# ptitSeb/box86

Box86 - Linux Userspace x86 Emulator with a twist, targeted at ARM Linux devices

Repository: https://github.com/ptitSeb/box86
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/box86
Homepage: https://box86.org
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: dynarec, arm, arm-platforms, x86, linux
Last push: 2026-08-12T20:27:36+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 66/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 97, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2793, "days_push": 21, "days_rel": 635, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: no_readme
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3801, forks 250 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:20.161612+00:00)

## What it is
Box86 is a Linux userspace x86 (32-bit) emulator written in C, targeted at ARM Linux devices. It uses a dynamic recompiler (dynarec) and native system libraries like libc, SDL, and OpenGL to run x86 Linux programs, especially games, with surprisingly high performance.

## Use cases
- run 32-bit x86 Linux games on a Raspberry Pi or ARM device
- play Steam Linux games on ARM single-board computers
- run Wine on ARM Linux to execute Windows software
- execute x86 Linux binaries on a non-x86 embedded device
- test x86 applications without x86 hardware
- run GameMaker Linux games like Undertale on ARM

## When to choose
- you need to run 32-bit x86 Linux programs on ARM or other non-x86 Linux hardware
- you want high-performance emulation via dynamic recompilation with native library passthrough
- you're targeting devices like Raspberry Pi, OpenPandora, or other ARM SBCs
- you want to run Wine or games on ARM Linux

## When to avoid
- you need to run 64-bit x86_64 programs - use Box64 instead
- you need full system emulation (a whole OS/kernel) rather than userspace binaries
- you need perfect accuracy for protected or anti-cheat software
- your host is not a little-endian ARM-class Linux system

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: interpreter, compiler, simulation
- domain: operating-systems, developer-tools, gaming-tools, cross-platform
- platform: embedded, cli
- tags: x86-emulator, dynarec, binary-translation, userspace-emulation, arm-linux, wine-compatibility, retro-gaming, linux, arm

## Member repositories
- ptitSeb/box86 (main) score 66

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:20.161612+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:26:52.859270+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - homepage: https://box86.org (fetched 2026-08-29T09:21:47.654522+00:00, sha 3ad7bab4d28e)
  - site_page: https://box86.org/about (fetched 2026-08-29T09:21:47.705395+00:00, sha 90b674551495)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.