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! scope="col"|Accuracy
|Low ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
→Comparisons
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{{Infobox console
|title = Adobe Flash
|emulated = {{✓}}
}}
'''Flash''' (previously FutureSplash Animator, before that SmartSketch) is a software platform created by FutureWave Software, and currently owned by Adobe (previously Macromedia). Originally a drawing program for PenPoint OS, later ported to Windows and Macintosh when pen computing failed to take off, frame-by-frame animation features were added to it in a new program called FutureSplash Animator. The company was acquired by Macromedia in December 1996, rebranding FutureSplash Animator to Flash, an amalgamation of "Future" and "Splash". In turn, Macromedia was acquired by Adobe on December 3, 2005. Their operations, networks, and customer care organizations were merged shortly after.
! scope="col"|Platform(s)
! scope="col"|Latest version
! scope="col"|<abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
! scope="col"|Active
! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]
|-
|Adobe Flash Player
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|Web}}<ref group=N name=plugin />
|[https://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/debug_downloads.html 32.0.0.465]
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[https://github.com/vidkidz/waflash WAFlash]
|align=left|{{Icon|Web}}
|[https://clubpenguinadvanced.github.io/waflash-demo/ Web]
|{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[https://ruffle.rs/ Ruffle]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|Web}}
|[https://github.com/ruffle-rs/ruffle/releases Nightly builds]
|Mid {{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}|-|[https://awayfl.org/ AwayFL]|align=left|{{Icon|Web}}|[https://github.com/awayfl/awayfl-player git]|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[https://lightspark.github.io/ Lightspark]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|Web}}<ref group=N name=plugin>Web version is only available as an [[wikipedia:NPAPI|NPAPI]] /PPAPI plugin, and is therefore not OS-agnostic.</ref>|[https://github.com/lightspark/lightspark/releases 0.8.35]|Mid ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[https://swf2js.com/en/ swf2js]
|align=left|{{Icon|Web}}
|[https://github.com/swf2js/swf2js JavaScript file download]<br />Demos: [https://swf2js.com/free/index.html Free], [https://swf2js.com/prod/index.html Prod]|{{?~}} ||{{✓✗}} ||{{~}}|-|[https://leaningtech.com/cheerpx-for-flash/ CheerpX for Flash]|align=left|{{Icon|Web}} |[https://docs.leaningtech.com/cheerpx-for-flash/Changelog Version 31]|{{✗}} ||{{~✓}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|Adobe Flash PlayerShumway|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|Web}}<ref group=N name=plugin />|[https://www.adobegithub.com/support/flashplayermozilla/debug_downloads.html 32.0.0.465shumway git]|Reference ||{{✗✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[https://gnu.org/software/gnash GNU Gnash]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
|[https://www.gnu.org/software/gnash/download.html 0.8.10]
|-
|[https://open-flash.github.io/ Open Flash / Doμ Player]
|align=left|{{Icon|Web}}
|[https://github.com/open-flash/domu-player Gitgit]|{{?}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}|-|Shumway|align=left|{{Icon|Web}}|[https://github.com/mozilla/shumway Git]|Low ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗?}}
|}
<references group=N />
===Comparisons===
;''Common aspects''
:''Pretty much all of the HTML5 emulators listed here are specifically designed to be used as [[wikipedia:Polyfill (programming)|polyfills]] by webmasters who want to keep their Flash-based sites going despite the forced obsolescence of Adobe's in-browser Flash plugin; those emulators are therefore really not intended for personal use, although it's usually not impossible.''
;Adobe Flash Player
:The official closed-source implementation by Adobe, who discontinued it in 2020. The web version relies on [[wikipedia:NPAPI|NPAPI/PPAPI]], an obsolete browser plugin system that for many years only stuck around specifically because of this Flash plugin; when the plugin was officially dropped by Adobe, so too was the plugin system dropped by all the major browser vendors. The desktop player version is still available for download from the Adobe website's debug downloads section, and Harman International is also [https://airsdk.harman.com/flashplayer maintaining an extended support version specifically for enterprise users].
:;CheerpX for Flash
::A payware HTML5 emulation package which combines CheerpX, an x86 emulator in WebAssembly, with Harman International's extended support version of Adobe Flash Player. No-one on this wiki has formally evaluated it (yet), but you shouldn't expect amazing performance given the added complexity of such an approach.
;WAFlash
:A closed-source C++-to-HTML5 implementation that technically hasn't been officially released yet, and will probably be payware once it is. It seems to be the most accurate of the unofficial emulators as of December 2021.
;Ruffle
:A An open-source Rust implementation that easily compiles to several platforms, but mainly targets HTML5. The devs are planning to focus on ActionScript 1 and 2 support first, with AS3 support coming later. Development of Ruffle is sponsored by multiple veteran Flash game archives, most notably Newgrounds. It mainly targets HTML5, but is also available as a desktop player. It's progressed to the point where it can run many early Flash games, including the original Flash version of [https://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/59593/format/flash?emulate=flash Alien Hominid], as well as playing the vast majority of [https://old.homestarrunner.com Homestar Runner] toons. Notably, unlike the other HTML5 options, Ruffle can be installed as a browser addon using the WebExtension system, although it won't always override the copy that a website may be hosting. ;AwayFL:An open-source HTML5 implementation developed by the Away Foundation, under sponsorship from Poki.com. Sometimes works better than Ruffle, depending on the specific Flash file you're trying to run.
;Lightspark & Gnash:Both An open-source C++ implementations, both implementation that's designed specifically to provide a drop-in FLOSS alternative to both the desktop and NPAPI versions of Adobe's official playersFlash Player. Lightspark says Says it has 7879% of the APIs covered, while Gnash has focused on older versions as of Flash that Lightspark is less likely to support properly, hence why Lightspark can use Gnash as an automatic fallback if both are installed simultaneouslyJanuary 2022.
;swf2js
:An open-core HTML5 implementation that uses a dynamic recompiler. The opensource-source available "Free Version" version supports limited features, such as AS1, AS2 and ZLIB compression, whereas the payware "Production Version" supports further version is better suited to newer Flash files using such features, such as AS3 and LZMA compression. Uses normal JavaScript rather than WebAssembly, so performance is less than ideal.
;Adobe Flash PlayerShumway:The official closed-source A relatively very early HTML5 implementation by Adobe. It was discontinued Developed rather actively for a few years under Mozilla sponsorship, but ultimately abandoned in 20202016 before it could reach a usable beta state.
;ShumwayGNU Gnash:An HTML5 implementationopen-source desktop player that has made very little progress since early 2012. Developed rather actively for a few yearsIt focuses on older versions of Flash that Lightspark was originally less focused on supporting properly, under Mozilla sponsorshiphence why Lightspark could use Gnash as an automatic fallback if both are installed simultaneously. However, newer versions of Lightspark have all but ultimately abandoned in 2016completely superseded Gnash and there's not much reason to use it anymore.
==See also==
* [[Flashpoint]] - preservation effort for games designed in commercial web frameworks (not just Flash).
== Resources ==
* [https://nosamu.medium.com/flash-player-emulators-how-to-play-swfs-in-2021-and-beyond-d56c3899b7e6 Article by nosamu (of Flashpoint): Flash Player Emulators: How to Play SWF Files in 2021 and Beyond]
[[Category:Not really emulators]]
