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Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to RomM – An open-source, self-hosted ROM manager and player

RomM is a self-hosted app that allows you to manage your retro game files (ROMs) and play them in the browser. Think of it as Plex or Jellyfin for your ROM library: it automatically fetches metadata, artwork, and game information from online metadata sources to transform your folders into a browsable collection. You can play games directly in the browser for consoles like the N64, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 1, using the integrated web emulator (https://emulatorjs.org/). Members of the community have released integrations for Playnite (Windows), muOS…

RomM is a self-hosted app for organizing and playing retro game files in a web browser. It automatically collects metadata, artwork, and game information to create a browsable ROM library similar to Plex or Jellyfin.… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

  1. 1

    I've been exploring new ways of testing Ghidra processor modules. In this repo, I was able to emulate NES ROMs in Ghidra to test its 6502 specification, which resulted in finding and fixing some bugs. Context: Ghidra is used for reverse engineering binary executables, complementing the usual disassembly view with function decompilation. Each supported architecture has a SLEIGH specification, which provides semantics for parsing and emulating instructions, not unlike the dispatch handlers you would find in interpreters written for console emulators. Emulator devs have long had extensive test…

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    Web application that indexes all popular torrent sites, and saves it to the local database. - sergiotapia/magnetissimo

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

  3. 3

    Play classic 8-bit retro games online with friends! Free multiplayer emulator in your browser. No downloads required.

    2018 · nes.party · its alternatives →

  4. 4IM

    Hi, As a 8-bit C64 game coder in eaarly 90ties and currently mostly FE-focused dev, decided to give a go to a simple retro game archive. This is purely fun project - so i decided to post it to HN, mayne it'll resonate :)

    2023 · polishpixels.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5IA

    Hey HN! Been working on this emulator on and off for the last couple years, and thought now would be a good time to try and show it off here. As far as unique features... I think this is the only online GameBoy emulator with support for save files? So there's your reason to exist, I guess. The WASM port was something I had in the back of my mind but I just kept putting it off because it seemed like it would've been a pain in the ass to implement, but all in all I think it took less than a week so that was a nice surprise!

    2023 · nicolas-siplis.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6PP

    Play classic 32-bit retro games online with friends! Free multiplayer emulator in your browser. No downloads required.

    2020 · psxparty.kosmi.io · its alternatives →

  7. 7

    20+ retro systems, zero installs — just drop a ROM and play

    Aug 2026 · romplayerbycoops.pages.dev · its alternatives →

  8. 8
    Playdate▲588

    A new handheld gaming system from Panic

    2019 · play.date · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    RetroTick parses PE/NE/MZ binaries, emulates an x86 CPU, and stubs enough Win32/Win16/DOS APIs to run classics like FreeCell, Minesweeper, Solitaire and QBasic, entirely in the browser. Built with Preact + Vite + TypeScript. Demo: https://retrotick.com GitHub: https://github.com/lqs/retrotick

    Feb 2026 · retrotick.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    Z80-based CP/M emulator, in golang. Happily runs Zork, Microsoft BASIC, Turbo Pascal, Wordstar, etc. - skx/cpmulator

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    Sega classic games released on iOS/Android

    2017 · forever.sega.com · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    rom is a ~5k-line C libretro frontend that plays games in the terminal. It renders native pixels with the kitty graphics protocol in Ghostty or kitty, inline! even in tmux! Nine platforms: SNES, NES, GB/GBC, GBA, Genesis, PC Engine, N64, Doom/Heretic/Hexen, Wolfenstein. macOS and Linux, MIT. https://github.com/jhickner/rom

    Jul 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    Want to play Dr Mario or Pokémon on your server terminal?

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14GB

    Hey HN, Over the past ~1.5 years, I built an open-source FPGA retro emulation handheld that can play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. To my knowledge, there isn't an existing open-source FPGA emulator that can play physical cartridges like this. One of my main goals was to do all of the pieces myself, and be able to understand every component of it, so I designed my own PCB, wrote the firmware, wrote a Game Boy and Game Boy Advance emulator for the FPGA (using the Chisel HDL), and designed a 3D-printed case. I detailed the design and development process in the…

    2025 · eli.lipsitz.net · its alternatives →

  15. 15
  16. 16
    NESBox▲98

    Online multiplayer NES(FC) games

    2022 · nesbox.xianqiao.wang · its alternatives →

  17. 17
    Afterplay▲113

    We just launched the Afterplay Store. It lets you buy new retro games and start playing instantly in your browser, with no installs or setup. Here’s a quick demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoChUbaspbI We’re launching with publishers like Mega Cat Studios and Incube8, with more to come. The goal is to make retro games as easy to access as modern ones. Would love any feedback.

    2023 · afterplay.io · its alternatives →

  18. 18
    UTM SE▲134

    Run classic software and games on iOS

    2024 · getutm.app · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    Nostalgist.js is a JavaScript library that allows you to run emulators of retro consoles within web browsers.

    2023 · nostalgist.js.org · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    Contribute to sacert/Gameboy development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    Hello everyone! I've created a gameboy emulator to unlock my Wayland session and wanted to share this project to everyone here! I've been a Linux enthusiast since I was a kid. What always captivated me was the freedom to customize my system exactly the way I wanted. With Wayland, we've reached an incredible level of performance. It's like turning your operating system into a video game! I've always been fascinated by the blend of fun and the serious, technical nature of an OS. That’s what inspired me to create this project. I started by studying Wayland, its protocol and how to build a…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    NES emulator written in Rust. Contribute to pcwalton/sprocketnes development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2013 · github.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    Still very much a work in progress, but really wanted to share this even in it's early state. Had heaps of fun building it to learn more about WebRTC.

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    📡 Stream Raspberry Pi games to a GBA via Link Cable. - afska/gba-remote-play

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →