Snes9x
Snes9x is a free, portable emulator for playing most games made for the Super Nintendo and Super Famicom.
What Snes9x is
Snes9x is a free, portable emulator for playing most games made for the Super Nintendo and Super Famicom. It has desktop builds for Windows, Linux and macOS, while additional builds listed for its libretro core include Android and other systems. To play games, you need SNES ROM images. The emulator can save a game's state to freeze files and game data to SRAM files. Windows documentation also describes Game Genie and Pro-Action Replay cheat support, a cheat search feature, and recording gameplay actions for later playback. Netplay is documented for up to five players, but the project notes that it has not been maintained or tested in a long time and might be broken. Snes9x does not emulate exact sub-cycle timing among major system components, so some games that require strict timing may not run. The project describes Snes9x as freeware, and its listed price is 0.00 USD.
Good
- Freeware for Super Nintendo and Super Famicom games.
- Supports freeze-file and SRAM saves.
- Windows documentation describes cheat support and cheat search.
- Gameplay actions can be recorded for later playback.
Watch out
- You need SNES ROM images to play games.
- Some games requiring strict timing may not run.
- Netplay might be broken and is not recently maintained or tested.
Who it suits
Snes9x suits players looking for a free emulator for Super Nintendo or Super Famicom games, provided they have ROM images. Its documented saves, cheats and gameplay recording may also suit players who want those options.
Verdict
Snes9x offers a free way to play most Super Nintendo and Super Famicom games, with save and cheat features. Timing limitations and the project's warning about netplay are worth keeping in mind.
Plans and prices
From Snes9x's own pricing page, checked 29 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Freeware | Free | Portable SNES emulator · plays most SNES and Super Famicom games |
| Snes9x | Free | personal use · non-commercial use |
The facts
Each one read from Snes9x's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Additional builds
- The libretro core build list includes Android, Emscripten, Wii, Switch, GameCube, and PSP, as well as Linux and macOS variants.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Cheats
- The Windows documentation describes support for Game Genie and Pro-Action Replay cheat formats and a cheat search feature.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Cheats and controls
- The libretro core supports RetroArch cheats, controls, remapping and multi-mouse input.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Commercial restriction
- The license states that commercial users must obtain permission and forbids selling Snes9x or derivatives.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Component licenses
- The license identifies JMA, snes_ntsc and xBRZ components as GPL/LGPL, LGPL and GPLv3 respectively.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Core accuracy
- Libretro documentation describes the core as highly accurate SNES emulation.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Desktop ports
- The project lists Windows, Linux GTK, Linux X11, FreeBSD X11, and macOS nightly builds.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Documentation depth
- The official repository directs users to a wiki, while the libretro documentation covers formats, BIOS files, directories, timing and feature support.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Emulation limits
- The Unix documentation says exact sub-cycle timing for communications among major system components is not emulated, and some games requiring strict timing may not run.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Game saves
- Snes9x supports saving the game state to freeze files and saving game data in SRAM files.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Historical origin
- The official site says the project resulted from more than three years of part-time development and lists a 1998–1999 copyright.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Implementation
- The project is written mainly in C++ and includes assembler CPU cores for i386 Linux and Windows.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Independent language profile
- Open Hub measures the project as 55% C++, 21% C and 15% XML.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Independent project scale
- Open Hub reports 2,672 commits, 113 contributors and about 347,617 lines of code.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Independent security report
- Open Hub reports no vulnerabilities for the last ten releases.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Latest release
- GitHub lists Snes9x 1.63 as released on 9 July 2024 and describes it as mainly a bug-fix release.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Libretro builds
- The repository lists libretro builds for Linux architectures, Android ARM, Emscripten, macOS, Wii, Switch, GameCube and PSP.checked 14 Oct 2026
- License terms
- The license permits copying, modification and distribution in source or binary form only for non-commercial purposes, with notices retained.checked 14 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Android app features
- Snes9x EX+ supports SMC and SFC files, ZIP/RAR/7Z archives, CHT cheats, configurable touch controls and Bluetooth or USB HID controllers.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Android privacy statement
- Google Play reports that Snes9x EX+ shares no data with third parties and collects no data, according to the developer declaration.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Android storage
- Snes9x EX+ uses Android storage access for internal storage, SD cards and USB drives, and supplies no ROMs.checked 14 Oct 2026
- BIOS requirements
- Normal SNES games do not require BIOS files, while BS-X and Sufami Turbo content may require optional firmware files.checked 14 Oct 2026
- Limit: Android permissions
- A Google Play reviewer reported that denying media access during setup could not be corrected normally and required file-manager workarounds.checked 14 Oct 2026
Money
- Freeware
- The project describes Snes9x as freeware.checked 29 Sep 2026
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