry Pi are based on it.
Unlike Batocera, RetroPie is installed on top of an existing operating system. This means that you first install a distribution, such as Raspberry Pi OS, and then install RetroPie as a package on top of it.
One advantage of this is that your Pi can do things other than just retro-gaming. As Retropie runs like an app on a regular Linux system, you can install other services to run in the background, and customize the whole system as you want.
The tradeoff here is that there is generally more setup needed to get started compared to Batocera. It’s not as plug and play.
To make installation easier, the RetroPie team also provides a standalone image with everything pre-installed. Unfortunately, these images aren’t updated very often. At the time of writing, there is still no official image for the Raspberry Pi 5 (3 years after its release…).
RetroPie also supports many gaming systems, but unlike Batocera, some emulators aren’t installed by default. You’ll often need to install and configure them yourself via RetroPie’s configuration menus, which feels more like Linux configuration than a game console interface.
Finally, controller support in RetroPie requires a bit more work. The first time you connect a controller, you’ll need to map its buttons. It can become a bit annoying if you regularly switch controllers or play with different people, but most controllers are detected correctly and work well once they’re configured.
Bonus tip: Once everything is set up, you’ll want a few good games to try right away. I listed some of the best ones with download links. Grab the list here.
If you want a clearer path than jumping from tutorial to tutorial, my book gives you a step-by-step roadmap to really understand your Raspberry Pi.
Check the book hereIf you’ve never set it up before, I’d recommend following this step-by-step beginner guide to walk you through the whole process with pictures. And once you’re up and running, here are 12 of the best games to play on RetroPie to get you started.
Want even more ideas? I put together a free resource with over 75 Raspberry Pi project ideas, each with a quick description, tutorial link, and hardware requirements. Whether you’re just starting out or looking for something to do this weekend, this list will keep you busy for a while. Just click here to get instant access.
Batocera vs RetroPie: Side-by-Side Comparison
Here’s a quick summary of the key differences between Batocera and RetroPie:
| Feature | Batocera | RetroPie |
| OS Type | Standalone OS | Runs on top of another OS |
| Installation | Flash and boot | Image only available for Raspberry Pi 4 and older models. |
| Frontend | EmulationStation | EmulationStation |
| Controller Setup | Works directly with most controllers | Manual mapping required |
| ROM Transfer | SFTP, USB, or network share | SFTP, USB, or network share |
| Supported Systems | Very broad, all included | Broad, but some need manual installation |
| Updates | Built-in OTA updater | Manual via script |
| Theming | Built-in theme store | Community themes (manual install) |
| Ideal For | Dedicated console-like experience | More control or running other applications on the same device |
Let’s discuss these in more detail.
Installing Batocera or Retropie
Installing Batocera can’t be easier: you flash your SD card with Raspberry Pi Imager, insert it into your Raspberry Pi, and boot it up. The console interface shows up directly, your controllers work out of the box, and you’re ready to play.
RetroPie, on the other hand, gives you two options. If you have an “old” model (Pi 4 or earlier), you can download the OS image and flash it. Alternatively, you can use the RetroPie installation script to install RetroPie on top of an existing operating system. It could be the official Raspberry Pi OS or any other Linux distribution supported by the Raspberry Pi.
From my experience, the best option depends on your starting point and goals:
- If you have a blank SD card and want to get started with retro gaming, go for Batocera.
- If you already have an operating system installed and you don’t want to lose any files, then RetroPie is often a better choice.
Game and ROM Management
If you’re choosing between Batocera and RetroPie, I don’t think game management should be the deciding factor.
Batocera and Retropie let you transfer ROMs in several ways, including a USB drive, network sharing, and SFTP, so you’ll be able to build your game library regardless of which one you choose.
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That said, I find Batocera a little more beginner-friendly because everything is ready to use from the start. You can access your files over the network, connect via SFTP, or even use the built-in web interface without changing any settings.
With RetroPie, you can do almost all of the same things, but you may need to enable a few features first. For example, SSH is disabled by default, so you’ll have to turn it on before using SFTP. The web interface is also available, but you’ll need to install it separately.
One small bonus with Batocera is that it includes a few free and homebrew games out of the box. Don’t expect a huge library, though. If you want to play classic console games, you’ll still need to add your own ROMs, whichever platform you pick.
If you want something that works with minimal setup, I’d give Batocera the edge here. But if you’re already comfortable tweaking your system, RetroPie won’t feel any harder to manage.
If you find RetroPie to be your favorite, we have two articles that will be of great help in your journey. The first one is how to add games to RetroPie. This will discuss all those options I have listed above in a step-by-step guide.
The other article is the beginner’s guide on where to download ROMs. This will be helpful for both Batcoera and RetroPie.
Controller and Peripheral Support
This is one of the points where I really noticed a huge difference between RetroPie and Batocera.
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Batocera supports many USB controllers out of the box. Actually, I have never had to do any configuration or mappings to get a controller working on Batocera.
I’ve tested PlayStation, Xbox, and 8BitDo controllers with Batocera, and they all worked with little or no configuration. Even Bluetooth pairing is straightforward, which isn’t always the case with other retro-gaming systems.
RetroPie isn’t bad with controllers, but it often requires manual button mapping before everything works the way you want. If you’re using a less common controller, be prepared to spend some extra time in the config menu.
For more about getting your controllers working, check out our other guides:
- How to use a PS4 controller on Retropie? (The Easy Way)
- Can You Use an Xbox Controller on Raspberry Pi? Here’s What Actually Works
Consoles and Emulator Compatibility
If you’re mainly planning to play classic consoles like the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, PlayStation, or even the PSP, you won’t notice much difference.
Both platforms support all the popular systems and run them very well on compatible Raspberry Pi models.
The difference shows when you want to emulate less common or more demanding consoles. Batocera includes a wider range of emulators out of the box, and in some cases, it uses standalone emulators instead of RetroArch cores. This can lead to better compatibility or performance for certain systems without you having to tweak anything.
Bonus tip: Once everything is set up, you’ll want a few good games to try right away. I listed some of the best ones with download links. Grab the list here.
RetroPie gives you access to many of the same emulators, but you may need to install or configure some of them yourself. If you enjoy experimenting with different emulator options, that’s not necessarily a downside. In fact, it’s one of the reasons many experienced users still prefer RetroPie.
For most players, though, this won’t be the deciding factor. If your goal is to relive the classics, both platforms will give you an excellent experience. Batocera offers a little more flexibility out of the box if you plan to explore beyond the most popular consoles.
Performance on Raspberry Pi Hardware
When it comes to gaming performance, I don’t think there’s a clear winner between Batocera and RetroPie. If you’re playing classic systems like the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, PlayStation 1, or even most Nintendo 64 titles, you’ll get a very similar experience on both platforms.
If you’re looking for something to try, here are some of the best Nintendo 64 (N64) games you can play on the Raspberry Pi.
Things only start to get interesting when you push the Raspberry Pi to its limits. More demanding systems like the PlayStation 2 or GameCube require all the performance they can get, so your Raspberry Pi model will have a much bigger impact than the operating system you choose.
If that’s what you want to emulate, I’d recommend using a Raspberry Pi 5 regardless of whether you pick Batocera or RetroPie.
Batocera does have a small advantage here because it already offers an official Raspberry Pi 5 image. RetroPie can also run on a Raspberry Pi 5, but you’ll need to install it on top of Raspberry Pi OS or another supported Linux distribution first.
In everyday gaming, though, I don’t think you’ll notice a meaningful performance difference between the two. If a game struggles because the Raspberry Pi isn’t powerful enough, switching from RetroPie to Batocera (or the other way around) probably won’t change much.
If you want to squeeze a little more performance out of your Raspberry Pi, you can also try overclocking it by following this guide. Just remember to keep an eye on your temperatures if you decide to go that route.
Customization and Theming
If you enjoy personalizing your setup, both Batocera and RetroPie provide plenty of options, but they go about it differently.
I find Batocera much easier to customize because it includes a built-in theme downloader. You can browse, preview, and switch themes directly from the interface without touching the command line or downloading anything manually.
RetroPie gives you just as much freedom, but it expects you to do a bit more work. Installing new themes on RetroPie usually involves downloading them yourself or using the setup script, so it feels more like a DIY experience. If that’s your thing, you’ll probably appreciate the extra control. If not, Batocera’s approach is much more convenient.
Neither platform limits how your system can look in the end. The difference is really about how much effort you’re willing to put into getting there. If you’d like to explore what’s available, we’ve put together a collection of some of the best RetroPie themes to try.
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Which One Should You Choose?
If you asked me which one I’d install on a Raspberry Pi today, I’d choose Batocera without much hesitation.
Read next: Make Passive Income with Raspberry Pi
You can start playing much faster after powering on your Raspberry Pi. The installation is straightforward, most features work out of the box, and it requires very little configuration to get a polished retro-gaming experience. Unless you enjoy tweaking every little setting, I think Batocera is the better choice for most people.
That doesn’t mean RetroPie is a bad option. In fact, it’s still an excellent project, especially if you like having complete control over your setup or want to use your Raspberry Pi for more than just gaming. Because it runs on top of a full Linux distribution, you have the flexibility to install other software and turn your Raspberry Pi into a multipurpose machine.
| Your goal | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Play retro games with minimal setup | Batocera |
| Get the easiest setup | Batocera |
| Have controllers work out of the box | Batocera |
| Build a dedicated retro gaming console | Batocera |
| Keep using Raspberry Pi OS | RetroPie |
| Customize every aspect of your setup | RetroPie |
| Use your Pi for gaming and other projects | RetroPie |
For me, though, the convenience of Batocera outweighs those extra possibilities. I want to boot up my Raspberry Pi, pick up a controller, and start playing. And if that’s what you’re looking for, too, I think you’ll be happier with Batocera.
Whenever you’re ready, here are other ways I can help you:
Test Your Raspberry Pi Level (Free): Not sure why everything takes so long on your Raspberry Pi? Take this free 3-minute assessment and see what’s causing the problems.
The RaspberryTips Community: Need help or want to discuss your Raspberry Pi projects with others who actually get it? Join the RaspberryTips Community and get access to private forums, exclusive lessons, and direct help.
Master your Raspberry Pi in 30 days: If you are looking for the best tips to become an expert on Raspberry Pi, this book is for you. Learn useful Linux skills and practice multiple projects with step-by-step guides.
Master Python on Raspberry Pi: Create, understand, and improve any Python script for your Raspberry Pi. Learn the essentials step-by-step without losing time understanding useless concepts.
Master Linux Commands: Overwhelmed with Linux commands? This book is your essential guide to mastering the terminal. It includes practical tips, real-world examples, and a bonus cheat sheet to keep by your side.
You can also find all my recommendations for tools and hardware on this page.
