# shadps4-emu/shadPS4

PlayStation 4 emulator for Windows, Linux, macOS and FreeBSD written in C++

Repository: https://github.com/shadps4-emu/shadPS4
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/shadps4
Homepage: https://shadps4.net/
Language: C++
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: emulator, ps4, emulation, playstation4, imgui, sdl3, vulkan, linux, windows, cpp, macos, cpp23
Last push: 2026-08-26T21:15:34+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 95/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 86, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1409, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 15, "gap_med": 44.0, "n_releases_24m": 17}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 32661, forks 2469 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:57.763562+00:00)

## What it is
shadPS4 is an early-stage PlayStation 4 emulator written in C++ that runs PS4 games on Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD. This repository is the emulator core without a GUI; end users should use the separate QtLauncher frontend.

## Use cases
- play PS4 games on PC
- run Bloodborne on Windows or Linux
- emulate PlayStation 4 games on macOS
- test PS4 game compatibility on FreeBSD
- contribute to PS4 emulator development

## When to choose
- you want to play PS4 games on a desktop PC
- you want to follow or contribute to an actively developed PS4 emulator
- you need a headless emulator core to pair with a custom frontend

## When to avoid
- you need a polished, stable emulator with broad game compatibility
- you want a built-in GUI without installing QtLauncher separately
- you need PS5 or other console emulation

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: experimental
- function: simulation, graphics, gui
- domain: gaming-tools, cross-platform, developer-tools
- platform: windows, cross-platform, cpp
- tags: ps4-emulator, console-emulation, vulkan, sdl3, game-compatibility, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- shadps4-emu/shadPS4 (main) score 95

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:57.763562+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 2026-08-29T16:51:55.119895+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/shadps4-emu/shadPS4 (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:57.763562+00:00, sha 621376ac70b3)
  - homepage: https://shadps4.net/ (fetched 2026-08-29T07:48:52.456893+00:00, sha 7bb0ec370305)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.