Emulators on Linux

Linux

Type	Operating systems

Due to the overlap with the technical and open source communities, the majority of emulators in existence will have Linux versions available. The commercial success of the Steam Deck has also contributed heavily to consumer demand for native emulators on Linux.

If you're on a Steam Deck, you should probably use EmuDeck which is an installation script that helps you get started with emulation. It is not an all in one solution like some other software; instead, it strives to provide the best possible official options to you, set up and ready to go.

View the Linux guide for emulators for Distro specific instructions.

Atari

Atari 8-bit family

Name	Latest version	Models	XEGS	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Atari800	5.2.0	400, 800, XL, XE	✗	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
Atari++	1.84	400, 800, XL, XE	✗	✗	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.266	Good: 400, 800 Basic: XL, XE	✓	✓	?	✓	✓	~

Atari ST

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Hatari	2.5.0	✓	✓	✓	✓
Steem SSE	4.1.2 R14	✗	?	✓	✓
ARAnyM	git	✗	✓	✓	✓
Steem Engine	3.2	✗	✓	✗	✗
PCE/atarist	pce-20191006	✗	?	✓	✗
PCE-js	git	✗	✓	✓	✗
CaSTaway	0.9.2	✗	✓	✗	✗

Atari 2600

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Stella	6.7.1	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.266	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
z26	4.07	✗	High	✓	✓	~
BizHawk	2.9.1	✗	?	✓	✓	✗
Gopher2600	0.27.0	✗	High	✓	✓	✗
CLK	2024-05-27	✗	Mid	✓	✓	✗
Stellarator	git	✗	?	✓	✓	✗

Atari 5200

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Atari800	5.2.0	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
kat5200	0.8.1	✗	?	✓	✗	✓
MAME	0.266	✓	Mid	✓	✓	✗
Jum52	git	✗	?	✗	✗	✗
Rainbow	2.2	✗	?	✗	✗	✗

Atari 7800

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.266	✓	High	✓	✓	✓
A7800	5.2	✗	High	✓	✓	✓
ProSystem	git (libretro)	✓	?	✓	✗	✓
BizHawk	2.9.1	✗	?	✓	✓	✗

Atari Jaguar

Name	Latest version	AJ-CD	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Phoenix	2.8.JAG	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓
Virtual Jaguar	2.1.2 Unofficial builds git (libretro)	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓
MAME	0.266	~	✓	✓	✓	✗

Atari Lynx

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Mednafen	1.32.1	✓	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.266	✓	✓	✓	✓
Handy	0.95	✓	✓	✗	✗

Nintendo

Nintendo Entertainment System

Name	Latest version	FDS	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Mesen	2.0.0 (preview)	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
Nestopia UE	1.52.1	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
puNES	0.111	✓	✗	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
3dSen	0.9.5	✗	✗	?	✗	✓	~
FinalBurn Neo	WIP builds	✓	✓	?	✗	✓	✗
iNES	6.1	✓	✗	High	?	✓	✗
Gearnes	git	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	✗
BizHawk	2.9.1	✓	✗	Cycle	✓	✓	✗
higan	v110	✓	✓ (as bsnes v083)	Cycle	✓	✓	✗
ANESE	git	✗	✗	Cycle	✓	~	✗
cxNES	git	✓	✗	Mid	✓	✗	✗
FCEUX	2.6.6	✓	✗	Mid	✓	✓	✗
MAME	0.266	✓	✓	Mid	✓	✓	✗
QuickNES	git (libretro)	?	✓	Low	✓	✗	✗

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Name	Version	Satellaview	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
bsnes (Official)	v115	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
bsnes-hd (forked bsnes)	beta 10.6	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
higan	v110	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
Mesen S	0.4.0	✗	✓	Cycle	✓	✗	~
Snes9x	1.62.3	✓	✓	High	✗	✓	~
Mednafen (SNES-Faust)	1.32.1	✓	✓	?	✓	✓	✗
nSide (forked higan)	git	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✗	✗
BizHawk (bsnes v087)	2.9.1	✓	✗	Cycle	✓	✓	✗
Mednafen (bsnes v059)	1.32.1	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	✗
MAME	0.266	✗	✓	Low	✓	✓	✗
ZSNES	1.51	✗	✗	Low	✓	✗	✗
CATSFC	1.36	✗	✓	Low	✓	✗	✗

Nintendo 64

Name	Latest version	Plugins	Controller Pak	Rumble Pak	Transfer Pak	64DD	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
simple64 (ParaLLEl)	2024.05.3	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
simple64 (Final GLideN64)	Final GLideN64	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓
RMG	git	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓
ares	v138	✗	✓	~	~	✗	✗	✓	✓	~
CEN64	git	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	~
Mupen64Plus	git	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	~
BizHawk	2.9.1	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗
MAME	0.266	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗

GameCube / Wii / Triforce

Name	Latest version	GameCube	Wii	Triforce	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Dolphin	Dev	✓	✓	~	✓	✓	✓	✓
Ishiiruka-Dolphin	Dev	✓	✓	✗	~	✓	✓	~
Pureikyubu	1.6	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗

Wii U

Name	Latest version	Accurancy	Amiibo	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Cemu	2.0-80	Medium	~	✓	✓	✓
Decaf	git	Low	✗	✓	✗	✗

Nintendo Switch

Name	Latest version	Amiibo	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
yuzu	Nightlygit	✓	✓	✓	✓
Ryujinx	Nightlygit	✓	✓	✓	✓

Nintendo 3DS

Name	Latest version	Amiibo	FLOSS	libretro	Active	Recommended
Citra	Nightly	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Nintendo DS

Name	Latest version	DSi	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
DeSmuME	0.9.13	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓
melonDS	0.9.5 Dev Builds	~	✓	✓	✓	✓

Game Boy Advance

Name	Latest version	Game Link Support	e-Reader	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
mGBA	0.10.3	✓	✓	✓	Mid	✓	✓	✓
higan	v110	✗	✗	✓	?	✓	✓	✓
VBA-M	2.1.9	✓	✓	✓	Mid	✓	✓	✓

Game Boy / Game Boy Color

Name	Latest version	Game Link Support	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
SameBoy	0.16.5	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
BGB	1.6.3	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓
Gambatte	r571	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓
Gearboy	3.5.0	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓
BizHawk	2.9.1	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.266	✗	✓	✓	✓	~
Emulicious	2024-05-31	✗	✗	✗	✓	~

Game & Watch

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.266	✓	✓	✓	✓
DSP	0.22	✗	✓	✓	✗

Sega

Sega Model 1

Name	Latest version	Active	libretro	FLOSS	Recommended
MAME	0.266	✓	✓	✓	✓
Modeler	0.9.3a	✗	✗	✗	✗

Sega Model 2

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.266	✓	✓	✓	~

Sega Model 3

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Supermodel	SVN Builds	~ (WIP)	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.266	✓	✓	✓	✗

SG-1000

Name	Latest version	SC-3000	SF-7000	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MasterGear	4.9.3	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓
MAME	0.266	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
BizHawk	2.9.1	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓
Genesis Plus GX	1.7.5 RC1	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	~
higan	v110	~	✗	✓	✓	✓	~
Kega Fusion	3.64	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	~
Gearsystem	3.5.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗
blueMSX	2.8.2	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
MEKA	0.8-alpha (2023-08-26)	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
DarcNES	9b0401/9b0313	~	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
CoolCV	0.6.9	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗
TwoMbit	1.0.5	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	{{✗}

Master System / Game Gear

Name	Latest version	GG	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Genesis Plus GX	1.7.5 RC1	✓	✓	Very high	✗	✓	✓
MAME	0.266	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	✓
Emulicious	2024-05-31	✓	✗	Very high	✗	✓	~
BizHawk	2.9.1	✓	✗	Very high	✓	✓	~
higan	v110	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	~
Phoenix	2.8.JAG	✓	✗	Very high	✗	✓	~
TwoMbit	1.0.5	✓	✗	Very high	✓	✗	✗
Gearsystem	3.5.0	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	✗
MasterGear	4.9.3	✓	✗	High	✗	✓	✗
Kega Fusion	3.64	✓	✗	Mid	✗	✗	✗
PicoDrive	1.93	✗	✓	Mid	✗	✓	✗

See also

• Linux guide for emulators

Only available on PC as a libretro core (e.g. RetroArch).

The Game Gear emulation doesn't work.