Since 2022, you've been able to support Recalbox via Patreon, a contribution that lets the team fully devote themselves to development in order to bring you regular updates and ever wilder projects. Four years later, it's time for a check-in — and there's no shortage of news!

Four years of progress

In four years, Recalbox has come a long way: V10, Theme Manager, optimized Raspberry Pi 5 2GB compatibility (GameCube, Model 3, Naomi 2…), Steam Deck compatibility, RGB Dual 2, JAMMA 2, RecalCards, JVS… And the momentum keeps going: version 10.1 has just been released publicly, after several months of early testing by our patrons.

This support is a real game changer in how we envision the future of Recalbox. The project is open source and community-driven — it's built together. Some contribute through their skills (code, design, support, testing…), others support the project through Patreon, a form of support that funds the project, but not only that!

By testing new Recalbox versions early, Patrons give us invaluable feedback that lets us fix issues in these versions and think together about features they sometimes propose themselves on the Discord channels dedicated to them. All of this so we can ship public stable releases under the best possible conditions, at a pace we couldn't have kept up without this support.

So, for that: Thank you to our Patrons, whether you've been with us from day one or just joined, whether you're Tier 1, 2, or 3: a thousand thanks for living this adventure with us! Recalbox is developed by a team of enthusiasts who give up their free time to contribute. Your support lets us dedicate more time to it and to thinking about the future.

We need you for the next version of Recalbox

10.1 is public, but the team already has its head down working on what's next: we're already working on the next update, which is shaping up to be the most ambitious in Recalbox's history. As always, it will be tested early by our patrons before reaching the general public. And that's exactly why we want to bring you fully into this adventure and take you along with us on this project.

The upcoming features will be major: Recalbox is about to reach a dimension we could never have imagined achieving without you. With that in mind, we're going to need to test these features across as many configurations as possible. We can't say more today: a Recal'Talk (Discord video call with Patrons and the Recalbox team) will be held in the coming weeks to reveal everything.

Recalbox: free and open source

An important reminder: Recalbox is, and will remain, free and open source for everyone. The features that patrons test, submit to us, and sometimes vote on are meant to be included for everyone in future stable versions of Recalbox. So no need to worry: in time, you'll always get to enjoy the Patron versions once they go public (and therefore become stable releases), as the project moves forward.

Alongside this, the Patreon program remains our way of bringing you more directly into this adventure, with a few perks that are specific to Patreon support. Here's a quick rundown.

A reminder of Patron perks

All patrons get early access to Recalbox versions, as we just covered (and can join alphas even earlier), along with music playlists, exclusive visual themes in the Theme Manager, optimized scraping, exclusive wallpapers, and dedicated Discord channels. We've also extended the 10% discount to the entire Recalbox shop (previously limited to RGB Dual and RGB JAMMA), on top of discounts with our partners (Tenzen Arcade, Smallcab, Neofid, Red Art Games, Flex Arcade…).

The Patreon space also gives you access to exclusive content: early-access videos, behind-the-scenes reports, and tutorials on new features rolled out in Patron versions

Tier 1 "Player Supporter": our apéro lives have become Recal'Talks, now open to all patrons — a video call held roughly every two months with Patrons and the Recalbox team to present ongoing projects and chat on Discord.

Tiers 2 "Power Up" and 3 "Ultimate Edition": the Card Reader and its RecalCards, announced at the end of 2025, offer a new way to play with a real physical touch. Tier 2 and 3 patrons receive exclusive RecalCards collectibles every two months (16 cards for season 1: one per shipment for Tier 2 patrons, three for Tier 3 patrons). If you subscribe mid-season, you'll still start your collection at RecalCard #1. Note: shipments outside France are grouped into a single annual delivery, and starting August 2026, annual subscribers will receive their full batch in a single shipment (6 cards for Tier 2, 18 for Tier 3).

On the scraping side, we've also boosted our servers: a premium "Power Up" server for Tier 2 patrons, and an "Ultimate" server for Tier 3 patrons, to scrape your game library at a speed that would make Sonic blush.

Thanks again for your support and your messages throughout the year!

Recalbox Patreon