RetroArch Overlays and Bezels: How to Add TV Frame and CRT Effects

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RetroArch supports two visual customization systems: Overlays (PNG images with transparency that sit on top of the game — used for bezels and touchscreen buttons) and Shaders (GPU filters that modify the rendering — used for CRT scanlines, pixel smoothing, and upscaling). For bezels, you use the Overlay system. For CRT effects, you use Shaders (see S3).

Step 1 — Download overlay packs via Online Updater:

• In RetroArch, go to Main Menu → Online Updater → Download Overlays.
• This downloads a overlays folder with hundreds of bezels (NES, SNES, Genesis, GBA shell, arcade cabinet art, and more) into your RetroArch data directory.

Step 2 — Enable an overlay:

• Go to Settings → On-Screen Display → On-Screen Overlay.
• Turn Display Overlay ON.
• Set Overlay Preset: tap the field and navigate to the overlays folder (e.g., overlays/borders/). Pick any .cfg file — this is the overlay definition.
• Set Overlay Opacity to 1.00 (fully visible).

Step 3 — Match your viewport to the bezel opening:

• Most bezels are designed for a 4:3 aspect ratio game window. Go to Settings → Video → Scaling → Aspect Ratio and set it to 4:3.
• Enable Integer Scale OFF (so the viewport fills the bezel opening exactly).
• The result: your game appears inside the bezel's screen cutout, with decorative art filling the rest of the display.

Save the overlay setting per-core or per-game: in the RetroArch menu → Quick Menu → Overrides → Save Core Override. This applies the bezel automatically whenever you launch that core.

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The Mega Bezel Reflection Shader pack (by HyperspaceMadness, available on GitHub) combines bezels and CRT shaders into a single system — the bezel artwork, curvature, scanlines, bloom, and reflections are all generated by one shader preset. It looks dramatically better than a plain PNG overlay but requires a decent GPU.

Install Mega Bezel:

1. Download the latest Mega Bezel release from github.com/HyperspaceMadness/Mega_Bezel_Shader_Repo → Releases → download the zip.
2. Extract it into RetroArch's shaders folder: RetroArch/shaders/. You should now have a shaders/Mega_Bezel_Community/ subfolder.
3. In RetroArch, go to Quick Menu → Shaders → Load Shader Preset.
4. Navigate to Mega_Bezel_Community/ and pick a preset file (.slangp or .glslp). Start with MBZ__1__ADV.slangp (Advanced — good quality/performance balance).
5. Apply and save: Quick Menu → Shaders → Save Shader Preset.

Performance note: Mega Bezel is GPU-intensive. On integrated graphics or weak GPUs, use the MBZ__3__STD-SCREEN-ONLY.slangp preset (lighter CRT only, no bezel art). On a discrete GPU (GTX 1060 / RX 580 or better), the full Advanced preset runs smoothly.

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If you want CRT scanlines and phosphor glow without a decorative bezel frame, use a standalone shader preset. These run on any GPU and give a classic tube-TV look.

Step 1 — Update your shaders: Online Updater → Update GLSL Shaders (or Slang Shaders if your driver supports Vulkan/D3D). This adds hundreds of shader presets to RetroArch/shaders/.

Recommended presets by hardware strength:

• Low-end PC / handheld: shaders/crt/crt-pi.glslp — lightweight scanline filter designed for Raspberry Pi; fast on any hardware.
• Mid-range: shaders/crt/crt-geom.glslp — adds curvature, dot mask, and vignette; classic look with modest GPU cost.
• High-end: shaders/crt/crt-royale.slangp — the most accurate CRT simulation (shadow mask, aperture grille, bloom, phosphor persistence); requires a dedicated GPU at 1080p+.

Apply a shader: Quick Menu → Shaders → Load Shader Preset → navigate to the .glslp/.slangp file → Apply Changes. Save with Save Core Preset to apply automatically for that system.

Integer scale for pixel-perfect look: Settings → Video → Scaling → Integer Scale ON. With integer scaling and a CRT shader, each original pixel maps to exactly N×N display pixels — the cleanest base for any scanline filter.

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Overlay not visible at all:

• Confirm Settings → On-Screen Display → On-Screen Overlay → Display Overlay = ON.
• Check Overlay Opacity is not 0.00 — set it to 1.00.
• Some video drivers (D3D12, Vulkan) may need Video → Threaded Video = ON for the overlay to composite correctly. If you are on OpenGL and the overlay is invisible, try switching to a different overlay .cfg — some .cfg files target a specific resolution and fail silently on mismatches.

Bezel not lining up / game not inside the cutout:

• The bezel's screen cutout is designed for a specific aspect ratio. Confirm Settings → Video → Scaling → Aspect Ratio = 4:3 for SNES/NES/PS1 content, or Custom if the bezel specifies dimensions in its .cfg.
• Turn off Integer Scale if the game viewport is too small to fill the cutout.
• Some bezels include a .cfg file that sets viewport coordinates — open the .cfg in a text editor to read the custom_viewport_width / _height / _x / _y values and confirm they match your screen resolution.

Overlay shows but disappears when the game starts: this is a per-core override issue. The active core may have a saved override that sets Display Overlay = OFF. Go to Quick Menu → Overrides → Remove Core Override, then re-enable and re-save the overlay setting.

Touchscreen overlay buttons overlap with the bezel: bezels and touchscreen button overlays are both overlay files — you can only load one at a time. Choose: use the bezel for TV/monitor display, or the button overlay for mobile/touchscreen use. Switch via Settings → On-Screen Overlay → Overlay Preset.