Short answers to the questions we get asked most often. For version-specific issues, see the Recalbox 10 FAQ.
Only the latest Recalbox version (10.x) is supported. If you are still running Recalbox 9 or older, start by updating: your issue may already be fixed, and the support team only helps with the current version.
Yes, for everyone. Recalbox 10.1 is out: download it from the official download page, or install it from a 10.0.x through the update manager on the stable channel. The patron channel now only serves the next releases, early.
What 10.1 brings is detailed on What's new in Recalbox 10.1.
Recalbox 10.1 is available for:
The full guide (choosing your device, which image to download, flashing) is on Preparation and installation.
Raspberry Pi 0/0W/1 and 2, the Odroid XU4, the GPi Case v1 and 32-bit PCs are no longer supported by Recalbox 10. Their last image remains downloadable and installs normally — Raspberry Pi 2 on 8.0.1, 32-bit PCs on 7.2.2, the others on 9.2.3 — but it will not evolve any further, and the team does not troubleshoot it.
Support only covers Recalbox 10. The first step is always to update your Recalbox — most issues from older versions are already fixed there. Special case for PC: the automatic update from 9.x is not possible, see the Recalbox 10 FAQ.
On the Recalbox GitLab: the issues are the tasks in progress, and the milestones show what is planned and what is done. Each version's changes are in the release notes displayed when you update.
Yes: every system ships with free games (homebrews) so you can enjoy Recalbox from the very first boot, without installing anything. You made a homebrew and want to submit it? Get in touch on Discord.
Yes, Recalbox is designed for that too:
controllers.gpio.enabled=1 in recalbox.conf);emulationstation.menu=bartop or none);START → ADVANCED SETTINGS → BOOT SETTINGS → ALLOW BOOT ON GAME, then BOOT ON GAME in the chosen game's options.For everything arcade (panels, MAME rom sets, JAMMA…), see Arcade in Recalbox.
If you configured boot on a game (arcade cabinet, card reader), Recalbox only launches the game if at least one controller — or arcade panel — is detected and configured. Otherwise it shows "Unable to start on the game, no controllers found." and falls back to the menu.
On a cabinet, make sure your USB/GPIO encoder is plugged in before powering on, and that it has been configured once in CONTROLLERS SETTINGS — see Configure a controller.
No, it is not necessary. If you know what you are doing and your cooling is good, Recalbox offers overclocking profiles tested and validated by the community: START → ADVANCED SETTINGS → OVERCLOCK. Keep in mind that overclocking can affect stability and void your board's warranty.
That's expected: the storage partition (SHARE) and its folder tree (roms/, bios/, saves/…) are created on first boot. Boot your Recalbox once, let it finish its initialization, and you can then add your games.
Quite the opposite! Since Recalbox 10.1, the built-in "Install to…" installer puts Recalbox on the internal disk (PC or Pi) from a simple USB boot stick: START → SYSTEM SETTINGS → INSTALL TO.... Everything is explained in Install Recalbox on an internal disk.
START → USER INTERFACE SETTINGS → THEME. Installed themes live in the themes/ folder of your network share (see File management).
START → SOUND SETTINGS → AUDIO MODE, then pick No sound (or Videos sound only to keep the sound of preview videos).
The whole configuration fits in a single file:
/recalbox/share/system/recalbox.conf
/recalbox/share/themes
Emulation is always a trade-off between performance, features and accuracy. A fast emulator may have display glitches; a very accurate one may be too heavy for your machine. Recalbox picks a sensible default for each system and your hardware, and lets you switch when a game misbehaves.
START → ADVANCED SETTINGS → ADVANCED EMULATOR CONFIGURATION, pick the system, then the emulator and core. For a single game, use its options instead: START on the game → EDIT GAME.
Recent 3D systems need horsepower; not everything runs everywhere. Status in Recalbox 10.1:
| System (emulator) | 64-bit PC | RPi 5 | RPi 4 | RPi 3 / Zero 2 | RG353 / Odroid Go |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation (Duckstation) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dreamcast (Flycast) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Saturn (Ymir, YabaSanshiro…) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| GameCube / Wii (Dolphin) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| PlayStation 2 (PCSX2) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Xbox (xemu) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
The full grid, system by system, is on Emulators compatibility.
Only systems that have games show up in the interface. Add your roms (Add games), then refresh the lists (START → SYSTEM-LISTS & GAMELISTS SETTINGS → UPDATE GAMES LISTS) or reboot.
Recalbox only displays systems supported by your hardware (see the table above: no Saturn on Pi 3, no PS2 outside PC…). Also check that your files are in the right folder and in an accepted format — the _readme.txt file in each system's rom folder lists the expected extensions.
Those systems need bios files to run. Go through START → BIOS CHECKING to see exactly which ones are missing, and read Bios checking to put them in the right place.
No! In most cases only the interface crashed, not the system. The easiest fix: open the Web Manager from a browser (http://recalbox.local) and, in its Support section, restart EmulationStation or shut the machine down properly. Pulling the plug can corrupt your data, especially on an SD card.
START → CONTROLLERS SETTINGS — see Configure a controller.Generic "no name" controllers are discouraged: we cannot guarantee their support.
No. Recalbox initializes itself for the machine it first booted on. To switch machines, back up roms/, bios/ and saves/, then follow the proper reinstallation on the new machine.
In order:
START → BIOS CHECKING).share/system/logs/es_launch_stderr.log).If the problem persists, enable debug logs, generate a support archive and share it on Discord — the full walkthrough is in Troubleshooting.