Best Dreamcast Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: nullDC 2.0.0 is ranked #1 of 9 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Flycast and MAME. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Flycast.
Dreamcast emulators let you explore running Dreamcast games across supported platforms. Compare these ranked entries on controller support, graphics backends, save states and online multiplayer, and check whether a Dreamcast BIOS is required. Flycast appears several times among the entries shown; MAME and Redream offer other names to compare. Free-plan availability and starting prices provide additional points of reference. Supported platforms may help narrow the options, while the listed graphics and play features show what each entry says it offers.
9 Dreamcast emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
5 of the 9 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | nullDC 2.0.0Web · Windows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 2 | FlycastWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 3 | FlycastWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | MAMEWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | WashingtonDCWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | FlycastWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 7 | RedreamWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 8 | DeecyWindows · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 9 | NitrocastLinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
Compare all 9 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | Controller support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | nullDC 2.0.0 | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | — | — | web, Windows, macOS, Linux | — |
| 2 | Flycast | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Yes |
| 3 | Flycast | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | MAME | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 5 | WashingtonDC | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Linux, Microsoft Windows | Yes |
| 6 | Flycast | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 7 | Redream | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | 6 one-time | — | — |
| 8 | Deecy | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, Linux | Yes |
| 9 | Nitrocast | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | linux | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which Dreamcast emulator is ranked first on Freedom251?
nullDC 2.0.0 is ranked #1 of 9 with a score of 6.7. Flycast is second and Flycast third.
How many of these have a free plan?
5 of the 9 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.