What can a Raspberry Pi be used for in gaming?

A Raspberry Pi can be used for gaming as a retro emulation machine, a DIY handheld or arcade cabinet, a light desktop for browser and indie games, and a platform for homemade games. Its most popular gaming use is emulation: running classic console and arcade games through software like RetroPie. Makers also build custom handhelds, tabletop arcade cabinets, and dedicated single-game consoles around it, because it is cheap, small, and well-supported. It is not built for modern high-end 3D games, so expect retro, 2D, and text or story games rather than the latest big-budget titles. That makes it a natural fit for narrative and text-based games. Dungeon Mastron's DIY console uses a Pi to play choose your own adventure games from USB cartridges.