Turn your Chromecast into a retro gaming console

It’s no secret that we’re living in a retro revival, either because of collecting or because those of us starting to age love going back to playing those games of yesteryear. To find out later that they evoke past feelings or find out that they aren’t that bad either and realize how bad nostalgia is. Well there’s a chance play retro games on a Chromecast with Android TV and we’ll tell you how.

We must start from the fact that devices like Google’s Chromecast turn our television into a SmartTV, which basically means turning it into another computer capable of running applications. Of course, it is not the same as in a Windows environment, but we cannot forget that it allows us to run emulators from old systems. So you won’t need to spend any extra money to enjoy these classics if you own one of these two devices.

What should I do to play retro games on my Chromecast?

Next we are going to tell you the steps to follow to be able to turn your Chromecast into a retro gaming machine and be able to play your classic 8 and 16 bit computers and consoles, however, we must start from the fact that we will have to make some adjustments in the system setup.

First, enable the ability to use apps outside of Google Play

The first is that we have to start from the fact that emulators are on a gray line between what is legal and what is not, so Google is careful not to include us in its store, but allow us to install any APK outside of Google Playbut for this we must perform a series of preliminary steps to enable developer mode on the device:

Go to your Chromecast’s device settings menu.
1. Select settings
2. Device preferences.
3. Scroll down until you reach Compilation.
4. Press OK on your Chromecast remote 7 times until you manage to activate developer mode, the system should confirm it.
Now you have a new option which is developer options, enter it and make sure USB debugging mode is enabledalso from here you can turn Bluetooth on and off which will be great for using a wireless controller and playing games.
The third step is to access the applications menu in the settings.
1. Select security and restrictions.
2. What you need to do is enable permissions to run apps from unknown sources. This will be what will allow you to load the APKs of the emulators you want to play with.

With this we can already install the emulator, however, we are missing something very important and that is the fact of being able to load the applications and games themselves.

Second, connect your Chromecast to PC

Our Chromecast has a USB port, which is designed to connect to our TV, however, we will find that it is only for charging and we will not be able to transmit files. This means that we must use an application that allows us to transmit information through our home’s WiFi network, to which the Chromecast is also connected. For this we will have to have access from said network to the files of our Chromecast to be able to copy emulators and ROMS.

To do this, we recommend using a simple app called Solid Explorer on your Chromecast along with Solid Explorer FTP. Once you have installed them, you just need to follow the following steps

Open Solid Explorer and select the icon with the three lines.
Scroll down with the Chromecast Controller until you find the FTP Server option.
From the benefit that will come out of it, you will see the IP address of the Chromecast in the local network, write it down on a piece of paper or in a place where you can access it before.

Press the Start button to enable FTP access on your Chromecast.

Third step, connect your PC to Chromecast

If you want you can assign a username or password so that no one else can access remotely knowing the IP address, you can do that. Now all you have to do is do it on the PC, for this you have to follow the following steps:

Open My Computer/This PC from Windows, Windows Explorer, or the desktop icon.
Right-click on an empty area and select “Add Network Location”
Go further in the windows that appear and in the box where you must place the address write: ftp:// and without leaving a space below the IP you connected before.
After that it will connect you to the Chromecast, if you have assigned a username and password it will ask you. You now have everything you need to stream your files.

Fourth step, install the emulators.

Now you will only have to navigate with Solid Explorer of the Chromecast to the folder where you copied the APK of the emulators. Once you’ve done that, you can enjoy your retro games on your Chromecast. As for controls, you can use any gamepad with Bluetooth connectivity and Xinput support. Once done, you can now relax on the couch and enjoy your favorite games from yesteryear.

Finally, everything we have explained to you It will work for any device with built-in Android TV And not just with Google’s Chromecast.