oxGBC
oxGBC is a free emulator for Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, written in Rust.
What oxGBC is
oxGBC is a free emulator for Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, written in Rust. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and in browsers through WebAssembly, using one portable emulation core. The project aims for accurate emulation through sub-instruction CPU timing and dot-level picture processing, and validates the emulator against community test suites. Players can use multiple save-state slots, optional automatic saving and restoring, configurable rewind, and adjustable speed with Slow and Turbo modes. Keyboard and gamepad controls can be rebound, including button combinations. Video options include filters, LCD frame blending, built-in or custom palettes, and GLSL shaders through an optional OpenGL backend. The desktop interface has a file browser and can scan a ROM directory to launch games. Listed cartridge support includes MBC0, MBC1, MBC1M, MBC2, MBC3, and MBC5, including battery-backed MBC3 clock and SRAM. On macOS, Gatekeeper blocks the first launch until the app is opened manually or its quarantine is cleared.
Good
- Runs on five platform types, including browser.
- Supports save slots, rewind, Slow, and Turbo.
- Rebindable keyboard and gamepad controls.
- Offers filters, palettes, and optional GLSL shaders.
- Supports MBC3 real-time clock and SRAM.
Watch out
- macOS Gatekeeper blocks the first launch.
- PortMaster handheld support requires glibc 2.28 or later.
Who it suits
oxGBC suits players looking for a Game Boy or Game Boy Color emulator across desktop, Android, browser, or supported Linux handhelds. It also offers controls and display options for people who want to adjust how they play.
Verdict
oxGBC combines broad platform support with configurable controls, speed, saves, and video options. macOS users should expect a manual step on first launch.
The facts
Each one read from oxGBC's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Accuracy
- It aims for high accuracy using sub-instruction CPU timing and dot-level PPU emulation.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Controls
- Keyboard and gamepad controls can be rebound, including button combinations.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Emulated hardware
- The listed cartridge hardware includes MBC0, MBC1, MBC1M, MBC2, MBC3, and MBC5, with MBC3 real-time clock and battery-backed SRAM support.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Emulation accuracy
- The project says it aims for high accuracy using sub-instruction CPU timing and dot-level PPU emulation.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Gameplay features
- It supports multiple save-state slots, optional automatic save and restore, configurable rewind, and adjustable speed with Slow and Turbo modes.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Graphics options
- It supports optional OpenGL shaders, visual filters, LCD frame blending, built-in palettes, and user-defined palettes.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Intended audience
- The project describes itself as an emulator for desktop, Android, retro handhelds, and browsers running WebAssembly.checked 2 Oct 2026
- License
- The project is licensed under GNU GPL version 3.0.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Portable core
- The project says one portable emulation core powers Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and WebAssembly.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Retro handhelds
- A PortMaster package supports aarch64 and armhf Linux handhelds with glibc 2.28 and up.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Rewind and speed
- It offers configurable rewind and adjustable emulation speed with configurable Slow and Turbo modes.checked 3 Oct 2026
- ROM library
- The desktop GUI includes a file browser and automatic ROM directory scanning for launching games.checked 2 Oct 2026
- ROM management
- The desktop emulator includes a file browser and automatic ROM directory scanning with menu-based launching.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Save states
- It supports multiple save-state slots with optional automatic save and restore.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maintainer welcomes bug reports and feature requests through GitHub issues and asks reports to include the ROM title and observed problem.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Validation
- The emulator is continuously validated in CI against community test suites including Blargg, Mooneye, SameSuite, DMG-acid2, CGB-acid2, CGB-acid-hell, and Magen.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Video features
- Video options include custom GLSL shaders through an optional OpenGL backend, visual filters, LCD frame blending, and built-in or user-defined palettes.checked 2 Oct 2026
- What it does
- oxGBC is a Game Boy and Game Boy Color emulator written in Rust.checked 3 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- macOS first launch
- The app is ad-hoc signed without a paid Apple Developer ID, so Gatekeeper blocks its first launch until the user opens it through macOS security settings or clears quarantine.checked 3 Oct 2026
- macOS limitation
- The macOS app is ad-hoc signed rather than signed with a paid Apple Developer ID, so Gatekeeper blocks its first launch until the user opens it manually or clears quarantine.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- The project provides Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android builds, plus a WebAssembly browser version.checked 3 Oct 2026
