Frequently Asked Questions

RetroPlay runs open-source emulator engines in your browser and gives you two ways to play: a shared library of classic titles for several supported consoles, hosted directly by RetroPlay so you can start instantly with no upload, and a private library where you add your own files.

We do not independently verify the copyright status of every title in the shared library. If you are a rights holder and have a concern about a specific title, contact us and we will act on it. For anything you add to your own private library, you are responsible for having the legal right to use it in your jurisdiction.

The "Popular Classics" you may see in an empty console tab is a separate visual reference strip showing well-known game cover art (used under fair use for identification). Tapping a cover there only opens a dialog where you attach your own file — it does not pull from the shared library.

The shared library is curated and hosted by RetroPlay for supported consoles, so anyone can open a title and play immediately.

For your own private library, sourcing files is up to you and depends on your country's copyright law. Common legal sources include:

• Backups you make from physical media you legally own.
• Freely distributed homebrew titles released by their authors.
• Games released into the public domain or under permissive licenses.
• Modern indie titles whose publishers explicitly allow free distribution.

Please respect local law and the rights of original publishers.

Every game keeps an automatic save state on your device (IndexedDB, browser local storage). You can close the app and come back hours later — your progress resumes where you left off.

Saves never leave your browser unless you explicitly download them. We do not have a "cloud save" service.

RetroPlay supports eight classic systems out of the box:

• NES (Nintendo Entertainment System)
• SNES (Super Nintendo)
• Game Boy Color
• Game Boy Advance
• Nintendo 64
• PlayStation 1
• PlayStation Portable
• Nintendo DS

Each console uses an open-source emulator core compiled to WebAssembly.

The bare minimum to run a Telegram Mini App and show a usage dashboard:

• Your Telegram user ID and display name (if you open the app from Telegram), so we can show your recently-played games and unique player counts.
• Anonymous funnel events (app opened, console switched, game launched) — counts only, no personal payload.

We do not sell data, run third-party advertising trackers, or read your Telegram messages. See the Privacy Policy for the full breakdown.

RetroPlay is free to start: every day you get a free allowance of play time. Once it runs out you can either watch a short rewarded ad to add more time, or come back the next day when it refills.

If you'd rather skip ads and daily limits entirely, a 7-day Premium pass unlocks unlimited play and can be bought with Telegram Stars directly inside the app (payment is only available from inside Telegram). This is a one-time unlock, not a recurring subscription — nothing renews automatically, and you can simply keep using the free daily allowance instead.

Yes — two-player netplay over a real-time WebRTC connection. Open a game, tap the netplay icon, share the room link in your Telegram chat, and your friend joins from their own browser. No accounts, no installs.

Yes. RetroPlay runs entirely in the browser inside Telegram's WebView, so it works the same on iOS, Android, desktop Telegram, and the web. Touch controls are tuned for mobile; Bluetooth gamepads work if your device supports them.

Yes. Long-press (or use the × button) on any game card to remove it from your library. Clearing your browser site data for this app wipes every save and every uploaded game from your device.

Message @retroplay_games_bot in Telegram and use the /help command, or just describe the problem in chat. We read every message.