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.
System Selection
List Of Games in Grid Mode
List Of Games in List Mode
RetroAchievements Window
RetroAchievements Window
Inject Configuration Window for Emulator Xenia
- 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.