romm5
romm5
romm5 turns your Apple TV into a native front end for the RomM server you already run. Pair in seconds with a QR code, browse your collection from the couch, and press Play with the controller in your hand — your games never leave your own network.
Apple TV first · iPhone & iPad to follow
romm5 on Apple TV — your server's library, made for the ten-foot screen. Screenshots show freely licensed homebrew games.
Before you install
romm5 is a third-party client for RomM, the free, open-source, self-hosted ROM manager. Without a RomM server on your network, romm5 has nothing to show — it will not work at all. RomM versions before 5 are not supported.
Self-host RomM version 5 or newer on your NAS, home server, or homelab. New to RomM? Start with the official docs.
romm5 finds RomM on your network, then shows a QR code and a short code. Approve it from your phone or computer — your RomM password is never typed on the TV.
Pick a game, and romm5 fetches it from your server on demand. romm5 includes no games, no firmware, and no cloud — your library is entirely your own.
Entering passwords with a TV remote is nobody's idea of fun. romm5 discovers RomM on your network automatically, then pairs the way streaming apps do: scan a QR code or enter a short code on your phone, approve the Apple TV in RomM, and you're in.
RomM keeps your collection organized. romm5 makes it feel like a console.
A native tvOS interface with focus-driven navigation: Continue Playing, Recently Added, Favorites, platforms, and collections — straight from your server.
Press Play and romm5 fetches the game from RomM right then. No file copying, no sideloading, no juggling USB sticks.
tvOS play sessions are cleaned up automatically when you're done — no permanent ROM copies pile up on the box. Your server stays the single source of truth.
Pair a PlayStation, Xbox, or MFi controller and play the way the games were meant to be played. Menus stay navigable with the Siri Remote.
Games run on proven libretro cores compiled from pinned, audited source — never downloaded at runtime. Unsupported titles say so up front instead of failing after a download.
Battery saves sync back to RomM, so progress follows your library — not one device. Unsynced saves are never treated as disposable.
No accounts, no ads, no tracking. Your server address and device token stay on the Apple TV; your library is never inspected or uploaded anywhere. Read the privacy policy.
romm5 speaks RomM 5's documented API, inherits its permissions model, and follows its EmulatorJS platform catalogue for core support.
romm5 will be released as free, open-source software under the GNU AGPL, just like RomM itself. The bundled emulator cores keep their own GPL-family licenses, each credited with full source availability.
The Apple TV experience comes first. Companion iPhone and iPad apps sharing the same pairing and library engine are on the way.
Every platform on your server, one focus-swipe away.
Every game runs on a proven emulator core from the libretro ecosystem, compiled from pinned, audited source and bundled with the app — nothing is ever downloaded at runtime. These are the systems qualified in development today; the exact lineup is published with each release.
Every core above is licensed for commercial redistribution and built from pinned, audited source. Systems that need hardware GPU rendering — Nintendo 64 and PSP — are not supported. Huge thanks to the libretro project and every core's authors — each emulator above links to its source.
romm5 is coming soon to the App Store for Apple TV. In the meantime, get your server ready at romm.app — romm5 requires RomM version 5 or newer.
Want to know when it ships? Email hello@romm.games and we'll tell you — nothing else, ever.