diff --git a/retroarch.c b/retroarch.c
index eba2ea8be8..0d1be5657f 100644
--- a/retroarch.c
+++ b/retroarch.c
@@ -5928,6 +5928,11 @@ int rarch_main(int argc, char *argv[], void *data)
 #endif
 
 #if defined(WEBOS)
+   // compatibility with webOS 3 - 5
+   if(getenv("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR") == NULL) {
+      setenv("XDG_RUNTIME_DIR", "/tmp/xdg", 0);
+    }
+    
    struct rlimit limit = {0, 0};
    setrlimit(RLIMIT_CORE, &limit);
 #endif