Best Sega Genesis Emulators in 2026
Updated
Sega Genesis emulators let you play games for the system on supported platforms. Compare supported platforms and system scope against your setup, then consider play features such as save states, cheat support, shader support, and netplay. License, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing provide additional comparison points. RetroArch, BlastEm, and ClownMDEmu are among the options. The listed features can help you decide whether you value saving progress, using cheats, adjusting visuals, or playing over a network. Check each option's platform support and system scope alongside the features you expect to use.
21 of the 25 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 | RetroArchWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 2 | BlastEmWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 3 | ClownMDEmuWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | LakkaWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | MAMEWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 6 | aresWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | EmulatorJSWeb · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | Genesis Plus GXWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | higanWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 10 | BizHawkWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 11 | Cool Retro TermMac · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 12 | DeltaMac · iPhone | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 13 | LemuroidAndroid | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 14 | PicoDriveWindows · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 15 | ZetaiPhone | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 16 | BatoceraLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 17 | Cavaliercoder GenesisNo platforms listed | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 18 | Nostalgist.jsWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 19 | OpenEmuMac | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 20 | RecalboxLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 21 | SandopolisWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 22 | Manic EMUWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.8 |
| 23 | emmdWindows · Mac · Linux · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 24 | jgenesisWeb · Windows · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 25 | MednafenWindows · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | System scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RetroArch | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | BlastEm | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 3 | ClownMDEmu | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | web browser; standalone desktop frontend; libretro-compatible hosts | genesis_only |
| 4 | Lakka | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | PC; Raspberry Pi; Cubieboard; Banana Pi; Cubox-i; Hummingboard; UDOO; Odroid; WeTek Play | multi_console |
| 5 | MAME | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 6 | ares | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 7 | EmulatorJS | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Genesis Plus GX | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows; GameCube; Wii; RetroArch-based platforms | sega_family |
| 9 | higan | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, FreeBSD | — |
| 10 | BizHawk | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, Linux | — |
| 11 | Cool Retro Term | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Android, Android TV | multi_console |
| 12 | Delta | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 13 | Lemuroid | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Android, Android TV | multi_console |
| 14 | PicoDrive | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | windows, linux | multi_console |
| 15 | Zeta | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | iOS (iPhone) | multi_console |
| 16 | Batocera | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 17 | Cavaliercoder Genesis | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | genesis_only |
| 18 | Nostalgist.js | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | web browsers | multi_console |
| 19 | OpenEmu | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 20 | Recalbox | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 21 | Sandopolis | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 22 | Manic EMU | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | — |
| 23 | emmd | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | windows, macos, linux, ios | genesis_only |
| 24 | jgenesis | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 25 | Mednafen | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
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Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.