Software Alternatives & Reviews

DOSBox VS RetroArch

Compare DOSBox VS RetroArch and see what are their differences

DOSBox logo DOSBox

DOSBox is a DOS-emulator that uses the SDL-library.

RetroArch logo RetroArch

RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players.
  • DOSBox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-27
  • RetroArch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-22

DOSBox videos

Why Do You Need DOSBox?

More videos:

  • Tutorial - DOSBox Tutorial - Installing Games With DOSBox
  • Review - DOSBox review - Can DOSBox actually replace real DOS?

RetroArch videos

RetroArch - Getting Started! Your Ultimate Retro Gaming PC! [Setup and Demonstration]

More videos:

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to DOSBox and RetroArch)
Emulators
14 14%
86% 86
Gaming
11 11%
89% 89
Games
100 100%
0% 0
Gaming Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare DOSBox and RetroArch

DOSBox Reviews

7 Best Mac Emulators For Gamers In 2022
For those hoping to go back to that magical time, or even for those who were not lucky enough to live it in the moment: DOSBox has got you covered.
Source: retrododo.com
12 Best Gaming Console Emulators for Mac in 2022
Honestly, people still play these games made for MS-DOS hence the need for DosBox. If you miss those games and still want to use your dos commands, this emulator is for you. Download
Source: thebingeful.com
10 Emulators To Turn Your Computer Into A Retro Console
DOSBox specializes in emulating an environment where MS-DOS programs can run as intended. So if you have some old DOS games lying around that won’t run on your modern PC, give it a try on DOSBox. It should emulate the game accurately and at native speed.

RetroArch Reviews

Best DS Emulator: Are These Emulators Safe And Legal To Use?
RetroArch also supports a wide range of controller types, making it a great choice for gamers who want to use their favorite controller.
Source: appletoo.us
5 Best Nintendo DS Emulators for PC
It has highlights like RetroArch are shaders, netplay, rewinding, next-frame response times, run ahead, machine translation, blind accessibility features, and much more.
Best emulators for Android in 2023
RetroArch is a popular open-source front-end for emulators. If you’re into playing retro games, RetroArch is your one-stop shop for all your emulating needs. It's not an emulator by itself but instead allows you to add "cores" that act as the backend to emulate several legacy consoles. While most of its most popular emulators are already covered here by dedicated apps, it...
5 of the Best GameBoy Advance (GBA) Emulators for Android
RetroArch is a poster child worldwide of emulation, specifically due to the fact that it’s not precisely an emulator. The retroArch is best refer to as a solitary, unified application where you can communicate with other emulators.
4 Free Open Source Game Emulators For Windows PC, Linux, and macOS
In addition to this, you are able to run original game discs (CDs) from RetroArch. RetroArch has advanced features like shaders, netplay, rewinding, next-frame response times, runahead, machine translation, blind accessibility features, and more! What systems does it play?

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, RetroArch seems to be a lot more popular than DOSBox. While we know about 20 links to RetroArch, we've tracked only 1 mention of DOSBox. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

DOSBox mentions (1)

  • Emulation retro game console that lets me add my own games
    Any xbox using dosbox.com. Plays right from the browser, uses your google drive to pull the roms from. I adore that site. Source: 10 months ago

RetroArch mentions (20)

  • RetroArch cannot be found on the PlayStore, the first result is a copycat. It is just me?
    No, isn't just you. Every 64-bit phone haves the Play Store Retroarch available, the 32-bits no. But you can still download the 32-bit version on the Retroarch website. Source: 11 months ago
  • Cause of the intrusion has been found and isolated. Sites are operational again.
    It was only the download links on retroarch.com on the Platforms page that got (briefly) redirected for a few hours. That should all be safe now. Source: 11 months ago
  • Malicious download links?
    Yes, only the retroarch.com and libretro.com websites were affected. Source: 11 months ago
  • Recent update from supposed hackers
    I went to retroarch.com and it said "discord.gg/evaderz is big haxors" its unrespectable. Source: 11 months ago
  • Latest RetroArch on Xiaomi Mi box
    I've got installed RetroArch Plus from Google Play on my Xiaomi Mi box 4k and I want to update it to the latest version. I downloaded apk from retroarch.com but when I use apk installer to update it say is not compatible. I removed version from Google Play but fresh install 1.15.0 is not compatible too. I tried 32 and 64 version. What I'm doing wrong? Is any other AndroidTV version? Source: 11 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing DOSBox and RetroArch, you can also consider the following products

DOSEMU - DOSEMU stands for DOS Emulation, and allows you to run DOS and many DOS programs, including many...

OpenEmu - Console and Arcade video game emulator for macOS.

vDosPlus - vDosPlus (formerly vDos-lfn) is a free general-purpose non-gaming DOS emulator running on Windows...

LaunchBox - LaunchBox is a portable, box-art-based games database and launcher for DOSBox, emulators, arcade cabinets, and PC Games. Download it free!

FreeDOS - . creation tool just didn't feel up to the task. So, I created a new utility that may have better results.

BSNES - bsnes is a Super Nintendo (SNES) emulator focused on performance, features, and ease of use.