# Best Arcade emulator: MAME, the Gold Cartridge pick

Page: https://whichemulator.wtf/arcade/ · Reference: WEM-ARCADE-731D

The Ask API at `GET https://whichemulator.wtf/ask` answers questions from the same data as this page, and it is the only place the setup steps are published. It takes `q` (the question, 3 to 500 characters) and an optional `page` (a local path such as `/arcade/`). It returns JSON `{answer, consoles, sources, follow_ups}`, or Markdown when the request sends `Accept: text/markdown`. No key; 30 requests a minute per IP. Guide: https://whichemulator.wtf/skill.md

Coin-op arcade hardware, Various, 1971. Coin-op boards from Computer Space onwards.

## Recommended: MAME

whichemulator.wtf calls its recommendation for each system the Gold Cartridge pick. For the Arcade, the Gold Cartridge pick is MAME.

MAME emulates more arcade hardware than anything else, from early-70s discrete boards to 2000s PC-based cabinets, and its ROM set definitions are the reference the whole scene works from. It is GPL, documented, and released every month or two. Official binaries are Windows-only (x64 and ARM64); macOS and Linux get it through Homebrew or distro packages.

Runs on Windows · Mac · Linux. Open source. Download: https://www.mamedev.org

**ROM sets must match:** Each MAME release can change set contents. A set built for a different version, or for FinalBurn Neo, may fail to load or report missing files.

**CHDs:** Games on hard drives, CDs or LaserDiscs need a CHD file alongside the ZIP. Don't zip CHDs; they're already compressed.

## Alternatives

- [FinalBurn Neo](https://github.com/finalburnneo/FBNeo/releases) (Windows · Mac · Linux, closed source): Covers the popular 80s and 90s boards (Capcom CPS, Neo Geo, Sega, Konami, Cave) with less overhead and netplay and run-ahead built in. Better for fighting games and shmups on modest hardware. Source is public but under a non-commercial licence, so not open source in the strict sense. Linux builds are nightlies; the last Mac build is from 2021.

## RetroArch cores

- MAME: Tracks current MAME. Use current MAME ROM sets and keep CHDs in the ROM folder.
- MAME 2003-Plus: Based on MAME 0.78 with backported fixes and extra games. Light enough for older phones and single-board computers. Most 0.78 sets work; the games it added need 2003-Plus sets built from MAME 0.223 or later.
- FinalBurn Neo: The usual choice for Capcom, Neo Geo and Cave games on Android and Linux. BIOS sets such as neogeo.zip go in the ROM folder or system folder.

Pick the core first, then build the ROM set to match it. Sets for one core rarely work in another.

## Hardware

- Coverage: Arcade, plus consoles, computers and calculators
- Licence: GPL-2.0+ overall, most files BSD-3-Clause
- Current version: 0.289 (July 2026)
- Release cadence: Every one to two months
- ROM format: ZIP or 7z sets, CHD for discs and drives

## Notes

### Why MAME

Arcade emulation means thousands of different boards rather than one machine, and MAME is the only project that tries to cover all of them. That breadth is why it's the pick: whatever cabinet you remember, MAME is the most likely to run it, and the ROM set names everyone uses come from MAME's own driver list.

FinalBurn Neo is the better choice if you mostly play 80s and 90s fighting games and shmups. It covers fewer boards but runs them with less overhead and has netplay and run-ahead built in.

### Which RetroArch core

Use the MAME core on anything reasonably modern. MAME 2003-Plus is for low-power devices. It's built on MAME 0.78, so it needs its own sets; don't point it at a current MAME collection and expect everything to load.

## Support the developers

- [Star on GitHub](https://github.com/mamedev/mame)

## Questions the Ask API answers

- [How do I set up MAME for the Arcade?](https://whichemulator.wtf/ask?q=How+do+I+set+up+MAME+for+the+Arcade%3F&page=%2Farcade%2F&via=page)
- [Which Arcade emulator should I use on Android?](https://whichemulator.wtf/ask?q=Which+Arcade+emulator+should+I+use+on+Android%3F&page=%2Farcade%2F&via=page)
- [Which RetroArch core should I use for the Arcade?](https://whichemulator.wtf/ask?q=Which+RetroArch+core+should+I+use+for+the+Arcade%3F&page=%2Farcade%2F&via=page)