{"id":837333,"date":"2025-05-29T11:30:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T18:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/?p=837333"},"modified":"2025-05-29T11:30:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T18:30:16","slug":"emulators-for-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/how-to\/emulators-for-mac","title":{"rendered":"3 ways to emulate old video games and computers on your Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Collecting old video game consoles and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/768264\/collecting-vintage-macs\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641391509\">vintage computers<\/a> is a fun hobby, but keeping all that hardware working can quickly become an expensive, never-ending task \u2014 not to mention all the space you need just to store the gear. You might instead (wisely) opt to play your favorite games and software using emulators for your Mac.<\/p>\n<p>In this guide to Mac emulation, I\u2019ll walk you through the best apps you can use to accomplish the two most common scenarios: playing old video games, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/811020\/classic-mac-os-in-your-browser\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641391510\">taking Classic Mac OS for a test drive<\/a> on a modern Mac. Plus, I&#8217;ll wrap up with the easiest way to virtualize <em>modern<\/em> operating systems like Windows and Linux on your Mac. (This handy virtualization software also works for old and obscure computer operating systems.)<\/p>\n<p>Best of all, each of these Mac emulation methods is free and open source.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Play retro video games and use old computers with emulators for your Mac<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eL1s00kOBEk\" data-lasso-id=\"1641391511\">You can watch a video<\/a> that walks through these apps here:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"3 FREE Ways to Emulate Old Games &amp; Old Software on a Mac\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eL1s00kOBEk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"openemu\">1. OpenEmu plays Nintendo, Sega, Atari, Sony games and more<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"31740\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31740\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641391512\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-837610 size-full\" title=\"OpenEmu Library\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library.jpg\" alt=\"OpenEmu library\" width=\"2254\" height=\"1438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library.jpg 2254w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library-400x255.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library-780x498.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library-1536x980.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library-2048x1307.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library-350x223.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library-400x255@2x.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/OpenEmu-Library-780x498@2x.jpg 1560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2254px) 100vw, 2254px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #b55e12;\">Organize and play your favorite classics in OpenEmu.<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>OpenEmu is, hands down, the easiest way to play old video games on your Mac. When you first launch the app, it\u2019ll ask which consoles you want to enable. There are dozens of options from the 1980s, &#8217;90s and 2000s \u2014 including some obscure ones like the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vectrex\" data-lasso-id=\"1641389721\">Vectrex<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ColecoVision\" data-lasso-id=\"1641389722\">ColecoVision<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Effectively, it\u2019s a user-friendly interface on top of a bunch of separate emulators that you would otherwise need to spend an hour or more <em>each<\/em> setting up. But with OpenEmu, you can <span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">download ROM files online<\/span> copy ROM files from game cartridges you already own and simply drag-and-drop them into the app to add them to your library.<\/p>\n<p>Then, you just double-click on a game to launch it. You can customize the controls for your Mac&#8217;s keyboard or use a connected controller. And you can easily create save states to pick up where you left off. You can even use a shader to simulate the blurring effect of a CRT television for old console games or the pixellated LCD of a GameBoy Color.<\/p>\n<p>The games will automatically sort into categories by console; you can create your own collections, too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Download from:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/openemu.org\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641389724\">OpenEmu<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"infinite-mac\">2. Classic Mac OS emulators for your web browser<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"31740\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31740\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641391513\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-837612 size-full\" title=\"Infinite Mac Tetris\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris.jpg\" alt=\"Infinite Mac playing Tetris\" width=\"2198\" height=\"1698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris.jpg 2198w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris-400x309.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris-780x603.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris-1536x1187.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris-2048x1582.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris-350x270.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris-400x309@2x.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Infinite-Mac-Tetris-780x603@2x.jpg 1560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2198px) 100vw, 2198px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #b55e12;\">Poke around Classic Mac OS with Infinite Mac.<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Infinite Mac is the easiest way to tool around with early versions of Mac OS, because there\u2019s no installation needed. Using the magic of <a href=\"https:\/\/webassembly.org\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641389725\">WebAssembly<\/a>, these open source virtual machines run straight inside any modern web browser. You can set up all manner of combinations of Apple system software with the classic Mac of your choice.<\/p>\n<p>All the installations come with some of the most popular apps and games of the era in which the Mac OS was released: MacWrite and MacPaint, Photoshop, Microsoft Word, KPT Bryce, <em>Marathon<\/em>, <em>Another World<\/em>, <em>SimCity<\/em>, <em>Lemmings<\/em>, <em>Civilization<\/em> and more.<\/p>\n<p>You can add your own software that you find online from sites like <a href=\"https:\/\/macintoshgarden.org\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641389726\">Macintosh Garden<\/a> with a simple drag-and-drop. Infinite Mac will treat it like you&#8217;re inserting a floppy disk.<\/p>\n<p>Save your work by putting files in the Outside World folder, which will be downloaded instantly to your Mac.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Use it at:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/infinitemac.org\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641389727\">Infinite Mac website<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"utm\">3. UTM virtualizes modern operating systems<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"31740\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_31740\" class=\"wp-caption post-body-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library.jpg\" data-lasso-id=\"1641391514\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-837627 size-full\" title=\"UTM Library\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library.jpg\" alt=\"UTM library\" width=\"2062\" height=\"1528\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library.jpg 2062w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library-400x296.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library-780x578.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library-1536x1138.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library-2048x1518.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library-350x259.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library-400x296@2x.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/UTM-Library-780x578@2x.jpg 1560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2062px) 100vw, 2062px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"figcaption_31740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"border-color: #b55e12;\">UTM is, hands down, the best of all computer emulators for Mac, for running software old and new.<br \/><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:11px\">Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones\/Cult of Mac <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>UTM is the easiest way to emulate or virtualize <em>modern<\/em> operating systems on a Mac. It\u2019s night and day easier to set up than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.virtualbox.org\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641389728\">VirtualBox<\/a>, which has sucked away many frustrating hours of my life that I will never get back.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike VirtualBox, adding a new virtual machine using UTM is as simple as clicking a couple of buttons. After you download the free software, just hit the <strong>+<\/strong> and click\u00a0<strong>Download prebuilt from UTM Gallery<\/strong>. You can download any of the preset machines shown there and boot them right up.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe you want to play a classic PC game, like <em>Quake III<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Rollercoaster Tycoon<\/em> or <em>SimTower, <\/em>inside Windows XP. Or, you can have an installation of Mac OS 9 that runs locally on your computer. (It&#8217;s more reliable than Infinite Mac, which runs in your web browser.) There\u2019s also Sun Solaris 9, a unique operating system made for workstation hardware, that\u2019s just plain fun to poke around.<\/p>\n<p>UTM also can virtualize modern operating systems like Windows 11 for the few PC programs you might need to run. If you use your Mac for software development, you can run all kinds of flavors of Linux \u2014 Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian and more.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, you can build your own, if you don\u2019t see what you want in the gallery. On an Apple silicon Mac, you can virtualize any other version of macOS for Apple silicon (macOS Monterey and newer). This could be an essential tool for testing Mac apps on older Apple operating systems without keeping a pile of MacBooks in your office.<\/p>\n<p>I plan on using UTM to make backups of some of my personal computers, starting with my beloved 2006 Acer TravelMate 2430, for the day when it inevitably fails.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Download from: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mac.getutm.app\/\" data-lasso-id=\"1641389685\">UTM project website<\/a> (free) or the <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/utm-virtual-machines\/id1538878817\" data-lasso-id=\"1641389729\">Mac App Store<\/a> (&#36;9.99).<\/p>\n<p><em><i>We originally published this article about emulators for Mac on November 18, 2023. We republished it on May 29, 2025.<\/i><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ll walk you through the best free apps you can use to emulate video games and virtualize Windows 11 and Linux on a Mac.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30102,"featured_media":837618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31740],"tags":[351740,8134,24524,52,317277],"class_list":["post-837333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-classic-games","tag-mac-apps","tag-openemu","tag-top-stories","tag-utm"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.2 (Yoast SEO v25.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Emulators for Mac: Play retro video games and use old computers | Cult of Mac<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I\u2019ll walk you through the best free emulators for Mac you can use to play video games and virtualize Windows 11 and Linux.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/how-to\/emulators-for-mac\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 ways to emulate old video games and computers on your Mac\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019ll walk you through the best free apps you can use to emulate video games and virtualize Windows 11 and Linux on a Mac.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/how-to\/emulators-for-mac\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cult of Mac\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cultofmac\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-29T18:30:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Emulators-on-a-Mac.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"D. 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We publish a daily digest of Apple news, rumors, reviews and how-tos. We are based in San Francisco, but have contributors worldwide.\",\"email\":\"info@cultofmac.com\",\"legalName\":\"Cultomedia Corp.\",\"foundingDate\":\"2009-04-05\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"1\",\"maxValue\":\"10\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/#\/schema\/person\/73f0236ee48d23ae8262d640d765b41b\",\"name\":\"D. Griffin Jones\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cultofmac.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1cdcbb4a566ce956a5031cda07408d0024ce4570f488d98db96bd66e91c34e21?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1cdcbb4a566ce956a5031cda07408d0024ce4570f488d98db96bd66e91c34e21?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"D. Griffin Jones\"},\"description\":\"D. Griffin Jones is a writer, podcaster and video producer for Cult of Mac. Griffin has been a passionate computer enthusiast since 2002, when he got his first PC \u2014 but since getting a Mac in 2008, he hasn\u2019t turned back. His skills in graphic and web design, along with video and podcast editing, are self-taught over 20+ years. Griffin has a bachelor\u2019s degree in computer science and has written several (unpublished) apps for Mac and iOS. His collection of old computers is made up of 40+ desktops, laptops, PDAs and devices, dating back to the early \u201980s. He brings all of these creative and technical skills, along with a deep knowledge of Apple history, into his work for Cult of Mac. 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