I am pleased to announce the launch of AROS Portable Games, a special distribution of AROS designed with retro gamers in mind. The system runs without installation, without modifying your hard drive and without the need for dedicated hardware - all you need is a USB 3.0 flash drive.

Download the system and view the installation guide:
https://aros.games

What does AROS Portable Games offer?

- boots directly from a USB stick (UEFI, x86_64),
- a ready-to-use graphical environment upon launch,
- an experience similar to running on native hardware,
- a set of emulators and configurations tailored for retro gamers,
- the ability to run games from the Amiga, consoles and arcade machines.

The system is based on an AROS build prepared by Deadwood (ABIv11, 20250418-1 U3) and includes additional themes, configurations and selected programmes prepared by Retrofaza.

Hardware requirements:

- x86_64 computer,
- USB 3.0 (host + USB stick),
- UEFI,
- virtualisation enabled in BIOS/UEFI (Intel VT‑x / AMD‑V).

To prepare the USB stick, simply write the image to a >16 GB drive, e.g. using Rufus (Windows).

If you like the project, please consider supporting the AROS developers:

Kalamatee:
PayPal: kalamatee@gmail.com
Ko‑Fi: https://ko-fi.com/kalamatee

Deadwood:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/4deadwood

Please feel free to test it and share your feedback!

My most powerful computer is being repaired, I will not fail to donate as soon as I can

Awesome idea, the kind that attracts new users. I just would like to suggest that you add a list of the games included (specially for forums and social media) so potential viewers get more interested

That’s exactly the goal: to reach new users. The image contains only free games, so as not to violate any licenses. But for Amiga games, for example, there’s a scripted AmigaGuide from which you can launch any game using WHDLoad (it downloads automatically from the internet).

https://www.youtu...dbUYfWpDkw

Retrofaza, you’ve done a great job. I noticed you’ve included VICE 64-bit – could I have a copy to put on AROS One 64-bit? Thanks! I wanted to copy it from your distro but I couldn’t figure out how to mount a second USB stick!

Sure, you can put whatever you like on the AROS One.

The second USB stick should be detected without any problems (at least that’s the case on the few computers I’ve tested it on). If it isn’t detected, try a different USB stick or USB port.

If you still can’t copy it, let me know, and I’ll pack Vice separately and send you a link.

@retrofaza

Thanks, I’ve found a few USB sticks that were on display, and I’ve copied the Vice, FBNeo and WHDLoad guides, which will be integrated into the new AROS One!

I’ve created some new AROS One style icons and updated the FBNeo logo to the latest version – see the screenshot. If you need the icons and the logo, I can attach them here.

In the upcoming AROS.games update, you’ll find a new port of the Pico8 game emulator. Here’s what it looks like so far:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JneouoJEsUY

Which emulators do you think are still missing? What would be worth porting?