Emulators on BSD

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BSD

Type	Operating Systems
Discontinued	✗^{[N 1]}
Earliest release	BSD 1978 FreeBSD 1993 OpenBSD 1996 NetBSD 1993
Latest release	BSD 4.4-Lite2 (1995) FreeBSD 14.0 OpenBSD 7.4 NetBSD 9.3
Successor	FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD. Other BSD descendants

This page is about software on BSD Variants that emulates other hardware, like video game consoles.

For software that can run BSD variants on other Operating Systems, see Hypervisors.

BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) was originally developed by the University of California, Berkeley where the Berkeley in BSD comes from. there are many BSD descendents. such as the ones focused here, FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD. And ones not focused here due to due to BSD's permissive licensing. BSD code has been used in macOS, PS3, PS4, PS5 and the Nintendo Switch.

The FreeBSD logo
The OpenBSD logo
The NetBSD logo
(Generic BSD logo). The BSD Daemon (A.K.A Beastie).

Before diving in;

This list is currently taken from console specific pages. If you want to add to this list test emulators work on BSD (FreeBSD, OpenBSD, etc.) and add them to this list and add BSD to the console specific list of supported platforms. Some emulators that target Linux might have community made instructions/ports for some variants of BSD. Like Linux, Windows programs might run under Wine on FreeBSD. FreeBSD has the widest support for emulation software currently, because of this fact this article has a bias towards FreeBSD. See this page for recommended specifications. See each Wiki Category Consoles, Computers and Arcade for individual dedicated system pages to see more detailed comparisons and information about software emulators. Dedicated system pages provide more up-to-date listings and in-depth information on specific aspects like hardware features, peripheral support, and compatibility etc. Some games have Game engine recreations and source ports that run on BSD, which can be the better than emulators for their specific games.

Atari[edit]

Atari 8-bit family[edit]

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	0.264	Good: 400, 800 Basic: XL, XE	✓	✓	?	✓	✓	~

Atari ST[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Hatari	2.4.1	✓	✓	✓	✓
ARAnyM	git	✗	✓	✓	✓
Steem Engine	3.2	✗	✓	✗	✗
PCE/atarist	pce-20191006	✗	?	✓	✗
CaSTaway	0.9.2	✗	✓	✗	✗

Atari 2600[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Stella	6.7.1	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
z26	4.07	✗	High	✓	✓	~
CLK	2024-01-22	✗	Mid	✓	✓	✗
Stellarator	git	✗	?	✓	✓	✗

Atari 5200[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Atari800	5.2.0	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
kat5200	0.8.1	✗	?	✓	✗	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	Mid	✓	✓	✗
Jum52	git	✗	?	✗	✗	✗

Atari 7800[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	High	✓	✓	✓
A7800	5.2	✗	High	✓	✓	✓
ProSystem	git (libretro)	✓	?	✓	✗ ^{[N 2]}	✓

Atari Jaguar[edit]

Name	Latest version	AJ-CD	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	~	✓	✓	✓	✗

Atari Lynx[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Mednafen	1.32.1	✓	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✓

Nintendo[edit]

Nintendo Entertainment System[edit]

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	✓	✓	✓
FinalBurn Neo	WIP builds	✓	✓	?	✗	✓	✗
iNES	6.1	✓	✗	High	?	✓	✗
FCEUX	2.6.6	✓	✗	Mid	✓	✓	✗
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	Mid	✓	✓	✗
QuickNES	git (libretro)	?	✓	Low	✓	✗	✗

Super Nintendo Entertainment System[edit]

Name	Version	Satellaview	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
bsnes (Official)	v115	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
bsnes-hd (forked bsnes)	beta 10.6	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
higan (火眼)	v110	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✓
Snes9x	1.62.3	✓	✓	High	✗^{[N 3]}	✓	~
Mednafen (SNES-Faust)	1.32.1	✓	✓	?	✓	✓	✗
nSide (forked higan)	git	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✗	✗
Mednafen (bsnes v059)	1.32.1	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	✗
MAME	0.264	✗	✓	Low	✓	✓	✗
CATSFC	1.36	✗	✓	Low	✓	✗	✗

Nintendo 64[edit]

Name	Latest version	Plugins	Controller Pak	Rumble Pak	Transfer Pak	64DD	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Mupen64Plus	git	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	~
MAME	0.264	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗

GameCube / Wii / Triforce[edit]

Name	Latest version	GameCube	Wii	Triforce	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Dolphin	Dev	✓	✓	~^{[N 4]}	✓^{[N 5]}	✓	✓	✓

Nintendo DS[edit]

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

Game Boy Advance[edit]

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

Virtual Boy[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Mednafen	1.32.1	✓	✓	✓	✓
Rustual Boy	git	✗	✓	~	✗
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✗
Planet Virtual Boy emulator	2019-03-27	✗	✓	✗	✗
Red Dragon	0.38 Final	✗	✓	✗	✗

Game Boy / Game Boy Color[edit]

Name	Latest version	Game Link Support	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
SameBoy	0.16.3	✓^{[N 6]}	✓	✓	✓	✓
Gearboy	3.5.0	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✗	✓	✓	✓	~
Emulicious	2024-03-31	✗	✗	✗	✓	~

Game & Watch[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✓
DSP	0.22	✗	✓	✓	✗

Sega[edit]

SG-1000[edit]

Name	Latest version	SC-3000	SF-7000	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MasterGear	4.9.3	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Genesis Plus GX^{[N 7]}	1.7.5 RC1	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	~
higan (火眼)	v110	~	✗	✓	✓	✓	~
Gearsystem	3.5.0	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗
blueMSX	2.8.2	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
MEKA	0.8-alpha (2023-08-26)	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗
DarcNES	9b0401/9b0313	~	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
CoolCV	0.6.9	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗

Master System / Game Gear[edit]

Name	Latest version	GG	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Genesis Plus GX^{[N 7]}	1.7.5 RC1	✓	✓	Very high	✗	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	✓
Emulicious	2024-03-31	✓	✗	Very high	✗	✓	~
higan (火眼)	v110	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	~
Phoenix	2.8.JAG	✓	✗	Very high	✗	✓	~
Gearsystem	3.5.0	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	✗
MasterGear	4.9.3	✓	✗	High	✗	✓	✗
PicoDrive	1.93	✗^{[N 8]}	✓	Mid	✗	✓	✗

Genesis / MegaDrive / CD / 32X[edit]

Name	Latest version	CD	32X	Pico	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Genesis Plus GX^{[N 7]}	1.7.5 RC1	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✓	✓
PicoDrive	1.93	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
Gens/GS	r7	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
DGen	1.33	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
GENS	2.14	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗
higan (火眼)	v110	~	✗	✗	✓(bsnes)	✓	✓	✗

Saturn / ST-V[edit]

Name	Latest version	ST-V	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Mednafen	1.32.1	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓
Yabause	0.9.15	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗

Dreamcast / Naomi[edit]

Name	Latest version	Naomi	Atomiswave	Windows CE	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	~	~	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗

Sega VMU[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
SoftVMS	1.10 (source only)	✗	?	✗	~
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✗

NEC[edit]

NEC PC-6000[edit]

Emulator	Latest Version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
PC6001VX	4.2.5	✗	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✗	✓	✓	✗

NEC PC-8800[edit]

Emulator	Latest Version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
XM8	1.70	✗	✓	✗	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	~^{[N 9]}
QUASI88 quasi88_libretro	libretro core 0.6.4	✓	✓	~^{[N 10]}	~
X88000	1.5.3	✗	✓	✗	✗

NEC PC-9800[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Neko Project II kai (猫Project II改)	git	✓	High	✓	~	✓
Neko Project II	0.86	✗	Mid	?	✗	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	Low	✓	✓	~

PC Engine / PC Engine CD / SuperGrafx[edit]

Name	Latest version	PCE-CD	SuperGrafx	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Mednafen (PCE-Accurate)	1.32.1	✓	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	High	✓	✓	✓
Mednafen (PCE-Fast)	1.32.1	✓	✓	✓	Mid	✓	✓	✓
higan (火眼)	v110	~	✓	✓	?	✓	✓	~
DarcNES	9b0401/9b0313	~	✗	✗	Low	?	✗	✗

PC-FX[edit]

Name	Latest version	GA	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Mednafen	1.32.1	TBD	✓	Mid-High	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	~	✓	Mid	✓	✓	✗
MagicEngine-FX	1.1.1	TBD	✗	Low	✗	✗	✗

Sony[edit]

PlayStation[edit]

Name	Version	Plugins	FLOSS	libretro	RIR	Accuracy	Active	Recommended
Mednafen	1.32.1	✗	✓	✓	✓	High	✓	✓
PCSX-Redux	git	✗	✓	✗	✗	?	✓	✗ (WIP)
MAME	0.264	✗	✓	✓	✗	Mid	✓	✗ (WIP)

Pocket Station[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	High	✓	✓	✓

PlayStation Portable[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
PPSSPP	1.17.1	✓	✓	✓	✓

Microsoft[edit]

MSX series[edit]

Name	Latest version	MSX 1	MSX 2	MSX 2+	TurboR	Accuracy	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
openMSX	git	✓	✓	✓	✓	Cycle	✗	✓	✓	✓
blueMSX	2.8.2	✓	✓	✓	✓	Cycle	✓	✓	✗	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	~	High	✓	✓	✓	✓
fMSX	6.0	✓	✓	✓	✗	Mid	✓	✗	✓	~
DarcNES	9b0401/9b0313	~	✗	✗	✗	Low	✗	✓	✗	✗

Apple[edit]

Apple I[edit]

Name	Latest version	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	~

Apple II Line[edit]

Name	Latest version	][	][+	//e	IIc	//e Enhanced	//e Platinum	IIc Plus	IIGS	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
MicroM8	Continuous	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗
Mednafen	1.32.1	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗ (WIP)
DarcNES	9b0401/9b0313	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗

Apple /// Line[edit]

Name	Latest version	///	/// Revised	/// Plus	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Apple IIGS[edit]

Name	Latest version	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✗

Apple Lisa[edit]

Name	Latest version	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
LisaEm	1.2.7	✓	~*	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✗

Macintosh line[edit]

Name	Latest version	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
68k
vMac	0.19	✓	✗	✗

SNK Corporation[edit]

Neo Geo and variants[edit]

Name	Latest version	NG	NG-CD	HNG-64	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	~	✓^{[N 11]}	✓	✓	✓

Neo Geo Pocket[edit]

Name	Latest version	NGP	NGPC	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Mednafen	1.32.1	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
higan (火眼)	v110	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Commodore[edit]

Commodore 64 & 128[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
VICE (x64sc)	3.8	✓	Very high	✓	✓	✓
VICE (x64)	3.8^{[N 12]}	✓	High	✓	✓	~
MAME	0.264	✓	Mid	✓	✓	✗

Commodore 65[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	Accuracy	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	Low	✓	✓	✗

Amiga Line[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
FS-UAE	3.0.5	✓	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✗
CLK	2024-01-22	✗	✓	✓	✗

x86 CPUs[edit]

Name	Latest version	8086*¹	286	386*²	486*³	Pentium*⁴	Pentium II*⁵	Celeron*⁶	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
DOSBox	0.74-3 SVN	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗
Bochs	2.8	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓	✗
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✓	~	~	~	✓	✓	✓	✗
QEMU	9.0.0-rc4	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓^{[N 13]}	✗	✓	✓	✗

Sinclair[edit]

ZX81[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Relative Speed^{[N 14]}	Active	Recommended
ZEsarUX	11 Beta1	✗	✓	110.9%	✓	✓
SZ81 (xz80 & z81 based)	2.1.7 2.3.10 (Unofficial)	✗	✓	100.0%	✗	~
MAME	0.264	✓	?	Not tested	✓	✗

ZX Spectrum[edit]

Name	Latest Version	Libretro Core	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
FUSE	1.5.7	✓	✓	✓	✓
Speccy	5.9	✗	✗	✓	✓
ZEsarUX	11 Beta1	✗	✓	✓	✓
Xpeccy	0.6.20231226	✗	?	✓	✗
DSP	git	✗	?	✓	✗
fbzx	git	✗	✓	✓	✗
JSpeccy	git	✗	?	✓	✗
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓	✗

Acorn Computers[edit]

BBC Micro/BBC Master[edit]

Name	Latest version	BBC Micro	BBC Master	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
BeebEM	git	B, B+, M128	✓	✓	✓	✓
B-em	2.2, git	A, B, B+, M128, MC	MT, M512	✓	✓	✓
B2	git	B, B+, M128	✗	?	✓	✗

Electron[edit]

Name	Latest version	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✓
CLK	git	✓	✓	✗
eek	git	✓	✗	✗
ElectrEm	0.6c	?	✗	✗
ElkJS	git	?	✗	✗
Elkulator	git	✓	✗	✗

Multi (Atom, Micro, Electron)[edit]

Name	Latest version	Atom	BBC Micro	BBC Master	Electron	FLOSS	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	A, B, B+, M128	?	✓	✓	✓

Archimedes[edit]

Name	Latest version	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✗
ArcEm	1.50	✓	✗	✗

Risc PC / A7000[edit]

Name	Latest version	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
RPCEmu	0.9.4	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	✗

Miscellaneous[edit]

Panasonic (3DO)[edit]

Name	Latest version	Libretro	Retro achievements	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
4DO	1.3.2.4	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
Opera	libretro core	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗

Phillips (CD-i)[edit]

Name	Latest Version	DVC	libretro	Retro Achievements	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Same CDi same_cdi_libretro	libretro core	✗*	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓
MAME	0.264	✗	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓*

GamePark Holdings[edit]

GP32[edit]

Name	Latest version	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
MAME	0.264	✓	✓	~

GP2X[edit]

THERE ARE NO EMULATORS FOR THIS PLATFORM.

IBM[edit]

System 370/390/z[edit]

Name	Latest version	libretro	FLOSS	Active	Recommended
Hercules	3.07	✗	✓	✓	✓

Notes[edit]

↑ The Original BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) was discontinued in 1995 but still has active descendents
↑ Main branch is dead, but the libretro core is still alive.
↑ Due to using a non-commercial license. Source code is still publicly available.
↑ Requires the Triforce branch to work. It is very old and unsupported.
↑ At Alpha release and has bugs that are not present on standalone Dolphin.
↑ SameBoy's libretro core supports Link Cable, standalone does not.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 Only available on PC as a libretro core (e.g. RetroArch).
↑ The Game Gear emulation doesn't work.
↑ As of Version 0.251, NEC PC-8801MA, NEC PC-8801MH, and NEC PC-8801mkIISR, and the clones: NEC PC-8801FA, NEC PC-8801MA2, NEC PC-8801mkIIFR and NEC PC-8801mkIIMR have been promoted to working status and is considered playable
↑ Only libretro core is still active.
↑ As 0.153 (2014), 0.139 (2010), 0.78 (2003)
↑ Source only, pass '--enable-x64' to configure
↑ Supports the Conroe model.
↑ As calculated by Carlo Delhez's clkfreq, originally distributed with his XTender emulator. The ZX81 has relatively complicated timing mechanics, depending on signalling of WAIT during NMI; relative speed is a measurement of how closely an emulator matches a real machine in terms of clock cycles spent processing within a frame. 100.0% denotes the same execution speed as a real machine.

[BSD.3C.2Fref-1] The Original BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) was discontinued in 1995 but still has active descendents

[active-2] Main branch is dead, but the libretro core is still alive.

[noncomm-3] Due to using a non-commercial license. Source code is still publicly available.

[triforce-4] Requires the Triforce branch to work. It is very old and unsupported.

[5] At Alpha release and has bugs that are not present on standalone Dolphin.

[sameboylink-6] SameBoy's libretro core supports Link Cable, standalone does not.

[GPGXLibretro-7] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 Only available on PC as a libretro core (e.g. RetroArch).

[PicoDrive-8] The Game Gear emulation doesn't work.

[MAME-9] As of Version 0.251, NEC PC-8801MA, NEC PC-8801MH, and NEC PC-8801mkIISR, and the clones: NEC PC-8801FA, NEC PC-8801MA2, NEC PC-8801mkIIFR and NEC PC-8801mkIIMR have been promoted to working status and is considered playable

[lr-quasi88-10] Only libretro core is still active.

[11] As 0.153 (2014), 0.139 (2010), 0.78 (2003)

[x64-12] Source only, pass '--enable-x64' to configure

[conroe-13] Supports the Conroe model.

[RelativeSpeed-14] As calculated by Carlo Delhez's clkfreq, originally distributed with his XTender emulator. The ZX81 has relatively complicated timing mechanics, depending on signalling of WAIT during NMI; relative speed is a measurement of how closely an emulator matches a real machine in terms of clock cycles spent processing within a frame. 100.0% denotes the same execution speed as a real machine.

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