Support emulation projects: Difference between revisions

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[[File:ducktale-amiga-004.png|~~thumb~~]]

[[File:ducktale-amiga-004.png|frameless|right]]

There are several ways to support or contribute to an emulation project (or similar projects such as [[compatibility layers]], [[game engine recreations/Source Ports|game engine recreations]], [[game engine recreations/Source Ports|source ports]] or simulators). Explained here are different ways you can get involved, even if you have low technical skill and/or no money.

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Many emulators not only need games tested in the emulator, but also on real hardware, because games aren't perfect. If you've been involved with the speedrunning community, you ''know'' bugs exist, and can be taken advantage of to get a faster time.

Determining what is a bug in the game and what is inaccurate emulation can prevent developers from wasting time on problems they didn't create. All projects encounter this at some point; even the testers behind [[Dolphin]] encounter ~~[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=~~kd29mWwp5c8 bugs that happen on hardware].

Determining what is a bug in the game and what is inaccurate emulation can prevent developers from wasting time on problems they didn't create. All projects encounter this at some point; even the testers behind [[Dolphin]] encounter {{YouTubeVideo|kd29mWwp5c8|bugs that happen on hardware}}.

Ideally, you should have a capture card for recording footage from hardware.

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You can follow developer chat-rooms, and offer assistance by running tests and collecting data from real hardware.

==~~Provide~~ support for end users==

==Providing support for end users==

Helping and guiding other users through problems is one of the pillars of open communities. If there's one thing a developer doesn't want to have to do alone, it's troubleshoot problems that end users get themselves into. Providing support for end-users will allow developers to focus on the software they make, creating a filter that allows actual bugs to be reported and saving time in the process. You also need a slight sense of confidence to make decisions for the user. For most people who work in IT (or just Google their problems), this comes naturally.

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== Archival & hardware donations ==

Optical discs like CD and DVDs have a limited lifespan. They degrade over time and will eventually be unreadable to a disc reader.

~~Projects~~ like [http://wiki.redump.~~org~~/~~index.php?title=~~Redump~~.org~~ Redump] are focused on identifying all officially released discs.

'''[[Preservation projects]]''' like [http://no-intro.org/ No-Intro] and [https://wiki.redump.info/Redump Redump] are focused on identifying all officially released carts and discs, respectively.

Each known disc is stored with information which makes it possible for users to verify the correctness of their disc.

Each known cart/disc is stored with information which makes it possible for users to verify the correctness of their cart/disc.

Contributing to these databases (by dumping your ~~discs~~ and contributing metadata) helps to build a full-set for testing emulators.

Contributing to these databases (by dumping your cart/disc and contributing metadata) helps to build a full-set for testing emulators.

It also encourages users to make legal backups of their discs before they break.

It also encourages users to make legal backups of their carts/discs before they break.

Game databases like [https://www.mobygames.com/ MobyGames] can be used to find additional information for each game. Launchers can use the uploaded descriptions and cover artwork. You can contribute by scanning your game artwork, finding and adding game information (such as release dates).

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Programming for the emulator itself isn't even necessary, as many projects are in need of websites and continuous integration (CI). If the emulator doesn't use stable builds (or all that exists are instructions for compiling from source), you could implement CI and integrate it with the website so it can host precompiled builds for users. Continuous integration is also useful because it can run the program with test ROMs to ensure that compatibility isn't broken between commits. The major projects will have this covered. Sometimes older project developers don't like to change the website's infrastructure, so you're better off handling projects for which there is no existing website.

If you're ~~experienced~~ with Linux, you can help port a program to your ~~distribution~~ (or ~~mostly every distro if the main developers are already considering something~~ like AppImages).

Porting, typically adding new operating system support, sometimes as large as a entirely separate class of devices. This can be difficult it greatly increases the possible systems that the emulator can run on. If you're experience with Linux, you can help port a program to it, your distro (Like Debian) or your favorite packing format (like AppImages).

Maintaining or Fixing code, while this can be active development with refactoring of code it can also be re-writing or fixing lines of code, such as minor inaccuracies, off-by-one errors and other small errors not noticed by the developers.

==Donate money==

Emulator development is a time-intensive task. A lot of projects could use some money, especially ones where they often don't get it when they should. Some projects are simply possible because the developers have money from their existing job to be able to fund their efforts on the emulator. Sometimes it goes a long way in helping archivists on the team hunt for rare items.

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There's also a lot of free services for open-source projects, so many projects don't have any expenses.

==~~= Patreon =~~==

== Monetary donations ==

[[~~Emulators on Patreon~~|~~Several emulators have a Patreon.~~]] ~~We've been tracking projects that use Patreon since mid-2017.~~

[[File:Shutup.jpeg|thumb]]

There are several emulators that support donations, some emulators have Patreons, PayPal addresses and such on their homepages.

~~=== BountySource ===~~

~~BountySource lets you directly donate money to certain features or improvements you wish for. Some known projects~~ that ~~use BountySource include [https://www.bountysource.com/teams/libretro libretro] and [https://www.bountysource.com/teams/reicast Reicast].~~

~~=== PayPal and other ways to donate ===~~

~~Some~~ emulators have PayPal addresses and such on their homepages.

== Big projects ==

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* [https://caps0ff.blogspot.com/ CAPS0ff] - [https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4805718 Has a Patreon].

=== [[Libretro]] / [[RetroArch]] ===

=== [[Libretro]] / [[RetroArch]] / [[Lakka]] ===

The libretro Team has

* A [https://www.libretro.com/index.php/contributions/ contribute page] with wish lists for hardware and other info.

* [https://www.patreon.com/libretro A Patreon.]

* [https://www.~~bountysource~~.com/~~teams~~/~~libretro A BountySource system~~] ~~where you can donate money directly to features, bugfixes, and improvements you'd wish to see~~.

* A [https://liberapay.com/Libretro/donate Liberapay] page.

* A [https://github.com/sponsors/libretro GutHub Sponsor] page.

* Ronald Brown (a Lakka developer) – [https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/gavindarkglider Has a Paypal].

=== [[ScummVM~~]] / [[ResidualVM~~]] ===

=== [[ScummVM]] ===

The ScummVM Team has

* [http://sourceforge.net/donate/index.php?group_id=37116 A PayPal.]

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* [https://translations.scummvm.org/projects/scummvm/scummvm/ A translation portal.]

* [https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php?title=Developer_Central A Developer Central page] with instructions on how to contribute code.

~~ResidualVM has a [http://wiki.residualvm.org/index.php/Getting_Involved getting involved page] and a [http://wiki.residualvm.org/index.php/Reporting_Bugs page for reporting bugs].~~

=== [[Wine]] ===

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Another option is to buy [https://www.codeweavers.com/about/support-wine CrossOver] which is a commercialized, supported version of Wine from CodeWeavers. They contribute all of their work on CrossOvers back to Wine and make up about two thirds of the commits made to Wine.

'''Patreon''' is a service that allows fans to contribute to creators' projects on a recurring basis (where they're known as patrons). A ton of emulator developers are already using it so if you wish to support any project with money, we've listed the accounts below. We also have a page on other ways to [[support emulation projects]].

=== [[Winlator]] ===

Has a page on [http://buymeacoffee.com/brunosx Buy Me A Coffee]. The development had previously temporarily stalled due to an incident involving shipping infected builds (described in detail in the corresponding article), however it seems to have continued.

=== [[CLK]] ===

The author doesn't accept donations but maintains a [https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/8WPVFLQQDPTA US Amazon wishlist].

=== [[ZEsarUX]] ===

Has a [https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=E5RSRST8N7KWS&lc=ES&item_name=Donativo%20ZEsarUX&currency_code=EUR&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donateCC_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted PayPal page].

=== [[Hypseus Singe]] ===

Has a page on [https://ko-fi.com/dirtbagxon Ko-fi]. Supports Singe 2, the standalone, [[Daphne]]-independent Windows/Linux/macOS successor of Singe, Daphne's dynamic library to adapt/create [[LaserDisc]] games.

=== [[DREAMM]] ===

Has a page on [https://ko-fi.com/aaronsgiles Ko-fi].

===Emulators===

Note: If a single author or developer team maintains several different emulator projects at once, then instead of creating a separate entry for each emulator and listing the same author/team with each entry, just list the author/team in question along with all the emulators under author's/team's maintenance. Additionally, don't confuse [[commercial emulators]]/payware with free emulators with an option to donate to the dev(s), the table below is for the latter case. The only case where adding payware is fine is where there's an option for OPTIONAL financial support IN ADDITION TO (not instead of) buying a licensed emulator. And please only add active emulators still being worked on.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" width="100%"

! scope="col"|Name

! scope="col"|System(s)

! scope="col"|Sponsorship link(s)

! scope="col"|[[Licensing|License(s)]]

! scope="col"|Early access

! scope="col"|Other rewards

|-

|[[3Beans]]

|[[Nintendo 3DS emulators|Nintendo 3DS]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/Hydr8gon Patreon] [http://paypal.me/Hydr8gon PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[86Box]]

|[[POS_(Pong_Consoles)_CPUs_and_Other_Chips#x86_CPUs|x86 CPUs]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/86box Patreon] [https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/86Box PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Name in YouTube videos, and on website. Priority video requests.

|-

|[[AmiArcadia]], [[WinArcadia]], [[Super Bug Advance]]

|[[Emerson Arcadia 2001 emulators|Arcadia 2001]] (AmiArcadia, WinArcadia), [[Game Boy Advance emulators|GBA]] (Super Bug Advance)

|[https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&[email protected]&item_name=Software%20Development PayPal]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|{{n}}

|-

|[[Amiberry]]

|[[Amiga emulators|Amiga]]

|[https://github.com/sponsors/BlitterStudio GitHub Sponsor] [https://ko-fi.com/midwan Ko-fi]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{Y}}

|Name on website, and in releases notes. Logo on website and Readme. Priority issue responses. Amiberry Certified Partner badge for business.

|-

|[[BGB]]

|[[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|Game Boy/Game Boy Color]]

|[https://www.blockchain.com/btc/address/1GKtGirdpJbY7BgKttJ4LCGzyUVzBJoL4W Bitcoin]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|{{N}}

|-

|[[BigPEmu]]

|[[Atari Jaguar emulators|Atari Jaguar]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/richwhitehouse Patreon]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|{{✓}}

|Discord, credits/homages in author's all solo work

|-

|[[Cemu]]

|[[Wii U emulators|Wii U]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/cemu Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|MPL2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✓}}

|Discord, exclusive news, name in emulator

|-

|Clean Flash Player

|[[Flash]]

|[https://github.com/darktohka GitHub Sponsor] [https://liberapay.com/darktohka Liberapay] [https://ko-fi.com/disyer Ko-fi]

|{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[ClownMDEmu]]

|[[Sega Genesis emulators|Genesis/Mega Drive]], Sega/Mega CD

|[https://github.com/sponsors/Clownacy GitHub Sponsor]

|{{Green}} {{License|AGPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[Cxbx-Reloaded]], [[ares]]

|[[Xbox emulators|Microsoft Xbox]], Sega Chihiro (Arcade, WIP) (Cxbx-Reloaded), [[Multi-system emulators|Multi-system]] (ares)

|[https://www.patreon.com/LukeUsher Patreon] [https://ko-fi.com/LukeUsher Ko-fi] [https://github.com/sponsors/LukeUsher GitHub Sponsor] [https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/lukepusher PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}}) {{License|ISC}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{✗}}

|Exclusive news, name in emulator

|-

|[[Deecy]]

|[[Dreamcast emulators|Sega Dreamcast]]

|[https://github.com/sponsors/Senryoku GitHub Sponsor]

|{{Green}} {{License|BSD3}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[Delta]]

|[[Multi-system emulators|Multi-system]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/rileytestut Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|AGPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✓}}

|iPad and SEGA Genesis support in Delta, 3rd-party sources in AltStore, QOL improvements and bug fixes, Interaction with developers and community, active support from dedicated channels, providing feedback on upcoming features

|-

|[[DOSBox Pure]]

|[[POS_(Pong_Consoles)_CPUs_and_Other_Chips#x86_CPUs|x86 CPUs]]

|[https://ko-fi.com/schelling Ko-fi] [http://paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=3WX4KRRTHN6EL PayPal] [https://schelling.itch.io/gamepad-phoenix/purchase Gamepad Phoenix]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[DOSBox Staging]]

|[[POS_(Pong_Consoles)_CPUs_and_Other_Chips#x86_CPUs|x86 CPUs]]

|[https://github.com/sponsors/dosbox-staging GitHub Sponsor] [https://opencollective.com/dosbox-staging Open Collective]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[Emulicious]]

|[https://paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=J9X82EY8FHVX6 PayPal]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|{{n}}

|-

|[[Flycast]]

|[[Dreamcast emulators|Sega Dreamcast]], [[Sega NAOMI and variants|NAOMI/2/Multiboard/AtomisWave/System SP]] (Arcade)

|[https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/FlycastEmu PayPal] [https://buymeacoffee.com/hhwtpernwq Buy Me A Coffee]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[FS-UAE]]

|[[Amiga Line|Amiga]]

|[https://www.paypal.com/cgi/webscr?cmd=_xclick&no_shipping=1&currency_code=EUR&lc=US&business=fs-uae%40fengestad.no&item_name=Support+FS-UAE+Development PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[Geargrafx]], [[Gearboy]], [[Gearcoleco]], [[Gearsystem]], [[Gearlynx]], [[Geartowns]]

|[[PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) emulators|PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16)]], [[SuperGrafx]] (Geargrafx), [[Game Boy (Color)]] (Gearboy), [[ColecoVision]] (Gearcoleco), Sega Mark III, [[SG-1000]], [[Master System]], Game Gear, Othello Multivision (Gearsystem), [[Atari Lynx]] (Gearlynx), [[FM Towns emulators|FM Towns]] (Geartowns)

|[https://github.com/sponsors/drhelius GitHub Sponsor]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[Genesis Plus GX]]

|[[SG-1000 emulators|SG-1000]], [[Master System emulators|Master System/Game Gear]], [[Sega Genesis emulators|Genesis/Mega Drive]], Sega/Mega CD

|[https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2966212 PayPal]

|{{Yellow}} {{License|NC}}

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[Gopher64]]

|[[Nintendo 64 emulators|Nintendo 64]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/loganmc10 Patreon] [https://github.com/sponsors/loganmc10 GitHub Sponsor]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Exclusive news

|-

|[[Hi65]]

|[[Commodore 64 emulators#Commodore 65|Commodore 65]]

|[https://paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=J7JM3BHNLS5YG PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[Iris]], [[psxe]]

|[[PlayStation 2 emulators|PlayStation 2]], [[PlayStation emulators|PlayStation]]

|[https://buymeacoffee.com/allkern Buy Me A Coffee]

|{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[Manic EMU]]

|[[Multi-system emulators|Multi-system]]

|[https://ko-fi.com/maftymanicemu Ko-fi]

|{{Green}} {{License|AGPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Roadmap, Discord channel to discuss it

|-

|[[melonDS]]

|[[Nintendo DS emulators|Nintendo DS]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/staplebutter Patreon (Arisotura, formerly Staplebutter)] [https://paypal.me/Arisotura PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[Mesen]]

|[[Multi-system emulators|Multi-system]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/Mesen Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[mGBA]]

|[[Game Boy Advance emulators|Nintendo GBA]], [[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|GB, GBC]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/mgba Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|MPL2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Special icon, name in emulator

|-

|[[Mikage]]

|[[Nintendo 3DS emulators|Nintendo 3DS]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/mikage Patreon]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|{{✗}}

|Exclusive news, technical support

|-

|[[NooDS]]

|[[Nintendo DS emulators|Nintendo DS]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/Hydr8gon Patreon] [http://paypal.me/Hydr8gon PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Discord

|-

|[[Nova]]

|[[Sega Saturn emulators|Sega Saturn]], Sega Titan Video (Arcade)

|[https://www.patreon.com/nova_emu Patreon]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|{{✓}}

|Exclusive news, name in emulator

|-

|[[OpenEmu]]

|[[Multi-system emulators|Multi-system]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/openemu Patreon] [https://cash.app/$openemu Cash App] [https://www.blockchain.com/btc/address/1BjRxVxjZXfRvjTLwcjCGPQSHMYbDbapcH Bitcoin] [https://www.blockchain.com/bch/address/1PZTjJASp8e56gx2pHAvZvKHb4EiqG1kKz BitcoinCash]

|{{Green}} {{License|BSD3}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{✓}}

|Name in emulator

|-

|[[Panda3DS]]

|[[Nintendo 3DS emulators|Nintendo 3DS]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/wheremyfoodat Patreon] [https://ko-fi.com/wheremyfoodat Ko-fi]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[PCBox]]

|[[POS_(Pong_Consoles)_CPUs_and_Other_Chips#x86_CPUs|x86 CPUs]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/qeegmfer Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Discord, technical support

|-

|[[PCSX-Redux]]

|[[PlayStation emulators|PlayStation]]

|[https://ko-fi.com/nicolasnoble Ko-fi]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[PCSX2]]

|[[PlayStation 2 emulators|Sony PlayStation 2]]

|[https://github.com/sponsors/PCSX2 GitHub Sponsor] [https://liberapay.com/PCSX2/donate Liberapay] [https://ko-fi.com/f0bes/ Ko-fi (F0bes)]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Discord

|-

|Planet Virtual Boy emulator

|[[Virtual Boy emulators|Nintendo Virtual Boy]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/GuyPerfect Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|zlib}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[Play!]]

|[[PlayStation 2 emulators|Sony PlayStation 2]], Namco System 246/256/Super 256/147 (Arcade)

|[https://www.patreon.com/jpd002 Patreon] [https://github.com/sponsors/jpd002 GitHub Sponsor] [http://paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=SEFB8MUHNHB4Y PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|BSD2}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{✗}}

|Discord

|-

|[[PPSSPP]]

|[[PSP emulators|PSP]]

|[https://www.ppsspp.org/buygold/ Buy PPSSPP Gold]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|Special PPSSPP gold skin

|-

|[[Project64]]

|[[Nintendo 64 emulators|Nintendo 64]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/Project64 Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✓}}

|Remove prompts for support

|-

|[[Provenance]]

|[[Multi-system emulators|Multi-system]]

|[https://patreon.com/provenance Patreon] [https://github.com/sponsors/JoeMatt GitHub Sponsor] [https://opencollective.com/provenanceemu Open Collective] [https://opencollective.com/joe-mattiello Open Collective (Joe Mattiello)] [https://buymeacoffee.com/joemattiello Buy Me A Coffee] [https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1VXOGWHIOFVMR?ref_=wl_share Author's Amazon wishlist]

|{{Green}} {{License|BSD3}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{✗}}

|Discord, Bug fix requests, Feature requests, Cloud saves, Patron shout-out, Cloud ROMs, and ISOs, Phone call, Digital comissions, Dedicated feature development (2 hours of time).

|-

|[[puNES]]

|[[NES emulators|NES]]

|[https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QPPXNRL5NAHDC PayPal] [https://github.com/sponsors/punesemu GitHub Sponsor] [https://ko-fi.com/punesemu Ko-fi]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[Retro Virtual Machine]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/retrovirtualmachine Patreon] [https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=55EBDLAKKU9HL PayPal] [https://ko-fi.com/D1D42AI31 Ko-fi]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|{{✓}}

|Exclusive news, name in emulator

|-

|[[RPCEmu]]

|[[RISC OS emulators|RISC OS]]

|[https://buymeacoffee.com/rpcemu Buy Me A Coffee]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{N}}

|-

|[[RPCS3]]

|[[PlayStation 3 emulators|Sony PlayStation 3]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/Nekotekina Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Discord, exclusive news, technical support, development polls, name in emulator

|-

|[[Ruffle]]

|[[Flash]]

|[https://opencollective.com/ruffle Open Collective] [https://github.com/sponsors/ruffle-rs GitHub Sponsor]

|{{Green}} {{License|Dual}} {{License|Permissive}} ({{License|MIT}} and {{License|Apache2}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[SameBoy]]

|[[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|GB, GBC]]

|[https://github.com/sponsors/LIJI32 GitHub Sponsor]

|{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[SquirrelJME]]

|[[J2ME]]

|[http://ko-fi.com/xerthesquirrel Ko-fi] [https://www.patreon.com/SquirrelJME Patreon] [https://liberapay.com/xershadowtail Liberapay] [https://paypal.me/xerthesquirrel PayPal] [https://github.com/sponsors/XerTheSquirrel GitHub Sponsor] [https://btc.com/3AxDtLvmEk7h61BFy7J2v2t4s9m9uzWVvY Bitcoin]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[StarPSX]]

|[[PlayStation emulators|PlayStation]]

|[https://buymeacoffee.com/kaezr Buy Me A Coffee]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[Stella]]

|[[Atari 2600 emulators|Atari 2600]]

|[https://stella-emu.github.io/donations.html Donations] [https://paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=HFYGAYVAY9GT6 PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[shadPS4]]

|[[PlayStation 4 emulators|Sony PlayStation 4]]

|[https://ko-fi.com/shadps4 Ko-fi]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[SUPER ZSNES]]

|[[SNES emulators|SNES]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/cw/ZSNES Patreon]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|{{n}}

|-

|[[TeknoParrot]]

|Windows-based [[Arcade emulators|Arcade systems]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/Teknogods Patreon]

|{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}

|{{✓}}

|Exclusive emulator features, Discord, exclusive news

|-

|[[vAmiga]], [[VirtualC64]]

||[[Amiga emulators|Amiga]] (vAmiga), [[Commodore 64 emulators|Commodore 64]] (VirtualC64)

|[https://github.com/sponsors/dirkwhoffmann GitHub Sponsor]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} {{License|MPL2}} {{License|MIT}} {{License|GPLv3}}

|{{n}}

|-

|[[VBA-M]]

||[[Game Boy Advance emulators|Nintendo GBA]], [[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|GB, GBC]]

|[https://github.com/sponsors/rkitover GitHub Sponsor]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{n}}

|-

|[[Vita3K]]

|[[PlayStation Vita emulators|Sony PlayStation Vita]]

|[https://ko-fi.com/vita3k Ko-fi]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Discord, name in readme, higher priority on reported issues

|-

|[[WinUAE]]

|[[Amiga emulators|Amiga]]

|[https://paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=DBQ9F44NEWTML PayPal]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|{{n}}

|-

|[[xemu]]

|[[Xbox emulators|Microsoft Xbox]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/mborgerson Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Name on videos

|-

|[[Xenia]]

|[[Xbox 360 emulators|Microsoft Xbox 360]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/xenia_project Patreon (xenia_project)] [https://www.patreon.com/gibbed Patreon (gibbed)] [https://github.com/sponsors/gibbed GitHub Sponsor (gibbed)] [https://github.com/sponsors/JoelLinn GitHub Sponsor (JoelLinn)] [https://github.com/sponsors/Razzile GitHub Sponsor (Razzile)]

|{{Green}} {{License|BSD3}} ({{License|Permissive}})

|{{✗}}

|Discord

|-

|[[Yaba Sanshiro]] (Yaba)

|[[Sega Saturn emulators|Sega Saturn]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/devmiyax Patreon] [https://liberapay.com/~32349/donate Liberapay] [https://github.com/sponsors/devmiyax GitHub Sponsor]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Patron-only posts and messages

|-

|[[Ymir]]

|[[Sega Saturn emulators|Sega Saturn]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/StrikerX3 Patreon]

|{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

|{{✗}}

|Exclusive news

|}

===Miscellaneous===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="100%"

! scope="col"|Name

! scope="col"|Description

! scope="col"|Sponsorship links

! scope="col"|Rewards

|-

|[https://caps0ff.blogspot.com/ CAPS0ff]

|Chip [[decapping]], currently used for improving [[MAME]]'s emulation.

|[https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4805718 4805718]

|Chance to influence what they work on, early blog posts.

|-

|[https://www.emuvr.net/ EmuVR]

|Game room simulation in [[Virtual reality|VR]].

|[https://www.patreon.com/EmuVR EmuVR]

|Exclusive news.

|-

|[https://gliden64.blogspot.com/ GLideN64]

|One of the more popular [[Recommended N64 plugins|N64 plugins]].

|[https://www.patreon.com/Gliden64 Gliden64]

|Early access, exclusive news.

|-

|[https://github.com/JayFoxRox JayFoxRox]

|[[XQEMU]], [[Citra]], Sega Lindbergh, [[pinball]] emulation, open-source PC game ports.

|[https://www.patreon.com/jayfoxrox jayfoxrox]

|{{✗}}

|-

|[https://github.com/Lioncash Lioncache]

|Core developer on [[Dolphin]], [[Citra]] and [[yuzu]].

|[https://www.patreon.com/user?u=9377665 9377665]

|Monthly cat photos.

|-

|[https://github.com/Libbers Libbers (AKA 'Libby')]

|Revived private server for [[Xbox]] games. [https://twitter.com/kl0wny Twitter].

|[https://www.patreon.com/LibbyLoops LibbyLoops]

|{{✗}}

|-

|[https://lutris.net/ Lutris]

|An open-source [[Frontends|frontend]] for Linux.

|[https://www.patreon.com/lutris lutris]

|Early access, remote support with a desktop sharing program, custom forum badge.

|-

|[https://github.com/m4xw m4xw]

|Works on improving various emulators, such as [[Mupen64Plus]], Mupen64Plus-Next, [[RetroArch]] libnx port, Switch [[PPSSPP]] Port. Also makes Nintendo Switch homebrew.

|[https://www.patreon.com/m4xwdev m4xwdev]

|Discord, feature requests.

|-

|[http://problemkaputt.de Martin Korth]

|Developer of the [[No$]] emulators.

|[https://www.patreon.com/martin_korth martin_korth]

|{{✗}}

|-

|[[MAME|MooglyGuy/TheMogMiner]]

|Assist with expenses in acquiring obscure computers and electronic hardware for [[MAME]]'s emulation.

|[https://www.patreon.com/moogly moogly]

|Patreon posts

|-

|[https://playnite.link/ Playnite]

|An open-source [[Frontends|frontend]] for Windows.

|[https://www.patreon.com/playnite playnite]

|Early access, access to polls prioritizing upcoming features, credits.

|-

|[https://github.com/CookiePLMonster Silent (AKA 'CookiePLMonster')]

|Occasional contributions to [[Xenia]], [[RPCS3]], [[Cxbx-Reloaded]]; unofficial patches/enhancements for PC games & some old console games; other mods for Grand Theft Auto games.

|[https://www.patreon.com/CookiePLMonster CookiePLMonster]

|Patreon posts, credits, access to private to-do list.

|-

|[https://github.com/thrimbor thrimbor]

|Revived private server (For [[Xbox]] games), Xbox original tools, various fixes/mods to open-source projects and games/software. [https://twitter.com/thrimbor Twitter].

|[https://www.patreon.com/StefanSchmidt StefanSchmidt]

|{{✗}}

|-

|[https://github.com/wine-staging/wine-staging Wine-Staging]

|Testing area and experimental features for [[Wine]].

|[https://www.patreon.com/winestaging winestaging]

|{{✗}}

|-

|[https://www.zophar.net/ Zophar's Domain]

|Emulation/game data archival website.

|[https://www.patreon.com/zophar zophar]

|Ad-free, your own post, link to your emulation project.

|-

|[[Fightcade]]

|Matchmaking software client for facilitating online sessions of classic arcade and console games bundled with emulators

|[https://www.patreon.com/Fightcade Fightcade]

|Exclusive color themes, joining multiple game channels, favourite channels with search and filters, disabling live spectators, option to see your ELO score in ranked game channels after every match, ability to create Private Lobbies, very useful for Streamers, TOs, or communities who organize tournaments, access to Discord, silver or gold role grouping in Discord.

|-

|[https://twitter.com/Tuxality Tuxality]

|Developing [http://tuxality.net/projects/infuse_zeebo_emulator Infuse] ([[Zeebo|Zeebo]] and [[BREW|BREW]] emulator) and [[Wrappers|PowerVR SGL wrapper]]

|[https://www.patreon.com/Tuxality Tuxality]

|{{✗}}

|-

|[https://www.system16.com/ System 16 - The Arcade Museum]

|Information compendium on tons of released arcade boards

|[https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=7PHGUHCZE69X6 PayPal]

|{{✗}}

|}

===Romhacking===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="100%"

! scope="col"|Name

! scope="col"|Description

! scope="col"|Sponsorship links

! scope="col"|Rewards

|-

|Hilltop

|Localizations of Japanese-only videogames (Especially [[:Category:Fifth-generation video game consoles|PS1]] & [[:Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles|PS2]]) titles.

|[https://www.patreon.com/hilltopworks hilltopworks]

|Patron-only Discord room, patron role, exclusive posts, early access to content, BTS developer info, answers to romhacking questions, patch credits.

|-

|[https://romhacking.net/ ROMhacking.net]

|[[Mods, hacks and fan-translations|Rom hacking]] website. The biggest (?) database of ROM hacks and translations.

|[https://www.patreon.com/Romhackingnet Romhackingnet]

|Site themes, site development forum, ad-free, sticky article, new site feature or improvement of your choosing.

|}

===[[FPGA]]===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="100%"

! scope="col"|Name

! scope="col"|Description

! scope="col"|Sponsorship links

! scope="col"|Rewards

|-

|[https://github.com/atrac17 atrac17]

|Fixes to arcade [[FPGA|FPGA cores]] for [[MiSTer]] and others, [[MAME]] contributor.

|[https://www.patreon.com/atrac17 atrac17]

|Private posts

|-

|[https://github.com/theypsilon José Manuel Barroso Galindo]

|Maintains the old Update_All_MiSTer script and newer, improved MiSTer Downloader for [[MiSTer]] [[FPGA]].

|[https://www.patreon.com/theypsilon theypsilon]

|Early access, private posts, Patreon keys, Discord benefits, shout-outs, chance to influence what he works on.

|-

|[https://github.com/jotego Jose Tejada]

|Arcade [[FPGA|FPGA cores]] for [[MiSTer]] and others, [[MAME]] contributor.

|[https://www.patreon.com/topapate topapate]

|Early access, private posts, name/face in projects, chance to influence what he works on.

|-

|[[MiSTer]]

|Open source [[FPGA]] project targeted to replicate retro computers, consoles and similar devices using modern USB input devices and output high quality video to HDMI.

|[https://www.patreon.com/FPGAMiSTer FPGAMiSTer] [https://www.paypal.me/FPGAMiSTer PayPal]

|{{✗}}

|-

|[https://www.retrorgb.com/ RetroRGB.com]

|A website with corresponding YouTube, Podcast and social media accounts dedicated to highlighting the people and projects in the retro gaming scene (particularly [[FPGA]] scene too).

|[https://www.patreon.com/retrorgb retrorgb], [https://www.floatplane.com/channel/RobertNeal/home Floatplane], [https://ko-fi.com/retrorgb Ko-fi], [https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=7J9QNKYKBSM3Y PayPal], [https://www.retrorgb.com/support.html Others]

|Early access, private posts, Discord.

|-

|[https://github.com/RobertPeip Robert Peip]

|Development and enhancements to console [[FPGA|FPGA cores]] for [[MiSTer]] and others. Best known for creating [[PlayStation emulators|PSX]] core. Also made Atari Lynx, GBA & Wonderswan cores, and added improvements to other cores. Check his [https://www.twitter.com/AzumFpg Twitter] updates, too.

|[https://www.patreon.com/FPGAzumSpass FPGAzumSpass]

|Early access, private posts.

|-

|[https://github.com/srg320 Sergey Dvodnenko]

|Console [[FPGA|FPGA cores]] for [[MiSTer]] and others. Best known for creating [[Sega Saturn emulators|Saturn]] core. Also did major work on Sega Genesis, Mega CD & TurboGrafx-16/CD. Check his [https://www.twitter.com/srg320_ Twitter], too.

|[https://www.patreon.com/srg320 srg320]

|{{✗}}

|-

|}

===[[Game engine recreations and source ports|Game engine recreations]]===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="100%"

! scope="col"|Name

! scope="col"|Games

! scope="col"|Description

! scope="col"|Sponsorship links

! scope="col"|Rewards

|-

|[https://openmw.org/ OpenMW]

|TES 3: Morrowind

|List of several individual devs.

|[https://openmw.org/faq/#donations Several devs]

|{{✗}}

|-

|[https://github.com/nmlgc/ReC98 ReC98]

|Touhou 1 - 5 (PC-98)

|Updated page with many completion status bars needing certain amounts.

|[https://rec98.nmlgc.net/ GitHub Sponsors] (Progress bars)

|{{✗}}

|-

|}

===Video game preservation===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="100%"

! scope="col"|Name

! scope="col"|Description

! scope="col"|Sponsorship links

! scope="col"|Rewards

|-

|[https://classicrebirth.com/ classicrebirth.com] (The Apple of Eden)

|Plug & play enhancements for classic ''Resident Evil'' and ''Dino Crisis'' games on modern Windows (i.e. Vista+).

|[https://www.patreon.com/classicrebirth classicrebirth]

|Private posts, full patches collection, early access, in-game credit.

|-

|[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ HG101]

|Comprehensive web overviews/retrospectives, ebooks/books and podcasts of retro/modern video games.

|[https://www.patreon.com/hg101 hg101]

|Private posts, private messages, Discord, ebooks/books (also autographic option), materials, votes/nominations.

|-

|[https://hitsave.org/ Hit Save!]

|A non-profit dedicated to video game preservation, their history, and related physical and digital materials.

|[https://www.patreon.com/hitsave hitsave], [https://hitsave.org/support-us/#/portal/ Ghost], [https://hitsave.org/support-us/ Others]

|Private posts, messages, polls, Discord, early access content, credit, memorabilia.

|-

|[http://www.homeoftheunderdogs.net/ Home of the Underdogs]

|A non-profit site dedicated to the preservation and promotion of 5000+ underrated PC games (and a few non-PC games) of all ages, 1000+ documents. Includes game info, reviews, media, download/purchase links. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_of_the_Underdogs Old versions] with game/docs downloads ended in 2009.

|[https://www.patreon.com/hotu hotu]

|Discord.

|-

|[https://www.unseen64.net/ Unseen64]

|An historical archive with articles, screenshots and videos for cancelled, beta & unseen videogames. Full U64 backup on Archive.org.

|[https://www.patreon.com/unseen64 unseen64]

|Private posts, polls, credit in posts, ebook.

|-

! colspan="8"|Axed

|-

|[https://www.preservegames.org/ The Video Game Preservation Collective (VGPC)]

|Video game preservation. Contributes to [http://redump.info/ Redump], No-Intro and [https://archive.org/ Internet Archive].

|[https://www.patreon.com/vgpc vgpc]

|Name on website

|-

|}

;External links

* [https://graphtreon.com/ Graphtreon] - View a project's Patreon earnings, statistics, graphs and rankings.

==Bounty==

WIP

Happy Wars revival: $1000 ([https://discord.com/channels/1376193691345092768/1479539282782982350 Discord])

==Notable projects and people==

WIP section, kinda pointless atm.

This section is for relevant/notable emulation projects and people who are part of them.

;Tiers of Emulator Compatibility

{| style="width: 74%; font-size:16px; text-align: center; border-collapse: collapse; color: #1a1a1a; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, #1f9423 0%, #cfffd0 50%, #ccc762 80%, #fa9d46 100%);"

|+ style="caption-side: top; font-style: italic; padding: 5px; background: white;" | These categories are not based solely on official compatibility lists; they also account for notable issues found in emulators dedicated wiki, unofficial community reports, and minor bugs that require manual user tweaking. The systems listed below represent the primary target platform(s) for each recommended emulator in this categorization. Many of these emulators support other systems as well, but only these target(s) are considered here for tier assignment.