sorted by date of first known start
| name | authors | status | technology, goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| bsnes-qt | unknown (Themaister?) | abandoned or canceled | based on bsnes v072, used libsnes |
| SSNES | Themaister, Squarepusher | renamed, now RetroArch | used libsnes |
| lsnes | Ilari, from TASVideos | released, active? | started as libsnes, unknown if it got upgraded |
| LMSW | Alcaro | released, abandoned | plugin for a level editor |
| RetroArch | Squarepusher aka Twinaphex, Themaister | released, active | most fully featured, main driver for libretro expansions, most supported platforms, focused on HTPC-style setups |
| XBMC / RetroPlayer | garbear, others | beta, active | built inside a video player (but ffmpeg is a video player in libretro, so it's fair) |
| ZMZ | Alcaro | released, abandoned | based on ZSNES' GUI |
| minir | Alcaro | no recent news | win32/gtk3/other?, focused on WIMP setups |
| nameless | mudlord | canceled | WTL, statically linked core |
| nameless | 4chan | no recent news, nor any news at all | unknown |
| GNOME Games | kekun, others? | going fairly well | gtk3 only |
| Arcan | letoram | no recent news | seems to be an entire window manager |
| Phoenix | Druage, athairus, others | active | Qt5, was previously a RetroArch launcher named Pantheon |
| AnarchyArcade | SM_Sith_Lord | on Steam | Focused on virtual reality setups |
| NanoArch | heuripedes aka enygmata | finished? | extremely minimalist, intended to show how libretro works |
| nameless | Leiradel | ? | written in Lua |
| EmuVR | website lags too much for me to figure that out | ? | another virtual reality setup, probably |
| New Retro Arcade | Digital Cyber Cherries | released | virtual reality again (doesn't acknowledge libretro, and costs $30, so not recommended) |