JACK'S EMULATION ESSENTIALS
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If you're interested in Retro Achievements, check out this list of supported emulators.
All-in-One/Multi-System
These are noteworthy multi-system emulators. Many of them pop up on this list multiple times.
RetroArch
Front-end for Libretro. Emulates a variety of systems. Runs on almost any modern system imaginable.
GAM.ONL
Ad-free site with lots of retro games that you can play in your browser. It uses a web based version of RetroArch. Beware of ear-rape that can occur while playing more demanding games like Conker's Bad Fur Day or consoles like Sega Saturn.
Bizhawk
A go-to for TAS videos. Emulates a large number of systems with many ported over with Libretro. Runs on Windows and Linux.
MAME
Originally a couple chip/board preservation and emulation projects combined, which resulted in an insane number of supported systems as a happy coincidence. Known for supporting a lot of arcade machines.
ares
A very user friendly emulator that focuses on accuracy and preservation. It has great compatibility that grows with each update. Known as the successor to bsnes and higan. Runs on Windows, Linux, MacOS, and FreeBSD.
mednafen
Not very user friendly command line multi-system emulator. Reading up on specific systems in the mednafen Documentation page is highly recommended. A front-end such as mednaffe is also highly recommended.
Mesen
Not much to say about this one outside of being possibly the most cycle accurate NES/Famicom emulators at the time of writing. Runs a collection of other systems(listed on Mesen page), so considered multi-system.
Nintendo
NES/FC
- puNES - Cycle-accurate - Windows, Linux, free/openBSD
- Mesen - Multi-System Emulator
- ares - Multi-System Emulator
ROMS:
- Myrient NES - No-Intro
- Internet Archive NES&FDS - NoIntro
- RGT REPO NES - Requires account Best for pre-patched romhacks & fan translations.
SNES/SFC
- ares - Multi-System Emulator
- Mesen - Multi-System Emulator
- Nostalgia Option - ZMZ - The accuracy of libretro combined with the nostalgia of the ZSNES UI. Supports newer x84 libretro SNES cores.
ROMS:
- Myrient SNES - No-Intro
- Internet Archive SNES - No-Intro
- RGT REPO SNES - Requires account Best for pre-patched romhacks & fan translations.
N64
- ares - Multi-System Emulator
- Parallel Launcher - Front-end for Parallel64 and Mupen64Plus-Next libretro cores. Windows, Linux, MacOS and more.
ROMS:
- Myrient N64 - No-Intro
- RGT REPO N64 - Requires account Best for pre-patched & fan translations.
GameCube/Wii
ROMS:
- Myrient Wii - Redump - RVZ
- Myrient GameCube - Redump - RVZ
- Internet Archive - WiiWare/Virtual Console/DLCs
- RGT REPO Gamecube - Requires account Best for pre-patched romhacks & fan translations.
Wii U
ROMS:
- WiiU Downloader - Download Client - Recommended I highly recommend getting this set up, as it can download/decrypt most Wii U games/updates/DLCs all in one place.
- Myrient Wii U - Redump - WUX - WUX games are compressed Wii U disc games and require Product Keys to play.
Product Keys:
Game & Watch
- MAME - Multi-System Emulator
ROMS:
GameBoy(DMG)/GameBoy Color(GBC)
- SameBoy - Recommended User friendly, accurate, fast, feature rich, actively developed.
- ares - Multi-System Emulator
- Bizhawk - Multi-System Emulator
ROMS:
- Myrient DMG - No-Intro
- Myrient GBC - No-Intro
- RGT REPO DMG - Requires account Best for pre-patched romhacks & fan translations.
- RGT REPO GBC - Requires account Best for pre-patched romhacks & fan translations.
GameBoy Advance(GBA)
ROMS:
- Myrient GBA - No-Intro
- RGT REPO GBA - Requires account Best for pre-patched romhacks & fan translations.
Pokemon Mini
- GB Enhanced+ - Recommended Emulates other things, but not as well as other emulators listed.
ROMS/BIOS:
DS/DSi
3DS/2DS
- azahar - Recommended Active Fork of Citra
- Borked3DS - Active Fork of Citra
- Mikage - Not released yet! Notable for it being(hypothetically) an alternative to Citra based emulators. Hopefully it's real.
Archived Citra versions Not Recommended:
- PabloMK7
- Citra Site - Web Archive
- Citra Nightly(2104) - Web Archive
- Citra Canary(2798) - Web Archive
Virtual Boy
- Mednafen - Multi-System Emulator - Virtual Boy Specific Docs
ROMS:
Switch
Old Versions of Ryujinx and Yuzu are OBSOLETE and are not recommended. In addition to this, Citron is not recommended due to them collecting and storing user data, implementing DRM, and mass banning users.
Product Keys/Firmware:
- Switch Firmware - USE AN ADBLOCKER
- Ryujinx Product Keys - USE AN ADBLOCKER
- Yuzu Product Keys - USE AN ADBLOCKER
Switch 2
The console isn't even out yet, you nerd. Anything claiming to be a Switch 2 emulator is likely a scam and virus.
SEGA
SG-1000, Master System/MarkIII, and Game Gear
- Snepulator - Also runs ColecoVison
- ares - Multi-System Emulator
Genesis/Mega Drive/Nomad
- BlastEm Nightly Builds
- ares - Multi-System Emulator
Saturn
- Mednafen - Multi-System Emulator - Sega Saturn Specific Docs
Dreamcast/Naomi
- Flycast - Recomended
- Flycast Dojo - Fork for online multiplayer
Sony
PlayStation
- Duckstation - Recommended
- Mednafen - Multi-System Emulator - PlayStation Specific Docs
ROMS/BIOS:
- Myrient PS1 BIOS - Redump - J = Japan, A = Americas, E = Europe, W = World. Get J or A, and an E.
- Myrient PS1 - Redump
- RGT REPO PS1 - Requires account Best for pre-patched romhacks & fan translations.
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
- ShadPS4 - The compatibility list is steadily growing.
PlayStation 5
- RPCSX - NOTHING PLAYABLE YET - Early stages of a PS4 and PS5 emulator project. More of a cool demo than anything at the moment. Read the FAQ.
PocketStation
- MAME - Multi-System Emulator
PlayStation Portable
- PPSSPP - Gold Edition is a donation and doesn't give any benefits.
PlayStation Vita
Microsoft
XBOX
- xemu - Recommended
- Cxbx-Reloaded - Not quite there yet with compatibility, but still worth mentioning.
XBOX 360
- xenia - Canary Recommended - Check the Compatibility list.
- xenon
XBOX ONE
- XWine1 - Not available or functional yet. In theory will support Series S|X games.
SNK
Neo Geo MVS/AES
- FinalBurn Neo - Recommended
- MAME - Multi-System Emulator
- ares - Multi-System Emulator
Neo Geo CD
- MAME - Multi-System Emulator
Hyper Neo Geo 64
- MAME - Multi-System Emulator - Not recommended due to audio issues.
Neo Geo Pocket/Pocket Color
- ares - Multi-System Emulator
- Mednafen - Multi-System Emulator - Neo Geo Pocket(Color) Specific Docs
Bandai
WonderSwan/WonderSwan Color
NEC
PC Engine/TurboGrafx/SuperGrafx
- Mednafen - Recommended - Multi-System Emulator - PC Engine Specific Docs
- ares - Multi-System Emulator
- Mesen - Multi-System Emulator
PC-FX
- Mednafen - Multi-System Emulator - PC-FX Specific Docs
Electronic Handhelds(WIP)
"Emulator? Simulator? What's the difference?"
Emulation recreates the exact hardware in software to run its original game code, while simulation mimics the game using new code without copying the hardware. For the purpose of variety in this section, both emulators and simulators of classic electronic handhelds will be listed here.
Electronic Handhelds Simulators
Electronic Handhelds Emulators
ROMSITES
- https://myrient.erista.me/ - RECOMMENDED OVER VIMM'S Ad free. DDL. FTP. rsync.
- https://hshop.erista.me/ - Ad free. 3DS games. 3DS app available. DDL.
https://cdromance.com/ - Ads. Not being updated anymore(translations and romhacks)- https://retrogametalk.com/repository/ - SUCCESSOR TO CD Romance; Requires login - Recommended for ROMHACKS and TRANSLATIONS
- https://vimm.net/vault/ - Ads. large selection. DDL. Nintendo and SEGA downloads gimped due to DCMA
- https://www.myabandonware.com/ - Ads. DDL. Large selection of retro PC games.
- https://nsw2u.com/ - Ads. SWITCH LEAKS SHOW UP HERE. DDL & Torrents. multiple DL links.
- https://www.emugames.net/ - Ad free. large selection. DDL. Browser Emulation.
- https://romhustler.org/ - Ad free. large selection. DDL.
- https://www.romspedia.com/ - Ads. download timers. DDL. large selection.
- https://www.romulation.org/ Ad free. large selection. DDL.
- https://archive.org/ - Ad free. sometimes need login. slow DL. good for nointro dumps.
- https://gamepciso.com/ - Ads. DDL. Multiple DL links. Archive passwords. Redirects for different categories:
- https://downloadgamepsp.org/ - PSP/VITA
- https://dlpsgame.com/ - DDL. A little bit of everything PS2-PS5
- https://dlxbgame.com/ - XBOX in general
- https://nswgame.com/ - Switch and 3DS
ROM DL CLIENTS
- https://nopaystation.com/ - Ad free. Client DL ONLY. VITA/PSP/PS3 apps available.
- https://github.com/Xpl0itU/WiiUDownloader - Client DL ONLY.
- https://hshop.erista.me/3hs - Direct install to modified 3DS/2DS