BBC Micro emulators
| |
| Developer | BBC |
|---|---|
| Type | Computers |
| Release date | 1981 |
| Discontinued | 1994 |
| Predecessor | Acorn Atom |
| Successor | Acorn Archimedes |
| Emulated | ✓ |
The BBC Micro, also known as the BBC Microcomputer System or the Beeb as it was affectionately called, was a series of microcomputers created by Acorn Electronics for the BBC's computer literacy project. They were designed to be rugged, stable, and easy to use.
Nine models were produced with the BBC brand, the phrase "BBC Micro" usually referring to the first six (Model A, B, B+64, B+128, Master 128, and Master Compact), the latter three being referred to under the name Acorn Archimedes. Some of the other model variants that followed after include the Master Turbo and the Master 512. The system was primarily used in schools across the United Kingdom, but also found success in the home computer markets in the UK, the US, and West Germany.
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro; it uses the same processor and is software-compatible (albeit slower) for programs that use the hardware abstractions and video modes provided by Acorn's OS, but uses incompatible hardware. As a result, it has a largely distinct set of emulators.
Emulators
editWhile the BBC Micro had fewer games than its contemporary systems like the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, or Commodore 64, it was a powerful machine, and several notable titles were created for it, including Elite and Starship Command.
BBC Micro
edit| Name | Platform(s) | Latest version | BBC Micro | BBC Master | License | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x86 | |||||||
| BeebEm |   
|
4.23 | B, B+, M128 | ✓ | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✓ | ✓ |
| B-em |   
|
2.2, git | A, B, B+, M128, MC | MT, M512 | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Model B |
|
10-04-04 Not Norton blocked | B, B+ | ✗ | ? | ✗ | ✓ |
| jsbeeb | 
|
Web, git | B, M128 | MT | GPLv3 (Copyleft) | ✓ | ✓ |
| BeebIt | 
|
0.65 0.72 | B, B+, M128 | ✗ | ? | ✗ | ✓ |
| The Beeb (BBC Micro Emulator) |
|
TurboWarp | A, B, B+, M128, MC | MT | ? | ✓ | ✓ |
| BeebItJ |
|
1.03 | B, B+, M128 | ✗ | ? | ✗ | ~ |
| Horizon |
|
1.4.2 | B | ✗ | ? | ✓ | ~ |
| B2 |
|
20260322 | B, B+, M128 | ✗ | GPLv3 (Copyleft) | ✓ | ✗ |
| CLK |
|
2026-07-23 | ? | ? | MIT (Permissive) | ✓ | ✗ |
| ARM | |||||||
| Beebdroid (B-em based) |
|
2.0git | A, B, B+, M128, MC | MT, M512 | ? | ✗ | ✓ |
| Console | |||||||
| PSPBEEB | 
|
1.10 | B | ✗ | ? | ✗ | ✓ |
| BeebEM PS2 | 
|
1.0 Beta 3 | B | ✓ | ? | ✗ | ✓ |
| PocketBeeb | 
|
1.01 | B | ? | ? | ✗ | ✓ |
| BeebemDC | 
|
✗ | B | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Acorn Electron
edit| Name | Platform(s) | Latest version | License | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x86 | |||||
| MAME |
|
0.289 | GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause |
✓ | ✓ |
| CLK |
|
2026-07-23 | MIT (Permissive) | ✓ | ✗ |
| eek |
|
git | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✗ | ✗ |
| ElectrEm |
|
0.6c | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✗ | ✗ |
| ElkJS |
|
git | ? | ✗ | ✗ |
| Elkulator |
|
1.0 git |
GPLv3 (Copyleft) | ✗ | ✗ |
Multi
edit| Name | Platform(s) | Latest version | Atom | BBC Micro | BBC Master | Electron | License | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x86 | |||||||||
| MAME |
|
0.289 | ✓ | A, B, B+, M128 | ~ | ✓ | GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause |
✓ | ✓ |
| Pantheon |
|
16.458 | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ✓ | Proprietary | ✓ | ✓ |
LV-ROM device
edit- Main article: LaserDisc
See domesday.computinghistory.org.uk for the browser-based emulator for this, which is a modified version of BeebEm with the addition of an emulated LVROM device. Also see Ripping games#Analog and Home media players.