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Low-resolution games can look unusually crisp, hard-edged, or stark on a modern display. A CRT-style shader softens and reshapes the image to imitate selected traits of older televisions—such as scanlines, phosphor patterns, glow, or curvature. In RetroArch, you can try one while a game is running; the best preset depends on your display, hardware, and taste, not on a single universal definition of how games should look.
Why an old game can look different on a modern screen
Many older games were designed for CRT televisions, while emulators display their output on modern screens. A CRT shader is a graphics filter that changes how that output is presented. It can recreate some CRT-like characteristics, but it cannot establish how a particular game looked on every television: CRTs varied, and people disagree about scanlines, sharpness, curvature, and masks.
RetroArch’s shader documentation describes presets as configurable effects and notes that their appearance and requirements vary. Treat a preset as a starting point for a look you enjoy, not as a guaranteed restoration of your own original display. Libretro Docs’ shader introduction explains the shader system and its setup.
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- Start a game. RetroArch’s documented workflow loads a preset from the Quick Menu while content is running.
- Open Quick Menu > Shaders > Load Shader Preset. Select a preset available for your build and video configuration. The official guide gives
shaders_glsl/crt/crt-geom.glslpas an example; that exact path may not be available on every platform or renderer. - If needed, get or update the shader packs. Use Main Menu > Online Updater to download or upgrade them.
- Adjust a parameterized preset. Choose Preview Shader Parameters to tune supported settings, then save the result under a new preset file so you can keep your version.
Menu labels, available presets, and compatibility depend on the RetroArch build, platform, renderer, and configured video driver. RetroArch documents CG, GLSL, and Slang shader languages: CG is deprecated and may be unavailable, GLSL is for OpenGL, and Slang is recommended when available and works with several renderers. Choose a preset format supported by your setup rather than assuming every preset will load everywhere. See the official shader introduction and RetroArch’s shader page.
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Which RetroArch CRT shader should you try first?
These families make different tradeoffs. Start with one whose complexity and style suit your setup, then compare the image in motion as well as in a still frame.
| Preset family | What it offers | Tradeoff or useful starting point |
|---|---|---|
| CRT-Lottes | A general-purpose option with few settings and a good default appearance, according to Libretro. | Try it when you want a relatively simple starting point. Fast and Multipass variants target speed. |
| CRT-Geom | A customizable option that can work at non-integer scales; it is also the example preset in RetroArch’s setup guide. | Try it if you want to adjust the effect. Faster and more elaborate variants are available in the catalog. |
| CRT-Guest | Offers many settings for users who want to tune the look. | The Fast variant reduces requirements; the full option may be more than you need for a first test. |
| CRT-Royale | Extensive control over effects including phosphor masks, scanline beam, bloom, curvature, antialiasing, and other image characteristics. | Libretro describes it as demanding and says it benefits from higher resolutions. Fake-Bloom and Intel variants reduce requirements with tradeoffs. |
| CRT-BlurPi and CRT-Pi | Families aimed at lower-powered Raspberry Pi devices. | CRT-BlurPi includes sharp and soft flavors; its documentation recommends the sharp flavor with integer scaling. |
Descriptions and variants are from Libretro Docs’ CRT shader catalog. Its CRT-Royale documentation details that family’s controls and requirements.
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How to choose and tune the look
Change one thing at a time so you can tell which effect you prefer. These are visual choices, not settings with one objectively correct value.
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- Scanlines and phosphor mask: Decide whether you want these patterns subtle or prominent. A mask changes the texture of the image; scanlines can make dark gaps between lines more visible.
- Sharpness and blending: Compare crisp edges with a softer, more blended image. Too much softness can obscure details; strong sharpening or visible line effects may feel harsh.
- Glow and curvature: Try bloom or curved geometry only if those traits appeal to you. More effects do not automatically mean a more convincing result.
- Scaling and resolution: Integer scaling can help repeat scanline effects evenly, but how a preset handles non-integer scaling varies. CRT-Geom is one family Libretro describes as suitable even at non-integer scales.
- Tuning effort: A preset with few settings is easier to compare quickly; highly customizable families offer more control but take longer to adjust.
- Performance: If a shader runs poorly, choose a faster variant or a family designed for modest hardware instead of assuming the most demanding preset is best.
Libretro’s CRT catalog compares shader families by appearance, scalability, target hardware, and performance. For CRT-Royale’s extensive controls and documented variants, consult its shader documentation.
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If the shader option is missing or does not load
- No presets appear: Check whether shader packs are installed or use Main Menu > Online Updater to download or update them.
- A preset fails to load: Try a shader language and preset compatible with your platform and configured video driver. GLSL, Slang, and CG are not interchangeable across all setups.
- The image looks wrong at your output scale: Try another preset or scaling approach; shader behavior at non-integer scales differs between families.
- Performance suffers: Switch to a faster version or a less demanding family. Libretro documents speed-oriented variants as well as options for lower-powered devices.
For platform- and renderer-dependent details, use the shader setup guide and the CRT shader catalog.
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