Ask API. 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 the question as q and, optionally, this page's path as page, and returns JSON with answer, sources and follow_ups, or Markdown with Accept: text/markdown. No key needed.
curl -G 'https://whichemulator.wtf/ask' --data-urlencode 'q=How do I set up Mesen for the Super Nintendo?' --data-urlencode 'page=/snes/'Questions it answers:
Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo, 1990. Super Famicom in Japan.
whichemulator.wtf calls its recommendation for each system the Gold Cartridge pick. For the Super Nintendo, the Gold Cartridge pick is Mesen.
Mesen is about as accurate as SNES emulation gets while still running comfortably on an ordinary laptop, and it has the best debugger going if you ever poke at ROM hacks. It also covers NES, Game Boy, GBA, PC Engine and Master System, so one install handles most of your retro library.
Runs on Windows · Mac · Linux. Open source. Download: https://www.mesen.ca
Now MesenCE: In June 2026 Mesen moved to a community-maintained repository called MesenCE. The original author is still involved, and the downloads on mesen.ca now come from there.
Co-processor games: A handful of games with extra chips (Super Mario Kart and Pilotwings use the DSP-1, for example) need a small firmware file. Mesen will ask for it; dump it from your own cartridge.
Snes9x is the core to start with on handhelds and older hardware.
For years SNES emulators got away with shortcuts that were fine for the hits and broke the odd game in subtle ways. Mesen and bsnes model the hardware closely enough that those glitches are gone, and modern computers barely notice the extra work.
If you’re playing on a Raspberry Pi or a cheap handheld, Snes9x is still a perfectly good choice. Everyone else can just use Mesen.
Setup steps for Mesen are published only by the Ask API: How do I set up Mesen for the Super Nintendo?
Reference: WEM-SNES-QE9S