How To : Play Sony PlayStation 1 With RetroArch Using The Duck Station Core

[Mark Norville]

First : Make sure that you have the bios files needed in Retro Arch\System
Second : Make sure that you have installed the Duck Station core and pointed to your PS 1 roms.
Third : Do a test load from within RetroArch to make sure that the rom loads.

Fourth : In Attract Mode

Executable : Point to your RA set up folder making sure you use retroarch.exe at the end (always check skelling errors) In my case C:\Emulators\RetroArch\retroarch.exe
Arguments : -L "cores\duckstation_libretro.dll" "[romfilename]"
Rom Extensions : .zip;.chd;.bin and whatever else you have, if you only have .chd then no need for all the rest

All your other paths for art etc will be from your end so waste of time me listing those lot

Fifth : If things do not work, go back and check for any spelling mistakes, that you have added the .exe or ;

Hope this helps someone out, and saves having to go through a long list of threads just to get to one emulator. I think the other lists use expse or however you spell it and not RA.

Just to add if you do get any errors if you are using zip files, these might need to be unpacked or another PS1 core to be used.

Regards

Mark

[Pips NYT]

If the game doesn't run, check:

Is the path correct? (Is there a case misspelled, or a missing slash)

Is there an .exe at the end of the RetroArch path?

Is there a ; between file extensions?

Is the BIOS name and directory correct?

[jakabasej8]

If the game doesn't run, check: https://www.fmctel.com/sl/opticni-kabli

Is the path correct? (Is there a case misspelled, or a missing slash)

Is there an .exe at the end of the RetroArch path?

Is there a ; between file extensions?

Is the BIOS name and directory correct?

Good checklist, but users should be aware that the DuckStation core is now called SwanStation in the RetroArch downloader

[Emdooper]

Mark, thanks for the detailed guide! Setting up emulators can be a real pain, especially with all the different file types and pathing. It's super helpful to have everything laid out so clearly. Sometimes, when I'm frustrated with getting everything configured just right, I need a break and just want to destroy something! Solar Smash

[bekeanloinse56]

I followed your steps and got DuckStation running fine in RetroArch after double-checking the BIOS location and the exact retroarch.exe path (that was my mistake at first). Doing a test load directly in RetroArch before setting it up in Attract Mode was key.
Also appreciate the note about ZIP files — unpacking them fixed a black screen issue I was having. For anyone stuck, definitely recheck spelling, semicolons between extensions, and make sure the DuckStation core is actually selected.

2v2 io