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.