Pixl8

Pixl8 turns your iPhone into a pocket-sized retro 8-bit-style console for PICO-8, the fantasy console loved for its tiny, handcrafted pixel-art games. Point Pixl8 at the folder where you keep your carts and it turns them into a tap-and-play library. Each cart is a single PNG image (example.p8.png) with a whole game inside: art, music and code.

If you love retro gaming, chiptune soundtracks and hand-drawn pixel art, Pixl8 lets you carry a whole community's worth of indie games in your pocket: arcade shooters, platformers, puzzlers, RPGs, roguelikes and playable demos, all in that unmistakable low-res, high-charm PICO-8 style.

https://pixl8.dev

What you get: • A growing library of games, added with their authors' permission and playable right away. • Library, Favourites and Recent tabs for your own collection. • Per-cart actions on long-press: open the BBS page, resume game, start fresh game, manage save states. • Cross-platform multiplayer: play with friends on other devices, over local Wi-Fi or the internet.

Plays the way you want: • Touch controls with a fully editable on-screen layout. Drag, resize and save your placement. • Bluetooth game controllers. Pair a retro-style gamepad for the authentic feel. • Hardware keyboard supported. • Shader effects, including a retro LCD look.

Pro features (optional one-time purchase): • Save states, up to 10 per cart, plus an auto-save-on-exit slot. • Host multiplayer games. • Resume on tap: open a cart and pick up exactly where you left off, with no menu navigation. • In-game quick-save and quick-load on a gamepad combo. • Manage Save States screen with export and import.

Whether you grew up on 8-bit handhelds or just love the pixel-art aesthetic, Pixl8 makes it effortless to discover, collect and play the best of the PICO-8 scene.

Pixl8 does not ship PICO-8 itself or any of Lexaloffle's copyrighted assets. It is an independent player that reads the public PICO-8 cart format. To run a cart you will need either one of the bundled examples (included with permission) or your own files. The lexaloffle.com BBS hosts thousands of free community carts.

Pixl8 is not affiliated with Lexaloffle.