List of recommended emulators
List of recommended emulators is a condensed list of the top few recommended emulators for several systems.
- How to Interpret This List
- Recommendation Level: All of the emulators listed here are handpicked ones that already listed as recommended on individual system pages based on specific criteria by the Emulation General Wiki. But those highlighted as green in here are considered even more highly recommended than their yellow counterparts.
- Libretro: Some of the emulator icons are bundled with frontend software such as RetroArch if their cores are similar to standalone versions. In other cases, libretro cores are inferior compared to standalone version of the emulator and highlighted yellow instead. For specific systems where libretro cores suffer from bugs or performance issues compared to standalone version of the emulators, they are not recommended and therefore not included on this page.
- Detailed Information: For more in-depth information on specific systems, including hardware features, peripheral support, compatibility, and enhancement features, please click on the emulator icons to access their individual system pages.
- Quick links
Atari
Atari 2600
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Stella | 7.0 | ✓ |
| RetroArch | 1.22.2 | ~ |
| MAME | 0.289 | ~ |
Atari Lynx
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ✓ |
| BigPEmu | 1.221 | ~ |
Jaguar
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| BigPEmu | 1.221 | ✓ |
Nintendo
Nintendo Entertainment System
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mesen | Dev builds | ✓ |
| PuNES | 0.111 | ✓ |
| RetroArch | 1.22.2 | ✓ |
| Ares | v148 | ~ |
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Ares | v148 | ✓ |
| bsnes | nightly | ✓ |
| Mesen | Dev builds | ~ |
| Snes9x | 1.63 | ~ |
Virtual Boy
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mesen | 1.32.1 | ✓ |
Nintendo 64
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Ares | v148 | ✓ |
| Gopher64 | 1.1.34 | ✓ |
GameCube
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphin | 2606a | ✓ |
Wii
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphin | 2606a | ✓ |
Wii U
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Cemu | 2.6 | ~ |
Nintendo Switch
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Ryujinx and forks |
Ryujinx forks 1.1.1403 (obsolete) |
✓ |
| Yuzu and forks |
yuzu forks (recommended) Mainline 1734 Early Access 4176 (obsolete) |
✓ |
Game Boy (Color)
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| SameBoy | 1.0.3 | ✓ |
Game Boy Advance
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| mGBA | Dev builds | ✓ |
Nintendo DS
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| MelonDS | 1.1 | ✓ |
| DeSmuME | 0.9.13 | ~ |
- Nintendo DSi
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| MelonDS | 1.1 | ✓ |
Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Citra and forks |
Citra forks (recommended) Former website (obsolete) |
✓ |
Sega
Master System
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis Plus GX | Libretro core | ✓ |
| MAME | 0.289 | ✓ |
| Ares | v148 | ✓ |
Mega Drive/Genesis
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis Plus GX | Libretro core | ✓ |
| Ares | v148 | ✓ |
| PicoDrive | 2.05 | ✓ |
| BlastEm | 1.0.0 | ✓ |
- 32X and CD add-ons
Name Latest version Recommended Ares v148 ✓ PicoDrive 2.05 ✓
Saturn
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ✓ |
Dreamcast
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Flycast | 2.7 | ✓ |
| Redream | Dev builds | ~ |
Sony
PlayStation
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| DuckStation | git | ✓ |
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ~ |
PlayStation 2
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| PCSX2 | 2.8.2 | ✓ |
PlayStation 3
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| RPCS3 | 0.0.42 Alpha | ✓ |
PlayStation 4 (Pro)
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| ShadPS4 | 0.18.0 | ~ |
PlayStation Portable
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| PPSSPP | Dev builds | ✓ |
PlayStation Vita
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Vita3K | git | ~ |
Microsoft
Xbox
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| xemu | 0.8.136 | ~ |
Xbox 360
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Xenia | Dev builds | ~ |
NEC
PC Engine (SuperGrafx)/TurboGrafx-16
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Ares | v148 | ✓ |
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ✓ |
| Mesen | Dev builds | ~ |
PC-FX
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ~ |
3DO
| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Opera | libretro core | ~ |
References