Recommended emulators

For a condensed list of the most recommended emulators, see List of recommended emulators.

What are recommended emulators?

Well, most importantly they're emulators that are recommended by /emugen/. The list of recommended emulators is available on each emulation page, check the Wiki page and look at the "Recommended" column.

Emulators are listed in the order of most recommended at the top and least recommended at the bottom.

Recommendation levels

Recommendation level	Appearance	Description	Template call
Recommended	✓	Recommended emulator. One of the better emulators for the given system(s)	{{✓}} or {{Y}}
Semi-recommended	~	Semi-recommended emulator. Typically less compatible than higher recommended emulators.	{{~}}
Unknown	?	Untested emulator. An emulator that has not been tested/tested enough.	{{?}}
Further research needed	!	Further research needed to determine if it's recommended. Typically an emulator that was recently added to the article.	{{R}}
Not recommended	✗	Not recommended emulator. Surpassed by other emulators.	{{✗}} or {{N}}

System emulation status

Assign these symbols in "Infobox system" panel section based on;

   ✓: Compatibility is approximately 40% or higher.
   ~: Compatibility is lower than 40%, even though functional emulators exist.
   ✗: No functional emulators exist, or compatibility is negligible (near 5%).

Recommending emulators

If you want to change the recommendation of an emulator that is listed as 'unknown recommendation' or 'further research needed' you can:

• Ask /emugen/
• Use the discussion page to gather opinions from other editors
• Edit the article yourself, if you have conducted your own research

These are not strict rules but guidelines that should be considered while recommending an emulator:

Recommended

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• Have high compatibility (and mappers support for systems like NES, GB/GBC, SMS/GG, or operating systems support for PC emulators etc.)

• Various hardware features like connectivity, peripherals and special hardware support etc.

• Offering useful enhancement features.

• Supports arcade and other hardware variations[1][2].

• Capable of running smoothly at full speed on modern, affordable, and widely used hardware and operating systems. See Steam HW survey and Computer specifications for that.

• Generally, be usable day-to-day by even the not-so-tech-savvy users. (e.g. distributing binaries of the software, without requiring compiling)

• Being improved regularly--in other words, be active and, preferably, be open-source (not closed-source), as that ensures that any active programmer can keep the software in good shape and able to run on the latest operating systems.

• Accuracy-focused emulators are recommended when they have a reasonable amount of compatibility compared to general-use emulators without demanding high-end hardware. Being accurate doesn't always mean more compatible.

Semi-recommended

This should be a small amount of the listed emulators, otherwise should be listed as recommended or not recommended.

• Meets only a few of the recommended guidelines, e.g hard to use GUI but accurate emulation.

• Emulators that aren't the best in those categories. They still may be good emulators, and offer many great features, but are not the best option for general users or fall short compared to other emulators.

• If it has some level of compatibility, emulators lacking competition (like Xbox 360, PlayStation 4), or any other system in the very early emulation category.

Not recommended

• If the emulator cannot run any commercial software or game.
  • Unemulated systems, very early emulated systems with little to no compatibility, MAME's "MACHINE_SKELETON" state.
• It falls short compared to other emulators.
• If use of the emulator poses data privacy risks, or if the emulator is/has been associated with questionable practices (including but not limited to adware, bloatware, shady monetization, license violation, illegal activity).