GSE

Visit site Alternatives

Score6.8

Rank#5 of 29

Free planNo

Runs onAndroid, Linux, macOS, Windows

Summary

GSE is a free emulator for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance, designed primarily for speedrunning. It uses the Gambatte core for the first two systems and Mesen’s GBA core for Advance. GSE runs at approximately 59.7275 FPS and uses clock synchronization for consistent frame pacing and low input lag. An optional Low Latency Mode can reduce input lag, though frame pacing may be less consistent. The emulator keeps input logs for runs as an additional source for verification and provides 100 savestate slots in 10 sets. It supports ROMs compressed as 7z, rar, tar, gz, or zip, plus broad controller support through SDL3, including GameCube USB Adapter and Switch controllers. Discord Rich Presence is available but disabled by default. GSE runs on Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux, subject to minimum operating system and library requirements. Bootrom or BIOS files are required. Speedrunning-focused omissions include cheat-code support. The project uses the Mozilla Public License 2.0, which provides covered software as-is without warranty.

Who it is for

GSE suits speedrunners who want Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Advance emulation with input logs and savestates. It is also a fit for players on Android, Windows, macOS, or Linux who can provide the required bootrom or BIOS files.

What is good

Input logs provide an additional source for run verification.
100 savestate slots are arranged in 10 sets.
Supports 7z, rar, tar, gz, and zip ROMs.
SDL3 controller support includes GameCube USB Adapter and Switch controllers.

What to know first

Bootrom or BIOS files are required.
Cheat-code support is omitted.
Low Latency Mode may make frame pacing less consistent.

Verdict

GSE focuses on speedrunning, with input logs, savestates, and timing features for three Game Boy systems. Its requirements and omission of cheat codes may not suit players seeking a general-purpose emulator.

Compared on Game Boy advance emulators

Free plan: Yesgithub.com
Platform scope: desktop and mobilegithub.com
Save states: Yesgithub.com
Cheat support: Nogithub.com
Graphics enhancements: Yesgithub.com
Open source: Yesgithub.com

Facts

Purpose: GSE is a Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance emulator written in C# intended primarily for speedrunners.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Emulation cores: GSE uses the Gambatte emulation core for Game Boy and Game Boy Color and Mesen's GBA emulation core for Game Boy Advance.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Console accuracy: The emulator provides battleground-tested Game Boy and Game Boy Color emulation and console-accurate Game Boy Advance emulation for speedrunning.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Timing: GSE runs at approximately 59.7275 FPS and uses clock synchronization for consistent frame pacing and low input lag.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Low latency: An optional Low Latency Mode provides lower input lag at the potential cost of less consistent frame pacing.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Input logs: Input logs are stored for all runs and provide run verifiers with a secondary source of proof.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Savestates: GSE provides 100 savestate slots arranged as 10 sets of 10 slots.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
ROM formats: The emulator supports 7z, rar, tar, gz, and zip compressed ROMs.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Discord integration: Discord Rich Presence is available as a configuration option and is off by default.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Controller support: GSE provides broad game-controller support through SDL3, including the official GameCube USB Adapter and Switch controllers.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Requirements: Bootrom or BIOS files are required for usage.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Feature limitation: Features not useful for speedrunning runs or practice, such as cheat-code support, are not included.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Operating systems: The documented requirements are Windows 7 SP1 or later, macOS 10.15 or later, Linux with glibc 2.31 or libstdc++ 3.4.28 or later, and Android 5.0 or later.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
License: The repository is distributed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Latest release: GSE v0.6 replaces the GBA emulation core with Mesen's core and offers downloads for multiple operating systems and CPU architectures.github.com · 1 Oct 2026
Speedrunning timing: The emulator runs at approximately 59.7275 FPS and provides clock synchronization for consistent frame pacing and low input lag.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Input verification: GSE stores input logs for runs as a secondary source of proof for run verification.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Latency mode: An optional Low Latency Mode provides lower input latency at the potential cost of less consistent frame pacing.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Input limits: GSE prohibits binding different game inputs to the same host input and prohibits Left+Right and Up+Down combinations.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
System requirements: Supported systems are Windows 7 SP1 or newer, macOS 10.15 or newer, Linux with specified glibc and libstdc++ versions, and Android 5.0 or newer.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Boot requirements: Bootrom or BIOS files are required to use GSE.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Release downloads: The v0.6 release provides download options for multiple operating systems and CPU architectures, with GSE-win-x64.zip recommended for most Windows x64 users.github.com · 2 Oct 2026
Warranty: The MPL-2.0 license states that covered software is provided as-is without warranty.raw.githubusercontent.com · 2 Oct 2026