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Special Issue #1: Emulation - How To Play Retro Games on a PC

What is emulation?

Have you ever heard of a game that sounds fun but was only ever released on a very old console? Or do you just want to relive some classic games you may have played as a kid? Emulation might be for you! But what is emulation? Well, emulation lets one device run software made for another by digitally imitating the other device’s hardware. Essentially, programmers study the internal hardware of whatever console they’re attempting to emulate and recreate its behavior in code. Then, a digital copy of a physical game, called a ROM, is created (using either a specialized device, a modified console, or a disc drive in the case of most disc-based consoles) and run in the emulator to play it. Luckily for us, plenty of internet folks have already done this and uploaded the resulting files online, letting us play the games for free. But be warned: while offenders are rarely caught, downloading these copies is technically illegal in the United States and most other countries. If you’re concerned about the ethics of piracy, I highly recommend checking out Video Game Story Time’s video “Is Retro Game Piracy Morally Correct?” so you can draw your own conclusions on the matter.

So how do I actually do it?

You’ll need:

  • A computer powerful enough to emulate the console you want to play (check the emulator’s system requirements for best results)
  • An internet connection

Obtaining the emulator

The first thing you’ll need to do is download the emulator for the console that you want to play. There will likely be many choices available, but usually, only one or two emulators are considered “the best”. You can also use RetroArch, which is a single software that runs emulators for many different consoles via “cores”, but in most cases, I recommend standalone emulators for the best experience (especially for later consoles). I’ve made sure to include the correct links below. Be wary of fake sites (there are a lot)!

Here’s a list of my recommendations all the way up to the seventh generation of consoles (Xbox 360/PS3/Wii):

Getting games

For legal reasons, it’s best if I don’t link to any sites where ROMs are shared. Instead, I’ll simply direct you to use Google to search for “r/roms megathread” and click the first result. ;) Some consoles will need BIOS files to work (Dreamcast comes to mind), so make sure you download those too.

Playing games in standalone emulators

The recommended way to organize games is in a dedicated folder for ROMs somewhere on your computer, then subfolders for each system. Usually, ROMs will just be a single file, like this:

In this case, you can just store each ROM directly in the NES folder, so the path would be ROMs\NES\Super Mario Bros. (World).nes.

However, you might have a ROM consisting of multiple files stored in a folder, like this Dreamcast game:

In this case, simply put the folder in the system folder instead, so you have a folder within a folder (within a folder). The path here would be ROMs\Dreamcast\Sega Tetris\, and then all the ROM files inside the Sega Tetris folder.

The way you actually play a game depends on your specific emulator, but often there will be one of two ways:

  • A “library” folder that is periodically scanned for new games (set this to the system-specific folder), which will appear in the program’s UI
  • A “File > Open” menu which opens File Explorer and has you select the ROM file (you might be able to drag the file directly into the program as well)

After doing either of the above, your game should launch as normal and you can play. If you have a controller, most of the time, it works out of the box, but you might want to check the emulator’s settings if it doesn’t or to see the button mappings. If you’re using the keyboard, check the emulator’s settings to see which keys correspond to which buttons.

Setting up and playing games in RetroArch

If you want/need to use RetroArch, it requires a bit of additional setup. After installation, launching RetroArch should bring you to this screen:

It’s recommended to connect a controller before continuing, as this UI is designed for them, but if you don’t have one, it should still work with a keyboard and mouse. The first thing you’ll want to do (but you might want to configure your controls in Settings in the sidebar first) is download the core for the system you want to emulate. Choose Load Core, then Download a Core. You should then see this screen:

Here, you can search by pressing the indicated button on your controller or scroll to find your core. Look, there’s Genesis Plus GX! (I already have it installed, hence the [#] indicator.)

Click OK to download it. When you go back, you’ll end up at the main menu from before. Click Load Core again. Then, choose your newly downloaded core from the list (you’ll need to do this every time you want to play that system). Once you do, you’ll end up at the main menu once more. Click Load Content and use the File Browser to find your ROM. Click it and voila!

Thanks for reading this guide!
- Nekosis