# In-Game Menu

The **pause menu** is your control center during gameplay. Access save states, fast forward, cheats, screen filters, controller settings, and more — all without leaving your game.

***

## Opening the Pause Menu

| Method                  | How                                                           |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **On-screen**           | Tap the **Menu** / **Pause** button on the controller overlay |
| **Physical controller** | Press the **Menu** / **Options** button                       |
| **Keyboard**            | Press `~` (tilde)                                             |

***

## Menu Options

### Save States

Create, load, and manage save state snapshots:

* **Save State** — Freeze the game at this exact moment
* **Load State** — Resume from a previously saved snapshot
* **Auto Save** — Provenance automatically creates a save state when you leave a game or background the app
* **Overwrite / Delete** — Manage existing states (each shows a screenshot preview)

{% hint style="info" %}
Save states are tied to specific emulator cores. If you switch cores, old save states won't work. Use **in-game saves** (battery saves) for long-term progress. See [Game Saves](/using-provenance/saves.md) for details.
{% endhint %}

### Fast Forward

Speed up gameplay — useful for grinding, slow cutscenes, or text-heavy RPGs:

* **Toggle Fast Forward** — Increases emulation speed (typically 2-4x, varies by core)
* Fast forward stays active until you toggle it off or exit the game

See [Fast Forward](/using-provenance/fast-forward.md) for full details.

### Screen Filters

Change visual filters without leaving your game:

* Switch between CRT, LCD, smoothing, and other shader effects
* Preview how each filter looks in real-time
* Per-game filter settings override global defaults

See [Screen Filters & Shaders](/using-provenance/shaders-and-filters.md) for all available filters.

### Cheats

Enable or disable cheat codes mid-game:

* Toggle individual cheats on/off
* Access the RetroArch cheats interface (RetroArch-based cores)
* Changes take effect immediately

See [Cheats](/using-provenance/cheats.md) for setup instructions and code formats.

### Controller Settings

Adjust controller configuration during gameplay:

* **Player assignment** — Reassign controllers to different player slots
* **Controller skin** — Switch to a different on-screen skin
* View current controller mapping

### RetroArch Settings

For games running on **RetroArch-based cores**, access the full RetroArch settings interface:

* Advanced shader configuration
* Core-specific options (resolution scaling, audio settings)
* RetroAchievements settings
* Netplay / online multiplayer configuration
* Save/load RetroArch core overrides

{% hint style="info" %}
RetroArch settings are only available for RetroArch-based cores. Native cores (emuThreeDS, Dolphin) have their own configuration systems.
{% endhint %}

### Screenshot

Capture a screenshot of the current game frame.

### Reset

Restart the game from the beginning (simulates a console power cycle). Your save states and battery saves are preserved — this only resets the current play session.

### Quit to Library

Return to the game library. If auto-save is enabled, a save state is created automatically before quitting.

***

## Quick Actions

Some actions can also be triggered without opening the full pause menu:

| Action                  | Method                           |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| **Quick Save**          | Configurable controller shortcut |
| **Quick Load**          | Configurable controller shortcut |
| **Fast Forward Toggle** | Configurable controller shortcut |
| **Screenshot**          | Configurable controller shortcut |

Check Settings → Controllers to configure quick action shortcuts for your physical controller.

***

## See Also

* [Fast Forward](/using-provenance/fast-forward.md) — Speed up gameplay
* [Game Saves](/using-provenance/saves.md) — Save states vs battery saves
* [Screen Filters & Shaders](/using-provenance/shaders-and-filters.md) — Visual filter options
* [Cheats](/using-provenance/cheats.md) — Cheat code support
* [Controllers & Controls](/using-provenance/controllers-and-controls.md) — Controller setup

***

{% hint style="info" %}
Need help? Ask on [Discord](https://discord.gg/provenance).
{% endhint %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://wiki.provenance-emu.com/using-provenance/in-game-menu.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.