A number of torrent trackers include ROM downloads for a variety of systems, typically packaging hundreds of games together in one torrent. However, ROMs can still be found in the same places you might pirate other copyrighted content. It’s like an emulation hub for the most popular retro game platforms. OpenEmu is a free, open-source project that can emulate multiple systems on macOS. Our strong preference, however, is OpenEmu.
If you just want to emulate one platform, you can download a single emulator from here. Emu Paradise maintains a collection of Mac-compatible emulators you can explore. Emulator Zone provides the largest collection of functional emulators to download, but it can be light on Mac emulators. Some emulation systems can handle more than one console, but most are individualized. If you want to play PS1 games, you’ll need a PS1 emulator, and so on. If you want to play NES games, for example, you’ll need an NES emulator. Get an EmulatorĮmulating a game requires two parts: the ROM, which contains the game data, and the emulator, which acts as the console system. With the instructions below, you can play retro games on macOS from NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, and a ton more. An emulator imitates a console gaming system, allowing you to play console games on your Mac. You can play retro games on macOS with an emulator.
