Dolphin

Windows · Mac · Linux · Android

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.6

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely4 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Dolphin is ranked #7 of 54 in multi-system emulators on Freedom251. It runs on Android, Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

Dolphin plans and pricing

All plans

Dolphin Emulator Free No paid plans or pricing listed on the official pages opened dolphin-emu.org · 28 Sept 2026

Compared on multi-system emulators

Free plan: Yes

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The record

Purpose: Dolphin emulates Nintendo GameCube and Wii consoles so users can play games for those systems on a PC.
Enhancements: The project lists full HD (1080p), PC controller compatibility, turbo speed, and networked multiplayer as enhancements.
Compatibility: The FAQ describes Dolphin as having high compatibility across the majority of GameCube and Wii titles, while noting that some games have issues.
Open source: Dolphin is licensed under GPLv2+; distributing it requires releasing the source code and giving attribution.
Supported systems: The FAQ lists Windows 10 or newer, macOS 11 Big Sur or newer, Linux, and Android 7.0 or newer, and requires 64-bit operating systems.
Downloads: The download page lists builds for Windows x64 and ARM64, macOS for ARM and Intel, Android, and Linux Flatpak packages.
Release cadence: Stable releases are created every few months, while development versions are published several times each day and are less tested.
Hardware guidance: The FAQ recommends at least 2 GB of RAM and says GPU support for DirectX 11.1 and OpenGL 4.4 is important.
Community and support: The official site links users to community Discord, forums, a wiki, and GitHub, and directs bug reports to its issue tracker.
Limitations: The FAQ says Dolphin does not support 32-bit operating systems and that some games can have defects, errors, or crashes.
Affiliation: The FAQ states that Dolphin is not affiliated with Nintendo.
Privacy: The project provides a privacy policy on its official site.
Recent security incident: A September 2026 progress report says a vulnerability briefly allowed a generic cryptominer attack to compromise the macOS buildbot, and says no builds were compromised.
Founded: 2003
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Multi-System Emulators in 2026#7 of 54
Best Emulator Software in 2026#9 of 37
Best Game Console Emulators in 2026#6 of 35

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Sources

dolphin-emu.org· checked 28 Sept 2026
dolphin-emu.org/docs/faq/· checked 28 Sept 2026
dolphin-emu.org/download/· checked 28 Sept 2026
dolphin-emu.org/docs/privacy/· checked 28 Sept 2026
dolphin-emu.org/blog/2026/09/24/dolphin-progress-report· checked 28 Sept 2026