What it does
Mednafen emulates several older systems and provides configurable inputs, save states, rewinding and audiovisual recording. It is distributed under GPLv2.
Read the module documentation for the system before building a launch command. Mednafen is argument-driven, so it suits users comfortable with configuration rather than expecting a complete library browser. The input mappings can combine keyboard and joystick controls for the same virtual system.
The documented capture outputs include PNG screenshots and QuickTime audiovisual recordings. Keep those files separate from save states: a recording shows what happened, while a state restores the emulator’s session.
Strengths
- Input remapping and rewind
- Multiple emulation modules
Watch out for
- Uses an argument-driven interface
Best for
- Configuring a precise multi-system emulation workflow
Sources
- Mednafen - Multi-system Emulator (Oct 26, 2026)