diff --git a/nixos/tests/retroarch.nix b/nixos/tests/retroarch.nix
index d13ed074b9c9..ac03cbffefea 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/retroarch.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/retroarch.nix
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import ./make-test-python.nix (
         services.xserver.enable = true;
         services.xserver.desktopManager.retroarch = {
           enable = true;
-          package = pkgs.retroarchBare;
+          package = pkgs.retroarch-bare;
         };
         services.xserver.displayManager = {
           sddm.enable = true;
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/README.md b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/README.md
similarity index 67%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/README.md
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/README.md
index 1a1fec0ed1d1..ca494d29e8a9 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/README.md
+++ b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/README.md
@@ -8,27 +8,25 @@ packages.
 The basic steps to add a new core are:
 
 1. Add a new core using `mkLibretroCore` function (use one of the existing
-   files as an example)
+   cores as an example)
 2. Add your new core to [`default.nix`](./default.nix) file
 3. Try to build your core with `nix-build -A libretro.<core>`
 
 ## Using RetroArch with cores
 
 To create a custom RetroArch derivation with the cores you want (instead of
-using `retroarchFull` that includes all cores), you can use `.override` like
+using `retroarch-full` that includes all cores), you can use `.withCores` like
 this:
 
 ```nix
 { pkgs, ... }:
 
 let
-  retroarchWithCores = (pkgs.retroarch.override {
-    cores = with pkgs.libretro; [
-      bsnes
-      mgba
-      quicknes
-    ];
-  });
+  retroarchWithCores = (pkgs.retroarch.withCores (cores: with cores; [
+    bsnes
+    mgba
+    quicknes
+  ]));
 in
 {
   environment.systemPackages = [
@@ -36,3 +34,5 @@ in
   ];
 }
 ```
+
+For advanced customization, see `wrapRetroArch` wrapper.
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/atari800.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/atari800.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/atari800.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/atari800.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-gba.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-gba.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-gba.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-gba.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-lynx.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-lynx.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-lynx.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-lynx.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-ngp.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-ngp.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-ngp.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-ngp.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-pce-fast.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-pce-fast.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-pce-fast.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-pce-fast.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-pce.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-pce.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-pce.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-pce.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-pcfx.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-pcfx.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-pcfx.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-pcfx.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-psx.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-psx.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-psx.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-psx.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-saturn.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-saturn.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-saturn.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-saturn.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-supafaust.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-supafaust.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-supafaust.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-supafaust.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-supergrafx.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-supergrafx.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-supergrafx.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-supergrafx.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-vb.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-vb.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-vb.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-vb.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-wswan.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-wswan.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/beetle-wswan.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/beetle-wswan.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/blastem.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/blastem.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/blastem.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/blastem.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/bluemsx.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/bluemsx.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/bluemsx.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/bluemsx.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/bsnes-hd.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/bsnes-hd.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/bsnes-hd.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/bsnes-hd.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/bsnes-mercury.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/bsnes-mercury.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/bsnes-mercury.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/bsnes-mercury.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/bsnes.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/bsnes.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/bsnes.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/bsnes.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/citra.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/citra.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/citra.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/citra.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/desmume.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/desmume.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/desmume.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/desmume.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/desmume2015.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/desmume2015.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/desmume2015.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/desmume2015.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/dolphin.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/dolphin.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/dolphin.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/dolphin.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/dosbox-pure.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/dosbox-pure.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/dosbox-pure.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/dosbox-pure.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/dosbox.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/dosbox.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/dosbox.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/dosbox.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/easyrpg.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/easyrpg.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/easyrpg.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/easyrpg.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/eightyone.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/eightyone.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/eightyone.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/eightyone.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fbalpha2012.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fbalpha2012.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fbalpha2012.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fbalpha2012.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fbneo.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fbneo.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fbneo.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fbneo.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fceumm.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fceumm.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fceumm.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fceumm.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/flycast.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/flycast.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/flycast.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/flycast.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fmsx.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fmsx.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fmsx.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fmsx.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/freeintv.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/freeintv.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/freeintv.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/freeintv.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fuse.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fuse.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/fuse.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/fuse.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/gambatte.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/gambatte.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/gambatte.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/gambatte.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/genesis-plus-gx.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/genesis-plus-gx.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/genesis-plus-gx.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/genesis-plus-gx.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/gpsp.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/gpsp.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/gpsp.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/gpsp.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/gw.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/gw.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/gw.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/gw.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/handy.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/handy.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/handy.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/handy.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/hatari.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/hatari.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/hatari.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/hatari.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2000.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2000.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2000.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2000.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2003-plus.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2003-plus.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2003-plus.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2003-plus.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2003.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2003.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2003.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2003.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2010.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2010.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2010.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2010.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2015.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2015.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2015.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2015.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2016.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2016.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mame2016.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mame2016.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/melonds.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/melonds.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/melonds.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/melonds.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mesen-s.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mesen-s.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mesen-s.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mesen-s.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mesen.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mesen.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mesen.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mesen.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/meteor.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/meteor.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/meteor.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/meteor.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mgba.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mgba.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mgba.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mgba.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mrboom.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mrboom.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mrboom.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mrboom.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mupen64plus.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mupen64plus.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/mupen64plus.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/mupen64plus.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/neocd.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/neocd.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/neocd.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/neocd.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/nestopia.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/nestopia.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/nestopia.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/nestopia.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/np2kai.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/np2kai.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/np2kai.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/np2kai.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/nxengine.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/nxengine.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/nxengine.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/nxengine.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/o2em.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/o2em.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/o2em.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/o2em.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/opera.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/opera.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/opera.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/opera.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/parallel-n64.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/parallel-n64.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/parallel-n64.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/parallel-n64.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/patches/mame2015-python311.patch b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/patches/mame2015-python311.patch
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/patches/mame2015-python311.patch
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/patches/mame2015-python311.patch
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/patches/mame2016-python311.patch b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/patches/mame2016-python311.patch
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/patches/mame2016-python311.patch
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/patches/mame2016-python311.patch
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/pcsx-rearmed.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/pcsx-rearmed.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/pcsx-rearmed.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/pcsx-rearmed.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/pcsx2.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/pcsx2.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/pcsx2.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/pcsx2.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/picodrive.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/picodrive.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/picodrive.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/picodrive.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/play.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/play.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/play.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/play.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/ppsspp.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/ppsspp.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/ppsspp.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/ppsspp.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/prboom.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/prboom.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/prboom.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/prboom.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/prosystem.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/prosystem.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/prosystem.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/prosystem.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/puae.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/puae.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/puae.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/puae.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/quicknes.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/quicknes.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/quicknes.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/quicknes.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/same_cdi.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/same_cdi.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/same_cdi.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/same_cdi.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/sameboy.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/sameboy.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/sameboy.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/sameboy.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/scummvm.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/scummvm.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/scummvm.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/scummvm.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/smsplus-gx.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/smsplus-gx.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/smsplus-gx.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/smsplus-gx.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/snes9x.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/snes9x.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/snes9x.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/snes9x.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/snes9x2002.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/snes9x2002.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/snes9x2002.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/snes9x2002.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/snes9x2005.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/snes9x2005.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/snes9x2005.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/snes9x2005.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/snes9x2010.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/snes9x2010.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/snes9x2010.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/snes9x2010.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/stella.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/stella.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/stella.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/stella.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/stella2014.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/stella2014.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/stella2014.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/stella2014.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/swanstation.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/swanstation.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/swanstation.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/swanstation.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/tgbdual.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/tgbdual.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/tgbdual.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/tgbdual.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/thepowdertoy.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/thepowdertoy.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/thepowdertoy.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/thepowdertoy.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/tic80.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/tic80.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/tic80.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/tic80.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/twenty-fortyeight.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/twenty-fortyeight.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/twenty-fortyeight.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/twenty-fortyeight.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/vba-m.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/vba-m.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/vba-m.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/vba-m.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/vba-next.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/vba-next.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/vba-next.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/vba-next.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/vecx.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/vecx.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/vecx.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/vecx.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/virtualjaguar.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/virtualjaguar.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/virtualjaguar.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/virtualjaguar.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/yabause.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/yabause.nix
similarity index 100%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores/yabause.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/cores/yabause.nix
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/default.nix
similarity index 99%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/default.nix
index 61097042e33f..6db990141d88 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/cores.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/default.nix
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 {
   lib,
   newScope,
-  fetchFromGitHub,
 }:
 
 lib.makeScope newScope (self: {
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/mkLibretroCore.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/mkLibretroCore.nix
similarity index 93%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/mkLibretroCore.nix
rename to pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/mkLibretroCore.nix
index 42124cb23609..d8fb8879e7f5 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/mkLibretroCore.nix
+++ b/pkgs/applications/emulators/libretro/mkLibretroCore.nix
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   lib,
   stdenv,
   makeWrapper,
-  retroarchBare,
+  retroarch-bare,
   unstableGitUpdater,
   zlib,
   # Params
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ let
     "lib"
     "stdenv"
     "makeWrapper"
-    "retroarchBare"
+    "retroarch-bare"
     "unstableGitUpdater"
     "zlib"
 
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (
       runHook preInstall
 
       install -Dt ${coreDir} ${coreFilename}
-      makeWrapper ${retroarchBare}/bin/retroarch $out/bin/${mainProgram} \
+      makeWrapper ${retroarch-bare}/bin/retroarch $out/bin/${mainProgram} \
         --add-flags "-L ${coreDir}/${coreFilename}"
 
       runHook postInstall
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (
       with lib;
       {
         inherit mainProgram;
-        inherit (retroarchBare.meta) platforms;
+        inherit (retroarch-bare.meta) platforms;
         homepage = "https://www.libretro.com/";
         maintainers = with maintainers; teams.libretro.members;
       }
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/default.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/default.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 378f514c95eb..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/default.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,148 +0,0 @@
-{ lib
-, stdenv
-, nixosTests
-, enableNvidiaCgToolkit ? false
-, withGamemode ? stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux
-, withVulkan ? stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux
-, withWayland ? stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux
-, alsa-lib
-, dbus
-, fetchFromGitHub
-, ffmpeg
-, flac
-, freetype
-, gamemode
-, gitUpdater
-, libdrm
-, libGL
-, libGLU
-, libpulseaudio
-, libv4l
-, libX11
-, libXdmcp
-, libXext
-, libxkbcommon
-, libxml2
-, libXxf86vm
-, makeWrapper
-, mbedtls_2
-, mesa
-, nvidia_cg_toolkit
-, pkg-config
-, python3
-, qtbase
-, SDL2
-, spirv-tools
-, udev
-, vulkan-loader
-, wayland
-, wayland-scanner
-, wrapQtAppsHook
-, zlib
-}:
-
-let
-  runtimeLibs =
-    lib.optional withVulkan vulkan-loader ++
-    lib.optional withGamemode (lib.getLib gamemode);
-in
-stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
-  pname = "retroarch-bare";
-  version = "1.19.1";
-
-  src = fetchFromGitHub {
-    owner = "libretro";
-    repo = "RetroArch";
-    hash = "sha256-NVe5dhH3w7RL1C7Z736L5fdi/+aO+Ah9Dpa4u4kn0JY=";
-    rev = "v${version}";
-  };
-
-  nativeBuildInputs = [ pkg-config wrapQtAppsHook ] ++
-    lib.optional withWayland wayland ++
-    lib.optional (runtimeLibs != [ ]) makeWrapper;
-
-  buildInputs = [
-    ffmpeg
-    flac
-    freetype
-    libGL
-    libGLU
-    libxml2
-    mbedtls_2
-    python3
-    qtbase
-    SDL2
-    spirv-tools
-    zlib
-  ] ++
-  lib.optional enableNvidiaCgToolkit nvidia_cg_toolkit ++
-  lib.optional withVulkan vulkan-loader ++
-  lib.optionals withWayland [wayland wayland-scanner] ++
-  lib.optionals stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux [
-    alsa-lib
-    dbus
-    libX11
-    libXdmcp
-    libXext
-    libXxf86vm
-    libdrm
-    libpulseaudio
-    libv4l
-    libxkbcommon
-    mesa
-    udev
-  ];
-
-  enableParallelBuilding = true;
-
-  configureFlags = [
-    "--disable-update_cores"
-    "--disable-builtinmbedtls"
-    "--enable-systemmbedtls"
-    "--disable-builtinzlib"
-    "--disable-builtinflac"
-    "--disable-update_assets"
-    "--disable-update_core_info"
-  ] ++
-  lib.optionals stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux [
-    "--enable-dbus"
-    "--enable-egl"
-    "--enable-kms"
-  ];
-
-  postInstall = lib.optionalString (runtimeLibs != [ ]) ''
-    wrapProgram $out/bin/retroarch \
-      --prefix LD_LIBRARY_PATH ':' ${lib.makeLibraryPath runtimeLibs}
-  '' +
-  lib.optionalString enableNvidiaCgToolkit ''
-    wrapProgram $out/bin/retroarch-cg2glsl \
-      --prefix PATH ':' ${lib.makeBinPath [ nvidia_cg_toolkit ]}
-  '';
-
-  preFixup = lib.optionalString (!enableNvidiaCgToolkit) ''
-    rm $out/bin/retroarch-cg2glsl
-    rm $out/share/man/man6/retroarch-cg2glsl.6*
-  '';
-
-  passthru = {
-    tests = nixosTests.retroarch;
-    updateScript = gitUpdater {
-      rev-prefix = "v";
-    };
-  };
-
-  meta = with lib; {
-    homepage = "https://libretro.com";
-    description = "Multi-platform emulator frontend for libretro cores";
-    license = licenses.gpl3Plus;
-    platforms = platforms.unix;
-    changelog = "https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/blob/v${version}/CHANGES.md";
-    maintainers = with maintainers; teams.libretro.members ++ [ matthewbauer kolbycrouch ];
-    mainProgram = "retroarch";
-    # If you want to (re)-add support for macOS, see:
-    # https://docs.libretro.com/development/retroarch/compilation/osx/
-    # and
-    # https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/blob/71eb74d256cb4dc5b8b43991aec74980547c5069/.gitlab-ci.yml#L330
-    broken = stdenv.hostPlatform.isDarwin;
-  };
-}
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/wrapper.nix b/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/wrapper.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index ab1ffb2bb00c..000000000000
--- a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/wrapper.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,58 +0,0 @@
-{ lib
-, makeWrapper
-, retroarch
-, symlinkJoin
-, runCommand
-, cores ? [ ]
-, settings ? { }
-}:
-
-let
-  settingsPath = runCommand "declarative-retroarch.cfg"
-    {
-      value = lib.concatStringsSep "\n" (lib.mapAttrsToList (n: v: "${n} = \"${v}\"") settings);
-      passAsFile = [ "value" ];
-    }
-    ''
-      cp "$valuePath" "$out"
-    '';
-
-  # All cores should be located in the same path after symlinkJoin,
-  # but let's be safe here
-  coresPath = lib.lists.unique (map (c: c.libretroCore) cores);
-  wrapperArgs = lib.strings.escapeShellArgs (
-    (lib.lists.flatten (map (p: [ "--add-flags" "-L ${placeholder "out" + p}" ]) coresPath))
-    ++ [ "--add-flags" "--appendconfig=${settingsPath}" ]
-  );
-in
-symlinkJoin {
-  name = "retroarch-with-cores-${lib.getVersion retroarch}";
-
-  paths = [ retroarch ] ++ cores;
-
-  nativeBuildInputs = [ makeWrapper ];
-
-  passthru = {
-    inherit cores;
-    unwrapped = retroarch;
-  };
-
-  postBuild = ''
-    # remove core specific binaries
-    find $out/bin -name 'retroarch-*' -type l -delete
-
-    # wrap binary to load cores from the proper location(s)
-    wrapProgram $out/bin/retroarch ${wrapperArgs}
-  '';
-
-  meta = with retroarch.meta; {
-    inherit changelog description homepage license maintainers platforms;
-    longDescription = ''
-      RetroArch is the reference frontend for the libretro API.
-    ''
-    + lib.optionalString (cores != [ ]) ''
-      The following cores are included: ${lib.concatStringsSep ", " (map (c: c.core) cores)}
-    '';
-    mainProgram = "retroarch";
-  };
-}
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/kodi-advanced-launchers.nix b/pkgs/by-name/ko/kodi-retroarch-advanced-launchers/package.nix
similarity index 77%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/kodi-advanced-launchers.nix
rename to pkgs/by-name/ko/kodi-retroarch-advanced-launchers/package.nix
index 9d83c46396c3..25046e03b9e7 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/kodi-advanced-launchers.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/ko/kodi-retroarch-advanced-launchers/package.nix
@@ -1,16 +1,23 @@
-{ stdenv, pkgs, lib, runtimeShell, cores ? [ ] }:
+{
+  stdenv,
+  pkgs,
+  lib,
+  runtimeShell,
+  cores ? [ ],
+}:
 
 let
-
   script = exec: ''
     #!${runtimeShell}
     nohup sh -c "pkill -SIGTSTP kodi" &
     # https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=185074&pid=1622750#pid1622750
     nohup sh -c "sleep 10 && ${exec} '$@' -f;pkill -SIGCONT kodi"
   '';
-  scriptSh = exec: pkgs.writeScript ("kodi-"+exec.name) (script exec.path);
-  execs = map (core: rec { name = core.core; path = core+"/bin/retroarch-"+name;}) cores;
-
+  scriptSh = exec: pkgs.writeScript ("kodi-" + exec.name) (script exec.path);
+  execs = map (core: rec {
+    name = core.core;
+    path = core + "/bin/retroarch-" + name;
+  }) cores;
 in
 
 stdenv.mkDerivation {
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/libretro-core-info.nix b/pkgs/by-name/li/libretro-core-info/package.nix
similarity index 93%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/libretro-core-info.nix
rename to pkgs/by-name/li/libretro-core-info/package.nix
index 3e11deb4b40f..cf9e84832c73 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/libretro-core-info.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/li/libretro-core-info/package.nix
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-{ lib
-, stdenvNoCC
-, fetchFromGitHub
-, gitUpdater
+{
+  lib,
+  stdenvNoCC,
+  fetchFromGitHub,
+  gitUpdater,
 }:
 
 stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation rec {
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/retroarch-assets.nix b/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-assets/package.nix
similarity index 92%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/retroarch-assets.nix
rename to pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-assets/package.nix
index 5b0dc2f882f2..dd48b0f49381 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/retroarch-assets.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-assets/package.nix
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-{ lib
-, stdenvNoCC
-, fetchFromGitHub
-, unstableGitUpdater
+{
+  lib,
+  stdenvNoCC,
+  fetchFromGitHub,
+  unstableGitUpdater,
 }:
 
 stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation {
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-bare/package.nix b/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-bare/package.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c34dd7e92469
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-bare/package.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,192 @@
+{
+  lib,
+  stdenv,
+  # deps
+  alsa-lib,
+  dbus,
+  fetchFromGitHub,
+  ffmpeg,
+  flac,
+  freetype,
+  gamemode,
+  gitUpdater,
+  libdrm,
+  libGL,
+  libGLU,
+  libpulseaudio,
+  libv4l,
+  libX11,
+  libXdmcp,
+  libXext,
+  libxkbcommon,
+  libxml2,
+  libXxf86vm,
+  makeBinaryWrapper,
+  mbedtls_2,
+  mesa,
+  nixosTests,
+  nvidia_cg_toolkit,
+  pkg-config,
+  python3,
+  qt5,
+  SDL2,
+  spirv-tools,
+  udev,
+  vulkan-loader,
+  wayland,
+  wayland-scanner,
+  zlib,
+  # wrapper deps
+  libretro,
+  libretro-core-info,
+  retroarch-assets,
+  retroarch-bare,
+  retroarch-joypad-autoconfig,
+  runCommand,
+  symlinkJoin,
+  # params
+  enableNvidiaCgToolkit ? false,
+  withGamemode ? stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux,
+  withVulkan ? stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux,
+  withWayland ? stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux,
+}:
+
+let
+  runtimeLibs =
+    lib.optional withVulkan vulkan-loader
+    ++ lib.optional withGamemode (lib.getLib gamemode);
+in
+stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
+  pname = "retroarch-bare";
+  version = "1.19.1";
+
+  src = fetchFromGitHub {
+    owner = "libretro";
+    repo = "RetroArch";
+    hash = "sha256-NVe5dhH3w7RL1C7Z736L5fdi/+aO+Ah9Dpa4u4kn0JY=";
+    rev = "v${version}";
+  };
+
+  nativeBuildInputs = [
+    pkg-config
+    qt5.wrapQtAppsHook
+  ] ++ lib.optional withWayland wayland ++ lib.optional (runtimeLibs != [ ]) makeBinaryWrapper;
+
+  buildInputs =
+    [
+      ffmpeg
+      flac
+      freetype
+      libGL
+      libGLU
+      libxml2
+      mbedtls_2
+      python3
+      qt5.qtbase
+      SDL2
+      spirv-tools
+      zlib
+    ]
+    ++ lib.optional enableNvidiaCgToolkit nvidia_cg_toolkit
+    ++ lib.optional withVulkan vulkan-loader
+    ++ lib.optionals withWayland [
+      wayland
+      wayland-scanner
+    ]
+    ++ lib.optionals stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux [
+      alsa-lib
+      dbus
+      libX11
+      libXdmcp
+      libXext
+      libXxf86vm
+      libdrm
+      libpulseaudio
+      libv4l
+      libxkbcommon
+      mesa
+      udev
+    ];
+
+  enableParallelBuilding = true;
+
+  configureFlags =
+    [
+      "--disable-update_cores"
+      "--disable-builtinmbedtls"
+      "--enable-systemmbedtls"
+      "--disable-builtinzlib"
+      "--disable-builtinflac"
+      "--disable-update_assets"
+      "--disable-update_core_info"
+    ]
+    ++ lib.optionals stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux [
+      "--enable-dbus"
+      "--enable-egl"
+      "--enable-kms"
+    ];
+
+  postInstall =
+    lib.optionalString (runtimeLibs != [ ]) ''
+      wrapProgram $out/bin/retroarch \
+        --prefix LD_LIBRARY_PATH ':' ${lib.makeLibraryPath runtimeLibs}
+    ''
+    + lib.optionalString enableNvidiaCgToolkit ''
+      wrapProgram $out/bin/retroarch-cg2glsl \
+        --prefix PATH ':' ${lib.makeBinPath [ nvidia_cg_toolkit ]}
+    '';
+
+  preFixup = lib.optionalString (!enableNvidiaCgToolkit) ''
+    rm $out/bin/retroarch-cg2glsl
+    rm $out/share/man/man6/retroarch-cg2glsl.6*
+  '';
+
+  passthru = {
+    tests = nixosTests.retroarch;
+    updateScript = gitUpdater {
+      rev-prefix = "v";
+    };
+    wrapper =
+      {
+        cores ? [ ],
+        settings ? { },
+      }:
+      import ./wrapper.nix {
+        inherit
+          lib
+          libretro
+          makeBinaryWrapper
+          retroarch-bare
+          runCommand
+          symlinkJoin
+          cores
+          ;
+        settings = {
+          assets_directory = "${retroarch-assets}/share/retroarch/assets";
+          joypad_autoconfig_dir = "${retroarch-joypad-autoconfig}/share/libretro/autoconfig";
+          libretro_info_path = "${libretro-core-info}/share/retroarch/cores";
+        } // settings;
+      };
+  };
+
+  meta = {
+    homepage = "https://libretro.com";
+    description = "Multi-platform emulator frontend for libretro cores";
+    license = lib.licenses.gpl3Plus;
+    platforms = lib.platforms.unix;
+    changelog = "https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/blob/v${version}/CHANGES.md";
+    maintainers =
+      with lib.maintainers;
+      [
+        matthewbauer
+        kolbycrouch
+      ]
+      ++ lib.teams.libretro.members;
+    mainProgram = "retroarch";
+    # If you want to (re)-add support for macOS, see:
+    # https://docs.libretro.com/development/retroarch/compilation/osx/
+    # and
+    # https://github.com/libretro/RetroArch/blob/71eb74d256cb4dc5b8b43991aec74980547c5069/.gitlab-ci.yml#L330
+    broken = stdenv.hostPlatform.isDarwin;
+  };
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-bare/wrapper.nix b/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-bare/wrapper.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f6c60a2a7374
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-bare/wrapper.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+{
+  lib,
+  libretro,
+  makeBinaryWrapper,
+  retroarch-bare,
+  runCommand,
+  symlinkJoin,
+  cores ? [ ],
+  settings ? { },
+}:
+
+let
+  settingsPath =
+    runCommand "declarative-retroarch.cfg"
+      {
+        value = lib.concatStringsSep "\n" (lib.mapAttrsToList (n: v: "${n} = \"${v}\"") settings);
+        passAsFile = [ "value" ];
+      }
+      ''
+        cp "$valuePath" "$out"
+      '';
+
+  # All cores should be located in the same path after symlinkJoin,
+  # but let's be safe here
+  coresPath = lib.lists.unique (map (c: c.libretroCore) cores);
+  wrapperArgs = lib.strings.escapeShellArgs (
+    (lib.lists.flatten (
+      map (p: [
+        "--add-flags"
+        "-L ${placeholder "out" + p}"
+      ]) coresPath
+    ))
+    ++ [
+      "--add-flags"
+      "--appendconfig=${settingsPath}"
+    ]
+  );
+in
+symlinkJoin {
+  name = "retroarch-with-cores-${lib.getVersion retroarch-bare}";
+
+  paths = [ retroarch-bare ] ++ cores;
+
+  nativeBuildInputs = [ makeBinaryWrapper ];
+
+  passthru = {
+    inherit cores;
+    unwrapped = retroarch-bare;
+    withCores = coreFun: retroarch-bare.wrapper { cores = (coreFun libretro); };
+  };
+
+  postBuild = ''
+    # remove core specific binaries
+    find $out/bin -name 'retroarch-*' -type l -delete
+
+    # wrap binary to load cores from the proper location(s)
+    wrapProgram $out/bin/retroarch ${wrapperArgs}
+  '';
+
+  meta = {
+    inherit (retroarch-bare.meta)
+      changelog
+      description
+      homepage
+      license
+      mainProgram
+      maintainers
+      platforms
+      ;
+
+    longDescription =
+      ''
+        RetroArch is the reference frontend for the libretro API.
+      ''
+      + lib.optionalString (cores != [ ]) ''
+        The following cores are included: ${lib.concatStringsSep ", " (map (c: c.core) cores)}.
+      '';
+  };
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/retroarch-joypad-autoconfig.nix b/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-joypad-autoconfig/package.nix
similarity index 91%
rename from pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/retroarch-joypad-autoconfig.nix
rename to pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-joypad-autoconfig/package.nix
index 36bc02c43f7d..4f30dbf97d8b 100644
--- a/pkgs/applications/emulators/retroarch/retroarch-joypad-autoconfig.nix
+++ b/pkgs/by-name/re/retroarch-joypad-autoconfig/package.nix
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
-{ lib
-, stdenvNoCC
-, fetchFromGitHub
-, gitUpdater
+{
+  lib,
+  stdenvNoCC,
+  fetchFromGitHub,
+  gitUpdater,
 }:
 
 stdenvNoCC.mkDerivation rec {
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix b/pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix
index 5c595135849a..708020eac757 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/aliases.nix
@@ -1075,6 +1075,8 @@ mapAliases {
   relibc = throw "relibc has been removed due to lack of maintenance"; # Added 2024-09-02
   replay-sorcery = throw "replay-sorcery has been removed as it is unmaintained upstream. Consider using gpu-screen-recorder or obs-studio instead."; # Added 2024-07-13
   restinio_0_6 = throw "restinio_0_6 has been removed from nixpkgs as it's not needed by downstream packages"; # Added 2024-07-04
+  retroarchBare = retroarch-bare; # Added 2024-11-23
+  retroarchFull = retroarch-full; # Added 2024-11-23
   retroshare06 = retroshare;
   rigsofrods = rigsofrods-bin; # Added 2023-03-22
   ring-daemon = throw "'ring-daemon' has been renamed to/replaced by 'jami-daemon'"; # Converted to throw 2024-10-17
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index 882196e53a13..4d0295ead3d6 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -1454,38 +1454,32 @@ with pkgs;
 
   ### APPLICATIONS/EMULATORS/RETROARCH
 
-  retroarchBare = qt5.callPackage ../applications/emulators/retroarch { };
+  libretro = recurseIntoAttrs (callPackage ../applications/emulators/libretro { });
 
-  retroarchFull = retroarch.override {
-    cores = builtins.filter
-      # Remove cores not supported on platform
-      (c: c ? libretroCore && (lib.meta.availableOn stdenv.hostPlatform c))
-      (builtins.attrValues libretro);
-  };
+  retroarch = wrapRetroArch { };
 
-  wrapRetroArch = { retroarch, settings ? {} }:
-    callPackage ../applications/emulators/retroarch/wrapper.nix
-      { inherit retroarch settings; };
+  # includes only cores for platform with free licenses
+  retroarch-free = retroarch.withCores (
+    cores:
+      lib.filter
+        (c:
+          (c ? libretroCore)
+          && (lib.meta.availableOn stdenv.hostPlatform c)
+          && (!c.meta.unfree))
+        (lib.attrValues cores)
+  );
 
-  retroarch = wrapRetroArch {
-    retroarch = retroarchBare;
-    settings = {
-      assets_directory = "${retroarch-assets}/share/retroarch/assets";
-      joypad_autoconfig_dir = "${retroarch-joypad-autoconfig}/share/libretro/autoconfig";
-      libretro_info_path = "${libretro-core-info}/share/retroarch/cores";
-    };
-  };
+  # includes all cores for platform (including ones with non-free licenses)
+  retroarch-full = retroarch.withCores (
+    cores:
+      lib.filter
+        (c:
+          (c ? libretroCore)
+          && (lib.meta.availableOn stdenv.hostPlatform c))
+        (lib.attrValues cores)
+  );
 
-  retroarch-assets = callPackage ../applications/emulators/retroarch/retroarch-assets.nix { };
-
-  retroarch-joypad-autoconfig = callPackage ../applications/emulators/retroarch/retroarch-joypad-autoconfig.nix { };
-
-  libretro = recurseIntoAttrs (callPackage ../applications/emulators/retroarch/cores.nix { });
-
-  libretro-core-info = callPackage ../applications/emulators/retroarch/libretro-core-info.nix { };
-
-  kodi-retroarch-advanced-launchers =
-    callPackage ../applications/emulators/retroarch/kodi-advanced-launchers.nix { };
+  wrapRetroArch = retroarch-bare.wrapper;
 
   # Aliases kept here because they are easier to use
   x16-emulator = x16.emulator;