FCEUX
FCEUX is a free, open-source emulator for NES, Famicom, Famicom Disk System, and Dendy systems.
What FCEUX is
FCEUX is a free, open-source emulator for NES, Famicom, Famicom Disk System, and Dendy systems. It supports NTSC, PAL, and NTSC-PAL Hybrid video modes and is available through Win32 and Qt/SDL ports. The project positions it for casual play as well as advanced work, with tools for debugging, ROM hacking, map making, tool-assisted movies, and Lua scripting. The Qt/SDL version also includes movie recording, a TAS Editor, sprite viewing, a NES Palette Editor, an AVI RIFF Tree viewer, and frame timing tools. Network play in both Win32 and SDL ports is not functional, and the project says it has no plans to address that. The project dates to 2006, and its site lists version 2.6.6, released on 26 August 2023, as the latest release. Building the Qt/SDL port from source requires Qt5, SDL2, minizip, zlib, OpenGL, and CMake. FFmpeg libraries and libx264 are optional for AVI recording and H.264 AVI encoding. FCEUX states it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo or Nintendo of America.
Good
- Emulates NES, Famicom, FDS, and Dendy.
- Supports NTSC, PAL, and hybrid video modes.
- Includes debugging, ROM hacking, and Lua scripting tools.
- Qt/SDL port includes movie recording and TAS Editor.
- Free and open source.
Watch out
- Network play is not functional.
- Project says it has no plans to fix network play.
- Building from source requires several dependencies.
Who it suits
FCEUX suits people who want to emulate the listed Nintendo-era systems on desktop platforms, from casual players to users working with ROMs, maps, scripts, or tool-assisted movies. Its advanced tools also suit users who want debugging and recording features.
Verdict
FCEUX combines multi-system emulation with a broad set of tools for debugging, scripting, and recording. Network play is unavailable, and building the Qt/SDL port from source requires additional software dependencies.
Plans and prices
From FCEUX's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| FCEUX | Free | NES, Famicom, Famicom Disk System and Dendy emulation · Win32 and Qt/SDL ports |
The facts
Each one read from FCEUX's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Advanced tools
- FCEUX offers tools for debugging, ROM hacking, map making, tool-assisted movies and Lua scripting.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Affiliation
- The site states that FCEUX is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo or Nintendo of America.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Build requirements
- Building the Qt/SDL port requires Qt5, SDL2, minizip, zlib and OpenGL; CMake is required to build from source.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Community contact
- The project lists an IRC channel, #fceu on irc.libera.chat, as the best way to contact someone.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Emulation
- The project describes FCEUX as an all-in-one emulator offering accurate emulation for casual play and advanced uses.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Latest listed release
- The home page lists FCEUX 2.6.6, released on 26 August 2023, as the latest release.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Network play
- Network play in both Win32 and SDL ports is not presently functional, and the site says there are no plans to fix it.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Optional video dependencies
- FFmpeg libraries are optional dependencies for AVI recording features, and libx264 is optional for H.264 AVI encoding.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Ports
- The team maintains Qt/SDL and Win32 ports; the Qt/SDL port is described as cross-platform for Windows and UNIX-like systems including Linux, Solaris, BSD and OSX.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- FCEUX emulates NES, Famicom, Famicom Disk System and Dendy systems.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Qt/SDL features
- The Qt/SDL port includes debug tools, Lua scripting, movie recording and TAS Editor, plus a sprite viewer, NES Palette Editor, AVI RIFF Tree viewer and frame timing tool.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users with unresolved questions to TASVideos forums and bug reports or feature requests to GitHub Issues.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Video modes
- It supports NTSC, PAL and NTSC-PAL Hybrid modes.checked 7 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2006checked 28 Sep 2026
