Every BIOS and firmware file your emulator setup needs, in one pack per platform. 10,330 files, each one checked against what the emulator's own code expects, for 12 platforms and 449 emulators read from source.
Install in one command
Detects your platform and BIOS folder, downloads only what is missing, checks every file. Safe to run again.
Linux / Mac / Steam Deck
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.sh | shWindows (PowerShell)
iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.ps1 | iexNothing detected? The installer asks which platform and folder to use. To name them yourself, add -s -- --platform retroarch --dest ~/.config/retroarch/system after sh, or on Windows run
& ([ScriptBlock]::Create((iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Abdess/retrobios/main/install.ps1))) --platform retroarch --dest 'C:\RetroArch\system'Download a pack
One pack per platform, the complete one. It holds the BIOS list the platform publishes plus every file its emulators actually open, so a game never stops on a missing file. Extract it to the folder in the table.
| Platform | Download | Size | Extract to |
|---|---|---|---|
| RetroDECK 0.10.9b | part 1 + part 2 + part 3 | 3.8 GB | ~/retrodeck/ (the pack carries its own bios/) |
| RetroArch v1.22.2 / Lakka | part 1 + part 2 | 3.1 GB | RetroArch's system/ folder (Settings > Directory > System/BIOS) |
| RetroPie v1.22.2 | part 1 + part 2 | 3.1 GB | ~/RetroPie/BIOS/ |
| ROCKNIX 20260901 | part 1 + part 2 | 3.1 GB | /storage/roms/bios/ |
| RetroBat 8.2.1 | part 1 + part 2 | 2.9 GB | RetroBat's bios/ folder |
| Batocera 43.1 | part 1 + part 2 | 2.4 GB | /userdata/bios/ |
| Recalbox 10.0.8 | part 1 + part 2 | 2.0 GB | /recalbox/share/bios/ |
| EmuDeck 2.3.8 | EmuDeck_2.3.8_BIOS_Pack.zip | 1.8 GB | the Emulation/bios/ folder EmuDeck created (home or SD card) |
| BizHawk 2.11.1 | BizHawk_2.11.1_BIOS_Pack.zip | 1.1 GB | BizHawk's Firmware/ folder |
| RomM 5.2.0 | RomM_5.2.0_BIOS_Pack.zip | 730 MB | the bios/ folder of your RomM library (subfolders included) |
| MiSTer FPGA 2026-08-29 | MiSTer_FPGA_2026-08-29_BIOS_Pack.zip | 16 MB | /media/fat/games/ |
Packs over 2 GB come in parts. Put every part in the same folder and open the .001 with 7-Zip or PeaZip. To join them into one ZIP first, cat Pack.zip.0* > Pack.zip on Linux or Mac, cmd /c copy /b Pack.zip.001+Pack.zip.002 Pack.zip on Windows.
What's new since v2026.08.06
- The installer follows the links EmuDeck places under the bios folder, asks for the platform and folder when it detects nothing, and finds the Steam build of RetroArch on Windows
- 2,684 files added and 135 more emulators profiled from their source code
- Every platform on its current release, RetroBat 8.2.1, RomM 5.2.0, ROCKNIX 20260901, MiSTer 2026-08-29
- RomM gets the PC Engine CD system cards under
turbografx-cd/too, where its player reads them - Fourteen cores new on the libretro buildbot are profiled, among them Nuance, PCEE2, PocketStation, hatariB, IroGB and RustyNES, and hatari now documents the Hatari 2.6 port
- Apple IIe, Disk II, Amstrad CPC, Multiface and X68030 ROMs join the collection, along with the complete FPseNG, ePSXe, MasterGear, SWF Player, Skyline, Super3, sixtyforce, Project64, Future Pinball, Supermodel, Lindbergh Loader and Sound Canvas VA bundles
- Rustation, MAME4droid and Cxbx-Reloaded ship the exact files their code checks
- 177 duplicate copies removed
- A custom pack can be narrowed to a region (#56)
Under the hood
- Every hash comes from the emulator's source, never from a forum list. Matches with Redump, No-Intro and TOSEC are shown per file on the site.
- What no pack can carry yet, dumps nobody has made and per-console keys, is listed in the gap analysis with what was tried.
- Custom sets: the installer takes
--target switchfor RetroArch on a Switch or a Pi; from a clone,python scripts/generate_pack.py --platform retroarch --region uskeeps one BIOS per region and--required-onlythe bare minimum each core needs to start. - Missing something for your setup? Open an issue with the file name and your platform.
Contributors
Thanks to everyone who reported and helped narrow these down.
- @boostashop, @sek0208, @cigdangle and @waffelkin-netizen - EmuDeck symlink under the bios folder (#71, #73, #74)
- @PsxMicha - Windows installer with no detected platform (#69)
- @dasbootbee and @PixNyb - RomM turbografx-cd folder (#70)
- @KidGamer77 - ares (#72)
- @kawaimoe - region choice for custom packs (#56)
- @LeBiquet - split part naming (#66)
SHA256SUMS.txt lists the checksum of each full ZIP, to verify after joining the parts.
Happy retrogaming 🎮