Tutorial

Looking to play classic games on your PC, Mac or mobile device? No problem! You can do so using a simple procedure called emulation.

What the heck is emulation? How can I play play play? Relax ;) Here is a step-by-step tutorial to make you an expert within minutes. First off, here are some definitions:

Emulation: The process of simulating hardware of one machine on another, so in our case, playing SNES, Genesis, N64, etc. games on your PC, Mac or mobile device.

ROM/ISO: The image of the actual game; for example: Super Smash Bros. This is basically a file that has been converted from a game cartridge or CD so that you can run it on your computer or mobile device.

Emulator: A program that allows you to run SNES, Genesis, N64, etc. game images (ROMs/ISOs) on your computer or mobile device.


Now that you know the important terms, heres how to get down and dirty, and start playing!

Step 1: Choose and Download an Emulator
Visit our emulators page here and select the system of the game you wish to run. Some systems have more than one emulator, so just download the one with the highest rating. Mac users please visit here.

Step 2: Choose and Download ROMs/ISOs
Now you are going to download the actual game files. Visit our ROMs page here and select the system of the game you wish to run. Feel free to take your time browsing and downloading from our large collection ;)

Step 3: Install/Extract Emulator and ROMs/ISOs
If the files are in .zip, .rar or .7z format, you will need an extraction utility, such as WinRAR (Windows), 7-Zip (Windows) or The Unarchiver (Mac) to extract them. Some emulators may need to be installed first.

Step 4: Play Your Game!
Finally! Now all you have to do is run your emulators executable file, load your ROM, and begin playing! Please consult the emulators manual for controls, configurations, and FAQs.

New: Play ROMs on your Android / iOS / Windows Phone!
Visit m.coolrom.com on your mobile device now for instructions to get set up!

There you go! If you experience any issues, please contact us or join our forums and our friendly users will be more than happy to assist you.

Like what we have done? Make sure to tell your friends about us by using the links below!

Share:


Top 25 Downloaded Emulators

» MAME
» pSX
» Jnes
» PCSP
» Xeon


Top 25 Downloaded ROMs

Tekken 3
Crash Bandicoot
Jackie Chan Stuntmaster

Affiliates

» Champion Counter
» Computer Emuzone
» Emulators For Android
» Sony ISOs