RetComM Launcher is currently applying for signing with the SignPath Foundation
RetComM — Retro Compilation Manager catalogs and installs recomps that self-compile on the end user’s machine. For liability reasons we encourage releases that do not ship machine-generated C derived from proprietary software; users generate that code locally instead. First installs can take 5–10 minutes, which is a lot to manage by hand — this hub exists to make that workflow practical.
RetComM checks for updates, rebuilds with existing build data when possible, shares the same portable toolchain used by per-title self-compiling launchers, and automates BIOS/ROM wiring so you are not stuck in each game’s Generate & Build wizard.
RetComM Launcher → catalog / install / queue / update / launch
│
▼
each recomp/decomp exe → recomp-ui (settings, disc verify, PLAY)
Windows, Linux, and macOS builds are available from Releases. Feedback is welcome while the project keeps evolving.
Shipping pre-generated recomp C from commercial ROMs is a legal grey area we
prefer to avoid. Catalog titles that use psxrecomp + recomp-ui (and similar
self-compiling stacks) ask each user to generate and compile on their own PC.
RetComM’s job is to make that tolerable: shared toolchains, shared engine
source (one psxrecomp / recomp-ui pin across titles), incremental rebuilds,
queued installs, and automatic ROM/BIOS/save plumbing.
Submit a title via the catalog submission form. psxrecomp + recomp-ui projects can auto-fill most fields. Other self-compiling launchers can still be listed so RetComM fetches releases/updates and hands users off to that title’s install flow as gracefully as possible.
Queue every pending update at once, or queue Install/Update for individual titles anytime. Builds and installs continue in the background while you browse the library and launch other games. Builds are CPU-heavy — expect some lag until they finish.
ROM/BIOS/save libraries stay in your emulation tree. Recomp app data can install under the default apps folder or extra roots you add in Library Settings (e.g. a fast SSD). When more than one root is configured, Install asks where to put the title.
Easy Install scaffolds a common EmulationStation-style folder layout. Advanced users can point RetComM at an existing ES-DE / RomM-style library and map platform folders. Import ROMs, saves, and BIOS dumps from Add/Scan Files; files are hashed, indexed, and stored in your library directories. Scan also picks up files you placed on disk manually.
Pick memcards (or cart battery files) per title, create/rename/import saves, and optionally two-way sync with RomM via the RomM API. Saves and configs are preserved across app updates, and uninstall can keep them for a later reinstall.
Install with bundled OpenBIOS, then add a retail dump such as SCPH1001.BIN
later and RetComM can prompt a rebuild with SCPH support. After that, hot-swap
between BIOS choices in the hub (Play stages an empty bios.cfg for OpenBIOS so
a prior SCPH pick cannot stick). Online lobbies settle one match BIOS: OpenBIOS
unless every seated peer can run SCPH-1001 and nobody selected OpenBIOS.
With a RomM base URL + client API token, RetComM can:
- Match catalog titles to your RomM library by hash (fast — RomM already hashed them)
- Download matching ROMs and BIOS into your library
- Bidirectionally sync native saves (newer wins)
RetComM uses the same portable toolchain packs as the per-title self-compiling launchers. It preserves cmake/build intermediates when possible so updates rebuild faster, wires ROMs and BIOS automatically, and skips the per-game Generate & Build wizard when you manage installs through the hub.
Remote catalog from
retcomm-catalog,
automatic boxart (Libretro by default; optional RomM covers or local art),
uninstall with keep-saves, and deeper options under Menu (library roots,
exclude dirs, update checks, etc.).
- Centralized per-platform config — preferred render/controller/hotkey defaults applied at launch, with optional per-game blacklist for power users
- Mod management and optional launcher bypass when RetComM owns configuration
- Centralized netplay lobby — stay in one lobby, hot-swap titles after a match, filter by player count / shared library, backwards compatible with each game’s built-in lobby
| Artifact | Platform |
|---|---|
RetComM-Launcher-linux-x86_64.AppImage |
Linux |
RetComM-Launcher-windows-x64-setup.exe |
Windows installer |
RetComM-Launcher-portable-windows.zip |
Windows portable (RetComM Launcher.exe inside) |
RetComM-Launcher-macos-arm64.dmg |
macOS Apple Silicon |
RetComM-Launcher-macos-x86_64.dmg |
macOS Intel |
Releases are published manually via Actions → Release. Leave version
empty to auto-bump the next x.x.x from the latest vX.Y.Z tag (bump
defaults to patch). Hub Update RetComM pulls the matching asset for your
install channel. Windows portable: unzip and run RetComM Launcher.exe (hub),
or RetComM Launcher.exe cli <command> for the CLI (same idea as the Linux
AppImage cli dispatch).
cmake -G Ninja -S . -B build
cmake --build build -j
./build/retcomm --help
./build/retcomm-hub # SDL3 + ImGui dashboardRequires CMake 3.24+, a C++17 compiler, and libcurl. Runtime archive tools:
bsdtar (preferred), unzip, or 7z. Update checks (catalog / launcher /
toolchain / game tags) use github.com redirects and do not need a token.
Optional GitHub PAT for api.github.com when listing/downloading release
assets: Library Settings → GitHub token, config.json github_token, or
env GITHUB_TOKEN / GH_TOKEN (env wins). Hub UI needs system SDL3 + OpenGL and Dear ImGui (sibling
../recomp-ui, or CMake FetchContent). Wine installs need wine / wine64 on
PATH.
Packaging lives under packaging/; icon source is assets/retcomm.svg.
./build/retcomm list
./build/retcomm catalog update
mkdir -p ~/.config/retcomm
cp config.example.json ~/.config/retcomm/config.json
# edit library_root / bios_root / saves_root / platform_folders
./build/retcomm scan
./build/retcomm bios scan
./build/retcomm library
./build/retcomm install masters-of-teras-kasi-psx
./build/retcomm launch masters-of-teras-kasi-psx
./build/retcomm uninstall masters-of-teras-kasi-psx # keeps saves by defaultlaunch stages disc/ROM/BIOS sidecars next to the install and prefers a companion
.cue for disc titles. Installs land under
~/.local/share/retcomm/apps/<install_dir>/ (or your configured install roots)
with releases/<tag>/, a current link, and install.json.
Scan walks only the platform folders the catalog needs, skips junk dirs, and
hashes when identity digests are present. Results go to
library-index.json with incremental cache hits; use scan --full (or hub
Full rebuild index) to rehash everything.
Titles live in
retcomm-catalog,
not this repo. The launcher caches catalog.zip under
~/.local/share/retcomm/catalog/ and can auto-update on startup.
"catalog": {
"url": "https://github.com/TechnicallyComputers/retcomm-catalog/releases/latest/download/catalog.zip",
"github_repo": "TechnicallyComputers/retcomm-catalog",
"auto_update": true
}Overrides: --catalog DIR, $RETCOMM_CATALOG.
| Role | Linux |
|---|---|
| Config | ~/.config/retcomm/ |
| Installs + state | ~/.local/share/retcomm/ |
| Catalog cache | ~/.local/share/retcomm/catalog/ |
See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md,
docs/CATALOG.md, and
docs/BUILD_PACKS.md.
docs/ architecture, catalog notes, screenshots/
src/ CLI + core + hub
include/retcomm/ public headers
assets/ app icon + hub assets
packaging/ AppImage, DMG, Windows helpers
.github/workflows/ Release CI
RetComM Launcher is released under the MIT License.