Icon of program: Emu-OS

Emu-OS for Windows

  • Free
  • 4.3
    129
  • 12.9K
  • V3.8.6

Jeremy Milliner

Updated 3 years ago

An emulator for old gaming consoles

Emu-OS is a free video game utility software that enables you to play games for old and obsolete gaming consoles. This emulator is an open-source Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux distribution that supports 8 consoles or platforms—offering a collection of emulators in an easy-to-use interface. It comes as an ISO file that you can write on a disk or external drive to make it portable. However, take note that this software requires controllers to work. 

What is Emu-OS?

Emu-OS is a program built around the Emulation Station software, which allows you to play old-school games without having to install anything on your PC. Unlike most emulators that are applications and launchers, this one is a Live DVD ISO image that you have to burn to a CD or DVD to access the launcher itself. Directly opening the file on your PC will only display a folder and won’t run; the only application on it is Wubi, which will install Ubuntu.

Take note that this program is different from the similarly-named EmuOS, another emulator. EmuOS is part of the Emupedia.net project, which handles video game preservation and computer history by allowing people to play old archived video games like Doom and Flappy Bird on their web browser. It also includes some programs like Winamp, Photopea, Fluid Paint, and Clippy. You can choose either Windows 95, 98, or ME for its interface and it’s vastly different from Emu-OS’s focus on gaming consoles.

The classic consoles

Emu-OS’s ISO image file contains software packages that are optimized for x86 and x86_64 instruction set architectures. You can boot this file up on either 32-bit or 64-bit computers, as long as it’s on a disk or a USB flash drive that has around 1GB or higher in storage space. When booting it up, there are standard options to choose from—such as Normal Start, Safe Graphics Mode, Direct Installer Start, System Memory Diagnostic Test, and Existing OS Boot from a Local Drive. 

In case it won’t boot from your disk or flash drive, it’s recommended to replace the intrid.gz file with backupintrid.gz. This emulator supports 8 platforms: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Nintendo 64 (N64), PlayStation (PS1), PlayStation Portable (PSP), Disk Operating System (DOS), Windows over Wine, and Atari. However, unlike other emulators, you can’t use your keyboard and mouse to navigate its interface and will need a compatible controller. The default username to access the program is “emuos” and the password is emuos.

Bring back the good ol’ days

All in all, Emu-OS is a great gaming console emulator that will save space on your PC. Since it’s an ISO file that needs to be on an external hard drive to be read by the computer’s BIOS, you won’t have to worry about your storage because everything will be on a bootable disk. You’ll need a controller on hand to use it, though, as your keyboard and mouse will be disabled once it’s launched.

Jeremy Milliner

Jeremy Milliner has been professionally freelance writing for four years. He got his start writing for Softonic back in 2018 and has been adding to the website's expansive catalog ever since. He has run the gamut of tech reviews, game guides, lifestyle content, and more. His focus as a writer is to give fair feedback of products, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses in a clear, concise, and entertaining manner. He worked as a Quality Assurance Tester for Bethesda Softworks, and is also currently employed as a music instructor. In his spare time, Jeremy also designs board games, plays the trumpet, studies composition and music theory, and plays with his attention-hungry cat.

  • Pros

    • Offers 8 gaming console emulators
    • ISO file that saves PC space
    • User-friendly interface
    • Various booting options
  • Cons

    • Needs a controller
    • Can’t run directly from your PC
 0/2

App specs

  • License

    Free

  • Version

    3.8.6

  • Latest update

  • Platform

    Windows

  • OS

    Windows 7

  • Language

    English

  • Downloads

    12.9K

    Last month's downloads

    • 60
  • Size

    62.00 Bytes

  • Developer

Program available in other languages


Icon of program: Emu-OS

Emu-OS for PC

  • Free
  • 4.3
    129
  • 12.9K
  • V3.8.6

User reviews about Emu-OS

4.3

1 reviews

Main reviews for you

  • Anonymous user

    Stupid its not EmuOs like the game consol thingits gotta be like zat

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Laws concerning the use of this software vary from country to country. We do not encourage or condone the use of this program if it is in violation of these laws.
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Score result: Clean

This file passed a comprehensive security scan using VirusTotal technology. It is safe to download.

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Scan Info

Last scan
Friday, December 8, 2023
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File Integrity

File
emuos-trusty-i386-final.iso.md5
SHA256
a32dcb6099c133499a0570fff923dc557c02bbe926ffa0e2c4f2ec734feeff04
SHA1
5b314499a996c256252ccef3cf536aef8dcfe608

Softonic security commitment

Emu-OS has been thoroughly scanned by our advanced security systems and verified by industry-leading partners. This file comes from the official developer and has passed all our security checks, showing no signs of viruses, malware, or spyware.