RetroArch and Emulators on PS Vita

RetroArch is a cross-platform collection of emulators that focuses on backwards compatibility and performance. RetroArch is also chock-full of features such as save states, cheats, netplay, rewinding, a music player and more. Press [L] + [R] + [Start] + [Select] during gameplay to open the Quick Menu; here you can access options such as save sates and screenshots.
Required Downloads
PlayStation Vita with Custom Firmware
PS Vita 1000 (Fat) Models require an official Sony Memory Card to install homebrew
Wi-Fi or USB Connection
- You will need a Wi-Fi or USB connection to transfer the install files via FTP or USB with VitaShell
SD2Vita Adapter (Recommended)
- Greatly expand your storage options with the MicroSD to PSVita (SD2Vita) adapter
- Convert the PS Vita game slot into a MicroSD slot
- 128GB or larger MicroSD recommeded for storing games
- Follow this guide on setting up the SD2Vita
Installing RetroArch
Adrenaline can be easily installed without a PC using the Vita Homebrew Browser, a large repository for homebrew apps that can be downloaded directly to your Vita.
- On your PS Vita, launch VitaShell and press the [Select] button to activate FTP or USB modeIn VitaShell, press [Start] and select [SELECT button] to toggle between FTP and USB mode.
- For FTP mode: enter the address displayed on your PS Vita in your PC file browser e.g.
ftp://xxx.xxx.x.x:1337
- For USB mode: connect your USB to your computer and it will function as a USB storage device
- SD2Vita: simply connect your MicroSD card to your PC and transfer the files without VitaShell
- For FTP mode: enter the address displayed on your PS Vita in your PC file browser e.g.
- On your PC file browser, go to
ux0:
and create a folder calledvpk
if it doesn’t already exist - Copy
RetroArch.vpk
to theux0:/vpk/
folder on your PS Vita - When the transfer is complete, press [Circle] on your PS Vita to close FTP/USB mode
- In VitaShell, go to
ux0:
->/vpk/
then highlightRetroArch.vpk
- Press [Cross] to install it and confirm the extended permissions prompt
- After the installation, press [Select] to activate FTP/USB mode
- Go to
ux0:
->/data/
->/retroarch/
- Extract the contents of the RetroArch theme files
.zip
into the/retroarch/
folder - Close VitaShell and launch the new RetroArch bubble from your LiveArea
Congratulations, you’ve installed RetroArch. You can now emulate a variety of older systems on your PS Vita, continue to the next steps for instructions on how to organize your ROM files.
Setting Up RetroArch
- Create a folder called
roms
in theux0:
directory folder - Create folders inside the
roms
folder for each of the systems you wish to emulate (e.g.gba
,snes
,sega
). - Launch RetroArch, scroll right to [Scan Directory] and press [Circle]
- Go to
ux0:
->/roms/
and select [Scan This Directory] - After all your ROMs have been added, you’ll be able to find them in the RetroArch XMB menu
- Just select your ROM -> [Run] and choose the core (emulator) you wish to use
Recommended Cores:
- Game Boy Advance – VBA Next
- SNES – Snes9x 2010
- Sega – Genesis Plus GX
Your save files and save states can be found in 
ux0:
-> /data/
-> /retroarch/

Setting Up Cheats
RetroArch features a built-in cheat engine to create cheats by editing numerical values in the game’s memory. There is also a large database of preset game-specific cheat codes that can be downloaded in the app.
- In the RetroArch menu, go to the first tab [Main Menu] and scroll down to [Online Updater] -> [Update Cheats]
- Wait for the
cheats.zip
file to be downloaded and extracted - Once the cheats have been installed, run your game and press [L] +[R] + [Start] + [Select] to access the Quick Menu
- Scroll down to [Cheats] -> [Load Cheat File]
- Select the game system then select your game from the list
- Press [L] + [R] +[Start] + [Select] during gameplay to access the Quick Menu to toggle the cheats on/off
Gaming and Emulation on PS Vita
Adrenaline
- Adrenaline unlocks the built in PSP emulator for flawless PSP and PSX gameplay and is also compatible with PSP homebrew
Moonlight
- With Moonlight, you can play Windows games and emulators that would not otherwise be possible on the PS Vita system via Remote Play
DownloadEnabler (Autoplugin)
- Download roms directly to your PS Vita using the DownloadEnabler plugin by TheOfficialFlow installed via Autoplugin
VitaStick
- Use your PS Vita as a controller for the PC version of Retroarch using the VitaStickUno plugin
VitaCheat
- If you’d like to use PS Vita cheat codes or even create your own with the cheat engine then the VitaCheat plugin is your answer
CWCheat
- The CWCheat plugin features huge collection of Action Replay codes for PSP and PSX titles in Adrenaline