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==Basic troubleshooting==
Issues are to be expected since the emulator is still early (even though the project was started in 2011).
===Audio stutter===
Cannot be completely eliminated in most cases, but you can at least try to mitigate it by playing around with the "Preferred SPU Thread" setting as well as the "lower SPU thread priority" and "Bind SPU thread" to secondary core settings.
In addition, manually adjusting the priority and affinity of the RPCS3 process can affect it independently of the other internal settings. On Windows, this is done via the Task Manager. On Linux, CLI and GUI tools exist like System Monitor and Task Manager that can change the priority. It varies by distribution. This can influence audio stutter and performance in general but especially for Ryzen users.
===Unavailable setting(s)===
If you can't find a specific setting in RPCS3, you could be using an old build, and should probably update it.
===Locked PSN demos===
Some PSN titles use an '''.EDAT''' file to differentiate between "trial" and "full version" states rather than a '''.RAP''' file; these games are often referred to as "c00" games, stemming from the c00 folder in their installation which contains parameters for the full version. This can cause issues with unlocking certain titles, with a notorious example being '''Castlevania: Harmony of Despair'''. If a title utilizing an .EDAT file will not unlock its full version, renaming the .EDAT to .RAP will usually unlock as intended.
→Enhancements
|version = {{Version|RPCS3}}<ref group=N name=version>The developers are currently treating version increments as milestones, not as stable builds.</ref>
|active = Yes
|platform = [[Emulators on Windows|Windows]]<br/>[[Emulators on Linux|Linux]]<br/>[[Emulators on BSD|FreeBSD]]<br/>[[Emulators on macOS|macOS]]
|target = [[PlayStation 3 emulators|PlayStation 3]], [[PlayStation emulators|PlayStation Classics]] <small>(PSN versions)</small>
|architecture = x86_64
|prog-lang = C++
|website = [https://rpcs3.net/ RPCS3.net]
|support = [https://www.patreon.com/Nekotekina Patreon]<br/>[https://rpcs3.net/alipay Alipay]
|source = [https://github.com/rpcs3/rpcs3 GitHub]
|license = GNU GPLv2
}}
'''RPCS3''' is an open-source [[PlayStation 3 emulators|PlayStation 3]] emulator/debugger written in C++ for Windows , Linux, macOS and LinuxFreeBSD. It is the only emulator that can run commercial games, with over 2,000 considered playable. It also supports the PS3's internal [[PlayStation emulators|PlayStation 1 emulator]] through the PlayStation Classics digital re-releases.
==Download==
{| cellpadding="4"
|-
|align=center|{{Icon|Win|Lin|Mac|BSD}}
|'''[https://rpcs3.net/download Latest builds]'''<br/><small>[https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps3/system-software/ Official Firmware] needed.
|}
===History===
RPCS3 began on May 23, 2011 as an experimental project by DH and Hykem (who beta-tested and coded for [[JPCSP]] in 2008). They initially hosted the project on [https://code.google.com/archive/p/rpcs3/source/default/source Google Code], and eventually moved it to GitHub later in its development, making the repository publicly available in June of 2012. AlexAltea joined in late summer 2013 and worked on several components of the emulator, maintaining the codebase up until early 2015. DH left the project in mid-2016, turning his attention to the PlayStation 4 with the similarly named [https://github.com/RPCSX/rpcsx RPCSX] (formerly named RPCS4 RPCS4]). Hykem was pushed out of the scene in mid-2016 due to drama behind the scenes.<ref>[http://www.emunewz.net/forum/showthread.php?tid=174735 <nowiki>[IMPORTANT]</nowiki> Hykem says goodbye]. August 18, 2016.</ref>
After getting small homebrew apps working, the emulator could load the intros to some games with sound,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOcUcD9y51w Rpcs3 Update Quality Sound - Intro Video - The Guided Fate Paradox] (Mar 26, 2014)</ref> as well as play some portions of Disgaea 3 and The Guided Fate Paradox, but with heavy graphical glitches and no sprites.<ref name="Disgaea3 video">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQEv6B6fIgA RPCS3 WIP - Disgaea 3 - Ingame!] (Mar 22, 2014)</ref> Successive improvements brought with it the ability to play lightweight titles like After Burner Climax with almost no glitches.<ref>John GodGames. (February 1, 2016) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsuKQfsu-zk RPCS3 PS3 Emulator - After Burner Climax Ingame #2! DX12]. YouTube.</ref> After getting Persona 5 working, Atlus infamously sent the developers and Patreon an erroneous DMCA takedown notice to help inforce enforce a timed-exclusivity agreement with Sony,<ref>[https://atlus.com/atlus-and-emulation/ Atlus and Emulation].</ref> creating a [[wikipedia:Streisand effect|Streisand effect]] of spotlighting RPCS3 as a viable PS3 emulator.
For a long time, it was commonly thought that the original firmware files could only be extracted from a modded PS3, which would have greatly increased the barrier to entry. However, one of the developers discovered all the libraries were actually bundled with each system update, and that the emulator could include the ability to extract the files. Nekotekina opened [https://www.patreon.com/Nekotekina a Patreon campaign] in 2017, with kd-11 joining not long after. In June 2018, after a few improvements and fixes, most PlayStation 1 Classic titles became playable.<ref>[https://rpcs3.net/blog/2018/07/15/progress-report-june-2018/#major Progress Report: June 2018]. § PlayStation 1 Classics.</ref> Only the PSN re-releases work; no discs can be loaded into the PS1 emulator yet.<!--They also got In January 2022, RPCS3 announced that the VSH workingXMB could be ran on firmwares as low as 2.80. todo: cite-->
Today, RPCS3 is able to play almost two thirds of the PS3's commercial library from start to finish. Emulating most games is demanding on hardware, though work has been done to reduce the requirements.
On May 5, 2022, RSXAudio was implemented, adding audio to the XMB. Also on that month, RPCS3 uploaded a video on YouTube showing the SPU performance improvements made at the time.
===Enhancements===
RPCS3 has (or works with) some [[PlayStation_3_emulators#Enhancements|enhancements ]] for gameplay, such as:
;[https://rpcs3.net/blog/2018/08/08/eliminating-stutter-with-asynchronous-shader-implementation/ Asynchronous Shader Recompilation]
:Compiles shaders as the game runs, allowing for [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu-HwEEU5K0 virtually stutter free performance] at the cost of objects and textures [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59q7wbeJLOo popping into existence] as you play. It only gives a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGWk1p7pCVk tiny performance boost] - a powerful computer and further optimizations from the emulator will be needed to get the more demanding titles to run at full speeds like 30 FPS or 60 FPS. Many demanding games may utilize multiple secondary cores plus the primary core of the PS3's CPU so parallelization techniques will be needed, perhaps running on a user's GPU or 8-core and better CPU.
;[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sag4SF7dDrw ReShade]:A third-party suite that hooks into the renderer. Makes many games appear [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPcHjnTZC_o more vibrant or saturated], particularly more pronounced in those with dull textures like the Tales of series, Naruto series, and other anime-based titles.
;[https://www.rewasd.com/releases/release-6.3.0 reWASD]:A third-party application which can emulate any controlling device (gamepad/keyboard/mouse) as a PS3 controller. After installing [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Controller:DualShock_3#Wired_connection_-_official_drivers Official Sony Drivers], Virtual DualShock 3 is visible in RPCS3 as native device and allows to map theirs pressure-sensitive buttons with modifiers eg. pressing left back button+× is decreasing pressure-sensitivity of × to 50%, but right back button+× is decreasing pressure-sensitivity of × to 20%. Exclusively software allows to use Official Sony Driver wirelessly. ReWASD works with Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam, Nvidia, Logitech controllers and [https://help.rewasd.com/how-to-remap/supported-devices.html others]. Pressure-sensitive buttons option is helpful in games like "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" or "Gran Turismo 5". See the [https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_games_that_support_Pressure-Sensitive_Face_Buttons#PlayStation_3_Emulation list of games that support Pressure-Sensitive Face Buttons on PlayStation 3].
;See [[PlayStation_3_emulators#Enhancements]] section for more information about RPCS3 enhancements capabilities.
===System requirements===
See [[Computer_specifications#RPCS3]].
==Setting up==
====Linux====
RPCS3 is compiled to AppImages using Azure. To update RPCS3, [[{{PAGENAME}}#Download|download the latest build]], and replace your previous AppImage with the new one. Reenable executable permissions if they were disabled during the update. Most file managers can let you change it from their properties window.
==Netplay==
