Installing Batocera in 2026: the complete guide to turning a PC or Raspberry Pi into a retro console

Batocera is a "plug and play" Linux operating system fully dedicated to retro gaming: it boots directly from a USB drive or SD card, bundles more than 200 pre-configured emulators along with the EmulationStation interface, and never touches the system already installed on the machine. It's one of the simplest solutions for beginners, whether on an old desktop PC or a Raspberry Pi.

⚠️ Check the version before downloading. This guide covers Batocera version 43.1 (based on the «Glasswing» branch released May 8, 2026), the most recent as of July 28, 2026. Always double-check on the official download page that no newer version has come out since.

Prerequisites

You'll need: a USB drive or SD card of at least 16GB (32GB recommended to enjoy automatic updates and store more games); a computer to prepare the media; and the free Balena Etcher software or Raspberry Pi Imager depending on your target machine. No advanced computer skills are required.

Installation steps

1. Download the image matching your hardware (x86_64 for a regular PC, a dedicated image for Raspberry Pi) from the official download page.
2. Insert your USB drive or SD card into the computer, keeping in mind all its existing data will be erased.
3. Open Balena Etcher (or Raspberry Pi Imager), select the downloaded image file, then the target media, and start flashing.
4. Once done, insert the drive or card into the machine you want to turn into a retro console and boot from it (you may need to change the boot order in the BIOS/UEFI).
5. On first boot, Batocera resets itself automatically once: restart the machine if this happens.
6. Then set your language, network, and controllers directly from EmulationStation's main menu.

Important warnings

Flashing completely erases the content of the USB drive or SD card being used: make sure you select the correct media before starting so you don't wipe a drive containing important data. Batocera doesn't provide any ROMs or BIOS files: each user must supply their own, sourced from games and consoles they legally own. Here's an up-to-date video tutorial to follow the process visually:

For more detail, check the official Batocera installation wiki.