Simple Launcher is a high-performance, open-source emulator frontend built with C# and WPF. Designed for both casual gamers and power users, it provides a seamless interface to organize, browse, and launch your retro gaming collection with deep integration for modern emulators and RetroAchievements.
Main Window (Grid View)
Global Search
List View & Preview
Favorites Manager
- MessagePack Engine: Powered by a high-speed MessagePack serialization system for near-instant settings loading and improved application responsiveness.
- Native ARM64 Support: Fully optimized for Windows on ARM (e.g., Surface Pro, Snapdragon X Elite) alongside standard x64 systems.
- Asynchronous Architecture: Multi-threaded game scanning and validation ensure the UI remains fluid even with massive libraries.
- Single Instance Enforcement: Prevents resource conflicts by ensuring only one instance of the launcher runs at a time.
- Configuration Injection: Manage and inject settings directly into 20+ popular emulators (Ares, Dolphin, DuckStation, Flycast, RPCS3, Xenia, and more) without leaving the launcher.
- On-the-Fly Mounting: Launch games directly from compressed (
.zip) or disk image (.iso,.xiso) files using Dokan integration. Supports RPCS3, Cxbx-Reloaded, ScummVM, and XBLA. - Expert Mode: Granular control over launch parameters, multiple ROM paths per system, and custom environment variables.
- Rich User Profiles: View your RA stats, recently played games, and global rankings directly in the UI.
- Auto-Credential Injection: Automatically syncs your RA login to supported emulators like PCSX2, DuckStation, PPSSPP, and RetroArch.
- Advanced Hashing: Built-in logic to calculate precise hashes for complex systems (PS1, Saturn, Dreamcast) to ensure achievement tracking.
- Dual View Modes: Toggle between a visual Grid View with customizable aspect ratios and a detailed List View with sortable metadata.
- Fuzzy Image Matching: Intelligent algorithm to find cover art even if filenames don't match perfectly.
- Play History Tracking: Detailed logs of play count, total playtime, and last played timestamps using absolute file paths.
- Global Search: Advanced search engine supporting
AND/ORoperators across your entire multi-system library.
Simple Launcher includes a suite of specialized utilities for library maintenance:
- Format Converters: Batch convert to CHD, RVZ, XISO, or Compressed (7z/Zip) with built-in integrity verification.
- Metadata Tools: Scrape game covers, organize system images, and validate ROMs against No-Intro DAT files.
- Batch Creators: Automatically generate launch scripts for PS3, ScummVM, Sega Model 3, and Windows Store games.
- Download: Grab the latest release for your architecture (x64 or ARM64) from the Releases Page.
- Extract: Unzip the contents into a writable folder (e.g.,
C:\Games\SimpleLauncher).- Note: Do not install in
C:\Program Filesto avoid permission issues.
- Note: Do not install in
- Prerequisites:
- Install Dokan from GitHub for on-the-fly file mounting.
- Ensure you have the .NET 10 Runtime installed.
- Easy Mode: Click the Easy Mode menu item to automatically download and configure emulators for your chosen systems.
- Add Games: Place your ROMs and cover images in the folders designated during setup.
- Select System: Use the visual System Selection Screen to pick your platform.
- Play: Click a game cover to launch. Use a Gamepad (Xbox or PlayStation) to navigate the entire interface.
Simple Launcher is translated into 17 languages:
- English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (BR), Russian, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Dutch, Turkish, and Urdu.
- Framework: .NET 10 (WPF)
- Language: C# 14
- Data Serialization: MessagePack (Binary) & XML
- Dependencies: MahApps.Metro (UI), SharpDX (Input), SevenZipSharp (Archives), DokanNet (Mounting).
- Bug Reports: Use the built-in Support Window to send detailed error reports directly to the developers.
- Wiki: Check our GitHub Wiki for advanced parameter guides.
- Donate: If you find this project useful, consider supporting the developer.
⭐ If you like this project, please give us a star on GitHub! ⭐
This project is licensed under the GPLv3 License - see the LICENSE file for details.
Simple Launcher is an emulator frontend and does not provide ROMs, ISOs, or BIOS files.