Software Alternatives & Reviews

RetroArch VS BlueStacks

Compare RetroArch VS BlueStacks and see what are their differences

RetroArch logo RetroArch

RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players.

BlueStacks logo BlueStacks

BlueStacks is a website designed to format mobile apps to be compatible to desktop computers, opening up mobile gaming to laptops and other computers. Read more about BlueStacks.
  • RetroArch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-12-22
  • BlueStacks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19

RetroArch videos

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

More videos:

BlueStacks videos

BlueStacks 10 And Review || How To Download And Install BlueStacks X On Windows 11/10 (Hindi) 2023

More videos:

  • Review - *NEW* BlueStacks 4 - The Best Android Emulator?
  • Review - Is BlueStacks Safe for PC?
  • Review - BlueStacks 4 Review & New Features - Mobile Gaming Next Level!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to RetroArch and BlueStacks)
Gaming
71 71%
29% 29
Emulators
72 72%
28% 28
Gaming Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Android Emulators
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using RetroArch and BlueStacks. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

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

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?

BlueStacks Reviews

  1. You can play BGMI games on your PC with Bluestacks

    This is the popular android emulator used for BGMI. This emulator proves to be great with Bluestacks Windows Laptops and Macs. By running this emulator, you will be able to use your PC as an Android mobile. Allows you to use your PC as an Android app by Bluestacks running Android 7.1 Nougat. To install Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) on your PC, you need to install it on your PC via Bluestacks.

    🏁 Competitors: MEmu Play, LDPlayer.net

Best Emulator for Low End PC
If you’re looking for an all-in-one emulator that is specifically designed to run Android games on Windows 10 at the highest level, BlueStacks is the perfect option. Even though BlueStacks is relatively new, it has become super popular among professional and beginner gamers. The only drawback to BlueStacks is that it doesn’t perform well on devices with less than 4GB RAM....
Source: cloudzy.com
16 Best Android Emulators For PCs In 2023
BlueStacks Android emulator is the oldest and the most popular Android emulator in the mobile gaming market. It’s easy to install, run, and play games on. BlueStacks comes with a library of 2 million+ Android games and apps, fastest boot times, great features (keymapping, game controls, Multi-Instance Sync, among others), and enhancements offered with less to no lag. In...
Source: theqalead.com
12 Best Android OS for PC (64 bit/ 32bit)- 2023
Bluestacks is compatible with both Windows and Mac. Overall, Bluestacks is a great emulator with little to no compromises which makes it the best Android OS for PC.
12 Best Android OS for PC ( 64Bit/32Bit ) in 2023
The controller support comes along with customizable on-screen controls. Map certain actions attached to specific keys. And if you have an older system where BlueStack lags in gaming, then you can try their BlueStacks X, a cloud gaming solution to play Android games on PC.
Best Android Emulators for Windows and Mac in 2023: Bluestacks, Gameloop, LD Player, and More
Some Android emulators on this list are made by game developers themselves, such as Gameloop and Mumu Player. Using these can render you better performance in gaming than a generic Android emulator like Bluestacks. Check out the full list here:

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, BlueStacks should be more popular than RetroArch. It has been mentiond 81 times since March 2021. 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.

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: 12 months ago
View more

BlueStacks mentions (81)

  • send help (STOP SCROLLING JUST PLEASE HELP ALL GUIDES ARE LITERAL USELESS)
    Bro its not a virus download it from here id recommend clicking download bluestacks 5 under the bluestacks 10 download. Source: 11 months ago
  • is bluestack really safe?
    If he got it from bluestacks.com then it's fine. Source: 11 months ago
  • Trojan while installing BlueStacks
    It's back working, try downloading from their website bluestacks.com and try again. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Bluestacks 5 being installed using the Bluestacks X installers, why?
    I have downloaded the BlueStacks X installer from both the front page of bluestacks.com, and this page that pops up when I press the "BlueStacks X" icon in the BlueStacks App Player. Both installers only install BlueStacks 5. I also tried the BlueStacks 5 installer just to check if it's opposite day but nope, not that lucky. Source: about 1 year ago
  • How to study for AZ-900?
    You may study learning materials outside the app on your desktop, or by running it in Android simulator on your PC/Mac. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

OpenEmu - Console and Arcade video game emulator for macOS.

NoxPlayer - Nox App Player is a free Android emulator dedicated to bring the best experience for users to play Android games and apps on PC and Mac.

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

Android-x86 - Run Android on your PC.

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

MEmu Play - MEmu is the best android emulator to play Android games on PC and performs better than Bluestacks. MEmu provides the best perforamance (2X benchmark score comparing to the latest flagship Android phones) and superb experience.