Emulating older consoles on modern hardware has plenty of perks. Not only do you get to experience timeless classics with better display scaling options and graphical mods, but you also have save states, fast-forward, and other QoL facilities to remove the clunkiness from retro titles.

The best part is that you don’t have to invest in a cutting-edge PC just to emulate older titles; any modern Raspberry Pi SBC packs enough firepower to run a plethora of retro systems. In fact, here are a couple of older consoles worth emulating on the Raspberry Pi series if you’re into gaming.

5 Nintendo Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance

A portable console for your pint-sized SBC

Small enough to barely fit your pocket, but powerful enough to run some of the most influential titles of the gaming industry, Nintendo’s Game Boy lineup proved that you didn’t need bulky and expensive systems to get into gaming. After all, it’s the console where many genre-defining games such as Pokémon and Tetris (the global version, I mean) first landed.

True to its name, the Game Boy Color brought a TFT display capable of rendering colorful graphics to the handheld console family, while Game Boy Advance traded the portrait layout for a more modern design and better processing capabilities. As such, there are a ton of retro titles you can play with a Game Boy emulator, ranging from those belonging to popular franchises like Metroid, Mario, Castlevania, and Zelda to Golden Sun duology, F-Zero: Maximum Velocity, and other sleeper hits. Since Game Boy systems don’t require too much power, you can easily run their titles on something as weak as a Raspberry Pi Zero!

4 Sega Genesis and Dreamcast

Gone, but not forgotten

Sega may have dropped out of the console race decades ago, but there’s no denying that the company designed killer systems back in the day. The Sega Genesis, for example, had the unfiltered Mortal Kombat (complete with gory finishers), Shining Force, and most importantly, the first Sonic the Hedgehog title.

That said, the Dreamcast remains my favorite Sega System to emulate on the Raspberry Pi. After all, it’s got Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, Crazy Taxi 2, and one of my favorite flawed JRPGs, Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice. While the Dreamcast requires a somewhat new RPi model, its predecessor can run on most Raspberry Pi SBCs.

3 Nintendo 64 and GameCube

Experience the “genesis” of 3D Nintendo titles

Despite being the gaming giant’s first home console to feature 3D games, the Nintendo 64 never felt like a prototype console. In fact, the N64 was blessed with a surprisingly robust library of titles, with many first-party Nintendo games successfully transitioning to the 3D landscape. For example, Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (and Majora’s Mask), Fox 64, Mario Kart 64, and Pokémon Stadium were amazing leaps into 3D for the franchises, while GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark were great for showcasing the Nintendo 64’s prowess.

As the successor to N64, the GameCube featured improved processing capabilities and boasted an even more impressive library - at least, in my opinion. It includes Resident Evil 4, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, Eternal Darkness, Viewtiful Joe, Prince of Persia trilogy, Metroid Prime 1 and 2: Echoes, and a slew of other fun games. That said, you’ll need a fairly beefy Raspberry Pi to run N64 and GameCube titles in their full glory.

2 Sony PlayStation and PlayStation Portable

Especially if you’re a fan of RPGs

During the fifth generation of home consoles, Sony’s PlayStation triumphed over its Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64 competitors with its amazing first and third-party games. On the new IPs front, the PS1 had Crash Bandicoot, Gran Turismo, Tomb Raider, Spyro, Driver (and no, not the 2D release on the Game Boy Color), Air Combat (or Ace Combat, as it came to be known in the future), and the Oddworld, among many others. Throw in the titles from well-established franchises like Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and Dragon Quest, and you’ve got a retro system packed to the brim with classics for your Raspberry Pi.

Having spent years gaming on the PlayStation Portable, I have to mention Sony’s uber-successful handheld console in this list. With games like Crisis Core: Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (and the semi-canonical Portable Ops), God of War: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta, and Persona 3 Portable, the PSP has enough titles worth checking out on your tiny SBC.

1 Super Nintendo Entertainment System

With a shout-out to NES

Often considered by gamers as the best console of all time, the SNES has more than just the nostalgia element. Sure, the NES may have had a bigger impact on the gaming industry, but the SNES perfected the gaming formula created by its predecessor: charming visuals, solid soundtrack, and above all, tight gameplay.

The 2D SNES Mario titles were the kings of platforming, while the Castlevania and Metroid titles defined the whole Metroidvania subgenre. In the RPG department, the SNES had the early Fire Emblem, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy titles. For folks who prefer fighting games, the SNES includes Killer Instinct, Super Street Fighter II, and Mortal Kombat titles. And that’s before we go over the dozens of party and racing games designed for the SNES. The best part? Pretty much every Raspberry Pi SBC can run SNES games without any performance hitches!

Which console do you love emulating on your Raspberry Pi?

Apart from the options I’ve mentioned on the list, there are a handful of other consoles worth emulating on your lean, mean, green SBC. Atari, like Sega, is no longer part of the console race, but its Jaguar, 7800, and 2600 had some hidden gems. Heck, if you’re on the Raspberry Pi 5, you can even get Wii titles running at solid FPS.