higan
higan is a free, standalone emulator for multiple game systems, available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
What higan is
higan is a free, standalone emulator for multiple game systems, available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its stated focus is accuracy, preservation, and configurability. Supported systems include Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Mega Drive, PC Engine, MSX, ColecoVision, Neo Geo Pocket, and WonderSwan. Official releases are available from the project’s GitHub releases page. Automated nightly builds are listed for Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, and FreeBSD; these builds are untested. The distribution also includes icarus, a game library importer, alongside the libco, nall, ruby, and hiro components. The project was originally developed by Near. higan is free software under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later, and the license states that it is provided without warranty. The project links to a discussion forum and Discord chat for community support.
Good
- Supports a range of Nintendo, Sega, and other systems.
- Official releases are available on GitHub.
- Includes icarus, a game library importer.
- Free software under the GNU GPL version 3 or later.
Watch out
- The software is provided without warranty.
- Nightly builds are untested.
- Nightly builds are listed for Ubuntu Linux and FreeBSD, not all Linux distributions.
Who it suits
higan may suit people looking for a free emulator covering several older game systems, particularly those interested in accuracy and configurability. It is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Verdict
higan covers a broad set of systems and includes a separate game library importer. Use official releases if untested nightly builds are a concern, and note that the license provides no warranty.
Plans and prices
From higan's own pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free software | Free | No warranty |
The facts
Each one read from higan's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Community support
- The project links to a discussion forum and a Discord chat.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Core components
- The distribution includes libco, nall, ruby and hiro alongside higan and icarus.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Game library tool
- The distribution includes icarus, described as a game library importer for higan.checked 1 Oct 2026
- License
- The program is free software under the GNU General Public License version 3 or any later version.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Nightly builds
- Automated, untested builds are available for each supported operating system.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Official releases
- Official releases are available from the GitHub releases page.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Original developer
- The project was originally developed by Near.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Product type
- higan is a multi-system emulator focused on accuracy and code readability.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Project focus
- The higan-emu organization describes higan as a multi-system emulator focused on accuracy, preservation and configurability.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Supported desktop systems
- Nightly builds are listed for Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux and FreeBSD.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Supported systems
- It emulates systems including Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Mega Drive, PC Engine, MSX, ColecoVision, Neo Geo Pocket and WonderSwan.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Warranty
- The license states that the software is provided without warranty.checked 1 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2004checked 28 Sep 2026
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