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Zaparoo

One Tap. Any Game.

Turn your digital game library into a physical collection. Pick a card, tap it, and start playing. No menus to scroll, no hardware mods.

Shop starter kits Set up Zaparoo
  • Free and open source
  • 11 supported platforms
  • 140k downloads

Why players use Zaparoo

A physical collection of Zaparoo game cards arranged on a table

Less scrolling, more playing

Keep favorite games within reach instead of searching through an enormous menu.

Simple for anyone

Guests and kids can start a game without learning how your setup works.

A collection you can hold

Turn digital games into something tactile you can browse, share, and make your own.

How it works

1

Install Zaparoo

Free software for your existing game setup. No hardware mods.

2

Link a card

Pick a game in the Zaparoo App and save it to a card. The card is a shortcut, not a copy of the game.

3

Tap and play

Tap the card on your reader and the game launches.

What you'll need: Free Zaparoo software · NFC reader · NFC cards

Grab a starter kit in the shop, or use your own reader and cards. Check the docs for compatibility, or ask in Discord if you're not sure.

Trusted by the community

★★★★★

"Particularly brilliant for when I've guests over, no need to explain how the GUI works, just hand them a stack of cards and away they go."

— Oisin M.
★★★★★

"My kids love finally having a physical object to start games, helps move them off the decision paralysis too."

— Martin H.
★★★★★

"Zaparoo is fantastic. Makes my MiSTer much more user friendly for folks who don't want to deal with navigating menus. Love it."

— Stefan R.
See all reviews

Works with your existing setup

Zaparoo works across popular gaming platforms and lets you launch games from the physical objects you choose.

Check your setup

Supported platforms

  • MiSTer FPGA
  • Batocera
  • Windows
  • SteamOS
  • Linux
  • Bazzite
  • RePlayOS
  • More platforms

Windows, Linux, SteamOS, and Bazzite support is in beta.

Launch with

  • NFC cards
  • Toys
  • QR codes
  • Barcodes
  • Discs
  • More objects

Zaparoo Warp

Never lose a save to a dead SD card.

Warp backs up your saves, save states, settings, and Zaparoo data from MiSTer and SteamOS off-site, automatically, and restores them to the same device or a replacement. Zaparoo App Pro included.

Available now on MiSTer and SteamOS. More platforms planned soon.

US$29.99 / year or US$3.99 / month

See Warp plans

Explore Zaparoo

Build with Zaparoo

Add tap-to-launch to your hardware, platform, or game with Zaparoo's open-source platform and partner services.

Integrate

Multisystem branded Zaparoo cards

Build Zaparoo into your product

Game cards

Reboot Games NFC game cards

Turn your game into a physical NFC card

Official partners