R36S Game List

ArkOS Installation Guide for R36S

Step-by-step guide to installing ArkOS firmware on your R36S handheld for the best retro gaming experience.

GitHub Repository▶️ Watch Video Guide
ArkOS is no longer maintained. Its repository now points to dArkOS, which has no official R36S image yet; R36 owners use community builds. dArkOS on the R36S · SD card guide · Hotkeys

⚠️ Important Warning

Installing ArkOS will erase all data on your SD card. Back up any save files before proceeding.

🎬Video Installation Guide

📋Requirements

🔧 Hardware Required

  • ✓OS SD Card: 64GB Kodak SD card recommended (16GB minimum)
  • ✓Game SD Card: For ROM storage (128GB+ recommended)
  • ✓SD Card Reader: To connect SD cards to your computer

💻 Software Required

  • 📦7-Zip: To extract the .gz archive file
  • 💾An image writer: Rufus on Windows, ApplePi-Baker on macOS, Disks or dd on Linux (not balenaEtcher, see below)
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Step 1: Download ArkOS

This is the most critical step. Installing the wrong firmware can cause your console to not work.

  1. 1Remove the default SD card from your console's first slot and insert it into your computer.
  2. 2Go to the screen detection website (link available in the GitHub repository).
  3. 3Upload the required file from the Boot partition and click "Identify My Screen".
  4. 4Note your screen type: Original, Panel 3, or Panel 4.

💡 Tip: After identifying your screen, you no longer need the default SD card.

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Step 2: Flash to SD Card

  1. 1Go to the official ArkOS GitHub releases page.
  2. 2Download the ArkOS archive file matching your screen version.
  3. 3Extract the archive using 7-Zip to get the .img firmware file.
Download
3

Step 3: First Boot Setup

Flashing erases the card, so copy anything you want to keep first. Use a raw image writer:

The official ArkOS and dArkOS wikis say do not use balenaEtcher for these images. They recommend Rufus or USB Image Tool on Windows, ApplePi-Baker on macOS, and Disks or dd on Linux.

🍎 macOS: ApplePi-Baker

  1. 1. Open ApplePi-Baker
  2. 2. Select your SD card
  3. 3. Choose "Restore Backup" and pick the .img file
  4. 4. Wait for it to finish, then eject the card

🔧 Windows: Rufus

  1. 1. Open Rufus
  2. 2. Select your SD card in "Device"
  3. 3. Choose "Disk or ISO image" and select .img file
  4. 4. Click "Start" and wait for completion
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Step 4: Add Your Games

  1. 1Insert the new firmware SD card into your R36S's first slot (TF1/OS). Do NOT insert the game SD card yet.
  2. 2Power on the console. The setup process will start automatically and may take a few minutes. The device may restart several times.
  3. 3When setup is complete, the ArkOS main screen will appear.
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Step 5: Install ArkOS

⚙️ Set Device Type

  1. 1. Go to Options menu
  2. 2. Enter Device Type section
  3. 3. Select your console model (R35S or R36S)
  4. 4. Press A to confirm

🎮 Enable Game Card (SD2)

  1. 1. Insert your game SD card into the second slot (TF2/GAME)
  2. 2. Go to Advanced menu
  3. 3. Find "Switch to SD2 for Roms" at the bottom
  4. 4. Press A to run. Your games will now appear!

✅ Installation Complete

Your R36S is now running ArkOS. Enjoy your retro gaming experience!

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