D-Box
D-Box is an easy-to-use frontend for DOSBox, capable of running a wide range of classic games and applications. It will launch your game and run it in DOSBox without the need for any configuration file tweaking. It is simple to use and aims to be as versatile as possible. It features Support all DOS formats, including the incredibly popular DOSBox format, as well as other games and applications.
It lets you play with a wide array of PCs/consoles and includes Support for multiple resolutions, aspect ratios, save states, visual modes, networking, and much more. It provides all tools that are necessary for running many old MS-DOS games that simply cannot be run on modern PCs and operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista, Linux, and FreeBSD. It offers you free updates forever. In short, it is the best way to enjoy your retro games on your PC.
D-Box Alternatives
#1 AmpShell
AmpShell is a frontend for the DOSBox emulator. It is for Windows only and is available for download on its website. It is created to make use of classic DOS games easier. It allows users to configure DOSBox in a central area instead of in the batch files used to start the games. It gives you full control of DOSBox (pause/resume, load game, save state, etc.). It allows you to change the value of an option and set the default mount directory.
AmpShell is a CHIP-8 emulator frontend for Windows which uses DOSBox. It supports CHIP-8, SNAKE, and an extended RPG Maker 2000 engine (with the latest releases of RPG Maker 2000 games). It auto-detect DOS games on your hard drive and gives you some information’s about them. It also provides you with a file browser with system information. In short, it’s the best frontend for you if you are a professional gamer.
#2 RetriX
RetriX is software that lets you play your favorite retro games on your computer, Xbox, and Windows 10. It allows you to play all your favorites with your controller. It is the only app that has unlimited access to play over 25 000 classic games for free. It was built by gamers for gamers, and it’s been carefully crafted to ensure that the highest quality experience is always provided.
RetriX also features support for Xbox controllers, HD 720p & 1080p, as well as 4K rendering for videos and images. Its developer’s currently developing support for Steam Streaming, so you can play a variety of PC games on your big screen. You can download this software from its official website. Once downloaded, start the app and log in by using your Microsoft or Xbox account. When you log in, connect the controller to your computer via USB. If you want to play your favorite retro game, it’s the best choice for you.
#3 DBGL
DBGL is a free, open source, multiple frontends for DOSBox. Its main goal is to provide an easy-to-use interface for DOSBox configuration and emulation. It is inspired by the old docbox launcher and aims to be equally easy to use while adding a few neat features. It supports a wide range of commands, including DOSBox cheats and DOSBox debugger commands. It is written in Borland Pascal 7.1 Free Edition, .net Framework 2.0, and released under the GNU GPL.
DBGL has a clean, intuitive user interface and is intended to be very easy to use. It is designed to run on DOS platforms, including Windows. It can also be compiled for Linux and macOS X (Intel). It is 100% free for all, and you can use it for whatever you want. It’s been updated recently with a new GUI from another developer. You can get more information about this program from its official website. You can visit its site to check how it can help you.
#4 RetroX
RetroX is an Android app that helps you to organize and play your own retro games. It is the perfect game manager for real retro gamers. It allows you to play your favorite games from all your consoles and even make cheats for them. It helps you to enjoy your old-school games whenever you want, no matter where you are. It helps you to organize all of your original game cartridges in one place. It also supports Wifi transfers from your PC (Windows or Mac).
It has a simple drag-and-drop interface, so you can add games from your device’s storage or from an external hard drive or flash drive. Once you’ve added your games, it gives you some awesome ways to experience them. It allows you to control them with the touch screen or a connected gamepad. Use the on-screen controller or download a free controller app. it enables you to plug in an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 controller for wireless play on Android TV. Overall it’s one of the best gaming apps for professional gamers.
#5 Terminal Launch V
Terminal Launch V is one of the best frontends for DOSBox, which offers an easy way to use DOSBox via the command line. It automatically creates a DOSBox folder in documents if it does not exist. The location of this folder can be changed by editing the profile file in your home directory. It is modern, modular, and easy to configure the system to manage software releases, deliver patches, and decide when to take your product offline to perform maintenance.
Terminal Launch V includes three new features: the ability to specify an SSH username on the command line, the ability to set your language, and a new hotkey for switching the dimming of your screen. To use the new hotkey, hold down control and press D. It also comes with bug fixes and makes it easier to copy text from within the app. In short, it is the perfect frontend emulator for DOSBox.
#6 DOSBox Launcher
DOSBox Launcher is a multi-platform GUI frontend for DOSBox. It is a DOS-emulator that uses the SDL library to port DOSBox on different platforms. It has already been ported to many different platforms, such as Windows, Linux, and BeOS. It is designed to make it easy to use DOSBox for specific games without the need to edit configuration files. It is licensed under a BSD 3-Clause License.
DOSBox launcher is an auto-updating launcher frontend for DOSBox. It is still in the early stages of development, and more features will be added over time. Its main aim is to add features to DOSBox which are not present in the original source code, such as Fullscreen support, large resolution support, DPI scaling support, OpenGL hardware acceleration, Autoloading of game configurations and frontend directly from zip files, and much more. Currently, it’s only working with games like Prince of Persia 2 and other DOS classics. In short, it’s one of the best frontends for DOSBox.
#7 HyperSpin
HyperSpin is a frontend for Windows that works with any emulator to let you browse and play ROMs from a simple interface. It comes with several plugins, pre-sets, and themes built-in, including popular ones such as MAME and FBA, as well as some original themes created by the community. You can play games without needing to download anything additional, but plugins add extra functionality to your frontend, including features like shaders, full-screen Support, and hotkey support.
HyperSpin lets you manage your library easily. It allows you to quickly find the games you’re looking for. It is an animated arcade frontend for Windows. It is a great tool for any arcade enthusiast to organize their games and media. Exiting the application is as simple as closing a window; no need to go through the menu or anything. In short, it is a great way to make your own frontend for your MAME machine or make a frontend for your media center / HTPC.
#8 RomsMania
RomsMania is a popular platform that lets you download Games, ROMs, and ISO’s of your favorite game to run them on emulators of classic retro consoles. The best feature is that no registration or fee is needed to download the game. You can check all the games available on the main page or browse them based on the console. Gamers can download some of the most famous games such as Sonic Advance, Harry Potter, Pokemon Ruby Version, Mario KART Super Circuit, and many more. Currently, the platform supports many old & new consoles like 3DS, WWIU, WII, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, PSP, Playstation 1/2/3/4, Xbox, Xbox 360 & One.
#9 KillerRoms
KillerRoms is a platform that allows you to download BIOS, ROMs, and Emulators without paying any fee. You can get some of the most famous games like Super Mario 64, Pokemon –Emerald Version, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Advance 4, Dragonball Z – Buu’s Fury, and many more. The platform provides direct download links that are completely free from viruses and malware. It is multilingual and supports English, Spanish, French, and Deutsch. You can download Emulators for Popular gaming consoles such as Super Nintendo, Gameboy Advance, Playstation, Nintendo, Gameboy Color, PSP, and more. It also offers ROMs for Commodore 64, Amiga 500, Nintendo Wii, and more.
#10 ROMNation
ROMNation is one of the leading platforms that provide you ROMs of many popular games like The King of Fighters, Dragon Quest 3, Metal Slug 3, Sonic the Hedgehog, Cadillacs, and Dinosaurs, Street Fighter II, and more. It offers highly secure direct download links for all the games and doesn’t force you to register an account to get them. However, signing up for an account does unlock major benefits like being able to rate a game, submitting comments, adding a Rom to the collection, and upvoting/downvoting comments posted by other users.
The platform provides games for multiple retro gaming devices like Atari 2600, NES, Sega CD, MAME, Master System, N64, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, and more. ROMNation allows you to find a game quickly via the Search Box. Enter the name, press Enter, and it will show all the matching titles in its database. You can also browse the library of content by clicking “View all Roms” on the Home Page. The resulting page shows advanced options such as Filter, Sort by, Alphabets to help you locate a game quickly.
#11 Roms Games
Roms Games is a platform developed by gamers to help gaming enthusiasts download Emulators and ROMs FOR XBOX, Game Boy Advance, PS2. SNES, NES, PSP, Amiga 500, GBC, Nintendo 64, and more free-of-cost. It also includes multiple Blog Posts containing information about the gaming world that you can read to enhance your knowledge. Find any ROM instantly by typing a keyword in the search box, after which it will display all the results. The best feature of the platform is that it provides shortcuts for all its pages on the menu bar and sidebar to help you browse specific content quickly.
#12 RomsGet
RomsGet allows you to download and play old-school games on your Mac, Android, or Desktop PC. Download any emulator game or start playing it on any modern web browser. The platform provides ROMs of some of the most top-rated games like Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Super Mario Bros, Pokemon White Version 2, Pokemon Firered Version, Mario Kart, and many more.
You can check all the available ROMs by clicking on the Roms button on the menu bar or typing a name in the search box. All the games have direct download links fully secure from Trojan, malware, or any kind of virus. The platform also offers Emulators of several retro consoles like Game Boy, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, Dreamcast, Atari 2600, Capcom Play System 2, MS Computer, Game gear, Amiga 500, Commodore 64, and more.
#13 Roms World Online
Roms World Online lets you download ROMs and ISOs for various platforms, including Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Gameboy Advance, SNES, Nintendo Wii, PSP, PlayStation, Gameboy Color, and more. Besides ROMs, it also offers APK files for Android devices. To download any game, click on it, and you will be redirected to a new page that provides information and a download link. You can also watch the trailer to get some insights into the game and learn more about its contents. The platform offers ROMS of highly popular games like Chrono Trigger, Pokemon Y, Legend of Zelda, Castlevania Symphony of the Night, Mario, and more.
#14 RomStation
RomStation is an all-in-one gaming platform that comes with simple emulations, games, lives, forums, galleries, quizzes, and blogs. The platform is the way to go to have fast access to games, and the entire gaming library is at your side and gets an instant notification about every upcoming release. Once you have downloaded the game, start to play online without any hindrance. If there is an update, RomStation will check its availability and automatically install them.
Get real advantage of NES, N64, GBA, NDS, GameCube, Master System, mega-CD, Neo-Geo, PS2, arcade, and much more games in one platform, so it is exciting than ever. There is a quick search system that lets you find the game with that you want to play; all is needed to define the criteria set by you. RomStation allows you to manage the game library in a more personalized way having a filter option to specify each game. Moreover, you have customization that will let you create and share themes, and according to the choice of the emulator, translations and group consoles are customized.
#15 RomsForever
RomsForever is a gaming platform that is facilitating games with thousands of classic and modern games, and they can install them. There is an advanced search option, where you can make your serac of the respective game and install them immediately. RomsForever comes with a separate list of the available consoles where you can see transparently the total number of emulators associated with it.
You can check out the total ROMS as well, and the number of downloads, and there is a complete set of ROM pack available that include Sega Dreamcast, GBA game collection, Nintendo, PlayStation 1, and more having a different type of games. Adding more, RomsForever facilitates you with thousands of games that you can download with ease, and if there is an update available, you will be notified instantly.
#16 DreamEMU
DreamEMU is a user-friendly, easy-to-use, and free-of-cost emulator for Sega Dreamcast on which you can play homebrew games and CPU Demos without problems. Right now, it lacks the functionality of running commercial games, but in due time, this issue will be resolved. This is one of the differences between it and other alternatives that can run the available games without hassle. The emulator is lightweight and is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows. Similar to other emulators, it utilizes the hardware capacity of your system, and this means the GPU and CPU play a major role in its performance.
#17 DraStic DS Emulator
DraStic is an extremely fast and powerful DS Emulator that you can install on your Android device to play games on the go. It is enriched with the functionality to run Nintendo DS games on the device and enjoy many features. It improves the visual quality of the game’s 3D graphics, allowing you to experience the best graphics. The gamer can adjust the size and placement of the DS screens by choosing either the landscape or portrait orientation.
The emulator supports physical controls as well as add-on controllers in popular devices such as Xperia Play and Nvidia Shield. It comes with save states to make it easy for the player to save progress and load it later. You can utilize thousands of cheat codes to configure the gaming experience. DraStic DS Emulator also allows for synching save games with Google Drive storage. Speed of emulation can be improved via fast-forward. Lastly, those who are unsure about the quality of the emulator can run the demo version to see if it meets their requirements.
#18 Redream
Redream is a premier Dreamcast emulator for playing games in HD. It is a cross-platform solution and is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi 4, and Android. You can use it to play almost all the games available in the Dreamcast library without paying any fees. Gamers also have the option to contribute funds for development for which they can receive several upgrades such as custom discord server role, HD rendering, and multiple save slots for each game to enable you to save and resume progress anytime.
Currently, the emulator is capable of rendering the games you love in 4K or 1080p. There is no need for any controller configuration, or flash files, or BIOS, allowing you to load the game and start having fun. Also, it can play more than 95% of the Dreamcast library from beginning to its conclusion. Another great feature is that by installing the emulator on any Android device, you can play games on the go.
#19 NesterDC
NesterDC is an emulator that enables you to play Famicom and NES games. It was released in 2001 by Ken Price, who was also responsible for developing it. Later on, Takayama Fumihiko became in charge of it and introduced some of the most desired features like save states, compatibility, and game genie codes. These implementations were part of the successive updates to the main software. In its current form, the emulator is not only the fastest but also provides sound emulation, making it one of the prominent Dreamcast emulators online. Other key features include Autofire, Bilinear filtering, support for up to 4 players, top-notch emulation capabilities, NNNJester cheat code support, and Savestate to VMU or DC memory.
#20 DEmul
DEmul is a freeware emulator for Sega Dreamcast that you can use to play commercial games without problems. In this day and age, classic consoles are hard to come by, and for this reason, people look to emulators to fulfill their desired to play classic games. DEmul is one of those emulators that can be downloaded on the PC to run all the available Sega Dreamcast games with the exact same feel of the console. It uses the hardware capabilities of your system so if you are looking for top performance, consider upgrading the CPU and GPU.
#21 RetroArch
RetroArch is an open-source application that comes with the Libretro interface allowing you to make cross-platform applications having OpenGL, cross-platform camera, and location support. The application is like a gaming console for you because of the built-in collection of applications. RetroArch has been great when it comes to creating emulators, games, and multimedia programs. Without a doubt, RetroArch is the most dynamic option for running emulators and playing retro games.
There is a separate exclusive game and watch emulator that will let you download, watch, and play different games. The rich features include extensive menu options, built-in remapping, view databases information, remap controls, multiple language support, scan files and directories, auto-update support, take screenshots, save different states, and more to add. It is worth mentioning that RetroArch is one of the leading fronted to play different classic games that have a wide range of customizations, synchronization of files, and various automation in place.
#22 D-Fend Reloaded
D-Fend Reloaded is a graphical user interface for DOSBox. It provides an easy way to set up a DOS environment and run many old DOS games and applications. It consists of two parts a graphical shell frontend that contains some useful features and a backend to emulate the environment. Its shell front end can be used to quickly set up or configure a DOS environment. It can also be used as a launcher for DOS programs with one mouse click.
You can use it to play classic DOS games, run legacy business software, or experiment with old operating systems (e.g., Windows 3.1). The communication between the frontend and the backend is done via a TCP/IP network connection, which means that the DOSBox can run on different computers. It allows you to use its virtual machines to run the doc box. You just have to enter its IP address in the preferences dialog of the frontend. It is free software and does not contain any spyware or adware. In short, it gives you full control of DOSBox from GUI.
#23 NullDC
NullDC is a Sega Dreamcast and NAOMI emulator designed for the Windows Operating System. It is open-source and, therefore, can be used by everyone without worrying about payments. It is programmed in C++ and delivers a smooth performance. There are certain requirements that must be met in order to use the emulator. These include DirectX 9, Visual C++, and WinPcap. You will also need to have BIOS files. The emulator has a plugin architecture and is easy to use. The emulator was succeeded by Reicast, which was released exclusively on Android.
#24 Makaron
Makaron is the ultimate emulator for Windows designed to let you run Sega Dreamcast and NAOMI arcade games with great ease. You can download it on the Windows PC, load a game and start enjoying it. During gameplay, you can check out performance stats such as FPS, RPS, and SH4 on the top of the screen. You can ensure better gameplay by equipping the PC with capable hardware components. The emulator was released in 2010 and has been the primary source of playing classic games for many people living in different countries worldwide.
#25 BeMAME
BeMAME is a free, open-source Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy emulator for the MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) projects. It was modeled after MAME and used the same emulation core as a multi-platform CORE-SDL library. It is designed to be modular to allow for new systems to be added as desired. It is licensed under GPL v3, and it runs on Linux, Android, Mac OS X, and Windows. It is a tiny emulator that can also run on the Java ME Platform.
It was created to play those old games of yours on modern mobile devices, such as phones and tablets. It is a very small program that can fit on the memory card with no problem and run with limited system resources. It also supports JSR-88 (Clone MAME) compatible games. It can be used in portrait or landscape mode. You can have multiple game files in the same folder and launch them all with ease. Overall it’s the best emulator for gamers.
#26 Emudieval
Emudieval enables you to browse its collection of ROMs and Emulators and download any of them without restriction. Compared to other platforms, it doesn’t have a huge library of titles, but what truly differentiates it is that it offers multiple regions for games like Japan, the USA, and Euro. It provides a decent search box to help you find anything quickly. Plus, it has many shortcuts available on the menu bar that you can click to explore the available content. You can download Emulators and ROMs for Xbox, N64, DC, GCN, PSP, GBC, PSX, DS, and more.
#27 Chankast
Chankast is a Sega Dreamcast emulator that lets you play the games you used to play in childhood when back when the console was in its prime years. It is compatible with Windows and is authored by ElSemi, garrofi, una-I, and baktery. It is one of the Dreamcast alternatives with the capability of running all the available games released on the console without problems. It requires no fees and utilizes the hardware of the PC, specifically the RAM, CPU, and GPU, to run games. Today, it has become harder to find a physical console, and this is where Chankast comes in.
#28 Lxdream
Lxdream is a top-notch Sega Dreamcast emulator through which you can play any game released on the system at virtually no cost. It is compatible with OS X and Linux and utilizes the hardware capabilities of the system to run games. The best feature about using an emulator is that it removes the trouble of finding a physical system for playing games, reducing cost, and saving a lot of time in the process. The emulator can be downloaded from the website, after which you can download a game, load it, and start having fun.
#29 DreamSpec
DreamSpec is a lightweight and popular Spectrum Emulator for Sega Dreamcast that makes it easy for you to play the games released for the console on your PC. It was released in 2001 and so far has been downloaded by many people. The CDI file is bundled with 187 genuine games for your pleasure. After playing the included games, you can easily find more on the Internet by searching for the sites that provide these games. You can browse all the packaged games, select one and start playing.
#30 Garoms
Garoms is a platform that allows you to download emulators and Gaming ROMs without paying any fee. It provides download links for all of its titles and offers other valuable information like descriptions, trailers, and images to help you find more about the game. Moreover, the available download links are free from all kinds of viruses. The platform lets you download the ROMS of your childhood games and relive the past experience free of cost. You can fetch emulators and ROMs for Game Boy Advance, SNES, Nintendo DS, and more.