# bsnes-emu/bsnes

bsnes is a Super Nintendo (SNES) emulator focused on performance, features, and ease of use.

Repository: https://github.com/bsnes-emu/bsnes
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/bsnes
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: emulator, emulation, snes, snes-emulator
Last push: 2026-05-23T06:55:52+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 76/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 83, release rhythm 53, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2357, "days_push": 102, "days_rel": 102, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: prerelease_only, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1975, forks 197 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:01.268293+00:00)

## What it is
bsnes is a multi-platform Super Nintendo (Super Famicom) emulator originally developed by Near, emphasizing accuracy, performance, features, and ease of use. It includes unique capabilities like true Super Game Boy emulation, HD mode 7 graphics, and low-level emulation of all SNES coprocessors.

## Use cases
- play SNES games on my PC
- emulate Super Famicom cartridges with high accuracy
- run Super Game Boy games with true emulation
- play SNES games in HD with mode 7 supersampling
- record and rewind gameplay of retro games
- use cheat codes on SNES games
- emulate Satellaview and special coprocessor cartridges

## When to choose
- you want highly accurate SNES emulation with low-level coprocessor support
- you need features like run-ahead, rewind, save states, and shader support
- you want Super Game Boy or Satellaview emulation
- you want a user-friendly emulator with nightly builds for Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD

## When to avoid
- you need emulation of other consoles beyond SNES/Super Famicom
- you want a libretro core for use inside RetroArch rather than a standalone app
- you need an emulator optimized for very low-end hardware, since accuracy-focused emulation is demanding

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: game-engine, graphics, gui
- domain: gaming-tools, cross-platform, entertainment
- platform: windows, cross-platform
- tags: snes-emulator, emulation, super-nintendo, retro-gaming, game-boy, save-states, hd-mode7, macos, linux, desktop

## Member repositories
- bsnes-emu/bsnes (main) score 76

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:01.268293+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 2026-08-30T03:04:52.317541+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/bsnes-emu/bsnes (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:01.268293+00:00, sha 7cccac266028)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.