Sandopolis

What Sandopolis is

Sandopolis is a portable Sega emulator for playing games from several Sega systems. It supports Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, Master System, Game Gear, and SG-1000 emulation. The emulator lets users adjust gameplay input, frontend hotkeys, and rendering settings. Its command-line interface accepts supported ROM files and ZIP archives containing ROMs, along with Sega CD CUE/BIN or ISO disc images. Sega CD games need BIOS files, which are not bundled with the project; in Sandopolis Web, uploaded BIOS files remain in the browser being used. The README links to the browser version and includes a Docker image for running Sandopolis Web. Pre-built desktop binaries are available through GitHub Releases. Sandopolis is free and MIT-licensed, with the license permitting commercial use. The project remains in early development: compatibility is imperfect, and bugs and breaking changes are expected. Its latest listed release, v0.1.0-alpha.9, is a pre-release that includes Sega CD emulation support. Users can report bugs or request features through GitHub Issues.

Who it suits

Sandopolis suits people looking for a free emulator for the listed Sega systems, particularly those who want browser access or desktop binaries. It may be less suitable for users who need mature compatibility or stability, since development is early and changes and bugs are expected.

Limits

Sega CD games require BIOS files, and the project does not include them. The project is in early development, with imperfect compatibility and expected bugs and breaking changes.

Getting started

1. Open the browser version linked from the project website, or choose a pre-built desktop binary from GitHub Releases.
2. For Sandopolis Web, use the provided Docker image if you want to run the web version that way.
3. Provide a supported ROM file or a ZIP archive containing ROMs through the command line.
4. For Sega CD games, supply the required BIOS files; in the web version, uploaded BIOS files stay in the current browser.
5. Configure gameplay input, frontend hotkeys, or rendering settings as needed.

Verdict

Pick Sandopolis if you want a free Sega emulator with browser access or desktop builds and support for the listed systems. Look elsewhere if imperfect compatibility or expected development changes would be a problem, or if you need Sega CD BIOS files bundled with the emulator.