Skip to content

Pick Your Arcade

Not sure which flavor of Creation Station Arcade to build? Answer the questions below and follow the arrow. Each one sends you to a full step-by-step guide.

The short version

Do you want a menu of games, or just one game?

  • A menu of games → you want one of the two "menu" flavors below.
  • Just one game (a dedicated cabinet for a single game) → you want one of the three "single-game" flavors below.

Which computer are you using?

  • Raspberry Pi 3 → the ELF flavors work great (they need a specific kernel detail the Pi 3 still has).
  • Raspberry Pi Zero or Zero 2 W → see the single-game options; the Pi Zero's one USB port limits what you can plug in.
  • Raspberry Pi 5 → use a Chromium or Native flavor. The ELF flavors do not work on the Pi 5 (see the gotcha note below).
  • A regular PC (x86, 64-bit) → Chromium or Native flavors.

Decision tree

Start here
   │
   ├── Got a Raspberry Pi 3 and want a MENU of games?
   │      → ELF Menu Arcade  ............ [elf-menu.md]
   │
   ├── Got a Raspberry Pi 3 or Pi Zero and want ONE game?
   │      → Pi 3 / Pi Zero Single-Game ELF  ... [pi3-elf-kiosk.md]
   │
   ├── Got a Raspberry Pi 5 (or a PC) and want a MENU of games?
   │      → Chromium Kiosk (Menu)  ........ [chromium-kiosk.md]
   │
   ├── Got a Raspberry Pi 5 (or a PC) and want ONE game,
   │   and you're fine running it in a browser?
   │      → Chromium Single-Game  ......... [single-game-kiosk.md]
   │
   └── Got a 64-bit Raspberry Pi (3/4/5/Zero 2 W) or a 64-bit PC
       and want ONE game running as fast as possible (no browser)?
              → Native SDL Single-Game  ... [single-native-arcade.md]

The gotcha that picks the flavor for you

The two ELF flavors (the menu and the single-game ELF) only work on a Raspberry Pi 3 or Pi Zero. They depend on a line called Hardware that the Pi reports about itself, and newer Pi 5 software removed that line. You can't fix it by changing settings — it's a software-version thing.

So:

  • If you have a Pi 5, cross both ELF options off your list. Use Chromium or Native.
  • If you have a Pi 3 or Pi Zero, the ELF options are the lightest, fastest ones and a great default.

Don't update the Pi 3's software after you set it up

If you run the normal "update everything" command on a Pi 3, it can pull down the newer kernel that removes the Hardware line, and your ELF arcade will stop booting. The ELF setup guides tell you exactly which commands are safe. The short version: don't run sudo apt upgrade on an ELF arcade. See the ELF Menu guide for the full explanation.

A note on GPIO buttons

"GPIO" means the row of metal pins on top of a Raspberry Pi that you can wire real arcade buttons to.

  • On a Pi 3 / Pi Zero, you can wire real buttons to the GPIO pins for player controls and a reset button.
  • On a Pi 5, the old way of talking to those pins (wiringPi) is gone, so GPIO button wiring for the ELF flavors is basically dead. USB gamepads and USB zero-delay encoders still work fine — use a Chromium or Native flavor with USB controllers.

Still stuck?

If you just want the simplest possible first arcade:

  • You have a Pi 3 → ELF Menu Arcade. It's the closest to what MakeCode intended and gives you a menu of games.
  • You have a Pi 5 → Chromium Kiosk (Menu). It gives you a menu of games and uses the full MakeCode simulator in the browser.