Yearn getting started: import your own first game and exit safely

English translation of the Chinese original, translated on 2026-10-23. The article body uses automated translation; app descriptions, historical reading notes and video subtitles receive separate editorial checks. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

Yearn initially has no ready-made games to choose from. Prepare a game file you are entitled to use and import it through the library's plus button. This article focuses on one game: reach its title screen, operate it, save, and verify loading the save. That keeps relationships among file, platform, and settings clear when a problem occurs.

Prepare an easily verified sample

Use explicitly licensed homebrew or your own lawful backup, starting with a single-file handheld game, such as a gba file. Record its original name, size, and source description, and retain an unchanged original. Practice Game in this tutorial is only a sample filename, not content bundled with the app.

Put the sample somewhere browsable in the system Files app. If a cloud-download indicator remains, finish downloading before import. There is no need to bring in every console and hundreds of files or change advanced settings initially. A clear small sample distinguishes an unreadable file from a particular game's compatibility problem.

Add a file from the game library

Open Yearn's library, tap the upper-right plus button, and choose file import. In the system picker, enter the prepared directory, select the game file, and wait to return to the library. Import copies it into app-managed storage while leaving the source in place for later verification.

Back in the list, inspect the name and platform first. Names generally come from filenames. Cover availability and successful file import are separate matters. For an empty list, clear search text and platform filters, then check whether you selected an archive, explanatory document, or unsupported extension. A selectable file is not necessarily a loadable game.

Confirm the platform before entering

Inspect the entry's game information and confirm that the platform matches the source file. Identically named games may have versions for different consoles, so a cover is insufficient. Platform checks for a single-file handheld sample should be straightforward. PS1 disc images may additionally need BIOS and track companions; a dedicated tutorial is more efficient for those.

After pressing Start or entering the game, wait for its title screen. For a BIOS notice, inspect the corresponding platform in settings rather than renaming a ROM as BIOS. Retain full error text and note whether it appears before opening the game or after loading. This is more useful than repeatedly exiting and reentering.

Check controls with three actions

Test directional controls in the title menu, use a confirm button to enter, and finally test Start or a pause-related action. Press one button at a time and observe the menu or character response. If an opening animation is playing, wait until input is accepted before judging. A noninteractive demo does not mean the controller failed.

Keep the default layout for touchscreen controls initially. After connecting a Bluetooth controller, confirm recognition on the controller settings page. Letters on a controller's shell may not match old-console button positions. Record practical results such as bottom button confirms and right button returns before deciding whether to adjust your habits. The first check need not use every button.

Create a manual save-state checkpoint

At a clearly recognizable position, open the game menu, enter the save list, choose an empty slot, and tap Save. The interface may retain the English labels Slot, Save, and Load. Save writes the current state; Load returns the game to the state recorded in that slot. Their directions are opposite. Note the slot number and displayed time, then move a little farther.

Load that same slot and confirm that the character, scene, or menu actually returns to the checkpoint. A timestamp only shows a visible record; the restored scene is more direct evidence. Do not use your only important progress for the first experiment. Learn the Save and Load directions on a practice sample.

Check again after exiting

End the session through the game menu and return to the library. If the game has its own save menu, save there first too. Force-quitting interrupts the running session abruptly, so swiping the app away is not a routine exit step.

Reenter the same game and see whether the previous save remains available and loads. This matters: loading within one session does not prove that reopening or another device will recognize it. If it disappears or fails, preserve app data and the original ROM. Do not troubleshoot by deleting the game, reimporting it, or overwriting slots. Organize the symptoms with the save troubleshooting tutorial first.

Questions and final checks

Why is the screen black after a successful import? Import only copies and identifies a file. Runtime also depends on completeness, platform, BIOS, and emulator-core compatibility. Observe loading errors first, then compare another known-complete lawful sample instead of changing many settings.

Does a cover mean the file is correct? Covers are display information. They do not establish ROM completeness or replace startup and control checks. Similar filenames may even match metadata for different editions.

After this article, you should be able to state where the sample is stored, its Yearn platform, the save slot used, and whether it reloads after exiting. If a step has not passed, investigate that layer before batch importing.