RetroAchievements
Unlock achievements as you play, like Steam for retro games
RetroAchievements is a community-run service that adds achievements (and leaderboards) to retro games. ArchR's RetroArch is wired up out of the box, sign in once and you start unlocking.
Setup
Create an account
Free at retroachievements.org.
Get on the internet
ES → System Settings → Network → enable WiFi.
Sign in
ES → Game Settings → RetroAchievement Settings → toggle Enable RetroAchievements ON, then enter your username and password.
Optional toggles
In the same menu:
- Hardcore Mode: disables save-states and rewind. Required to earn the Mastered badge.
- Unlock Sound: plays the classic chime on every unlock.
- Automatic Screenshot: saves the moment of unlock to
/storage/screenshots/. - Encore Mode: re-trigger achievements you already earned.
- Verbose Mode: show progress toward achievements with per-step hints.
Which games / cores are supported
RetroAchievements only works with specific libretro cores and only on games that have an achievement set. Quick list of known-working on RK3326 ArchR:
| Console | Core | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NES | fceumm, nestopia | huge catalog |
| SNES | snes9x2010, snes9x | most games covered |
| GB/GBC | gambatte, sameboy | full |
| GBA | mgba | full |
| MD/MS/GG | genesis_plus_gx | full |
| N64 | mupen64plus_next | partial, heavy on A35 |
| PSX | mednafen_psx_hw, swanstation | full |
| PSP | ppsspp_libretro | partial |
| NDS | melonds_ds | partial |
| Arcade | fbneo, mame_2003 | works with mame romsets |
Full list at docs.retroachievements.org/Emulator-Support-and-Issues/.
Standalones (PPSSPP, Flycast, Mupen64Plus standalone, DraStic, melonDS standalone) do not route through RetroAchievements, only libretro cores do. If you want achievements on PSP/Dreamcast, use the libretro core (ppsspp_libretro / flycast_libretro) instead of the standalone.
Hardcore vs softcore
| Hardcore ON | Hardcore OFF |
|---|---|
| No save-states | Save-states allowed |
| No rewind | Rewind allowed |
| No cheats | Cheats allowed |
| Unlocks count toward Mastery | Unlocks count toward your profile but not Mastery |
Most people leave Hardcore OFF for normal play and turn it on for runs they want to officially record.
Where unlocks are tracked
- In-game: a notification shows on every unlock (top of the screen).
- Online profile:
https://retroachievements.org/user/<your-username>. Profile, recent unlocks, leaderboards, master sets, everything is on the website. - Local screenshots: if "Automatic Screenshot" is on, every unlock leaves a PNG in
/storage/screenshots/.
During gameplay performance
The RetroAchievements client polls memory each frame to detect achievement triggers. Net cost on RK3326 ≈ 0.5–1 % CPU per active achievement set, negligible for 8 / 16-bit cores, slightly noticeable on PSX/N64 if you're already CPU-bound.
The game doesn't have to be online during play, unlocks queue locally and sync on next internet contact. Useful for road trips.
Troubleshooting
No unlocks happening even though I see the achievements list. Wrong ROM dump. RetroAchievements matches by hash, if your ROM differs, no triggers fire. Use no-intro / Redump-verified dumps.
"Login failed". Re-enter username + password in the menu. Confirm https://retroachievements.org is reachable: curl -sI https://retroachievements.org.
"Hardcore mode is disabled because save-state was loaded". Once you load a state in a hardcore session, RA flips to softcore. Restart the core (Quick Menu → Reset) to re-enter hardcore.