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Attract-Mode
What it is
Attract-Mode is a graphical frontend for command-line emulators such as MAME, MESS and Nestopia. It is intended for arcade cabinet setups and control with a joystick, gamepad or spin dial. The project runs on Windows, OS X and Linux, including Raspberry Pi and Odroid, and is open source under the GNU General Public License v3. Users can import game lists, generate lists from emulator directories and set launch commands for individual games. The frontend can retrieve missing game information and artwork from TheGamesDB, Progetto-Snaps and adb.arcadeitalia.net. Controls can be assigned to joystick, keyboard or mouse inputs, including combinations. A built-in configuration menu includes on-screen help, while settings are stored in text files. Layouts can be scripted in Squirrel and customized with themes, animations and GLSL shaders. Media formats supported by FFmpeg are supported, as are SWF files through gameswf. The project also lists Steam support and plug-ins for extending functionality. Pause functionality for returning to the frontend and resuming an emulator is listed for Linux and Windows versions only.
For and against
For
- Free and open source under GNU General Public License v3.
- Supports Windows, OS X and Linux.
- Can create game lists from emulator directories.
- Layouts support themes, animations and GLSL shaders.
- Maps controls to joystick, keyboard or mouse.
Against
- Pause and resume functionality is listed only for Linux and Windows.
- RetroPie availability is described as an experimental package.
- Settings are stored in text files.
The verdict
Attract-Mode offers emulator launching, game-list management and customizable layouts across several systems. Check the pause-function limitation if returning to the frontend during play matters to your setup.
Who it suits
Attract-Mode suits people setting up arcade cabinets or organizing command-line emulator collections with joystick, gamepad or spin-dial controls. It is available across Windows, OS X and Linux.
Plans and prices
Free
full frontend · open source · GPL-3.0-or-later
Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Attract-Mode
Open source · GNU General Public License v3
Read 5 Oct 2026 · attractmode.org
On the record
- AlternativeTo listing
- AlternativeTo shows two likes, zero comments and no user reviews for Attract-Mode.alternativeto.net · read 15 Oct 2026
- Artwork scraping
- Artwork and missing game information can be fetched from TheGamesDB, Progetto-SNAPS and ArcadeItalia databases.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Build dependencies
- Linux and FreeBSD compilation uses GNU C or C++, make, pkg-config, SFML and OpenAL, with optional FFmpeg, Fontconfig, Xinerama and libarchive libraries.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Command-line tools
- The command line supports building and importing romlists, filtering them and selecting output names.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- A built-in configuration menu provides on-screen guidance, while settings can also be edited as text files.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Controls
- Frontend actions can be mapped to joystick, keyboard or mouse inputs, including combinations.attractmode.org · read 5 Oct 2026
- Display hardware
- The software supports multiple monitors, screen rotation or flipping, and automatic rotation to match games.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- Official documentation includes a readme, compilation guide, layouts manual, project wiki and an online layout editor.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Download availability
- The download page lists Windows binaries, an OS X app bundle, Linux source, and source code; it also notes RetroPie availability as an experimental package.attractmode.org · read 5 Oct 2026
- Emulator integration
- Users can configure per-game launch commands, import game lists, and generate lists from emulator directories.attractmode.org · read 5 Oct 2026
- Frontend compatibility
- Hyperspin, MaLa and MameWah layouts can be displayed, although compatibility with other frontends is described as experimental.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Game organization
- Collections can be filtered and sorted by metadata such as year, category, manufacturer, orientation, player count and play history.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Independent comparison
- Unstore characterizes Attract-Mode as a deeply configurable, arcade-focused frontend and lists it as free on Windows, macOS and Linux.de.unstore.io · read 15 Oct 2026
- Input mapping
- Keyboard, mouse and joystick actions can be assigned individually or in combinations.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Latest development
- The GitHub history shows maintainer commits in May 2026 adding LCD-refresh functionality, display dimensions in romlists and new script tag commands.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Latest release changes
- The 2.7.0 release notes mention video-crash fixes, modern FFmpeg updates, removal of the obsolete MameDB scraper and grouped-clone support.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Layout scripting
- Themes and layouts are scripted with the Squirrel language and can be extensively customized.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- License
- Attract-Mode is released under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later.attractmode.org · read 15 Oct 2026
