Saving, quitting a game and turning off your R36S: every button

To save on an R36S running ArkOS, the system shipped on most consoles, press FN + R1 mid-game, then FN + L1 to pick up where you left off. FN + Start quits the game and FN + Power shuts down cleanly. These buttons change from one system to another, but the RetroArch menu is the path they all share.

Here is the cheat sheet: one table per system family, then the rules that keep you from losing a game.

First: which system is running on your card?

On the R36S, the system is not built into the console. It runs from the microSD card. ArkOS, dArkOS, AmberELEC or clone firmware: each one has its own button combinations, on the same device. A single list that "works on every R36S" does not exist.

Your console shows ArkOS at startup. That is the case with the R36S we sell, from €69.99: the ArkOS 2.0 message appears when you power on. The R36H also ships with ArkOS 2. Use the first table.

Your card dates from before 2024. The FN button did not work when the R36S first came out. On images from before January 2024, Select does its job. If FN + X opens nothing in a game, try Select + X: in that case, use the second table.

You installed dArkOS yourself, or your console is a clone. A cubegm folder on the card points to clone firmware without ArkOS. A file named rk3326-evb-lp3-v12-linux.dtb points to an EmuELEC clone, which is incompatible with ArkOS and AmberELEC. Use the third table, and see our original R36S or clone guide for the other clues.

The buttons on ArkOS (recent R36S)

The FN button works as a hotkey. You hold it, then press the second button.

Action	Buttons
Open the RetroArch menu	FN + X (or L1 + R1 + Start + FN)
Quick save (save state)	FN + R1
Load the quick save	FN + L1
Quit the game (back to the list)	FN + Start
Pause	FN + A
Reset the game	FN + B (see the note)
Fast forward	Hold FN
Screenshot	FN + Y (see the note)
Brightness	FN + volume buttons (or FN + D-pad up or down)
Sleep	Short press on Power (see the note)
Shut down cleanly	FN + Power

The note. Reset, screenshot and sleep are each described by only one source of documentation. If the combination does not respond, go through the RetroArch menu, which offers the same functions.

Two exceptions: PSP and DS

These two emulators have their own menu, and FN + X does not open it. They open with a stick click.

• PSP (PPSSPP): according to the ArkOS-R3XS documentation, menu with a right stick click, save with L2, load with L3. Another source says the left stick opens the menu: try both. You quit through that menu or with FN + Start.
• DS (DraStic): menu with a left stick click, exit with FN + Select.

The buttons on pre-2024 images (Select button)

Same logic, with Select instead of FN.

Action	Buttons
Open the RetroArch menu	Select + X (or L1 + R1 + Start + Select)
Save state	Select + R1
Load state	Select + L1
Quit the game	Select + Start
Pause	Select + A
Reset the game	Select + B

The classic trap: Select + R1 does not open the menu, it saves. To shut down on these images, go through the Quit menu in the game list (method further down).

dArkOSRE and clones: a different layout

Here, the same move no longer does the same thing. FN + A pauses on ArkOS, but saves on the clone documented below.

Action	dArkOSRE	"R36S V2.6" clone (cubegm menu)
Game menu	FN	Select + Start
Save state	Select + B	FN + A
Load state	Select + A	FN + B
Quit the game	Start + Select	Not documented
Shut down	R3 (right stick pressed in) + Power	Not documented

On dArkOSRE, other shortcuts go through Select: Select + Y and Select + X change the save slot, Select + D-pad right starts fast forward, Select + D-pad left rewinds, Select + R2 restarts the game. Volume is set with R3 + R1 or L1.

dArkOSen, another image for genuine R36 consoles, announces its own shortcuts and swaps A and B by default. Switching systems wipes the whole card: copy it first. The 2026 options are compared in our article dArkOS, ArkOS or ROCKNIX.

In-game save or save state: keep both

The two do not protect you in the same way.

The in-game save is the one the game itself provides, at a save point or in its menu. RetroArch writes it to a .srm file.

The save state is a snapshot of the emulator's memory at a given moment. You can make one anywhere, even in the middle of a fight. It produces a .state file.

Save states are handy, but fragile. They depend on the emulator (the "core") that created them: if you switch cores, the state may no longer load. So also make an in-game save whenever you reach a save point.

Three settings worth knowing:

• Slots. The RetroArch menu offers slots 0 to 9, so up to 10 save states per game.
• No automatic saving by default. RetroArch does not save or reload the state on its own. ArkOS offers an option, Quick Mode (Options, then Advanced, then Enable Quick Mode): it creates a state on a clean shutdown and relaunches the last game at startup, for RetroArch emulators only.
• RetroAchievements Hardcore mode blocks save states. Only in-game saves remain possible.

Loading a save

For a save state: FN + L1 (Select + L1 on older images), or the RetroArch menu, then Load State. Pick the same slot you saved to.

For an in-game save: relaunch the game, then choose Continue or Load in its own menu. The .srm file is read again at launch.

Where the files are on the card

In the system's folder, right next to the game. For example, in roms/snes/, you will find MyGame.zip, MyGame.srm and MyGame.state.

Saves carry the name of the game: renaming the game file makes them disappear from the list. Keep the names as they are when you copy files from your computer, as explained in our guide to adding games to the R36S.

Why you should shut down cleanly

Because a hard power-off is one of the known causes of games that "don't save". And because a power cut can damage the files on the card.

The card. Removing the card or cutting the power without shutting down can corrupt the files. Turn the console off completely before taking the card out. On the computer side, eject it properly before unplugging it.

The system. The card's system partition, formatted as ext4, can also get corrupted. It is a common reason a console no longer boots. You then have to repair or reinstall the image, which is why it pays to have copied your saves beforehand.

The three ways to shut down

1. The shortcut: FN + Power on recent ArkOS, R3 + Power on dArkOSRE.
2. The menu: from the game list, press Start, scroll down to Quit, then choose shutdown. This method does not depend on any combination.
3. Frozen console only: hold Power for 10 seconds, release, then press for 2 seconds to restart. Last resort only.

What about sleep? A short press on Power puts the console to sleep on ArkOS-R3XS. But ArkOS only claims stable sleep for certain devices, and the R36S is not one of them. If you are putting the console down for a long time, turn it off.

Frequently asked questions

How do you quit a game on the R36S?

FN + Start on recent ArkOS. Select + Start on pre-2024 images, and Start + Select on dArkOSRE. If nothing responds, open the RetroArch menu and choose Quit.

Why did my save disappear?

Four causes keep coming up: a hard power-off, a change of emulator that prevents a save state from loading, a renamed game, or a card that is degrading (stock cards can slowly become corrupted). Hence the advice to also keep an in-game save.

Where are saves stored on the card?

In the system's folder, next to the game: a .srm file for the in-game save, a .state file for the save state.

How do I keep my saves before an update?

Copy the entire card to your computer, game folders included, with their .srm and .state files. The full walkthrough is in our article on updating the R36S.

Can you fast forward or rewind?

Fast forward: hold FN on ArkOS. Rewind: Select + D-pad left on dArkOSRE. On other systems, rewind is turned on in the RetroArch settings.

How do you know the battery is about to die mid-game?

On dArkOS and on ArkOS for the RG351MP, the hardware base of the R36S, the LED turns solid red below 20% battery, then blinks every second below 10%. As soon as it turns red, save and plug the console in.