# dosbox-staging/dosbox-staging

DOSBox Staging is a modern continuation of DOSBox with advanced features and current development practices.

Repository: https://github.com/dosbox-staging/dosbox-staging
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/dosbox-staging
Homepage: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/
Language: C++
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: dosbox, dos, games, emulator, dosbox-staging, x86, linux, windows, c, arm, macos, cpp, ms-dos, retrocomputing, retrogaming
Last push: 2026-08-26T12:25:41+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 70/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 16, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2545, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 442, "gap_med": 116.0, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1766, forks 237 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:33.516494+00:00)

## What it is
DOSBox Staging is a modern continuation of the DOSBox DOS emulator with advanced graphics, sound, and emulation features and current development practices. It is a mostly drop-in replacement for older DOSBox versions, targeting DOS games and software from 1981–2000 on modern operating systems.

## Use cases
- play old DOS games on modern Windows, macOS, or Linux
- emulate Roland MT-32 and Sound Canvas SC-55 MIDI hardware
- run DOS demoscene productions and retro software
- get authentic CRT monitor emulation without manual configuration
- migrate existing DOSBox configurations to a maintained fork
- emulate VGA, EGA, CGA, Hercules, and SVGA graphics modes

## When to choose
- you want a maintained DOSBox fork with modern OS support and sensible defaults
- you need accurate period-correct sound card and CRT emulation out of the box
- you want advanced features like shaders, integer scaling, and FluidSynth built in

## When to avoid
- you need to emulate full modern PCs or other architectures (use QEMU or PCem)
- you must support end-of-life operating systems like Windows 7 or older macOS versions
- you need a minimal, unmodified classic DOSBox experience

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: simulation, graphics, audio-processing
- domain: gaming-tools, cross-platform
- platform: windows, cross-platform
- tags: dos-emulator, x86-emulation, retro-gaming, dosbox-fork, crt-emulation, midi-emulation, retrocomputing, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- dosbox-staging/dosbox-staging (main) score 70

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:33.516494+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 2026-08-30T03:26:29.262118+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/dosbox-staging/dosbox-staging (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:33.516494+00:00, sha 540cdee2fbb8)
  - homepage: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T11:04:58.441268+00:00, sha e97c40051147)
  - site_page: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/0.83/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T11:04:58.452774+00:00, sha 7deb4ac503b0)
  - site_page: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/0.83/manual/introduction/about-this-manual (fetched 2026-08-29T11:04:58.454461+00:00, sha 36c743e57915)
  - site_page: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/about (fetched 2026-08-29T11:04:58.456270+00:00, sha e486e1ffa0c2)
  - site_page: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/releases (fetched 2026-08-29T11:04:58.450952+00:00, sha 6acb30c4c23d)
  - site_page: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/releases/windows (fetched 2026-08-29T11:04:58.457941+00:00, sha 8c1e1ffdec66)
  - site_page: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/releases/macos (fetched 2026-08-29T11:04:58.460121+00:00, sha f8b167581fe5)
  - site_page: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/releases/linux (fetched 2026-08-29T11:04:58.462132+00:00, sha 20633188ee22)
  - site_page: https://www.dosbox-staging.org/releases/release-notes/0.83.0 (fetched 2026-08-29T11:04:58.464379+00:00, sha c0485144e33f)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.