PlayStation 2 on RetroArch

RetroArch plays PlayStation 2 games through LRPS2, a heavily modified fork of the mature PCSX2 emulator, rebuilt for libretro. It runs on Windows, Linux and macOS, and comes with ParaLLEl-GS, a high-accuracy Vulkan renderer that uses your graphics card to reproduce the console's graphics faithfully.

This page covers what you need and how to get your first game running in a few minutes.

What you need

A 64-bit x86 computer running Windows, Linux or macOS. Macs with Apple chips run the core through Rosetta. LRPS2 does not run on ARM hardware, so it is not available on Android, iOS/tvOS, ARM Linux or Windows on ARM.
A PlayStation 2 BIOS dumped from your own console, in accordance with your local laws. The core cannot start without one.
Your PS2 games as disc images, for example .iso, .chd, .cso or .bin.

Recommended hardware

Part	Minimum	Recommended
Processor	SSE2, two cores with hyperthreading, PassMark single-thread ~1600	AVX2, four cores, PassMark single-thread ~2100
Graphics	Direct3D 10 / OpenGL 3.x, 2 GB video memory	Vulkan 1.3 / OpenGL 4.5, 4 GB video memory (GeForce GTX 750-class or better)
Memory	4 GB	8 GB

Even on recommended hardware, some games will not run at full speed: PS2 emulation is demanding, and a few titles still have emulation issues.

Setting it up

Install RetroArch for your computer from the download page.
Install the core. In RetroArch, go to Main Menu → Online Updater → Core Downloader and pick LRPS2 from the list.
Add your BIOS. Open your RetroArch system folder (its location is shown under Settings → Directory → System/BIOS), create a folder named pcsx2, inside it a folder named bios, and copy your BIOS file there:
```
system/pcsx2/bios/SCPH-70004_BIOS_V12_EUR_200.BIN
```
- Any file name works, but the files must not be zipped, and on Linux the folder names must be lowercase.
- If your dump came with extra files (.erom, .rom1, .rom2, .nvm), give them the same name as the .bin file.
- Avoid the SCPH-10000 BIOS; other versions are more compatible.
Start a game. Choose Load Content, pick your disc image, and select LRPS2 when RetroArch asks which core to use.

With the Fast Boot core option enabled, LRPS2 ignores region locking, so a European BIOS can play American games and the other way around.

Choosing a renderer

LRPS2 offers several ways to draw the game, selectable in the core options:

ParaLLEl-GS: the recommended choice if your computer can run it at full speed. It works like a software renderer but runs on your graphics card, giving accurate graphics at or beyond full speed. Any dedicated graphics card should manage it, and possibly AMD integrated graphics; Intel integrated graphics are currently too slow.
Vulkan, OpenGL, Direct3D 11 and Direct3D 12: fast hardware renderers. Direct3D is Windows-only, and on some graphics cards Direct3D 11 shows a black screen while the audio plays; switch to another renderer if that happens.
Software: the slowest, for the few games that need its extra accuracy.

What works

Save states and in-game saves
RetroAchievements
Controller remapping and rumble
Multi-disc games
Built-in widescreen patches for a large number of games
PCSX2-style cheat files (.pnach)

Not supported: rewind, netplay and RetroArch's own cheat system.

More information

LRPS2 documentation: every core option, cheats, memory cards and troubleshooting.
LRPS2 announcement: the story behind the core and the ParaLLEl-GS renderer.
Setup guides for other systems: PlayStation, GameCube and Wii, Sega Saturn.
Other cores available in RetroArch.