Recalbox Online: play online with the whole world, with modern comfort and the joy of retro gaming

With Recalbox 11-patron-1, online gaming enters a new dimension. Rooms, lounges, friends, rankings, tournaments, customizable profile, missions: Recalbox Online brings together everything you need to face Recalbox players from around the world, right from the frontend, on the games that defined our youth. This version is currently available in early access for Patrons.

The idea is simple: a modern online experience, with no setup, and all the fun of retro. Here is a complete tour of what Recalbox Online has to offer.

Rooms: a game lounge, a match that starts automatically

A room is a game lounge dedicated to one specific game. Players meet there, wait, and mark themselves as ready or not. As soon as two players are ready (or more when needed, for example with arcade racing games playable by up to 8), the match starts automatically, as if you were sitting side by side on the same couch.

No setup is required: the connection configures itself and everything is automatically optimized to deliver the best possible smoothness. The experience is truly stunning, and it's plug and play, as always with Recalbox.

There are two types of matches:

• training, to play freely, practice or simply have a good time
• ranked, available on supported games, with a ranking system: every match counts, you earn points on each game and climb the ranks.

In ranked mode on HDMI, an overlay displays your username and rank

And on CRT too, in pixel perfect, placed where it's least intrusive

Lounges: meet those who share your passion

Lounges group rooms by theme: arcade, Street Fighter, Capcom, SNES, etc. It's the perfect place to find players who love the same universes as you, or simply to find a room more easily.

Friends: one ID, plenty of playing partners

Every player has their own ID. From the dedicated screen, you can browse your friends list, send requests and manage your contacts. You can invite your friends to play, and a match invitation can even reach you anywhere in the frontend, announced by the legendary "Here comes a new challenger".

Cups: real tournaments with brackets and a grand winner

The cups are real tournaments. You sign up for the event of your choice and indicate your preferred time slot. Each cup has its own bracket (round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, final, for example) and is played at a fixed time or at a time voted on by the players, depending on the tournament.

And if you're not taking part, or if you've been eliminated, you can still follow the action. Matches are streamed live in video, with no limit on the number of spectators. You can enable a notification to be alerted when a match starts and go watch it live, so you can follow the tournament from start to finish. No worries if you miss a match: a replay is available.

Launch a match directly from the game list

No room exists yet and you'd like to create one, or you simply want to start a quick match with a friend? Just highlight the game you want in a system's game list and press the "Recalbox Online" button. You then have three options:

• Open a public room, so anyone can join you;
• Open a private room, protected by a code that only your friends will know;
• Play with a friend (or friends): they receive a notification asking if they'd like to play with you. If they accept, the selected game starts automatically, without creating a room. Perfect for a quick match between friends.

Please note that the systems compatible with Recalbox Online are the Netplay-compatible systems, to which we have added compatibility with the Model 1, 2 and 3 arcade systems, Naomi... and development continues.

A profile that reflects you

This is where you customize the look of your profile: avatar, frame and title. You'll also find your badges and everything you've earned during the challenges.

If you're a Patron, you can also view your Patron badges, the RecalCards you've unlocked and your music playlists.

Recalbox Challenges: missions to earn rewards

The Recalbox Challenges, which you already know from Recalbox 10.1, now integrate Recalbox Online and step up to (yet) another level. In addition to the existing challenges, new missions appear:

• Individual missions, to take on at your own pace;
• Community missions, to complete all together.

They let you earn avatars, profile frames, titles, badges, but also Recoins, Recalbox's virtual currency. These Recoins can be exchanged in the virtual shop for cosmetic items (avatars, frames, titles...) to customize your profile.

We want to be perfectly clear: Recoins are a purely virtual currency that cannot be bought with real money. We're keeping things fun: the joy of playing, taking on challenges and customizing your profile.

Modern comfort, retro fun

Our goal is to offer you a modern online experience, like on today's consoles and games, but with the games of our childhood. Whether it's the interface, ease of use or online smoothness, our motto is to deliver an online experience that will change the way you approach retrogaming.

Recalbox Online is available right now in early access for Patrons: this temporary exclusivity allows us to thank our patrons for their support and also to test the Recalbox Online service before a large-scale launch in the coming months under optimal conditions. If you're a Patron, try it out, play online and, above all, tell us what you think. Your feedback is valuable.

See you online very soon.

Enjoying the work of the Recalbox team? Support the project by becoming a Patron!