Bsnes is a Super Nintendo emulator that's been around since 2004 and is known for its efforts to reproduce Super Nintendo games in pixel perfect accuracy.

The emulator also gives special focus to ensuring that your gaming experience is as bug-free as possible. However, in order to reproduce the speed and playability of SNES games, the RAM load of Bsnes is quite high and you may experience some freezes if you're working on a slower system.

It doesn't help that Bsnes heavily utilises Direct3D, OpenGL, DirectSound and DirectInput to get such good results but the payoff is probably worth if you're running a faster machine. However, even if you do have decent hardware, you'll probably experience a few bugs and crashes as it is still very much a work in progress.

If you had a Snes or loved the old console, then Bsnes is surely one of the most accurate emulators out there.

Download Bsnes 0.036 in Softonic

The N64 certainly wasn't the most successful games console, but it still generated a certain following, hence why emulators like Mupen64 can be found.

Thanks to Mupen64 you'll be able to load and play any N64 ROM on your Mac. The emulator is relatively easy to use and you'll find a readme file that comes with the download indicating the button configuration.

From the preferences you'll be able to choose from one of four resolutions, which is a good thing as Mupen64 first launches at a resolution of only 320*240. The application offers three texture cache size and you'll be able to activate fog, fullscreen, and both 2xSal and Bilinear filtering. From the options menu Mupen64 also allows you to limit the speed of games, set the audio and choose from three emulation cores. You'll have to restart the emulator for changes to come into effect though.

Mupen64 is said to work with plugins, but we could not find any sign of them anywhere in the program.

The configurations are a little counter-intuitive, yet if you stick to launching ROMs you'll find Mupen64 is a good emulator for enjoying N64 games.

Download Mupen64 0.5.1 in Softonic

You got sets of files which change on e.g. a monthly basis. New files have been added, some have been removed, etc. clrmamepro helps you to keep your files up-to-date.

This is what ClrMamePro has to offer:

• Find missing sets, files
• Find and rename wrong named files
• Find and resize wrong sized files
• Find wrong checksums (bad dumps, etc.)
• Find and remove unneeded files
• Merge and unmerge ROMs
• Rebuild gamesets
• Add new sets

Download ClrMamePro 3.115b in Softonic

iDeaS is a Nintendo DS emulator that enables you to play Nintendo DS ROM files right on your PC. The program's interface resembles that of the actual gaming device, featuring a double screen and support for touch technology, only that this time you use your mouse instead of the Nintendo stylus.

iDeaS allows you also to take snapshots of both screens and remap keys for a more comfortable game control. It includes a debugger to analyze the execution of ROM files.

Download iDeaS 1.0.2.4 in Softonic

MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. When used in conjunction with an arcade game's data files (ROMs), MAME will more or less faithfully reproduce that game on a PC. MAME can currently emulate over 3000 unique (and over 5400 in total) classic arcade video games from the three decades of video games - '70s, '80s and '90s, and even some from the current millennium.

The ROM images that MAME utilizes are "dumped" from arcade games' original circuit-board ROM chips. MAME becomes the "hardware" for the games, taking the place of their original CPUs and support chips. Therefore, these games are NOT simulations, but the actual, original games that appeared in arcades.

MAME's purpose is to preserve these decades of video-game history. As gaming technology continues to rush forward, MAME prevents these important "vintage" games from being lost and forgotten. This is achieved by documenting the hardware and how it functions, thanks to the talent of programmers from the MAME team and from other contributors. Being able to play the games is just a nice side-effect, which doesn't happen all the time. MAME strives for emulating the games faithfully.

Download MAME 0.125 in Softonic

If you are nostalgic for the days when you had a Sega Megadrive then you will love Gens which emulates the classic games console.

Gens has a number of features to enhance your playing experience such as Window mode - for playing within a small screen on your desktop or Fullscreen mode - for a genuine Sega Megadrive experience. The emulator also supports Joysticks to make your playing experience even more realistic (if you've still got one!). There's also support for Netplay and Save/Load state support meaning you can continue your gaming a later stage. However, you may find that it can't read some Sega Megadrive CD ROMS because its not compatible with all CD ROM drives. The developers advise that if when you put a Sega/Mega-Cd game in the drive and boot and you get the menu screen with tracks, this means that the Sega/Mega-Cd doesn't recognize the cd as a game. In addition, if you get a message telling you that the program is "Checking the CD" continually, it's likely that the CD's are dirty or scratched. However, don't worry as you can run games from a CD image file instead of a CD so all is not lost.

For anyone who loved their Sega Megadrive, this is a great way to roll back the years and breathe new life into your dusty game collection.

Download Gens 2.14 in Softonic

Compared to modern games, the arcade games of the previous generation are very immediate to play. They don’t require to read any instruction and they can be therefore a good anti-stress way to relax a bit, for short break times. Well you have an excuse now at least!

Compared to modern games, the arcade games of the previous generation are very easy to jump into. They don’t require any special knowledge and they can therefore be a good way to relax, especially for short break times. Well now at least you have an excuse!

Extra M.A.M.E. is a simple windows manager for ROM format arcade games. It supports 3688 games, so you will not be bored too soon, although when you install the application, there are just five titles available.

An important note to make is that once you’ve installed Extra M.A.M.E, you’ll also need to download a MAME emulator on your PC before you can play any games. Now you are nearly ready to have fun. Select one of the titles you would like to play and press the “get game” button which you find on the right of the window. A Google internet page will appear, connecting you to Romnation.net. You can now download the ROM file, which is compressed in one archive (IZArc, ZIP Archive). Save it into the folder C:\Program Files\extra mame\roms, leaving it as an archive file. Finally you will be able to play to your favourite game again! Just double click on the name of the game and enjoy.

The installation process appears complicated the first time you want to install the program, but if you follow my instructions above you should not have problems. You can also decide to open games in a window but this will slow down the PC and therefore the game.

Maybe you will have to spend a bit of time in preparation before you can play but after that first time, having the possibility to play all those games is really cool. On the other hand, probably not all the ROMs you find will work!

Download Extra M.A.M.E. 5.5 in Softonic

openMSX is an open source MSX emulator that uses a distinctive emulation model and tries to achieve the highest level of accuracy possible.

It is available for POSIX and Microsoft Windows operating systems and emulates a large amount of MSX (related) hardware, including MSXturboR, Moonsound, Sunrise IDE and GFX9000.

Notable features include debugging, a graphical frontend, scriptable in Tcl, scalers. It also comes with CBIOS, a free implementation of a minimal MSX BIOS, allowing you to play games without needing copies of original MSX ROMS.

Download openMSX 0.6.3 in Softonic

ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games, provided you already have their data files. The clever part about this: ScummVM just replaces the executables shipped with the game, allowing you to play them on systems for which they were never designed!

ScummVM lets you run these adventures: Adventure Soft's Simon the Sorcerer 1 and 2; Revolution's Beneath A Steel Sky, Broken Sword 1 and Broken Sword 2; Flight of the Amazon Queen; Wyrmkeep's Inherit the Earth; Coktel Vision's Gobliiins and games based on LucasArts' SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) system. SCUMM is used for many games, including Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max and more.

Download ScummVM 0.11.1 in Softonic

Sega Saturn was launched in 1994 as a direct competitor for PlayStation. However, Sony quickly took over the videoconsole market and erased Sega Saturn away. Today, Sega Saturn games are classical adventures that you can now play again thanks to Yabause.

Yabause is a Sega Saturn emulator create under the GNU license. It's still in development but it's quite stable and meets the expectation of all those who miss games like Dracula X, Slayer Royal, Daytona USA and many others.

Yabause allows booting games using either Saturn CD disks or ISO files. Plus it enables users to take screenshots and supports PAL video.

Download Yabause 0.9.3 in Softonic

I was never a SNES fan but I've got plenty of friends that rave about the time when the console really rocked and they stayed glued at it for hours.

Obviously, that all ended - not because they grew up but because Playstations and XBoxes came along. Now however, you can re-live those halcyon days with Mario and his friends via this emulator which reproduces the console in all it's glory. From Mario to Zelda, you can play it all with Snes9x. The emulator supports the decompression of ZIP files so if your ROM files are zipped up, it's no problem. Like playing on an original Snes, you can save games to restart them later, customize game controls and best of all, even link up with other users over the internet for some truly original Snes action. Probably the piece de resistance however is the fact that this emulator can actually improve the graphics via the "Super Eagle" screen filter. This basically takes all those classic blocky images, re-composes them, and smooths them out to give your games a more modern feel and look. This looks particularly good with Super Mario World and if you have a 3D card, you can even give the characters increased depth and definition without losing the original charm.

For Snes addicts, this emulator is an essential for reliving those glory days of Mario and Zelda without being told off by your mum for playing too long.

Download Snes9x 1.51 in Softonic

ZSNES is a Super Nintendo emulator game which currently runs on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and DOS. Relive all your favourite Super Nintendo games such as Earthbound, Final Fantasy 4 and Super Mario Kart by downloading them from the developer website.

Note that this is a public beta version so you may experience instability issues.

Download ZSNES 1.51 in Softonic

Are you an emulator freak? If so, then you'll love RomCentre which allows you to maintain and organise your hundreds of ROM files.

I'm a bit Commodore Amiga fan so I love emulator ROMS and this is a great tool for anyone who has a big collection. The problem is that over time, you can lose track of what you have, they can become outdated and even corrupt. RomCenter is designed as a a manager for your collection of ROMS for whatever game system you use - computer, console or mobile device. The program lets you filter ROMS that do not work or are incomplete, and helps you fix those bugs as you can't solve, such as incorrect names. In addition, it gives you the possibility to generate reports and add new systems and new ROM via the Internet, downloading them from various websites. This is great if you can't be bothered trawling through the internet to find your favourite emulator ROMS. Simply type your search terms and RomCentre will do the re4st although I found that it was less than effective in finding the files I wanted.

A solid little tool for anyone with a large emulator or ROM collection.

Download RomCenter 3.00 Alpha 7 in Softonic

The PCSX project has been running for a little over four years now, and since it's initial release has grown in compatibility. From initially just being able to run a few public domain demos, it's current state enables many games to boot and actually go in game, such as the 'famous' Final Fantasy X or Devil May Cry 3. PS2 Emulation is a complex task, far worse than emulating a console from the previous generation (PlayStation1, N64, Saturn), simply due to the CPU power required to get 'playable' speeds from a PS2 game under emulation.

This program does the job remarkably well although don't throw your Playstation 2 away quite yet. It struggles with high speed action and is prone to freezing or crashing at the most annoying moments. PCSX2 comes in 2 versions, the TLB and the VM (virtual memory) one. The TLB version is the pcsx2t.exe while the VM version is the pcsx2.exe. First try running the VM version, following the instructions given (type your account user name, log off/on and restart). If the program still fails to allocate the memory, simply use the TLB version and don't worry the speed difference is not that great. After that, the setup procedure is quite lengthy although if you're Playstation 2 is broken, you'll find this a more than adequate replacement.

Download PCSX2 0.9.4 in Softonic

MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator and when used in conjunction with an arcade game's data file (ROMs), MAME Plus! will more or less faithfully reproduce that game on a PC. MAME Plus! can emulate thousands of classic arcade video games from the 70s, 80s and 90s, and even some from the current decade.

The ROM images that MAME utilizes are "dumped" from arcade games' original circuit-board ROM chips. MAME becomes the "hardware" for the games, taking the place of their original CPUs and support chips. Therefore, these games are NOT simulations, but the actual, original games that appeared in arcades.

As gaming technology continues to rush forward, MAME prevents important "vintage" games from being lost and forgotten. It's incredibly effective once you've loaded a ROM file although for newbies, the process may prove a little but tricky as the interface appears more complicated than it needs to be.

MAME Plus! is an excellent alternative for those that have had problems running their favourite vintage games in the original MAME.

Download MAME Plus! 0.122u6 in Softonic

The GameBoy has come a long way since we first saw that big white and grey block at the end of the last century. Its great, great, great grandson, the Nintendo DS is now even more powerful than the high-tech machines doing the rounds in the arcades of the early Nineties. In fact, it's so good that sometimes you'll want to play with it in the office, which obviously you can't. Well, actually you can. Actually you can't. Well, you sort of can. Let me explain...

DeSmuME is a Nintendo DS emulator that allows you to play games on your PC using DS ROM files, which you can download from the Internet. Trouble is, downloading these files is illegal, so on your own head be it if the FBI van rolls up outside your house. Legalities aside, this is a pretty decent emulator, which was orginally designed for games programmers to develop and test their latest creations. It can be a little tricky to set up, but once running you'll be able to enjoy a huge selection of games in ROM format. But if the Feds ask, don't tell them it was me who told you.

Download DeSmuME 0.7.3 in Softonic

It may not feel too long ago but we've moved on ten years since Nintendo 64 hit the streets - you remember the Spice Girls and losing on penalties to Germany? Well what better way to forget than reliving the glory years of Super Mario Kart, Legend of Zelda and Goldeneye with this latest emulator.

Of course the graphics are a bit long in the tooth but that's all part of the appeal. And there are tons of enhancements including fixes and support for many new games, high speed emulation, integrated cheats plug-in (if you need it!), save facility, plus lots of netplay features. Unfortunately, you really need a controller to stick in the back of your PC to start playing even the simplest of games and there is little help when it comes to working out what keys to use!

1964 is much like Mario - a solid little package but a little frustrating.

Download 1964 0.9.9 in Softonic

Although it didn’t have anything like the fancy wireless wands or web browsing capabilities of the Wii, there was always something quite enchanting about Nintendo’s N64. Ultimately it was never going to beat the PlayStation in terms of its market share, but the 64 still brings back fond memories of endless nights blasting the hell out of each other on Goldeneye, or missing dozens of lectures to concentrate on Super Mario 64. The chances are that as soon as the GameCube came along, your N64 went out with the rubbish – a decision you’ve probably lived to regret if you’re anything like us. Thankfully, Project64 helps you to transport yourself back to those halcyon days by allowing you to emulate all your old favourite N64 games on your PC.

The application is designed to play ROM files, which are essentially 'images' of the data inside an N64 cartridge. Graphically, the games are pretty good, although not quite as sharp as we remember, with a few too many jagged lines and blocky sprites for our liking. This is understandable, given that the games were originally intended to be played on a TV, which has a completely different way of perfecting pixels. Nevertheless, the overall visual experience is quite authentic, and is complemented by crisp audio reproduction.

In terms of its performance, Project64 is able to handle most ROMs without any problems and we didn’t experience any compatibility issues. Be warned though, that you’ll need a decent amount of RAM and a fairly good graphics card if you want to avoid any jerkiness when playing some of the more sophisticated games, such as Super Smash Bros. There are lots of options within the emulator for tweaking the visuals, including changing the screen resolution, running in full-screen mode or applying anti-aliasing. However, the audio functions are limited to a bog-standard volume control.

Thankfully, the fun of playing N64 games with your pals isn’t lost in this emulator and Project64 supports up to four players. As you can imagine, it’s pretty tricky fitting four people around one keyboard, so you’re best off using USB controllers if there’s more than two of you. Another nice touch is the inclusion of a cheat mode, which provides you with the opportunity to power-up your games or access special options, much as the old Action Replay cartridges used to. Each game has its own set of cheats, which is great for prolonging the life of a game or getting through particularly tough levels.

Project64 is the closest thing you’ll get to the N64 without actually buying the console itself and it performs better than other Nintendo emulators, as well as generic solutions such as MAME. It may not be a pixel-perfect recreation of the device, but it’s certainly entertaining enough to keep you off work for a few days.

Download Project64 1.6 in Softonic

AE is a mostly complete software emulation of the hardware of the Commodore Amiga 500/1000/2000. A Commodore Amiga, for those who don't know, is a 16/32 bit computer system based on the Motorola 680x0 CPU and a few specially designed custom chips that provide very good graphics and sound capabilities. Its first incarnation, the A1000, appeared in 1985, followed by the highly successful A500 and A2000 models.

UAE is written for Unixish systems; it is developed on a Linux machine but it should compile and run on any half-recent Unix-like operating system. It has also been ported to a wide variety of machines and operating systems, including DOS, Windows 95/NT, MacOS, RiscOS, BeOS and NextStep.

UAE is free software: you are welcome to distribute copies of it and/or modify it, under certain conditions. There is no warranty of any kind for UAE. For more details concerning these issues, please read the GNU General Public License, which describes the terms under which UAE is distributed.

Download WinUAE 1.4.1 in Softonic

For all you nostalgics out there, VICE is an emulator for all the old computers you used to have in the 1980's. Commodore 64 and VIC20 fans are in for a treat. VICE runs on Unix, MS-DOS, Win32, OS/2, Acorn RISC OS, BeOS, QNX 6.x, Amiga, GP2X or Mac OSX machines and executes programs intended for the old 8-bit computers.

The current version emulates the C64, the C128, the VIC20, almost all PET models, the PLUS4 and the CBM-II (aka C610). Roll back the years by playing some of your favourite oldies!

Download VICE 1.21 in Softonic