How I turned my Apple TV 4K into a retro gaming powerhouse

Although the Apple TV 4K is mostly known as a streaming device, it’s capable of a lot more than that. Streaming devices are getting more powerful with every iteration, and Apple’s box has access to Apple Arcade. While you can’t play the latest AAA titles, it’s still a capable little machine.

The Apple TV 4K isn’t a powerhouse that can run the latest cutting-edge games natively, but it can handle titles through emulation or streaming. If you want to relive some of the classics without having to track down the original hardware, something that’s becoming harder and harder by the day, you can do that on the Apple TV 4K. There are a few different avenues you can take depending on your situation. Whatever path you take, you’ll be up and running in no time. You don’t have to hack your Apple TV at all either as everything listed here works on your base device.

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Apple TV 4K (2022)

Brand: Apple
Bluetooth codecs: 5.0
Wi-Fi: 6
Ethernet: Gigabit (128GB model only)
Storage and RAM: 64GB, 128GB

1 Download the Steam Link app

Stream from your Steam library

Steam/Pocket-lint

While things like the Steam Deck are all the rage, previously, the only way to play games from your Steam library elsewhere was to use the Steam Link app. Instead of running games natively from your device, Steam Link is an app that streams games from your Steam library. The games run off your PC, so it needs to be on for it to work.

You also need to make sure you have a good internet connection, so plugging in an ethernet cord is generally a good idea if you have an Apple TV 4K that allows for one. Steam has a large library of retro games, and this is actually a way you can play modern games on your Apple TV if you’d like. The only thing you need to be sure of is your PC being beefy enough to run the game in the first place.

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2 Utilize Apple Arcade

Loads of retro games on display

Apple Arcade has a unique blend of games available. A good example of this is Retro Bowl, a sort of recreation of the classic Tecmo Bowl video game. There are options from classic franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog and Rayman as well.

While it’s not exactly retro in the sense of a game that was released back in the ’80s or ’90s, Apple Arcade also gives you access to games like Angry Birds, a game that’s now somehow 15 years old. You can get a free trial to see if you like it, but Apple Arcade is $6.99 a month after the trial ends.

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3 Browse the App Store

Lots of good picks

If you want to actually own some of your games, you can buy some from the App Store. There are quite a few options that are available that’ll run on your Apple TV 4K. Some of my favorites include the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, but there’s a lot more out there than that.

The only thing you need to make sure ahead of time is compatibility. This won’t be much of a problem if you do your shopping directly from the Apple TV since you know things you buy there will run on it. The newer generation of Apple TV 4Ks are more powerful, but even you first generation device can handle gaming.

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4 Use RetroArch

Not as simple as the other choices

iPhones, a PS1, and a PS1 controller on a futuristic background.

RetroArch is a very popular choice for people looking to emulate their games, but it requires some research to get everything set up. Instead of installing a game directly from the App Store or streaming something, you have to download specific cores for the console you want to emulate.

If you’re fine with that research, you have access to all sorts of consoles ranging from the N64 and PS1 to the Atari 2600 and Game Boy. It can be a headache to set up, and that applies to using this app on any platform, but it’s all worth it in the end. It’s also a nice time to have an Apple TV 4K with a lot of additional storage because you can quickly fill it up with games if you like to try out a bunch of genres at once.

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5 Don’t forget to use your controllers

The Apple TV 4K supports third-party controllers

Kamil S on Unsplash

A highly underrated feature about the Apple TV 4K is the ability to connect your gaming controllers. This means your Xbox and PlayStation controllers can be used to play your favorite games. If you don’t already have a controller lying around, it’s in your best interest to pick one up, and you can find some cheap ones if you hit the used market.

The connection is done through Bluetooth and only takes a matter of seconds. Once the initial setup is complete, you can fire up a game and start playing right away. It doesn’t matter what controller you pick as the inputs will change accordingly.