**Latest Builds for Windows 10/11 (x64/ARM64), Linux (AppImage x64/ARM32/ARM64), and macOS (13.3+ Universal):** https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation/releases/tag/latest
DuckStation is an simulator/emulator of the Sony PlayStation(TM) console, focusing on playability, speed, and long-term maintainability. The goal is to be as accurate as possible while maintaining performance suitable for low-end devices. "Hack" options are discouraged, the default configuration should support all playable games with only some of the enhancements having compatibility issues.
A PS1 or PS2 "BIOS" ROM image is required to to start the emulator and to play games. You can use an image from any hardware version or region, although mismatching game regions and BIOS regions may have compatibility issues. A ROM image is not provided with the emulator for legal reasons, you should dump this from your own console using Caetla or other means.
- SDL, XInput or DInput compatible game controller (e.g. XB360/XBOne/XBSeries). DualShock 3 users on Windows will need to install the official DualShock 3 drivers included as part of PlayStation Now.
Binaries of DuckStation for Windows x64/ARM64, Linux x86_64/ARM32/ARM64 (in AppImage format), and macOS Universal Binaries are available via GitHub Releases and are automatically built with every commit/push.
As per the terms of CC-BY-NC-ND, redistribution of **unmodified releases and code** is permitted. However, we would prefer if you linked to https://www.duckstation.org/ instead. Please note that pre-configured settings and packages are considered modifications.
For x86 machines (most systems), you will need a CPU that supports the SSE4.1 instruction set for the "normal" build. This includes all Intel CPUs manufactured after 2007, and AMD CPUs manufactured after 2011. If you have a CPU that is older, you will need to download the "SSE2" build from the releases page, which has lower performance but still supports these CPUs.
The main releases page is limited to the last 30 releases due to automatic updater limitations. Older releases can be downloaded from https://github.com/duckstation/old-releases/releases.
The automatic updater in DuckStation has two channels: "Stable" and "Preview".
- "Stable Releases": Less frequent updates, and tracks the "latest" release on GitHub. Releases in this channel have had more testing.
- "Preview Releases": Built whenever a commit is pushed to the repository, and tracks the pre-release on GitHub. This channel contains builds which have had minimal testing, and may contain bugs or issues.
By default, the updater will track the channel you downloaded from. You can change the channel in `Settings -> Interface -> Updates`.
DuckStation **requires** Windows 10/11, specifically version 1809 or newer. If you are still using Windows 7/8/8.1, DuckStation **will not run** on your operating system. Running these operating systems in 2026 should be considered a security risk, and I would recommend updating to something which receives vendor support.
If you must use an older operating system, [v0.1-5624](https://github.com/duckstation/old-releases/releases/tag/v0.1-5624) is the last version which will run. But do not expect to receive any assistance, these builds are no longer supported.
- **Installer (.exe, recommended):** An installer which extracts DuckStation to your user-local programs directory, and optionally creates Start Menu/Desktop shortcuts.
- **Archive (.zip):** A zip archive containing the prebuilt binary. Choose this option if you want a "portable" installation, or do not want to run an installer.
To use the installer, simply download the installer from the releases page, run it, and follow the prompts.
- Direct download link: https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation/releases/download/latest/duckstation-windows-x64-installer.exe
- ARM64 download link (Snapdragon laptops): https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation/releases/download/latest/duckstation-windows-arm64-installer.exe
To use the archive or portable installation, follow these steps:
1. Download https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation/releases/download/latest/duckstation-windows-x64-release.zip. If you have an ARM64 Windows machine such as Snapdragon, download `duckstation-windows-arm64-release.zip` instead.
2. Extract the archive **to a subdirectory**. The archive has no root subdirectory, so extracting to the current directory will drop a bunch of files in your download directory if you do not extract to a subdirectory.
3. If you want a portable installation (see [User Directories](#user-directories)), create an empty file named `portable.txt` in the same directory as the executable.
4. Once downloaded and extracted, you can launch the emulator with `duckstation-qt-x64-ReleaseLTCG.exe`. Follow the Setup Wizard to get started.
**If you get an error about `vcruntime140_1.dll` being missing, you will need to update your Visual C++ runtime.** You can do that from this page: https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads. Specifically, you want the x64 runtime, which can be downloaded from https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe.
1. Download https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation/releases/download/latest/DuckStation-x64.AppImage. If you have an ARM64 Linux machine, you should download `DuckStation-arm64.AppImage`.
2. Run `chmod a+x` on the downloaded AppImage -- following this step, the AppImage can be run like a typical executable. Alternatively, in your file manager of choice, enable execute permissions via the file properties dialog.
3. When running the AppImage for the first time, it will prompt to create a launcher shortcut.
3. Open `DuckStation.app`, optionally moving it to your desired location first.
If you receive a message about the app being from an unidentified developer:
1. Open System Settings -> Privacy & Security, or enter "Gatekeeper" in the search bar.
2. Under the "Security" section, there should be a message about DuckStation being blocked. Click "Open Anyway".
Unfortunately this is required as Apple requires code signing for apps to be run without warnings, and I do not have a code signing certificate since a yearly cost is out of the question for a project which brings in zero revenue.
You will need a device with armv7 (32-bit ARM), AArch64 (64-bit ARM), or x86_64 (64-bit x86). 64-bit is preferred, the requirements are higher for 32-bit, you'll probably want at least a 1.5GHz CPU.
**No support is provided for the Android app**, it is free and your expectations should be in line with that. Please **do not** email me about issues about it, or ask for help, you will be ignored.
A number of PAL region games use LibCrypt protection, requiring additional CD subchannel information to run properly. libcrypt not functioning usually manifests as hanging or crashing, but can sometimes affect gameplay too, depending on how the game implemented it.
For these games, make sure that the CD image and its corresponding SBI (.sbi) file have the same name and are placed in the same directory. DuckStation will automatically load the SBI file when it is found next to the CD image.
For example, if your disc image was named `Spyro3.cue`, you would place the SBI file in the same directory, and name it `Spyro3.sbi`.
If you are playing directly from a disc and your CD/DVD drive does not support subchannel reading, or has a skew with the returned SubQ, you can place the SBI file in the `subchannels` directory under the user directory, with the serial or title of the game.
DuckStation ships with a built-in cheat and patch database, both provided by the community. Contributions to these are welcome at https://github.com/duckstation/chtdb.
Each release includes the latest version of the database, however you are free to manually update to the latest version as well.
2. Download the dependencies pack from https://github.com/duckstation/dependencies. You'll need the `deps-windows-x64.7z` file, and `deps-windows-arm64.7z` if you want to cross-compile for ARM64. Extract these archives to `dep\prebuilt`.
3. Open the Visual Studio solution `duckstation.sln` in the root (recommended), or "Open Folder" for CMake build (not recommended/supported).
2. Download the dependencies pack from https://github.com/duckstation/dependencies. You'll need the `deps-linux-x64.tar.xz` file, and the cross variants if you want to cross-compile for ARM. Extract these archives to `dep\prebuilt`.
3. Run CMake to configure the build system. Assuming a build subdirectory of `build-release`, run `cmake -B build-release -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=clang++ -DCMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT="-fuse-ld=lld" -DCMAKE_MODULE_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT="-fuse-ld=lld" -DCMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS_INIT="-fuse-ld=lld" -G Ninja`. If you want a release (optimized) build, include `-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION=ON`.
2. Download the dependencies pack from https://github.com/duckstation/dependencies. You'll need the ` deps-macos-universal.tar.xz` file. Extract the archives to `dep\prebuilt`.
3. Run CMake to configure the build system: `cmake -Bbuild-release -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION=ON`.
So, if you were using Linux, you would place your BIOS images in `~/.local/share/duckstation/bios`. This directory will be created upon running DuckStation for the first time.
If you wish to use a "portable" build, where the user directory is the same as where the executable is located, create an empty file named `portable.txt` in the same directory as the DuckStation executable.
DuckStation allows you to override certain resources by placing files in the `resources` subdirectory of the user directory. This includes images and sound effects (e.g. menu navigation/achievement unlock). Please refer to https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation/wiki/Resource-Overrides for more information.
Your keyboard or game controller can be used to simulate a variety of PlayStation controllers. Controller input is supported through DInput, XInput, and SDL backends and can be changed through `Settings -> Controllers`.
To bind your input device, go to `Settings -> Controllers`, and select the virtual controller you want to map. Automatic mapping handles the majority of controllers. However, if you need to manually bind a controller, click the box below the button/axis name, and press the key or button on your input device that you wish to bind to.
DuckStation releases ship with a database of game controller mappings for the SDL controller backend, courtesy of https://github.com/mdqinc/SDL_GameControllerDB. The included `gamecontrollerdb.txt` file can be found in the `resources` subdirectory of the DuckStation program directory.
If you are experiencing issues binding your controller with the SDL controller backend, you may need to add a custom mapping to the database file. Make a copy of `gamecontrollerdb.txt` and place it in your [user directory](#user-directories) (or directly in the program directory, if running in portable mode) and then follow the instructions in the [SDL_GameControllerDB repository](https://github.com/mdqinc/SDL_GameControllerDB) for creating a new mapping. Add this mapping to the new copy of `gamecontrollerdb.txt` and your controller should then be recognized properly.
"PlayStation" and "PSX" are registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited. This project is not affiliated in any way with Sony Interactive Entertainment.
