List of recommended emulators
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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
editAtari 2600
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Stella | 7.0 | ✓ |
| RetroArch | 1.22.2 | ~ |
| MAME | 0.289 | ~ |
Atari Lynx
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ✓ |
| BigPEmu | 1.221 | ~ |
Jaguar
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| BigPEmu | 1.221 | ✓ |
Nintendo
editNintendo Entertainment System
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mesen | Dev builds | ✓ |
| PuNES | 0.111 | ✓ |
| RetroArch | 1.22.2 | ✓ |
| Ares | v148 | ~ |
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Ares | v148 | ✓ |
| bsnes | nightly | ✓ |
| Mesen | Dev builds | ~ |
| Snes9x | 1.63 | ~ |
Virtual Boy
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ✓ |
Nintendo 64
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Ares | v148 | ✓ |
| Gopher64 | 1.1.34 | ✓ |
GameCube
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphin | 2606a | ✓ |
Wii
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphin | 2606a | ✓ |
Wii U
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Cemu | 2.6 | ~ |
Nintendo Switch
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Ryujinx and forks |
Ryujinx forks (recommended) 1.1.1403 (obsolete) |
✓ |
| Yuzu and forks |
yuzu forks (recommended) Mainline 1734 Early Access 4176 (obsolete) |
✓ |
Game Boy (Color)
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| SameBoy | 1.0.3 | ✓ |
Game Boy Advance
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| mGBA | Dev builds | ✓ |
Nintendo DS
edit| 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
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Citra and forks |
Citra forks (recommended) Former website (obsolete) |
✓ |
Sega
editMaster System
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis Plus GX | Libretro core | ✓ |
| MAME | 0.289 | ✓ |
| Ares | v148 | ✓ |
Mega Drive/Genesis
edit| 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
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ✓ |
Dreamcast
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Flycast | 2.7 | ✓ |
| Redream | Dev builds | ~ |
Sony
editPlayStation
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| DuckStation | git | ✓ |
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ~ |
PlayStation 2
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| PCSX2 | 2.8.2 | ✓ |
PlayStation 3
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| RPCS3 | 0.0.42 Alpha | ✓ |
PlayStation 4 (Pro)
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| ShadPS4 | 0.18.0 | ~ |
PlayStation Portable
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| PPSSPP | Dev builds | ✓ |
PlayStation Vita
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Vita3K | git | ~ |
Microsoft
editXbox
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| xemu | 0.8.136 | ~ |
Xbox 360
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Xenia | Dev builds | ~ |
NEC
editPC Engine (SuperGrafx)/TurboGrafx-16
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Ares | v148 | ✓ |
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ✓ |
| Mesen | Dev builds | ~ |
PC-FX
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Mednafen | 1.32.1 | ~ |
3DO
edit| Name | Latest version | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Opera | libretro core | ~ |
References
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