The Neo Geo is a cartridge-based arcade system board and home video game console released by SNK in 1990.

• Neo Geo Roms Emuparadise
• Neo Geo Emulator And Roms
• Neo Geo Roms Retropie Downloads
• Neo Geo Roms Sets

See also: FinalBurn Neo, MAME.

There are a variety of arcade emulators available in RetroPie which can emulate Neo Geo games. There are significant differences in performance, compatibility, and configuration between them. If you're getting started with arcade emulation, start by reading Arcade.

CoolROM.com's Neo Geo ROMs section. Browse: Top ROMs - By Letter - By Genre. Mobile optimized. Free ROMs download for GB, GBC, GBA, NDS, N64, NES, SNES, Sega, Atari and more. No hidden viruses, just download your ROM and ISO files and play them using an emulator. Neo Geo Rom Set Download; The Neo Geo is a cartridge-based arcade system board and home video game console released by SNK in 1990. See also: FinalBurn Alpha, MAME. There are a variety of arcade emulators available in RetroPie which can emulate Neo Geo games. There are significant differences in performance, compatibility, and configuration.

This page is a resource for additional details on configuring a dedicated set of Neo Geo ROMs including configuration paths, controls, and the ROM sets which each emulator requires.

RetroPie Project Documentation. Emulators: lr-fbneo, lr-fbalpha2012, PiFBA, GnGeo-Pi Refer to the main FinalBurn Neo page for general information on all FinalBurn emulators or the direct links above for in-depth infomation on lr-fbneo, lr-fbalpha2012, or PiFBA.

Emulators: lr-fbneo, lr-fbalpha2012, PiFBA, GnGeo-Pi

Refer to the main FinalBurn Neo page for general information on all FinalBurn emulators or the direct links above for in-depth infomation on lr-fbneo, lr-fbalpha2012, or PiFBA. In-depth information on GnGeo-Pi can be found below, which is also linked directly above.

lr-fbneo is the prefered Pi 3/Pi 2 Neo Geo emulator due to its accuracy.

lr-fbalpha2012 is useful for any games that may be running slow in the latest version of lr-fbneo for a Pi 3/Pi 2, and if used exclusively instead of lr-fbneo will allow you to do full system updates without worrying about needing to update your ROM Set, but comes at the cost of inaccuracy such as games having audio issues across the entire library and other issues that have been fixed in the latest version of lr-fbalpha.

PiFBA is recommended for those on a Pi 0 or Pi 1.

ROMS

Accepted File Extensions: .7z .zip

Place Neo Geo ROMs in:

BIOS

Neo Geo ROMs require a neogeo.zip BIOS file with the exact same MAME or FB Neo version as the emulator you select. Place the correct neogeo.zip with your ROMs in:

Instructions on how to install the Neo Geo Unibios on lr-neo can be found here: lr-fbalpha Neo Geo Bios. The Unibios can be used as documented on the official page at http://unibios.free.fr/howitworks.html.

• On the Unibios boot screen
  • Neo Geo A+B+C (RetroPad B+A+Y) for BIOS Menu
  • Neo Geo B+C+D (RetroPad A+Y+X) for Test Menu
• At any time
  • Neo Geo Start+A+B+C (RetroPad Start+B+A+Y) for In-Game Menu

The menus allow you to change various settings like region, dip switch settings for gameplay options like difficulty or blood, and coin or free play settings. Unibios settings will persist after quitting FBA, launching another Neo Geo game, or rebooting RetroPie.

Controls

You will configure controls differently depending on which emulator you use:

lr-fbneo and lr-fbalpha2012

lr-fbneo and lr-fbalpha2012 utilise RetroArch configs. Add custom RetroArch controls to the retroarch.cfg file in:

For more information on custom RetroArch controls see: RetroArch Configuration

PiFBA

PiFBA controls are located in:

As there is no menu to configure controllers with PiFBA, like there is with Mame4all, you'll have to edit the aforementioned file manually.

Example fba2x.cfg:

GnGeo-Pi

MAME Version: 0.138 (May 2010)
Romsets emulated: 203
GnGeo-Pi DAT File: pandora_gngeo_084_dat.zip
GnGeo-Pi Filtered DAT File: pandora_gngeo_084_filtered.zipAll clones non-workingmahjongquiz removed
Romsets emulated: 128

As a caveat, if you're using _gngeo-pi__, the ROMs you have must match the file in gngeo_data.zip located at:

You can only play roms that have the same name as these .drv files, e.g. mslug2.zip (rom) and mslug2.drv (data). If the names of these files don't match, GnGeo-Pi will crash. (see the list at the bottom of this page for compatible ROMs)

GnGeo-Pi Controls

Once you've started GnGeo-Pi at least once a file called gngeorc will be created in:

Example Configuration:

List of GnGeo-Pi ROMS:

MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. MAME can emulate thousands of games that otherwise would have been lost in the ash-heaps of history.

See Also: FinalBurn-Neo, Neo Geo

There are a variety of arcade emulator versions available in RetroPie. There are significant differences in performance, compatibility, and configuration between them. If you're getting started with an arcade emulation project, begin by reading the Arcade page.

This page is a resource for additional details on RetroPie's MAME emulators including configuration paths, controls, and the ROM sets which each emulator requires.

MAME ROM paths

Three of the available MAME ROM paths in RetroPie are shared directories which are used by more than one emulator: arcade, mame-libretro, mame-advmame. In order to successfully load zipped ROM sets in these locations you must specify the arcade emulator version which matches your ROMs.

To avoid having several menus for different arcade emulators, all arcade-based ROMs can be placed in the arcade ROM folder, but you will have to specify which emulator each zipped ROM set will use from the Runcommand Menu.

Emulators

mame4all-pi

MAME Version: 0.37b5 (July 2000)

Active Sets: 2241

• BIOS: 1
• CHDs: 0
• Samples: 35

• 1126 Parent Roms
• 1025 Clones Roms
• 129 NeoGeo Roms (Parent+Clone)

MAME 0.37b5 DAT File: mame4all-037b5-RetroPie-260.dat

MAME 0.37b5 XML File: mame4all-no-clones-no-neogeo Does not include clones or NeoGeo romsets.

Controls

While in a game press Tab to open the menu to set up controls. The MAME4ALL configuration is saved in:

Other files in the cfg directory are ROM specific configs.

Note: If configuration or other aspect of the configuration need resetting to defaults, remove the default.cfg or ROM specific .cfg file, and it will be re-created with default values next time MAME4ALL is started or the ROM configuration modified.

lr-mame2000 (MAME 2000)

MAME Version: 0.37b5 (July 2000)

Active Sets: 2241

• BIOS: 1
• CHDs: 0
• Samples: 35

MAME 0.37b5 DAT File: mame4all-037b5-RetroPie-260.zip

MAME 0.37b5 'Lite' DAT File: mame4all-no-clones-no-neogeo - Does not include clones or NeoGeo romsets.

Controls

MAME 2000 uses RetroArch control configuration. Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

lr-mame2003 (MAME 2003)

Please see MAME 2003 on RetroPie for information on how to configure specific features of this emulator.

MAME Version: 0.78 (December 2003)

Active Sets: 4705

• BIOS: 15
• CHDs: 30
• Samples: 56

Neo Geo Roms Emuparadise

MAME 0.78 XML DAT File: MAME 0.78.dat

MAME 0.78u5 DAT File: mame2003-lr-working-no-clones - Working romsets only. Does not include clones.

MAME 0.78u5 'Lite' DAT File: mame2003-lr-lite - Working romsets only. Does not include: clones, NeoGeo, PlayChoice NES/multiplay, romsets with rotary/dial/trackball/light gun controls, or romsets classified as casino/quiz/mahjong/fruit_machines/rhythm/mature.

Mame 2003 catver.ini also contains data on games definitively known not to work, as well as sorting data for mature games and other, less desirable, romsets.

Controls

MAME 2003-Plus uses both RetroArch control configuration and the MAME input configuration menu (accessible by pressing Tab). Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

lr-mame2003-plus (MAME 2003-Plus)

MAME 2003-Plus (also referred to as MAME 2003+ and mame2003-plus) is a libretro arcade system emulator core with an emphasis on high performance and broad compatibility with mobile devices, single board computers, embedded systems, and similar platforms.

In order to take advantage of the performance and lower hardware requirements of an earlier MAME architecture, MAME 2003-Plus began with the MAME 2003 codebase, which is itself derived from xmame 0.78. Upon that base, MAME 2003-Plus contributors have back-ported support for several hundred additional games as well as other functionality not originally present in MAME 0.78.

Please see the libretro MAME 2003-Plus core documentation for information on how to configure specific features of this emulator.

MAME Version: 0.78-0.188 (MAME 0.78 as a baseline with other ROMs back-ported from later MAME romsets)

Active Sets: 4850

• BIOS: 15
• CHDs: 30
• Samples: 66 + 6 Optional 'Soundtrack Samples'

MAME 2003-Plus DAT File: Github project page. An XML 'DAT' file can be generated from the emulator, directly from the MAME menu.

The MAME 2003-Plus catver.ini also contains data on games definitively known not to work, as well as sorting data for mature games or other, less desirable, romsets.

Controls

MAME 2003-Plus uses both RetroArch control configuration and the MAME input configuration menu (accessible by pressing Tab). Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

Some notes about extra controls options and configuration available in MAME 2003-Plus:

• MAME 2003-Plus can use different RetroPad layouts, chosen with the Device Type configuration option in the Controls menu in RetroArch:
  • Classic Gamepad, based on mainline MAME's default Xbox 360 controller layout, likely to suit DualShock or SNES-style gamepads.
  • Modern Fightstick, a fight stick and pad layout popularised by Street Fighter IV and assumes an 8+ button controller.
  • 6-Button, a layout intended for SNES-type RetroPad controls as well as 6-button arcade panels arcade panels.
  • 8-Button, a layout intended for an arcade panel (8 buttons)

• MAME 2003-Plus maps the analog controls to joystick control by default, instead of the D-Pad. This can be changed from the Core Options, switching the Control mapping option to digital.

• MAME 2003-Plus disables the MAME menu by default (usually mapped to Tab). It can be enabled by changing the Input interfaceCore Option to simultaneous.

lr-mame2010 (MAME 2010)

MAME Version: 0.139 (August 2010)

Active Sets: 8782

• BIOS: 67
• CHDs: 406
• Samples: 70 (4 more samples are not in circulation)

MAME 0.139 DAT File: MAME 0.139.dat

Controls

Neo Geo Emulator And Roms

MAME 2010 uses RetroArch control configuration. Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

Default Player 1 and 2 Controls

Default Player 3 and 4 Controls

Native MAME UI Controls

Note: these controls are only operational for Player 1

lr-mame2015 (MAME 2015)

Note: This emulator is considered 'experimental' in RetroPie and has limited functionality. It requires more processing power than earlier MAME versions and will not run as many games at full speed on Raspberry Pi hardware.

MAME Version: 0.160

Active Sets: ??

• BIOS: ??
• CHDs: ??
• Samples: ?? (4 more samples are not in circulation)

MAME 0.160 DAT File: ProgettoSnaps MAME .dat page

Controls

MAME 2015 uses RetroArch control configuration. Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

lr-mame2016 (MAME 2016)

Note: This emulator is considered 'experimental' in RetroPie and has limited functionality. It requires more processing power than earlier MAME versions and will not run as many games at full speed on Raspberry Pi hardware.

MAME Version: 0.174

Active Sets: ??

• BIOS: ??
• CHDs: ??
• Samples: ?? (4 more samples are not in circulation)

MAME 0.174 DAT File: ProgettoSnaps MAME .dat page

Controls

MAME 2016 uses RetroArch control configuration. Custom Retroarch controls can be added to the retroarch.cfg file in

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg

AdvanceMAME 0.94

MAME Version: MAME 0.94 (March 2005)

Active Sets: 5563

• BIOS: 25
• CHDs: ?
• Samples: ?

AdvanceMAME 0.94 DAT File: advmame-0.94-RetroPie-260.7z

Controls

Neo Geo Roms Retropie Downloads

While in a game, press Tab to open the menu and set up controls. AdvanceMAME configuration for controls is stored in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame-0.94.0.rc. Changes to specific games result in .rc file entries with a prefix for the ROM (i.e. bwidow/input_map[p1_doubleleft_up] keyboard[0,up] for the bwidow game).

Note: The .rc file can also be edited manually, with a text editor. Any config can be made ROM-specific using a romname/ prefix which is handy for overriding a setting for a specific ROM or class of ROMs, such as vertical/. However, a single mistake in the .rc file will stop AdvanceMAME from launching. It is always best to make a backup of the configuration file before manual edits.

AdvanceMAME 1.4

MAME Version: MAME 0.106 (May 2006)

Active Sets: 6166

• BIOS: 26
• CHDs: 86
• Samples: 64 (3 more samples are not in circulation)

AdvanceMAME 1.4 DAT File: advmame12-106.7z

Controls

While in a game press Tab to open the menu to set up controls. AdvanceMAME configuration for controls is stored in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame-1.4.rc. Changes to specific games result in .rc file entries with a prefix for the ROM (i.e. bwidow/input_map[p1_doubleleft_up] keyboard[0,up])

Note: The .rc file can also be edited manually. Any config can be made ROM-specific using a romname/ prefix which is handy for overriding a setting for a specific ROM or class of ROMs, such as vertical/. However, a single mistake in the .rc file will stop AdvanceMAME from launching. It is always best to make a backup of the configuration file before manual edits.

AdvanceMAME 3

MAME Version: MAME 0.106 (May 2006)

Active Sets: 6166

• BIOS: 26
• CHDs: 86
• Samples: 64 (3 more samples are not in circulation)

AdvanceMAME 3 DAT File: same as AdvanceMAME 1.4, see above.

Controls

While in a game, press Tab to open the menu and set up the controls. AdvanceMAME configuration for controls is stored in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame.rc. Changes to specific games result in .rc file entries with a prefix for the ROM (i.e. bwidow/input_map[p1_doubleleft_up] keyboard[0,up])

Note: The .rc file can be edited manually. Any config can be made ROM-specific using a romname/ prefix, which is handy for overriding a setting for a specific ROM or class of ROMs, such as vertical/. However, a single mistake in the .rc file will stop AdvanceMAME from launching. It is always best to make a backup of the advmame.rc file before manual edits.

MAME

Note: This emulator is considered 'experimental' in RetroPie. It requires more processing power than earlier MAME versions and will not run as many games at full speed on Raspberry Pi hardware.

MAME Version: MAME has monthly versioned releases, there is no single version. Version 0.221 was released for May 2020, 0.222 for June 2020, etc.
Installing from binary will probably get a version that's a little behind the current MAME, installing from source will always get the latest monthly release.

NOTE: installing from source requires a lot of RAM and CPU power, on Pi3 and lower end systems could take more than one day - use the binary release when available, instead of installing from source.

Neo Geo Roms Sets

MAME Dat Files: ProgettoSnaps MAME .dat page has versions for each MAME release.

Active Sets: ???

Controls

While in a game, press Tab to open the MAME menu, then choose the Input configuration. MAME controls configuration is saved in /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame/cfg :

• default/general input configuration file is default.cfg
• per-game configurations are saved in <romname>.cfg

lr-mame

Note: This emulator is considered 'experimental' in RetroPie. It requires more processing power than earlier MAME versions and will not run as many games at full speed on Raspberry Pi hardware.

MAME Version: Similar to MAME, lr-mame follows the monthtly MAME releases, so there is no single version. Installing from binary will probably get a version that's a little behind the current MAME, but the upstream Libretro repository tries to keep up with MAME's monthly releases, so installing from source

NOTE: installing from source requires a lot of RAM and CPU power, on Pi3 and lower end systems could take more than a day. Use the binary release when available.

MAME Dat Files: ProgettoSnaps MAME .dat page has versions for each MAME release.

Active Sets: ???

Controls

lr-mame uses the RetroArch control configuration.

• /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg
• /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg