Getting Started

Getting Started

The full user guide is in the repository at docs/user-guide/; start with its getting-started page. This page is a short summary.

Get the emulator

• Desktop: pre-built binaries are on the Releases page for Linux x86_64, macOS on Apple silicon and Windows x86_64. Other platforms build from source (Building-from-Source).
• Browser: the hosted build at doublegate.github.io/RustyNES needs no install.
• Android, iOS, RetroArch: see Mobile-and-Cross-Platform and Libretro-Core.

First run

Launch rustynes with a ROM path, or launch it without one and open a ROM with F12, the File menu, or by dragging a .nes / .fds file onto the window. rustynes --help lists the command-line options, and rustynes help opens an interactive guide.

Default keys, as listed in the README at v3.2.0:

Action	Player 1	Player 2
D-pad	Arrow keys	W / A / S / D
A / B	Z / X	Q / E
Start / Select	Enter / Right Shift	P / R

Save and load state are F1 / F4, rewind is F5 (held), the menu bar toggles with M, and the debugger with the backquote key. USB gamepads bind to player 1 automatically. Every binding can be changed in Settings or in the TOML configuration; the controls guide is the complete, current list.

What it loads

iNES and NES 2.0 (.nes), UNIF (.unf), Famicom Disk System images (.fds, with your own disksys.rom), single-ROM .zip archives, and .ips / .ups / .bps soft patches. Details and caveats are in the compatibility guide.

No commercial ROMs are distributed with RustyNES. Use dumps of cartridges you own, or homebrew.

Upgrading from v2.x

v3.0.0 was a major release: save states and movies from earlier versions are refused, netplay peers must be on the same emulation epoch, and saves are keyed to the ROM without its header. The v3.0.0 release notes list every change by audience.