Snes9x

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What Snes9x is

Snes9x is a portable freeware emulator for playing most games designed for the Super Nintendo and Super Famicom. It has desktop builds for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, and macOS, along with additional builds listed for Android and other systems. Playing games requires SNES ROM images. The emulator can save game state to freeze files and game data to SRAM files. Windows documentation describes Game Genie and Pro-Action Replay cheat formats, a cheat search feature, and recording gameplay actions for later playback. Netplay is documented for up to five players, but the project notes that it has not been maintained or tested in a long time and might be broken. The Unix documentation also notes that exact sub-cycle timing among major system components is not emulated, so some games requiring strict timing may not run. The project describes Snes9x as freeware; its listed plan costs nothing.

Who it suits

Snes9x suits players looking to run Super Nintendo or Super Famicom games on supported desktop or additional platforms. Users should have ROM images and check the stated timing and netplay limitations against the games and features they need.

What it does well

Freeware listed as free.
Supports Super Nintendo and Super Famicom games.
Can save game state and SRAM data.
Windows documentation includes cheat tools and movie recording.
Builds are listed for desktop and additional systems.

What to know first

SNES ROM images are required to run games.
Netplay may be broken and has not been maintained or tested in a long time.
Some games needing strict timing may not run.
Absolute security of personal data is not guaranteed.

Limits

Snes9x is free. Exact sub-cycle timing is not emulated, so some games may not run; netplay is documented for up to five players but may be broken.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Freeware	Portable SNES emulator · plays most SNES and Super Famicom games	Free
Snes9x	personal use · non-commercial use	Free

As snes9x.com lists them, read 29 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit https://www.snes9x.com/.
Choose a build for a listed platform such as Windows, Linux, macOS or Android.
Obtain SNES ROM images for the games you want to run.
Open a ROM image in Snes9x to play it.

Verdict

Snes9x offers a free way to play most SNES and Super Famicom games, with saves and several documented Windows tools. ROM images are required, and the project flags limitations in netplay and timing-dependent games.

Questions

How much does Snes9x cost?

It is freeware, listed as free.

Which platforms are listed?

The listed platforms are Android, Linux, macOS and Windows. Additional libretro core builds include Emscripten, Wii, Switch, GameCube and PSP.

Do I need game files to use it?

Yes. SNES ROM images are needed to run games.

Can I use cheats or record gameplay?

Windows documentation describes Game Genie and Pro-Action Replay cheats, cheat search, and recording gameplay actions for later playback.

Does it support multiplayer over a network?

Netplay is documented for up to five players, but the feature may be broken because it has not been maintained or tested in a long time.

Is Snes9x open source?

It is listed as open source, with a source-available license.

Facts from Snes9x's own pages

Additional builds: The libretro core build list includes Android, Emscripten, Wii, Switch, GameCube, and PSP, as well as Linux and macOS variants. · github.com, 29 Sept 2026
Android app features: Snes9x EX+ supports SMC and SFC files, ZIP/RAR/7Z archives, CHT cheats, configurable touch controls and Bluetooth or USB HID controllers. · play.google.com, 14 Oct 2026
Android privacy statement: Google Play reports that Snes9x EX+ shares no data with third parties and collects no data, according to the developer declaration. · play.google.com, 14 Oct 2026
Android storage: Snes9x EX+ uses Android storage access for internal storage, SD cards and USB drives, and supplies no ROMs. · play.google.com, 14 Oct 2026
BIOS requirements: Normal SNES games do not require BIOS files, while BS-X and Sufami Turbo content may require optional firmware files. · github.com, 14 Oct 2026
Cheats: The Windows documentation describes support for Game Genie and Pro-Action Replay cheat formats and a cheat search feature. · github.com, 29 Sept 2026
Cheats and controls: The libretro core supports RetroArch cheats, controls, remapping and multi-mouse input. · github.com, 14 Oct 2026
Commercial restriction: The license states that commercial users must obtain permission and forbids selling Snes9x or derivatives. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 14 Oct 2026
Component licenses: The license identifies JMA, snes_ntsc and xBRZ components as GPL/LGPL, LGPL and GPLv3 respectively. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 14 Oct 2026
Core accuracy: Libretro documentation describes the core as highly accurate SNES emulation. · github.com, 14 Oct 2026
Desktop ports: The project lists Windows, Linux GTK, Linux X11, FreeBSD X11, and macOS nightly builds. · github.com, 29 Sept 2026
Documentation depth: The official repository directs users to a wiki, while the libretro documentation covers formats, BIOS files, directories, timing and feature support. · github.com, 14 Oct 2026
Emulation limits: The Unix documentation says exact sub-cycle timing for communications among major system components is not emulated, and some games requiring strict timing may not run. · github.com, 29 Sept 2026
Freeware: The project describes Snes9x as freeware. · github.com, 29 Sept 2026
Game saves: Snes9x supports saving the game state to freeze files and saving game data in SRAM files. · github.com, 29 Sept 2026
Historical origin: The official site says the project resulted from more than three years of part-time development and lists a 1998–1999 copyright. · snes9x.com, 14 Oct 2026
Implementation: The project is written mainly in C++ and includes assembler CPU cores for i386 Linux and Windows. · snes9x.com, 14 Oct 2026
Independent language profile: Open Hub measures the project as 55% C++, 21% C and 15% XML. · openhub.net, 14 Oct 2026
Independent project scale: Open Hub reports 2,672 commits, 113 contributors and about 347,617 lines of code. · openhub.net, 14 Oct 2026
Independent security report: Open Hub reports no vulnerabilities for the last ten releases. · openhub.net, 14 Oct 2026
Latest release: GitHub lists Snes9x 1.63 as released on 9 July 2024 and describes it as mainly a bug-fix release. · github.com, 14 Oct 2026
Libretro builds: The repository lists libretro builds for Linux architectures, Android ARM, Emscripten, macOS, Wii, Switch, GameCube and PSP. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 14 Oct 2026
License terms: The license permits copying, modification and distribution in source or binary form only for non-commercial purposes, with notices retained. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 14 Oct 2026
Limit: Android permissions: A Google Play reviewer reported that denying media access during setup could not be corrected normally and required file-manager workarounds. · play.google.com, 14 Oct 2026