Emulators on macOS

macOS

Developer	Apple
Initial release	March 24, 2001
Latest release	26.6.2 / August 17, 2026
Preceded by	Classic Mac OS, NeXTSTEP
Emulated	~

This page is about emulators that run on macOS (previously Mac OS X).

For software that emulates macOS on other hardware, see macOS emulators.

For emulators that run on Classic Mac OS, see Emulators on Legacy systems#Classic Mac OS.

The Mac has changed considerably over the years, both in terms of hardware and software. It is important to understand these changes so you can choose the best emulators for your Mac.

Operating System - Classic Mac OS | macOS

The Mac has had two main operating systems over its history: The "Classic" Mac OS versions 1 through 9, and Mac OS X (Ten, not pronounced as "Ex") which is now referred to simply as macOS. Classic was a closed-source proprietary OS, whereas macOS is based on an open-source Unix variant called Darwin. This Unix base helps with Linux compatibility.

The first several releases of macOS up to 10.4 Tiger contained support for Classic applications, but this was later dropped.

CPU Architecture - PowerPC | x86 | x64 | ARM64

macOS has supported three major CPU architecture changes: IBM PowerPC (PPC), Intel x86/x64 and most recently Apple Silicon (ARM64). There have also been minor architectural changes such as moving from 32-bit PPC processors to the 64-bit PPC G5, or from Intel's 32-bit x86 to 64-bit x64. Each time there was a hardware transition, Apple provided ways to continue to support older software on the new systems.

Rosetta was a software emulation layer that helped PPC applications to run on x86/x64 Macs. It was built into 10.4.4 Tiger, but was an optional install in macOS 10.6 Snow Leopard and not available at all for 10.7 Lion. Rosetta 2 currently facilitates x64 software to run on ARM Macs. While Rosetta performs very respectably for most software, it adds extra overhead which can reduce performance on demanding games and emulators.

Apple also introduced Universal Binaries that bundle software for different architectures into a single app bundle. For example, Universal 2 app bundles contain x64 and ARM versions of software in one app. This is very useful for portability, or for people who don't know or care about their Mac's specs. If you know what CPU your Mac has, the advantage of getting the specific version for your CPU is that it will have a smaller file size than the universal binary. However the size difference is usually tiny, so just using the universal binary is usually the way to go.

Graphical Backend - OpenGL | MoltenVK | KosmicKrisp | Metal

Another aspect to consider is the graphical backend of the emulator. For many years OpenGL was the main cross-platform standard for developing graphical software. However in recent times this has changed. More modern backends such as Vulkan and Metal are superseding it. OpenGL on macOS is deprecated, meaning it is stuck on the older OGL 4.1. It doesn't receive any support or bug fixes and will someday be removed from macOS completely. Apple recommends for developers to create native Metal backends for their apps.

One issue with this is that a lot of emulators are cross-platform, and Metal is only for Apple's platforms. The Vulkan backend for Windows and Linux is similar to Metal, but does not have support on macOS. So, many emulators will develop a Vulkan backend and use a translation layer, like MoltenVK or KosmicKrisp, which will take Vulkan instructions and convert them into their respective Metal equivalent. However not every Vulkan instruction has a Metal version, so either workarounds have to be designed, or some features cannot be supported at all. There are two Vulkan-to-Metal translation layers: MoltenVK and KosmicKrisp. MoltenVK is older and was originally developed when Macs were still using Intel CPUs. KosmicKrisp is newer, and is targeting ARM chips and Metal 4 which is a closer match to Vulkan. KosmicKrisp is still in early development but has the potential to be superior to MoltenVK, with the drawback of dropping support for Intel Macs.

Using one of these backends is not mandatory, of course. Some emulators may use a different backend or handle graphics themselves.

Before diving in;

• Remember that emulators can have different levels of completion or compatibility. If a game you are trying to run does not work properly with a recommended emulator, try a different one. All this means that to find an emulator that works well for your Mac you should understand its specs first. Choose an emulator that supports your CPU architecture natively where possible. The emulators shown here will indicate the processor architecture it supports. Generally you should choose an emulator that supports Metal where available if you are on a modern Mac. MoltenVK should be more performant than OpenGL, although there may be compatibility issues. KosmicKrisp should be more compatible and performant than MoltenVK. OpenGL may work, but some emulators need to use a version newer than OGL 4.1 that macOS doesn't support. In cases like this the emulator will be marked as not having OpenGL support. This list shows the latest versions of the emulator software. If you have an older CPU and the latest version does not support it, some emulators will keep archives of older versions that might, check out their website.
• See each Wiki Category Consoles, Computers and Arcade for individual dedicated system pages to see provided up-to-date listings and in-depth information on specific aspects like hardware features, peripheral support, compatibility and also enhancements features etc.
• Some games have native Source ports on macOS, which can be better than playing through an emulator. Also see Game engine recreations and source ports page for a list for all platforms.

Frontends

A frontend is a graphical user interface (GUI) that uses one or more emulator cores under the hood. They could replace the GUI of the official emulator, or they could provide a GUI for command-line-only emulators like MAME or Mednafen. They are also very useful for consolidating games into a single library.

There are two types of frontends:

- Desktop frontends are designed to be navigated with a mouse and keyboard. These can give a Mac-native user interface to command-line or cross-platform emulators

- Fullscreen frontends are designed to be navigated with a game controller. These are very useful if you want to connect your Mac to a TV (or mirror your screen to an AppleTV) and use it as a mini-console

OpenEmu

OpenEmu is an excellent desktop frontend designed for macOS that provides a clean iTunes-like interface. The systems emulated are listed here. It supports shaders that can improve many 2D games, but some advanced features such as upscaling for 3D games are generally not available.

OpenEmu has not been actively developed for several years, and there has never been an official ARM release. However, there is an actively developed fork called OpenEmu-Silicon that is a Universal Binary and has added several more cores and features such as cloud sync, retro-achievements and alternate cover-art sources.

EmulationStation

EmulationStation Desktop Edition is a fullscreen frontend that integrates many emulators, including both command-line and standalone apps. To work properly with standalone apps they usually need to be configured to enter fullscreen automatically on launch.

RetroArch

RetroArch is fullscreen frontend that supports many cores. It is popular but the UI is poor, it is not user-friendly and many of the cores are not updated.

Attract-Mode

Attract-Mode is a fullscreen frontend that supports many cores. There is only an x64 build available on the website. It currently cannot be built from source as the macOS source code has not been maintained.

There is a fork called Attract-Mode Plus that is in active development and has Apple Silicon builds, though as of writing the most recent release does not launch correctly.

Fightcade

Fightcade is a desktop matchmaking frontend for playing many arcade fighting games online with other players. There is currently no ARM build.

Ample

Ample is a frontend for MAME specifically for emulating the Apple II.

Game-specific emulators

Some emulators target specific games rather than emulating whole systems, with ScummVM alone supporting over 300 games from various systems and more being added all the time.

Other projects are more considered source ports rather than emulators. See Source ports on macOS

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Games List	Recommended
ScummVM	2026.3.0	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	List	✓
DREAMM	4.0.0 Beta Releases	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	List	✓

Arcade

Most arcade cabinets

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.289	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	~

Atomiswave

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Flycast	2.7	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
MAME	0.289	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	~

Sega Model 3

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Supermodel	0.3a	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
MAME	0.289	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	~

NAOMI

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Flycast	2.7	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
MAME	0.289	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	~

Triforce

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Dolphin	2606a	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓

Neo Geo MVS/AES

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
FinalBurn Neo	1.0.0.2	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✗	Non-commercial	~	~
MAME	0.289	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	~

LaserDisc

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.289	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	~
Hypseus Singe	3.0.2	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

Nintendo

NES/Famicom

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
GoNES	0.2.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	Apache 2.0 (Permissive)	✓	✓
Mesen	2.2.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
TetaNES	0.17.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
MetalNES	git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✗	✗
Nestopia	1.99.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
SwiftNES	git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	!	✗	✗
Nin	git	✗	✗	✓	✗	!	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	~

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
bsnes (Official)	v115	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
SUPER ZSNES	0.300	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	!	!	✓	!	✓	✓
bsnes-hd (forked bsnes)	beta 10.6	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✗	✓
Mesen	2.2.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Mednafen	1.32.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Snes9x	1.63	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	Non-commercial	✓	~

Nintendo 64

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
Mupen64Plus	2.6.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Gopher64	1.1.34	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	!
simple64	v2021.5.30	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	!	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✗	✗
Rokuyon	Releases	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✗	✗

Nintendo GameCube

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Dolphin	2606a	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Lazuli	2026/07/10	✗	✗	✗	✓	!	!	!	!	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
Gecko	Release Nightly	✗	✗	✗	✓	!	!	!	!	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

Wii

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Dolphin	2606a	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Gecko	Release Nightly	✗	✗	✗	✓	!	!	!	!	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

Wii U

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Cemu	2.6 Nightlies	✗	✗	✓	~	✗	✓	~	✓	MPL 2.0 (Copyleft)	✓	✓

Nintendo Switch

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	KosmicKrisp	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Ryubing (Ryujinx Fork)	1.3.3 Canary git	✗	✗	~	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Astris (Ryubing with SwiftUI)	1.0.27	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓	(UI only) Proprietary	✓	✓
Kenji-NX (KeatonTheBot's Ryujinx Fork)	2.0.5 git	✗	✗	~	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Hydra	0.4.2	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
Eden (Yuzu fork)	0.2.1 Nightlies	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

Game Boy (Color)

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Game Link Support	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
SameBoy	1.0.3	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
SkyEmu	v5	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	!	!	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
mGBA	0.10.5	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	MPL 2.0 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
KiGB	2.09	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	~	Proprietary	~	~
Gearboy	3.8.15	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	!	!	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	!
Mesen	2.2.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
VisualBoy Advance-M (VBA-M)	2.2.3 Nightlies	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Swift-plays-Pokemon	git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	MPL 2.0 (Copyleft)	✗	✗
Gambatte	r571	✗	✓	✗	✗	!	!	!	✗	!	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	✗

Game Boy Advance

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Game Link Support	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
SkyEmu	v5	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	!	!	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
NanoBoyAdvance	1.8.3	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Hades	1.1.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	!	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	!
Mesen	2.2.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
mGBA	0.10.5	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	MPL 2.0 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Boycott Advance	0.4.4	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✗	~	Proprietary	~	~
Gearboy	3.8.15	✗	!	✓	✓	!	!	!	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	!
VisualBoy Advance-M (VBA-M)	2.2.3 Nightlies	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	!

Nintendo DS

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
DeSmuME	0.9.13	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
MelonDS	1.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
NooDS	Releases	✗	✗	✗	✓	!	✗	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Dust	WIP	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
Medusa	Beta	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	MPL 2.0 (Copyleft)	✗	✗

Nintendo 3DS

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Azahar	2126.1.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Mandarine	1.3.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
Panda3DS	0.9	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	~	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
Tanuki3DS	0.5.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
Borked3DS	git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
3Beans	git	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

Sega

SG-1000

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
RetroVM	2.1.20	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	Proprietary	✓	✓
Gearsystem	3.9.18	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
ZEsarUX	13.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	GPL (Copyleft)	✓	!

Master System

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Mesen	2.2.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
RetroVM	2.1.20	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	Proprietary	✓	~
Gearsystem	3.9.18	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
ZEsarUX	13.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	GPL (Copyleft)	✓	!

Mega Drive/Genesis

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
Generator	0.4.8	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	Proprietary	✓	~
Genesis Plus	1.3.5	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	Proprietary	✓	~

Sega CD

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓

32X

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓

Sega Saturn

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Ymir	0.3.3	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	~	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
erings	0.4.3	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	!
Mednafen	1.32.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Yabause	0.9.15	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	✗

Dreamcast

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Flycast	2.7	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Redream	1.5.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	Proprietary	✓	~
nullDC	2.0.0-pre git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✗

VMU

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
DreamPotato	v0.3.1	✗	✗	✗	✓	?	?	?	?	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓

Game Gear

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
Mesen	2.2.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Gearsystem	3.9.18	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

Sony

PlayStation

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
DuckStation	Rolling Release Preview	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	CC BY-NC-ND 4.0	✓	✓
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	~
PCSX-R	git PPC 1.6.0 Intel 1.9.93	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✗	✓
PCSX-Redux	git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
StarPSX	0.8.3	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
psxe	0.10.5-alpha	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✗
ePSXe	2.0.5	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	✗
Mednafen	1.32.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~

PlayStation 2

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
PCSX2	2.8.2	✗	~	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
AetherSX2	1.5-3939	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	Proprietary	✗	✓
ARMSX2	2.6.2 Nightly	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Play!	0.77	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	BSD-2-Clause (Permissive)	✓	✗
Iris	0.20-alpha	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✗

PlayStation 3

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	KosmicKrisp	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
RPCS3	0.0.42 Alpha	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓	~	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
ChonkyStation3	git	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

PlayStation 4

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	KosmicKrisp	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
shadPS4	0.18.0 WIP	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Obliteration	github	✗	✗	✓	~	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

PlayStation 5

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	KosmicKrisp	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
SharpEmu	0.0.3	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	!	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

PlayStation Portable

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
PPSSPP	1.20.4	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓

PlayStation Vita

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Vita3K	0.2.1	✗	✗	✓	~	✗	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓

Microsoft

MS-DOS

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
Boxer	Fork	✗	✓	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	~	✓
86Box	6.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
DOSBox Staging	0.83.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
DOSBox-X	2026.08.02	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
DOSBox	0.74-3 SVN	✓	✓	✓	✗	!	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Dapplegrey	9.9.2	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	!	✓	✗
PCem	git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	~	✗
MartyPC	v0.4.1	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✗

MSX(2)

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
CocoaMSX	git	✗	✗	✓	~	✗	✗	✗	✓	BSD-3-Clause GPLv2	✗	~
fMSX	6.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	Proprietary	✓	~
RetroVM	2.1.20	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	Proprietary	✓	✓
ZEsarUX	13.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	GPL (Copyleft)	✓	!

Xbox

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Xemu	0.8.136	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
DukeX	1.0.2	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✗

Xbox 360

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Xenia-Edge (Xenia Canary Fork)	Rolling Releases	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	BSD-3-Clause	✓	~
XeniOS (macOS/iOS focused Xenia-Edge fork)	2.0.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	BSD-3-Clause	✓	~

Commodore

VIC-20

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Power20	4.9.5	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	~

Commodore 64

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
VirtualC64	6.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Denise	2.8	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Frodo	4.4.4	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
VICE	3.10	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
Power64	4.9.5	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	~

Amiga

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
vAmiga	4.4	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	GPLv3 MPL 2.0 MIT	✓	✓
FS-UAE	3.2.35	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	✓
Denise	2.8	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	!	✓	✓
Amiberry	8.3.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	~
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✗

Atari

Atari 8-bit

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Rainbow	1.6.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	Proprietary	✓	~

Atari 2600

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Stella	7.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	!

Atari 5200

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Jum52	1.1.4	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	Custom (Source-available)	✓	~

Atari ST

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Hatari	2.6.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓

Atari Lynx

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Mednafen	1.32.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Handy	0.9.11	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	Proprietary	✓	~

SNK

Neo Geo CD

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
FinalBurn Neo	1.0.0.2	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✗	Non-commercial	✓	~
MAME	0.289	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	~

Neo Geo Pocket (Color)

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
Mednafen	1.32.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Neopocott	0.5.5	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	Proprietary	✓	~

Coleco

ColecoVision

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Mesen	2.2.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Mugrat	0.5.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	Proprietary	✓	~
Gearcoleco	1.7.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
ZEsarUX	13.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	GPL (Copyleft)	✓	!

Bandai

WonderSwan (Color)

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
Mesen	2.2.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Mednafen	1.32.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Oswan	0.8.6	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~	Proprietary	✓	~

Apple

Apple I/II/III

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
OpenEmulator	1.1.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	~	✓
KEGS	1.38	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	!
Sara	0.5.1	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	!
GSplus	0.14	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	!
GSport	0.31	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	!
MAME	0.289	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	✗

Apple Lisa

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
LisaEm	1.2.7	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	!

Classic Mac OS (68k)

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Snow	0.1.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	!
Basilisk II	Download git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	!
Mini vMac	36.04	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	!

Classic Mac OS (PowerPC)

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
UTM	site 4.7.5	✗	✗	~	✓	✗	✗	✓	Apache 2.0 (Permissive)	✓	✓
SheepShaver	2.5 git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	!

NEC

PC-98

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
SL9821	Website	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	Proprietary	~	✓
Neko Project II (猫Project II)	Website	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	✗

PC Engine/TurboGrafx/SuperGrafx

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
Mednafen	1.32.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	~
Mesen	2.2.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Geargrafx	1.7.22	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	!
TGEmu	0.3.8	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	!	!	Proprietary	✓	~

Fujitsu

FM Towns

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	Gamepad Support	License	Active	Recommended
Tsugaru (津軽)	20260522	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	BSD-3-Clause (Permissive)	✓	!

Sinclair

ZX Spectrum

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
ares	v148	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	ISC (Permissive)	✓	✓
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
ZEsarUX	13.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	GPL (Copyleft)	✓	!
Spectral	1.16	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	!
RetroVM	2.1.20	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	!
Fuzzbug	0.0.5	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	✗
FUSE	Releases	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	✗

Sinclair QL

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
sQLux	1.1.2	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	?	✓	~

Tandy

TRS-80

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
TRS80GP	Website	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	!	✓	✓
SDLTRS2	git	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	BSD-2-Clause (Permissive)	✓	✗

Dragon Data

Dragon 32/64

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
XRoar	git	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	!

Oric

Oric 1 / Atmos

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓

Amstrad

Amstrad CPC

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Retro Virtual Machine	2.1.20	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	!
ACE-DL	20260914	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	!	✓	!
ZEsarUX	13.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	GPL (Copyleft)	✓	!

Acorn

Electron

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
CLK	2026-07-23	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓

BBC Micro

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
b2	20260322	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Horizon	2.1.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	~

RISC PC

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
RPCEmu	0.9.5	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	~

Thompson

MO5

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
MO5	2.6.7	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	~

TO7

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
Thom	1.6.5	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	~

TO8

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
TEO	1.8.7	✗	✗	✓	✓	!	✗	✗	Proprietary	✓	~

VTech

V.Smile

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
veesem	0.1	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	ISC (Permissive)	✓	!

Commander X16

Name	Latest Version	PPC	x86	x64	ARM	OpenGL	MoltenVK	Metal	License	Active	Recommended
X16 Emulator	r48	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	BSD-2-Clause (Permissive)	✓	~

References

Emulators on other systems(edit)

• Calculators: Casio • NumWorks • TI • HP
• Handheld computers: Pandora • DragonBox Pyra • PocketChip
• Mobile: Android • iOS • iPadOS • MRE • Java • LineageOS • GrapheneOS
• Microcontrollers: STM32 • ESP8266 • ESP32 • TM4C
• Home computers: Commodore 64 • VIC-20 • BBC Micro • Tandy Color Computer 2 • Dragon 32/64 • Coleco Adam • ZX Spectrum • Cambridge Z88 • Atari 8-bit • Atari ST • PC-8800 • PC-9800
• Other: Rockbox • watchOS • visionOS • tvOS • webOS • iPod • UEFI • browsers • RetroFW • Arduino • PocketSprite • PICO-8 • TIC-80
• Operating systems:
  • Modern: Windows • Linux • macOS • Windows on ARM • Raspberry Pi • BSD
  • Legacy (Microsoft): DOS • Windows 3.x • Windows 9x • Enterprise Windows NT• Windows XP • Windows 7
  • Legacy (other): IRIX • BeOS • Towns OS • Classic Mac OS • NeXTSTEP • OS/2 • TempleOS • SunsOS
  • Legacy mobile (Microsoft): Windows CE • Pocket PC • Windows Mobile • Windows Phone • Windows RT
  • Legacy mobile (other): MeeGo • Palm OS • Symbian • EPOC • Blackberry OS • MediOS • Zaurus
  • Other: Amiga • AROS • RISC OS • QNX • KaiOS • KolibriOS • MorphOS • Haiku • Maemo • ToaruOS • Solaris • ZealOS • Redox • Fiwix • Minix3 • Sortix