MAME is a free emulation framework built to document and preserve the workings of arcade machines and other electronic systems. It covers arcade games, vintage computers, consoles, calculators and related hardware, and can emulate more than 32,000 individual systems from the last five decades. Alongside emulation, it has an interactive low-level debugger for diagnosing emulation issues, developing vintage-system software and investigating program behavior. Its Lua interface can inspect device state, access CPU registers, read and write memory, and draw overlays, although the API may change without notice. Plugins support tasks such as communicating with other programs or providing alternate interfaces; included examples are Discord Presence and a GDB Stub. MAME can save and load states, record inputs for playback, and capture screenshots or video. It is listed for Android, Linux, macOS and Windows; official Windows packages require Windows 10 or later. BIOS dumps and copyrighted software are generally not included, and emulation may be imperfect or slower than full speed on some systems.
Who it is for
MAME suits people preserving or exploring older arcade, computer and console systems, as well as developers and researchers investigating vintage software. Its debugger also supports emulation diagnosis, ROM hacking and cheat creation.
What is good
- Emulates over 32,000 systems
- Includes an interactive low-level debugger
- Can save states and record inputs
- Supports Lua plugins
- Free under the listed plan
What to know first
- BIOS dumps and copyrighted software are generally not included
- Lua API may change without notice
- Some systems may not emulate perfectly or at full speed
- Windows binaries require Windows 10 or later
Verdict
MAME combines broad system emulation with tools for examining and developing vintage software. Users should account for the absence of most BIOS and copyrighted software files, and for varying emulation fidelity.
MAME plans and pricing
All plansCompared on multi-system emulators
- Free plan
- Yes
- Dreamcast BIOS required
- Yes