A port is not emulation: it is the game's engine, rewritten to run natively on your Recalbox. The program ships with Recalbox, but the game data — artwork, sounds, levels — does not: it remains the property of its publisher. You have to supply it yourself, from your original CD, your GOG or Steam installation, or the official demo when one exists.
Each port has its own folder in /recalbox/share/roms/ports/, and its own system in Recalbox's system list.
Some ports have free content that can be downloaded straight from the interface, without going through a PC:
START to open the MAIN MENU.DOWNLOAD CONTENTS.Download games for <SYSTEM>.The content is downloaded, extracted in the right place and added to the game list with its artwork. This is the case for Theme Hospital and Tomb Raider, among others.
From a system's game list, the
DOWNLOAD GAMESmenu entry does exactly the same thing, without having to look for the system.
Engine: Julius — available on every board. System page: Caesar III.
The game lives in a folder named c3.exe: that folder is what shows up as the game in Recalbox. Copy the entire content of your Caesar III installation into it (the 555 folder, the .sg2 and .map files, Caesar3.ini, the videos…).
┣ 📁 recalbox
┃ ┣ 📁 share
┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 roms
┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 ports
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 Caesar3
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 c3.exe
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 555
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 C3.sg2
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 Caesar3.ini
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 …
The official Caesar III demo is not compatible: the full game is required.
Engine: Libretro boom3 — available on PC (x86_64) only. System page: Doom 3.
Copy the base folder from your Doom 3 installation (the pak000.pk4 to pak008.pk4 files, default.cfg, doomkey…). For the Resurrection of Evil expansion, also add the d3xp folder.
┣ 📁 recalbox
┃ ┣ 📁 share
┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 roms
┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 ports
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 Doom 3
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 base
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 pak000.pk4
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 …
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 pak008.pk4
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 d3xp
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 pak000.pk4
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 pak001.pk4
The port then launches from the main .pk4 file, which appears in the game list.
Engine: CorsixTH — available on Raspberry Pi 4/400, Raspberry Pi 5/500 and PC. System page: Theme Hospital.
An official demo can be downloaded from within Recalbox (see above). For the full game, copy the HOSP folder from your original installation next to the files already present.
┣ 📁 recalbox
┃ ┣ 📁 share
┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 roms
┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 ports
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 Theme Hospital
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 Theme Hospital (1997).zip
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 HOSP
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 ANIMS
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 DATA
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 DATAM
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 …
The
Theme Hospital (1997).zipfile already present must not be deleted: it is what makes the game appear in the list, with its artwork. It is empty, and that is normal.
A few things that happen automatically:
/recalbox/share/saves/themehospital;FluidR3.sf3 soundfont into the HOSP folder, it is used for the music.Engine: OpenLara — available on Raspberry Pi 5/500 and PC. System page: Tomb Raider.
Content is downloadable from within Recalbox (see above). For your full version, copy the audio, FMV and level folders from your installation next to the files already present.
┣ 📁 recalbox
┃ ┣ 📁 share
┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 roms
┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 ports
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 Tomb Raider
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 🗒 Tomb Raider Gold (1998).zip
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 audio
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 FMV
┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┣ 📁 level
Here too, keep the Tomb Raider Gold (1998).zip file: it carries the game entry and its metadata.
OpenLara can theoretically load other episodes of the series, but those setups are not tested on Recalbox.
Recalbox ships many more ports, most of them with free content and playable without adding anything: Doom (with John Romero's SIGIL), Quake 1, Quake 2, Quake 3, Wolfenstein 3D, Cave Story, Prince of Persia, Rick Dangerous, Out Run, Flashback, Star Trek Voyager, Minecraft, VVVVVV. They all follow the same logic: one folder per game in /recalbox/share/roms/ports/, and the commercial content to be supplied when the game is not free.