How to Import Games in Retropa on iPhone & iPad

Before you start

Retropa ships with no games and no BIOS files, so the file has to come from you and it has to be yours to use. Put a copy somewhere outside the app first. An original you never touched is the cheapest insurance there is.

• Only import content you have the right to use.
• Keep a separate backup of every original file.
• The app is free to download; games are not provided.

Step one: get the file onto the device

A file can sit in Files and still not be on your phone. That is the cloud placeholder: the list entry is real, the bytes are not. Tap the file once so it downloads, wait for the download to finish, then import.

• Open the file once in Files to confirm it is downloaded.
• A file that appears grayed out or needs downloading is a placeholder.
• Complete the download before importing.

Step two: import from the library

Use the import entry in the Retropa library to pick the file. Let Retropa detect the system, then launch with the default layout. Change skins and filters later, once you know the game itself runs.

Which file formats work

Retropa opens the formats that match its supported systems, and it can also open ZIP and RetroPack containers as they are. The extension has to line up with the system: .gb for Game Boy, .gbc for Game Boy Color, .gba for Game Boy Advance, .nds for DS.

• Changing an extension does not convert a game between systems.
• ZIP and RetroPack containers can be opened without unpacking.
• Arcade sets are multi-file and are handled differently.

When an import fails

Read the message before anything else. Then check three things, in order: is the file fully downloaded, does the extension match the system, and is it a complete image rather than half a download? Only then is the core worth suspecting. Swapping cores is a Retropa Plus feature, so it is the last lever to pull.

• Finish any incomplete download first.
• Confirm the extension matches the system.
• Try the alternate core for that system before giving up.

Files, saves and save states

Three different things get confused here: the game file, the game's own save data, and a save state from the emulator. Renaming one to look like another does not convert it. Back up all three before you move between cores or apps, because state formats do not travel everywhere.

• Keep the original game file untouched.
• Back up battery saves and save states separately.
• Do not expect a state from one core to load in another.