Bootable ISOs: Batocera Retro Emulator LIVE

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Batocera (Retro Emulator) — How to Add ROMs

Retro Emulation Batocera Add ROMs

Overview

This guide shows how to add game ROMs to Batocera from our TECH STORE ON PENGUIN ULTIMATE USB. You’ll copy ROM files into the Roms folder and refresh Batocera’s game list to see and play them.

💡 Folder label note: The data partition on penguin USB is specifically named PENGUINSTUF.

Quick Steps

  1. On another computer, open the USB’s data partition PENGUINSTUF → Roms and copy your games into the matching system folders (e.g., Roms/nes, Roms/snes).
  2. Boot your PC with the USB → launch Batocera.
  3. Press F1 to open the file manager if you need to move/copy files inside Batocera.
  4. After copying, close the file manager (File → Close Window or Ctrl+Q).
  5. Open Game Settings (press START on controller or Space on keyboard) → GAME SETTINGS → UPDATE GAME LIST.
  6. Launch a game from the updated system list. To exit a game, press Hotkey (usually SELECT) + START; keyboard: Esc or Alt+F4 (some laptops: Fn+Alt+F4).

💡 Additional detailed info on adding ROMs/Games: https://wiki.batocera.org/add_games_bios

Detailed Steps

1) Copy ROMs to the USB (before booting Batocera)
  1. Insert the USB into a working computer.
  2. Open the data partition: PENGUINSTUFF → Roms.
  3. Copy each game file or folder into its matching system directory (examples: Roms/psx, Roms/megadrive, Roms/mame).
  4. (Optional) Keep BIOS files in the appropriate bios folder if a core requires them.
2) Boot & manage files inside Batocera (F1)
  1. Boot from the USB and navigate to Batocera.
  2. Press F1 to open the file manager.
  3. Navigate to Roms and copy/paste files as needed (Right-click → Copy / Paste).
  4. Close the file manager via File → Close Window or Ctrl+Q.
3) Refresh the game list & play
  1. Open Game Settings (press START on controller or Space on keyboard).
  2. Go to GAME SETTINGS → UPDATE GAME LIST.
  3. After the refresh, browse to the system (e.g., NES, SNES, PSX) and launch your game.
  4. Exit a game with Hotkey (usually SELECT) + START, or Esc/Alt+F4 on keyboard.

Common Folder Names

Here are some common system folder names and supported ROM file extensions for Batocera:

System Folder Name File Extensions
Nintendo (NES) nes .nes, .zip
Super Nintendo (SNES) snes .smc, .sfc, .zip
Nintendo 64 n64 .z64, .n64, .v64
Game Boy / Color gb, gbc .gb, .gbc
Game Boy Advance gba .gba
Sony PlayStation psx .bin/.cue, .iso
Sony PSP psp .iso, .cso
Sega Genesis / Mega Drive megadrive .bin, .gen, .md
Arcade (MAME) mame .zip
Atari 2600 atari2600 .a26, .bin

Troubleshooting

ROMs not showing up
  • Run GAME SETTINGS → UPDATE GAME LIST after copying ROMs.
  • Ensure ROMs are in the correct folder (see table above) and have valid extensions.
  • Some systems require BIOS files — check the bios folder if needed.
Controller / Hotkey issues
  • Reconfigure input in CONTROLLERS & BLUETOOTH SETTINGS.
  • Default exit combo is usually SELECT + START. On keyboard, try Esc or Alt+F4.

Available on These USB Drives

Tip: Keep ROMs organized by system (e.g., Roms/nes, Roms/snes, Roms/psx) and update the game list whenever you add new titles.