Pi Image for Pi zero 2
This page is for the Pi Zero 2. If you are using a Pi Zero 1, go to this page: Pi Zero 1 Image.
Special thanks to Jeff Geerling for his excellent guide on making a Null 2 image for the Pi Zero 2,
and to Stiixxy for helping me troubleshoot.
This image was made using a weekly build of RetroPie (retropie-buster-4.7.19-rpi2_3) so it is not entirely stable and can sometimes fail to run EmulationStation on startup. If this happens to you, hold the System button and press B to trigger a safe shutdown, wait for the activity LED to stop flashing, turn it off, cross your fingers, turn it back on.
The image was shrunk using PiShrink. This means when you first power it up, it will take a couple of minutes to expand the file system and get ready for you. The screen will be white during this time, be patient.
When a newer version of RetroPie is released for the Pi Zero 2, you can follow Jeff Geerling's guide to get it working for the Null 2.
I recommend using the official Raspberry Pi Imager. Press Ctrl+Shift+X to open the advanced options and add in your WiFi details.