Mesen is a multi-system emulator for Windows, Linux and macOS.
| System | Core Type |
|---|---|
| NES/Famicom | Native |
| SNES/Super Famicom | Native |
| Game Boy / Color | Native |
| Game Boy Advance | Native |
| PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 | Native |
| Sega Master System / Game Gear | Native |
| WonderSwan | Native |
| Nintendo DS | Libretro Core |
Mesen uses SDL2 for cross-platform audio and video output, ensuring consistent performance and compatibility across Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Built-in video recorder with multiple codec support:
| Codec | Type | Quality | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTVideo | Lossless | Perfect | High-quality archival |
| FFVHUFF | Lossless | Perfect | Wide compatibility |
| H.264 | Lossy | Excellent | Small file size |
| VP8 | Lossy | Good | Web-friendly output |
Integration with librashader for advanced CRT, LCD, and custom shader presets - bringing retro gaming visuals to life with authentic display effects.
The latest stable version is available from the releases on GitHub.
These builds don't require .NET to be installed.
- Windows 10 / 11
- Linux x64 (requires SDL2)
- macOS - Intel (requires SDL2)
- macOS - Apple Silicon (requires SDL2)
These builds require .NET 8 to be installed (except the Windows 7 build which requires .NET 6).
For Linux and macOS, SDL2 must also be installed.
Other builds are also available in the Actions tab.
SteamOS: See SteamOS.md
See COMPILING.md
Mesen is available under the GPL V3 license. Full text here: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html
Copyright (C) 2014-2025 Sour
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/.