BizHawk
BizHawk is an emulation project built around EmuHawk, a multi-system emulator with recording, playback, and debugging tools.
What BizHawk is
BizHawk is an emulation project built around EmuHawk, a multi-system emulator with recording, playback, and debugging tools. The project describes it as made by and for tool-assisted speedrunners, and says it is a first choice for TASers. EmuHawk can record movies with rerecording for 45 or more systems. Its integrated TAStudio provides a piano-roll interface for composing movies, using savestates to rewind and change inputs. Other tools include save slots, named savestates, speed control, frame stepping, rewinding, screenshots, audio and video recording, and memory viewing and editing. Users can control the frontend and cores programmatically with Lua or C#.NET. The project lists support for systems including Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony PlayStation, arcade machines, and DOS/Windows. BizHawk is free and open source; the team's original work is under the MIT License, though licensing varies across the repository. Installation instructions cover Windows and Unix. The project says current EmuHawk does not work on macOS and BizHawk is unavailable for Android and iOS. Linux builds target x86_64 and omit Mupen64Plus for N64.
Good
- Movie rerecording for 45 or more systems
- TAStudio composes movies with savestate-assisted edits
- Memory viewing and editing tools
- Lua and C#.NET programmatic control
- Free and open source
Watch out
- Current EmuHawk does not work on macOS
- Unavailable for Android and iOS
- Linux builds omit Mupen64Plus for N64
- Linux build targets x86_64 CPUs
Who it suits
BizHawk is aimed at tool-assisted speedrunners who need movie recording, playback, and input editing. Its memory tools and scripting may also suit users who want to inspect or control emulator cores programmatically.
Verdict
BizHawk centers on tool-assisted movie creation, with integrated editing, debugging, and scripting features. Check the operating-system limits and repository licensing variation before choosing it.
The facts
Each one read from BizHawk's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Audience
- The project describes EmuHawk as made by and for tool-assisted speedrunners and calls it a first choice for TASers.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Common features
- Features include save slots and named savestates, speed control, frame stepping, rewinding, memory viewing and editing, screenshots, and audio and video recording.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Debugging and scripting
- The app provides memory viewing, searching, and editing, plus programmatic control through Lua or C#.NET.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Editing movies
- TAStudio is a piano-roll interface integrated with EmuHawk for composing movies, using savestates to rewind and adjust inputs.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- EmuHawk supports Lua and C#.NET scripting and has rebindable keyboard, mouse, and gamepad hotkeys.checked 5 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository says the BizHawk team's original work is provided under the MIT License, while warning that repository licensing is heterogeneous and advising users to contact the team about licensing details.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Movie recording
- EmuHawk can make movies with rerecording for 45 or more systems.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Operating systems
- The current README provides installation instructions for Windows and Unix, and says BizHawk is unavailable for Android and iOS.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Product
- BizHawk is an emulation project whose EmuHawk app is a multi-system emulator written in C#.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- BizHawk is an emulation project whose EmuHawk app is a multi-system emulator with recording, playback, and debugging tools.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Recording and playback
- EmuHawk supports input recording to make tool-assisted speedrun movies.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Release stability
- The README recommends stable releases for work requiring stability, such as TASing, and development builds only when a specific change is needed.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Scripting
- The frontend and cores can be controlled programmatically with Lua or C#.NET.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Security policy
- The project lists versions 2.11 and 2.10 as supported, advises updating to the latest release, and accepts vulnerability reports through GitHub.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Security support
- The security policy lists versions 2.11 and 2.10 as supported and directs vulnerability reports to the BizHawk team on GitHub.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to its TASVideos subforum, Discord channels, GitHub issue tracker, and README troubleshooting information.checked 5 Oct 2026
- System support
- The README lists support for systems including Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony PlayStation, arcade machines, and DOS/Windows.checked 5 Oct 2026
- TAStudio
- EmuHawk integrates with TAStudio, a piano-roll interface for composing movies that uses savestates to rewind and adjust inputs.checked 5 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Linux limits
- The Linux build is for x86_64 CPUs, and the README notes that Mupen64Plus (N64) is a notable omission on Linux.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Unavailable platforms
- The README says BizHawk is unavailable for Android and iOS, and current EmuHawk does not work on macOS.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Windows requirements
- For current versions, the README says the MSVC++ redistributable is the only required component beyond the download.checked 5 Oct 2026
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