RPCS3
The PlayStation 3 emulator, and the only free and open source one that actually plays the games.
These buttons open the developer's own site, repository or store listing in a new tab. wares.gg does not host downloads.
2 more ways to get RPCS3
Package managers
- Chocolatey
choco install rpcs3 - Flathub
flatpak install flathub net.rpcs3.RPCS3
About RPCS3
RPCS3 emulates PlayStation 3 hardware on Windows, Linux, macOS and FreeBSD, with a debugger attached for the developers reverse-engineering it. A large share of the PS3 library is now playable, and the project maintains a public compatibility list with a status for every title.
The PS3's Cell processor is genuinely hard to emulate, so this is demanding software: a modern multi-core CPU and a Vulkan-capable graphics card are the realistic baseline. You also need a firmware file dumped from a console you own.
Strengths
- The only working free and open source PlayStation 3 emulator
- Public compatibility list with a status for each game
- Windows, Linux, macOS and FreeBSD builds
- Built-in debugger for the people doing the reverse engineering
Limitations
- Needs a fast multi-core processor and a Vulkan-capable graphics card
- Requires PS3 firmware you dump yourself
- Some titles still run badly or not at all
- Builds change daily, and a regression can break a game you were playing
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source under the GPL 2.0. Development is partly funded through Patreon.
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Developer
- RPCS3 Team
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Playing PlayStation 3 games you own on a PC that can take the load
- Categories
- Emulators
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Emulation); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 2 sources on file.
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