Frustration to Freedom: The Story Behind Retrom, Your All-in-One Game Library
When it comes to retro gaming, few things are as simultaneously exciting and frustrating as managing your own library. Between juggling emulators, maintaining save states, syncing across devices, and keeping track of metadata, the logistics can sometimes feel like a second full-time job. Enter Retrom, the ambitious self-hosted gaming library and emulation front-end from developer John Beresford. In a world increasingly dominated by cloud-locked games and subscription services, Retrom aims to give gamers back control over their libraries while delivering a polished, unified experience that’s both familiar and flexible.
Retrom is a game library and launcher that organizes all your games for you: both emulated and native, into one clean, unified interface. It works with a huge range of platforms and emulators, automatically fetching metadata, box art, and other details to make your collection look pretty and polished. Once set up, you can access and launch your games from anywhere, with full control and zero reliance on third-party services.
I sat down with John to dive into Retrom’s origins, its design philosophy, and the features that make it stand out. Here’s what I learned.
Graphics to Gaming: John’s Journey:
Before Retrom, John’s career trajectory was firmly rooted in UI, UX, and graphics. “Prior to starting on Retrom I spent almost all of my time firmly in the intersection of UI/UX and graphics. This has been the case since university – and I even work at a company known for graphics, although my day job has been light on graphics work for a while,” he explained.
John also has a history of open-source experimentation in graphics, including web-based 3D libraries and low-level GPU tools. “I spent some time creating small open-source projects for use in web graphics. Things like a 3D form library for use in immersive web projects and a minimal, low-level webGPU library. I also spent a lot of time on hobby/artistic endeavors in that same realm. Just about all of this is publicly visible on my GitHub and/or my portfolio site(s) – which are both woefully out-of-date,” he laughed, pointing to his personal lab and professional portfolio.
The leap to gaming software and cloud-library tooling wasn’t random, it stemmed from necessity. “My work on Retrom, i.e., my transition to emulation and cloud-library tooling, was largely borne of my frustration with a lack of a distributed game library solution that checked every box. Every other solution I tried was missing something that I considered core to my use-case,” John said.
Even though Retrom doesn’t yet lean heavily on graphics, John has plans to integrate some of his old specialties in the future. “Things like 3D game boxes to display box art etc.” he mentioned. It’s a nice little nod to his graphical roots, suggesting that Retrom’s visual polish may only expand with time.
The Birth of Retrom:
Retrom wasn’t a sudden idea; it was months of effort and planning. John describes it as a solution to a very personal problem. “I had been frustrated with other solutions that were entirely missing or only had partially-functional shims/third-party support for important features. There simply was no perfect solution for a unified game library that had personal-cloud support and support for all major operating systems. Maintaining and using a large library across multiple devices required sacrificing one set of features for another. It was incredibly cumbersome due to storage constraints, issues with synchronization, hours of duplicative configuration on each new device and/or many other smaller issues,” he said.
Interestingly, Retrom was public-facing from the start. “All of my software endeavors, Retrom included, tend to be public-facing from the get-go. If I am taking the time to create something, it is generally because I personally have a need for it – which implies there are likely others who could use it too! Making this type of work open-source and usable for all makes it more enjoyable and fulfilling for me,” John explained.
The vision for Retrom has stayed remarkably consistent over time. While some features have expanded in scope, like the consideration of making Retrom a full libRetro front-end, John emphasizes simplicity and accessibility. “I am continuously working to make Retrom more digestible and simple for users who may not need the full functionality that Retrom provides,” he said.
Inspirations and the Middle Ground:
Every developer stands on the shoulders of giants, and John is no exception. Tools like RetroArch, Steam’s Big Picture Mode, and LaunchBox all influenced Retrom’s trajectory. “Many, many of these things have influenced Retrom’s direction and goals. RetroArch, and libRetro as a whole, provides a fantastic way to generalize a lot of the features that Retrom supports or intends to support. Steam’s big-picture mode and effortless cloud-saving mechanisms are the north stars for Retrom’s respective fullscreen and cloud features,” he said.
But Retrom also stakes out its own niche. “To me Retrom feels like a kind of nice ‘middle ground’, between self-hosting and ease of use. I’m very happy to hear that you feel that way! I am always concerned with how complicated Retrom is in both terms of setup/configuration and usage,” John emphasized.
Early on, the focus was on removing barriers for new users. “I always paid particular attention to any and all issues that prohibited users from getting started with Retrom, or understanding how to use Retrom. I always prioritize fixing such issues to ensure that no-one ends up left out before they can get started, and I think this has made Retrom much easier to use as a whole,” he explained.
Core Design and Features:
At its heart, Retrom is about control and flexibility. John outlines the core pillars succinctly:
- Self-hostable server – Own all library files, metadata, emulator configs, and save states.
- Cross-platform client support – Windows, macOS, Linux, and web.
- Game installation management – Install or uninstall games on specific clients to save disk space.
- Cloud sync – Seamless save file and state synchronization across devices.
- Gamepad and fullscreen support – Perfect for couch gaming setups.
“Essentially, these features compose the minimum feature-set that meets the goals of Retrom. The goals could loosely be described as ‘a Steam-like experience for unified game libraries with first-class emulation support’,” John summarized.
Building these features wasn’t without challenges. “Just about all of the core features of Retrom have aspects that were tricky or even impossible to nail in full. I could spend hours talking about the nuances and complications with automated library scanning, matching games to metadata sources, controller mapping, managing emulators in a generic fashion, integrating with external third-party libraries like Steam…each with their own hurdles,” he said.
Emulator Integration:
Retrom uses a flexible system for emulator support. Built-in emulators are powered by EmulatorJS for browser play, while users can add and configure standalone emulators themselves for desktop clients. “Each emulator configured in Retrom can also have any number of ‘profiles’ associated with it, to define launch parameters… all of this (other than the local path to the executable) is stored in the server to be shared across all clients,” John explained.
But, John is also thoughtful and mindful about the legal and ethical landscape of retro gaming and emulation. “I personally try to maintain the mindset that legality, and ethicality are rarely perfectly aligned. It’s sometimes very tough to reconcile the various aspects of this topic, philosophically speaking,” he said.
He supports true ownership of digital media, rather than corporate designated licenses locked behind subscription walls. “If all digital media continues to converge towards this idea of being barred behind either subscription services or license-restricted access then there is a high likelihood of digital preservation becoming impossible,” he warned.
In other words, projects like John's Retrom are as much about archival control as they are about convenience.
UI/UX & Features Focus:
Given John’s background, it’s no surprise that Retrom shines in the UI and UX department. “UI / UX has been and will always remain a priority for Retrom. I will, frankly, not put out work publicly that I don’t think looks good, or feels good to use,” he said. The web-first approach also enables easy desktop integration via Tauri, and even allows for browser-based play on mobile devices, a pretty clever little bonus feature for those who might need it.
When pressed on which features were the most fun to implement, John cited EmulatorJS integration for in-browser play and cloud save management. “That in particular was a problem I had been turning around for months and months while trying to find a solution I was happy with. Finally building it out was quite fun!”
Roadmap and Dream Features:
Retrom isn’t finished—John is clear about that. Version 1.0 will arrive only once the core features reach maturity. Key areas include cloud save and emulator management, metadata handling, and multi-user support.
John’s “dream features” read like a wishlist for retro gaming fanatics:
- Interactive gamepad mapping dialogs
- Theme music and video on game detail pages
- Fancy user stats graphs
- A generalized tag system for library organization
- Automated emulator installation
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Enhanced native, non-emulated game support
He’s also responsive to the community. “Many requests for FlatPak support early on…Getting that out there will make distribution to Steam Deck users and Linux users much more ergonomic,” he noted.
But with so many launchers and front-ends out there, what makes Retrom different? John lays it out plainly for me:
“Retrom is the only free option for a unified gaming library that provides…first-class emulation support alongside native game support, third-party library support, desktop clients for all major OSs, a centralized server that owns all data, and fullscreen + gamepad support.”
Other front-ends may excel at a single feature, but few combine everything under one roof. That’s Retrom’s unique selling point, and a clear point of pride for all the work he has put into it!
A Self-Hosted Future:
In today’s gaming world, it feels like control is slipping further and further from the player. Subscription services, cloud-only game libraries, and digital rights management (DRM - Denuvo is my arch nemesis) schemes make it increasingly difficult to truly own your games. Retrom has had a lot of work to position itself as an antidote to this trend, offering a self-hosted alternative that puts the user back in the driver’s seat.
John Beresford sees this as a central philosophy of the project:
“If the question of digital preservation is not an issue, we need a way to consume, organize, and maintain that digital media. Retrom and projects like it facilitate exactly that! How are you going to backup, maintain, distribute, and scale your gaming library long-term when Steam goes down – Dropbox???”
The idea here is simple, but powerful: by hosting your own library, you retain control over every game, save file, and configuration. You’re not dependent on a third-party service to remain online or to keep supporting your platform. With Retrom, even if a cloud service disappears, your library remains intact, accessible, and under your control.
Self-hosting also opens up possibilities that commercial platforms rarely touch. For example, Retrom allows fine-grained management of disk space, installing only the games you want on a given device while keeping the rest in your personal cloud. It also enables seamless cross-device sync, so your saves and game states travel with you without requiring an online subscription or proprietary ecosystem. For gamers with fairly large libraries, multiple devices, or limited storage, these features can be super helpful.
Beyond practicality, self-hosted solutions like Retrom represent a philosophical stance. John emphasizes that the ability to truly own digital media is critical for both individual users and the broader preservation of gaming history. Without tools like Retrom, the trend toward subscription-based, license-restricted games could eventually make it impossible to archive or maintain older titles.
Even more, self-hosting encourages experimentation and flexibility. Gamers can integrate emulators, tweak launch configurations, and customize their environment in ways that closed ecosystems simply don’t allow. Want to run a classic SNES game in your living room with a custom overlay and save sync across three devices? Retrom makes it possible. Want to mix emulated games with native PC titles and launch them from one central interface? That’s built in.
In short, Retrom embodies a vision where the player (not the platform) retains control. It’s a reminder that the cloud doesn’t have to mean 'cloud-controlled,' and that ownership and customization are achievable even in the modern era of online gaming.
Getting Involved:
Retrom is open-source and community-friendly. Interested users can contribute via development, language translations, or financial support through Discord boosts. John is also (obviously) open to dialogue on larger contributions to ensure architectural cohesion.
“It’s easier to find motivation to work on something and to polish it to a higher standard when you are sharing it with others,” he said.
Retrom isn’t just another front-end or game launcher. It’s a labor of love, a practical tool for enthusiasts, and (according to John) a statement about digital ownership in the modern era. Its combination of flexibility, cross-platform support, cloud syncing, and a polished interface makes it a standout in the crowded world of retro gaming.
While it’s still evolving, and John is the first to admit that, it already demonstrates what self-hosted software can achieve when designed thoughtfully and openly. For anyone tired of juggling multiple launchers, emulators, and cloud systems, Retrom offers a nice alternative: one unified, user-controlled library that just works.
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A huge thank you to John for giving me his time to chat about Retrom!
I'll also be sharing the full answers he gave to all of my questions, which I think are well worth their own post since he dedicated so much to sharing his thoughts, plans, beliefs and experiences with gaming and dev work.