Updates

Arch R updates itself on the console, without flashing the card and without erasing games, saves or settings. With Wi-Fi, over the network; without Wi-Fi, through a file you download on a phone or computer and copy to the card. Every update already carries all the earlier ones.

Over the network

With Wi-Fi on, open Settings › System › Updates and choose Download and install. When an update is waiting, the Start menu shows the Update shortcut with the number of packages.

The battery needs at least 30% or a charger. If the connection drops, the download resumes where it stopped, up to three times. At the end the page says whether a restart is needed.

Without network, from the card

  1. On a phone or computer, download the newest update file (the button below).
  2. Copy the file, without unpacking it, to the roms/update/ folder on the card. It is the partition that shows up on a computer with the ROM folders; create the update folder if it is not there.
  3. Put the card back in the console and open Settings › System › Updates › Update from the card. The page shows what the file brings and asks to confirm.
Download update 20261113.11 (256 MB)

The console installs the file only if Arch R's signature matches: a damaged or altered file is refused and nothing changes. After installing, the file is deleted. The card needs twice the file's size free.

Update from the card exists from version 3.0.2 on. A console on 3.0 or 3.0.1 that never updated over the network needs 3.0.2 flashed once; from then on, it updates from the card.

Every update

The newest one includes all the others, so it is the only one you need. The earlier ones stay here for anyone who needs a specific version; the console refuses a file older than its system.

  1. 20261113.11Newest

    Download · 256 MB

    13 November 2026 · 32 packages

    • Fix error reports sent for GameMaker ports that run fine (optional sound module probe) and for the NextOS splash screen
    • New page: arch-r.io/update explains how to update over the network or from the card, and lists every offline update to download with its size, SHA-256 and notes

    SHA-256 b3e5882f71f79f54006dde347eef49cf39ac9800eacaf2980b682aa1fd8c8232

  2. 20261113.10

    Download · 256 MB

    13 November 2026 · 32 packages

    • Ports on PortMaster's Weston runtime that show a message first (unpacking on the first run) no longer stay on it: the game shows

    SHA-256 dffa8cf57b780354e985fa72c6d1728ac9a1cb9512a0600f43eed0111e789336

  3. 20261113.9

    Download · 256 MB

    13 November 2026 · 32 packages

    • Ports that use gl4es (Perfect Dark and others) no longer crash at start with MangoHud on

    SHA-256 67639cd55c8108482336819eae46deba7f55ba0b4bf9ccdc2abe53aa8a560229

  4. 20261113.8

    Download · 256 MB

    13 November 2026 · 32 packages

    • MangoHud shows in PlayStation games and other 32-bit programs on the Panfrost driver
    • The MangoHud shortcut says when the Panfrost driver is needed or MangoHud is off
    • On-screen notices show their text once instead of twice
    • New feature: favorites first in each system's list (list menu, Y)

    SHA-256 b63c270aa08e1202f15324370e0008aff86f4e57aa0944c2cc969c2a7d61802a

  5. 20261113.7

    Download · 250 MB

    13 November 2026 · 29 packages

    • Fix a launcher-only update leaving its session unit stale until a restart (systemd is reloaded now)

    SHA-256 b9572692c4c149aa16f2a795bc8457f99661d9d43e88c515b495ef09a6edb6e8

  6. 20261113.6

    Download · 250 MB

    13 November 2026 · 29 packages

    • Fix game scraping (ScreenScraper) without the project's login: the launcher updates 20261113.4 and .5 were built without it

    SHA-256 c294587548618bce1f07b573ac0ad5eb4f281de9333d897fe1694e77c11c205b

  7. 20261113.5

    Download · 250 MB

    13 November 2026 · 29 packages

    • New feature: update without network: download archr-update.tar on a phone or computer, copy it to roms/update/ on the card and install it from Settings › System › Updates; it is checked against Arch R's signature first
    • New feature: Update from the card on the Updates page, with the file's What's new and a confirmation

    SHA-256 105cad0a15af6c1069d3be8c84e8cb766e844a9fb6fa2ba23e2c93ccfb193761

Flashing the card

Only needed on a version older than 3.0, or when a new version changes what an update cannot reach (the bootloader or the partitions); the release notes say so. Flashing erases the card: copy your saves to a computer first. Step by step in Updating Arch R.

Details for terminal users (archr-update, channels, logs) are in Updating Arch R.