Systems /
The best-selling single home computer model of all time, remembered for the SID sound chip, VIC-II sprites and a scene that still releases games and demos today.
11 emulators
A multi-system emulator built for tool-assisted speedruns, with frame-perfect input recording, memory tools and Lua scripting across dozens of cores.
Cloanto's Windows distribution built on VICE, with an integrated player, title editor and single-file RP9 packaging, legal ROMs for the C64 and other Commodore 8-bit machines, and over 200 preinstalled games and demos.
A browser-based PAL C64 emulator written in JavaScript, with reSID compiled to WebAssembly and a true 1541. Adds a Live Monitor that explains what the hardware is doing, tape recovery from .wav recordings and a 3D/VR "Retro Vibes" view.
A VICE-based Commodore emulator for Android, part of the EmuEx family, with modules for the C64, C128, VIC-20, Plus/4 and PET, configurable on-screen controls and Bluetooth/USB gamepad support.
One of the longest-running C64 emulators for Windows. It began as a university thesis in 1995 and is still updated.
A cycle-accurate C64 and Amiga emulator with run-ahead for low input latency, rewind and integrated slang CRT shaders.
A cycle-exact Commodore 64 emulator for Windows with a strong focus on demo compatibility and a graphical debugger.
The Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, a long-running project to document and preserve arcade hardware that covers thousands of boards and, since absorbing MESS, many computers and consoles as well.
VirtualC64 compiled to WebAssembly. Runs in the browser and installs as a PWA on desktops, tablets and phones, with touch joystick support.
The Versatile Commodore Emulator. It covers the C64, C128, VIC-20, PET, Plus/4 and CBM-II, with true drive emulation, a built-in monitor and a large set of peripherals.
A native macOS C64 emulator with a Metal-based renderer, built-in debugger and snapshot browser. Its core is shared with the vc64web browser port.
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| Feature | BizHawk | C64 Forever | C64 READY. | C64.emu | CCS64 | Denise | Hoxs64 | MAME | vc64web | VICE | VirtualC64 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| True drive emulation | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it |
| PAL machines | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it |
| NTSC machines | Has it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it |
| 6581 and 8580 SID | Has it | Not known yet | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it |
| Two or more SIDs | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Has it | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it |
| Output to a real SID chip | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Doesn't have it |
| 1571 and 1581 drives | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Partly: Opens .d71 and .d81 disks at file level, without emulating the drive's own CPU | Has it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Doesn't have it |
| REU | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it |
| Freezer cartridges | Doesn't have it | Has it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Has it |
| EasyFlash | Has it | Not known yet | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it | Has it |
| Real cassette recordings | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Has it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it |
| Tape restoration | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Has it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it |
| SID music player | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Has it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Has it | Doesn't have it |
| Assembly64 catalog | Doesn't have it | Not known yet | Has it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it | Doesn't have it |
Has it Partly (hover for details) Doesn't have it Not known yet
Only emulators with C64 feature data are shown. Know the answer to a “?”? Fill it in.
Mini consoles and FPGA hardware that play C64 software. About hardware
An FPGA board designed by Till Harbaum to re-create the Amiga and Atari ST, later joined by many 8-bit computer, console and arcade cores. It loads software from an SD card and has analog video output.
Photo: sorgelig, MiSTer project (DE10-Nano with the MiSTer SDRAM and I/O boards) · GPL-3.0 (project repository) · source
The Intel Cyclone V SoC development board that the MiSTer project is built on. Most MiSTer cores also need an add-on SDRAM board, and analog video needs an I/O board.
Photo: Gareth Halfacree · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
A half-size Commodore 64 replica that runs the VICE emulator. The keyboard is decorative, so it is played with the bundled joystick or a USB keyboard.
Photo: Esprit01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
A replacement Commodore 64 motherboard that recreates the C64 in an FPGA and fits an original case. Later revisions are the Ultimate 64 Elite and Elite-II.
A low-cost MiST-compatible FPGA board designed by Manuel Fernández Higueras, with a Cyclone IV FPGA, USB ports for controllers and VGA output. MiST cores are resynthesised for it.
Photo: M.Strohmeier · CC0 · source
A full-size Commodore 64 replica with a working keyboard. Its emulator can switch between C64 and VIC-20 modes.
A full-size VIC-20 replica with a working keyboard and switchable VIC-20 and C64 modes.
A TV console for Evercade's licensed cartridges, which collect emulated arcade, console and home computer games, including C64 and Amiga collections. It has two cartridge slots, 1080p HDMI output and four-player support.
A low-cost FPGA board from Retro Remake that is compatible with the DE10-Nano used by the MiSTer project. It is sold in production batches, bundled with SDRAM and, in larger packs, an analog I/O board and USB hub.
The successor to the SiDi, a MiST-family FPGA board with a larger Cyclone 10 LP FPGA and two SDRAM chips, adding HDMI, optical audio and joystick ports.
An FPGA-based Commodore 64 in a breadbin case, built on a version of the Ultimate 64 Elite-II board, with ports for original cartridges, disk drives and tape decks.
A ready-built console from Heber that runs the open-source MiSTer FPGA project, with 128 MB SDRAM on board so it plays all standard MiSTer cores. The Analogue model adds RGB and VGA outputs and a cartridge expansion slot.
A MiSTer-compatible FPGA console from Retro Remake styled after the PSone, with ports for original PlayStation controllers and memory cards. It runs the MiSTer cores for other consoles and computers too.
A black version of the half-size THEC64 Mini that ships with 25 modern C64 games instead of classic titles. Like the original, it loads your own programs from a USB stick.
Hardware re-creations for FPGA boards such as MiSTer. What's an FPGA core?
| Format | What it is |
|---|---|
.d64 | 1541 disk image |
.g64 | GCR disk image, keeps copy protection |
.p64 | Flux-level disk image |
.nbz | Compressed nibble dump from the Preservation Project |
.d71 | 1571 double-sided disk image |
.d81 | 1581 3.5" disk image |
.t64 | Tape archive |
.tap | Tape signal image |
.wav | Audio recording of a cassette |
.dmp | DC2N raw tape dump |
.prg | Single program file |
.p00 | Single program file in PC64 format |
.crt | Cartridge image |
.reu | RAM Expansion Unit memory image |
.sid | SID music file |
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