Tracking down a Master System to play just a few games may not be worth the effort if you're just a casual gamer. Nowadays it's possible to use your home PC or even other video game console to play Sega Master System games by using an emulator program. While the experience may be more convenient, some say it lacks the fun of good old cartridges and consoles. If you take your SMS gaming seriously then you'll want to get a console, but an emulator may also be handy for playing that very rare game you just can't seem to find! In addition, there's no better way to test out such a game before you spend money on something you may not even enjoy.
There are many emulator programs available over a variety of platforms. This page will give you a quick run-down on some of the available emulators for Master System ROMs and provide links to the author's homepage so you can read about them and download what you like.
For instructions on usage of an emulator see the documentation that accompanies it or the relevant author's homepage. The following are the most popular and well-known emulators that can be used to play SMS games.
| Emulators |
| Meka | |
|
The best and most
popular SMS emulator, created by one of the biggest SMS fans. Bock has
been working on Meka for years now and updates it now and then. |
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| Kega Fusion | |
|
A multiple Sega machine emulator. Not as good as Meka for SMS games though, and it doesn't have some of the special, cool features that Meka does. Kega Fusion Homepage |
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| FreezeSMS | |
| A great Windows emulator with many features inc. Netplay Support, Save States, Movie Recording, Pro Action Replay support, Fantastic user interface with support for FRZ Files.
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| DEGA | |
| If you're looking for a really basic emulator, then Dega is the way to go. It has a few problems (such as screenshots that get moved over slight to the right, but if you just want to try out a few games with little effort, this is the way to go. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in forever and the original site no longer exists, but you can still download it at Zophar's Domain. The link is provided here.
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| ROMs |
Once you've figured out which one you prefer and have it downloaded, installed, and ready to go, the next thing to do is find some ROMs! There are a number of well-known sites out there where you can get them. Some sites require payment, but a number are free. We're not sure why or how the pay-only sites exist, but you're stupid to go that route since the majority can be found for nothing.
At any rate, below are four of the most popular ROM sites out there. Check them out and start downloading! There isn't a better way to play your Master System on the go or when you're away!
| SMS Power! | |
| Home to some of the best ROMs on the internet and some really rare ones as well. Thankfully, due to the smarts of good old Bock, you can only access the ROMs on SMSPower if you have donated or helped out with the site in some way. This safeguards rare ROMs from getting out there and terrible things happening to them. The great thing is you can try out a number of early game versions and translated games in their collection. Great stuff.
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| ROMNation.NET | |
| In terms of free sites, ROMNation is probably the best one out there. They have a wide selection of ROMs for download, and in spite of the annoy ads you have to wade through they have some that no one else has.
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| Rom Hustler | |
| Another well-known freebie site. They're pretty much the same thing as ROMNation, with the exception that they seem to have a few less ROMs than the former.
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| GlobalROMs.com | |
| GlobalROMs is similar to Rom Hustler, but a little more personal and without the annoying pop-ups and advertisements. Unfortunately, they also have a little less available for download.
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