Video Games (Consumer) — Overview
The consumer / player-side counterpart to Game Development — emulators, launchers, streaming, mods, speedrunning, retro hardware, accessibility.
The "I want to play" side of gaming. The developer-shaped counterpart lives at Game Development overview (and below: 3D engines, 2D engines, etc.). Recurring cross-links from this section: Live Streaming Software (OBS), Streaming Overlays & Alerts, Real-time Video, Pi Classic Projects, Pi OS Distributions.
The 2024–26 inflection points, in one paragraph: Nintendo's litigation campaign sunset Yuzu / Citra / Ryujinx in 2024 — the community forked everything (Suyu, Sudachi, Citron, Lime3DS, Strato). Steam Deck OLED + EmuDeck + Decky Loader have made Linux handheld retro gaming the default. Sunshine + Moonlight replaced NVIDIA GameStream and is now the FOSS self-host streaming default. EU DMA + Apple's April 2024 policy reversal made iOS emulators (Delta, PPSSPP, RetroArch) legal. Hall-effect controllers (8BitDo, GuliKit) crossed into mainstream. Wabbajack modlist culture dominates Bethesda modding. Mister FPGA is the enthusiast retro pinnacle. Backloggd + IsThereAnyDeal + HowLongToBeat are the default tracking trio.
Sub-pages
Emulators
- Emulators (Multi-system Frontends) — RetroArch, Batocera, ES-DE, OpenEmu.
- Emulators (Nintendo) — Dolphin, Cemu, melonDS, mGBA, Mesen + post-lawsuit Switch / 3DS forks.
- Emulators (Sony) — DuckStation, PCSX2, RPCS3, Vita3K, PPSSPP.
- Emulators (Sega / Xbox / Arcade / DOS / vintage PC) — Flycast, xenia, MAME, FB Neo, ScummVM, DOSBox Staging, 86Box.
- ROM Management & Metadata — ClrMamePro, RomVault, Skraper, Steam ROM Manager.
PC gaming stack
- PC Game Launchers — Steam, Heroic, Lutris, Playnite, Bottles.
- Linux Gaming, SteamOS & Steam Deck — SteamOS, Bazzite, EmuDeck, Decky Loader, Proton-GE, ProtonDB.
- Cloud Gaming Services — GeForce Now, xCloud, PS Plus Premium, Shadow PC.
- Self-Host Game Streaming — Sunshine + Moonlight + Steam Remote Play.
- Cloud Saves & Backup — Ludusavi.
Mods
- Mods & Mod Managers — Nexus, Vortex, MO2, Thunderstore, r2modman, BepInEx.
- Bethesda Modlists & Wabbajack — Lorerim, Nordic Souls, Living Skyrim.
Speedrunning, tracking, achievements
- Speedrunning & TAS Tools — LiveSplit, Splits.io, BizHawk, libTAS, Speedrun.com.
- Game Tracking, Wishlists & Price Alerts — Backloggd, HowLongToBeat, IsThereAnyDeal.
- SteamDB & Steam Stats Tools — SteamDB, Augmented Steam, Steam250.
- Achievements & RetroAchievements — RetroAchievements, Exophase, TrueAchievements.
Hardware & input
- Controllers & Accessories — Xbox / DualSense / 8BitDo / GuliKit / Backbone.
- Controller Mapping (Consumer) — Steam Input, DS4Windows, DSX, AntiMicroX, reWASD.
- Local & Couch Co-op Multiplayer — Steam Remote Play Together, Parsec, RetroArch netplay.
Retro hardware
- Mister FPGA & Analogue — Mister, Analogue Pocket / Super Nt / Mega Sg.
- Retro Handhelds & Modern Gaming Handhelds — Steam Deck OLED, ROG Ally, Anbernic, Retroid, Miyoo.
- Retro Handheld Custom Firmware — OnionOS, MinUI, muOS, Knulli, AmberELEC.
- Retro Scaling — OSSC, RetroTINK, Reshade — OSSC, RetroTINK 5X / 4K.
- Console Modding & Homebrew — Atmosphère, Luma3DS, Wii Homebrew, PSP / Vita CFW.
Soundtracks & preservation
- Game Music & Soundtracks — Bandcamp, KHInsider, OverClocked Remix.
- Game Preservation & Archive — Internet Archive, Video Game History Foundation, MAME.
Stores, social, mobile, accessibility, legal
- DRM-Free Stores & Subscription Services — GOG, itch.io, Game Pass, Apple Arcade.
- Social VR & Sandbox Worlds — VRChat, Resonite, Rec Room, Garry's Mod, Roblox.
- Mobile Gaming & Mobile Emulators — Delta, AltStore PAL, PPSSPP, NetherSX2.
- Game Accessibility — Xbox Adaptive Controller, AbleGamers, SpecialEffect, Game Accessibility Nexus.
- Game Legal Nuance — ROM legality, Nintendo lawsuits, EU DMA — honest, not legal advice.
Quick map by player type
- Steam Deck owner setting up retro: EmuDeck → Decky Loader → Steam ROM Manager → RetroAchievements.
- Skyrim modder: MO2 → LOOT → Wabbajack modlists → Ludusavi for save backup.
- Nintendo-emulator-curious post-2024: Nintendo emulators (forks: Suyu, Sudachi, Lime3DS) — read Game legal nuance first.
- Speedrunner: LiveSplit → Speedrun.com → Live Streaming Software + Streaming Overlays & Alerts.
- Cloud gamer: GeForce Now for paid; Sunshine + Moonlight for self-host.
- Retro purist: Mister FPGA → OSSC / RetroTINK → real CRT.
- Pocketable retro on a budget: Anbernic / Miyoo / Powkiddy + OnionOS / muOS.
- iPhone retro since 2024: Delta + PPSSPP + RetroArch.
- VR social user: VRChat / Resonite / Rec Room.
- Tracker / completionist: Backloggd + HowLongToBeat + IsThereAnyDeal + Exophase.
- Accessibility-first: Xbox Adaptive Controller + Game Accessibility Nexus + Steam Input.
Pick this if…
- Just exploring: start at Multi-system emulators and PC launchers.
- Already deep: see Mister FPGA, Wabbajack, Speedrunning.
- Steam Deck-specific deep dive: Linux / SteamOS / Deck.
- Builder side: see Game Development.