No. 20 of 35 ·Game Console Emulators

bsnes

Windows · Mac · Linux

Freedom report

Three barsScore 5.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

bsnes is ranked #20 of 35 in game console emulators on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

bsnes plans and pricing

All plans

Free Free GNU GPLv3 software; no price stated github.com · 5 Oct 2026

Compared on game console emulators

Free plan: Yes
Supported console systems: Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, Super Game Boy, Satellaview
Desktop operating systems: cross-platform
Graphics upscaling: Yes
Open source: Yes
License type: open-source

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The record

Purpose: bsnes is a multi-platform Super Nintendo (Super Famicom) emulator focused on performance, features, and ease of use.
Super Game Boy: It supports true Super Game Boy emulation using the SameBoy core.
Graphics: It supports HD Mode 7 graphics with optional supersampling and a multi-threaded PPU graphics renderer.
Coprocessors: It provides low-level emulation of SNES coprocessors including DSP-n, ST-01n, and Cx4.
Game management: It includes a games database with thousands of entries and a cheat code database for hundreds of popular games.
Save states: Its save state manager supports screenshot previews, naming, undo, and redo.
ROM and patches: It supports standard game ROM files, optional higan game folders, and BPS and IPS soft patches.
Emulation features: It supports Satellaview emulation, MSU1, rewind, frame advance, movie recording and playback, and screenshots.
Performance controls: Speed modes are listed at 50%, 75%, 100%, 150%, and 200%, with smooth audio output retained.
Downloads: The project lists nightly builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as FreeBSD.
Community: The README links to an official Discord server.
License: The repository lists GPLv3.txt and LICENSE.txt files.
Integrations: The README names SameBoy as the core used for Super Game Boy emulation and credits contributors for some features.
Game support: It supports standard game ROM files, optional higan game folders, and 7-zip decompression.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Game Console Emulators in 2026#20 of 35
Best SNES Emulators in 2026#13 of 31

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Sources

github.com/bsnes-emu/bsnes· checked 4 Oct 2026
github.com/bsnes-emu/bsnes/blob/master/LICENSE.txt· checked 5 Oct 2026