The best free, open-source iOS game emulator for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Play retro games from 50+ classic consoles — no jailbreak required.
🆕 What's New — v3.3.0
☁️ iCloud Sync — ROMs, saves, BIOS, and artwork sync across all devices via CloudKit
📺 Redesigned tvOS UI — RetroWave side menu, save state browser, cheats UI, TopShelf v2
🎬 Unified Video Filters — Metal shaders across native and RetroArch cores
🎮 Core & Controller Fixes — Mupen64Plus, Dolphin, DuckStation, PicoDrive, FCEUmm, Mednafen
🐛 Stability — Fixed app hangs, crashes, artwork refresh, and game importer
→ Full release notes · → Changelog
✨ Features
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🎮 50+ Classic Systems NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Game Boy, GBA, DS, 3DS, PlayStation, PSP, Saturn, Dreamcast, Atari, Neo Geo, and many more ☁️ iCloud Sync (Provenance Plus) Sync ROMs, save states, BIOS files, and artwork across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 🎨 Custom Controller Skins Hundreds of free community skins — provenance-emu.com/skins 🏆 RetroAchievements Earn achievements in hundreds of classic games via retroachievements.org 📺 Native Apple TV App Full tvOS UI with RetroWave side menu, TopShelf v2, save state browser — iCloud sync free on Apple TV 🎬 Metal Video Filters Simple CRT · Complex CRT · Mega Tron · ulTron · LCD · Game Boy · VHS + RetroArch shader support |
🔒 Cheat Codes Game Genie, Action Replay, GameShark on 12+ native cores and all RetroArch cores 💾 Save States Save and restore progress anywhere with visual thumbnail previews; screenshot browser in pause menu ⏩ Fast Forward Speed through slow sections with a pause menu toggle or controller shortcut 🖼️ Museum-Quality Library Automatic box art, descriptions, and genre data via OpenVGDB 📥 Flexible Importing WebDAV, AirDrop, Files app, Safari downloads, and more 🔓 100% Free & Open Source No ads, no tracking, no required account — free forever when sideloaded or built from source |
💜 Provenance is and always will be free. If it's brought you joy, support development — Provenance Plus ($3.99/mo) adds iCloud sync across all devices, TestFlight beta access, and priority support. GitHub Sponsors · Patreon · Buy Me a Coffee
🎮 Systems Supported
Nintendo — 11 systems
| System | Core(s) |
|---|---|
| NES / Famicom | FCEUX · Nestopia · Mednafen |
| Famicom Disk System | FCEUX |
| SNES / Super Famicom | SNES9x · bsnes |
| Nintendo 64 | Mupen64Plus-NX · ParaLLEl |
| GameCube / Wii | Dolphin |
| Game Boy / Game Boy Color | Gambatte · Mednafen |
| Game Boy Advance | VBA-M · mGBA |
| Nintendo DS | DeSmuME · melonDS |
| Nintendo 3DS | emuThreeDS (Citra/Azahar) |
| Virtual Boy | Mednafen |
| Pokémon mini | PokeMini |
Sega — 7 systems
| System | Core(s) |
|---|---|
| SG-1000 / Master System | Genesis Plus GX |
| Genesis / Mega Drive | Genesis Plus GX · PicoDrive |
| Sega CD / Mega CD | Genesis Plus GX |
| Sega 32X | PicoDrive |
| Game Gear | Genesis Plus GX |
| Saturn | Mednafen |
| Dreamcast | Flycast |
Sony — 3 systems
| System | Core(s) |
|---|---|
| PlayStation (PS1 / PSX) | DuckStation · PCSX-ReARMed · Mednafen |
| PlayStation 2 ⚠️ | Play! (ships in the App Store build, but only playable with JIT — jailbroken devices or older OS versions that allow JIT for App Store installs; sideloaded/AltStore builds get JIT another way) |
| PlayStation Portable (PSP) | PPSSPP |
Atari — 7 systems
| System | Core(s) |
|---|---|
| Atari 2600 | Stella |
| Atari 5200 | Atari800 |
| Atari 7800 | ProSystem |
| Atari 8-bit (400 / 800 / XL / XE) | Atari800 |
| Atari Lynx | Mednafen |
| Atari Jaguar | Virtual Jaguar |
| Atari ST | Hatari |
NEC · SNK · Bandai · and more — 17 systems
| System | Core(s) |
|---|---|
| PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 | Mednafen |
| TurboGrafx-CD / Super CD-ROM² | Mednafen |
| PC Engine SuperGrafx | Mednafen |
| PC-FX | Mednafen |
| Neo Geo Pocket / Color | Mednafen |
| WonderSwan / Color | Mednafen |
| 3DO Interactive Multiplayer | Opera |
| ColecoVision | Gearcoleco |
| Vectrex | VecX |
| Intellivision | FreeIntv |
| Magnavox Odyssey² | O2EM |
| ZX Spectrum | Fuse |
| MSX / MSX2 | blueMSX · fMSX |
| Apple II ⚠️ | MAME (experimental — hidden from the App Store build; available via sideloading/AltStore only) |
| IBM PC-DOS | DOSBox |
| Watara Supervision | Potator |
| Mega Duck | SameDuck |
📖 BIOS requirements, ROM formats, and full compatibility notes: wiki.provenance-emu.com
🚀 Getting Started
1. Install
The easiest way is the App Store. For sideloading (AltStore / SideStore) or building from source, see the Installation Guide.
2. Add your games
See Importing ROMs — WebDAV, AirDrop, Files, or browser downloads all work.
3. (Optional) Add BIOS files
Some systems require BIOS files. See BIOS Requirements.
Why "Provenance"?
Provenance is our origin story — the word shares its meaning with Genesis, where the project began: a Sega Genesis emulator on iOS in 2016.
prov·e·nance /ˈprävənəns/ n. ¹ place of origin ² the beginning of something's existence
⌨️ Keyboard Controls
Show full keyboard mapping
| Key | Action | Key | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
W A S D |
D-Pad / Left Stick | Arrow Keys |
D-Pad / Right Stick |
Space / Return |
A Button | F / Escape |
B Button |
Q |
X Button | E |
Y Button |
Tab / Caps Lock |
L1 | Left Shift |
L2 |
R |
R1 | V |
R2 |
/ |
Select | Right Shift |
Start |
~ |
Menu | 1 / U |
Options |
X |
L3 | C |
R3 |
📊 Repository Activity
⭐ Star History
🤝 Contributing
We welcome bug fixes, features, documentation, and testing.
- Check open issues for something to work on
- Read Issues Usage before opening new ones
- Fork → branch → PR against
develop
💬 For discussion and community help: Discord · @provenanceapp · r/Provenance
❤️ Support Provenance
Provenance has been free and open-source since 2016. If it's brought you joy, please consider supporting ongoing development — every contribution keeps the project alive and improving.
📱 Provenance Plus — In-AppThe best way to support us while unlocking premium features:
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💸 One-Time & Recurring Donations
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🏆 GitHub Sponsors are automatically recognized in the Sponsors section of this README.
🎮 Patreon supporters get a dedicated TestFlight invitation queue — more slots, earlier access.
💜 Every dollar goes directly toward development, infrastructure, and keeping Provenance free.
🙏 Upstream Projects
Provenance wouldn't exist without these incredible open-source projects. Please consider supporting them!
Show all cores & libraries
Collaborators
James Addyman |
Joe Mattiello |
Sev |
MrJs |
Contributors
Sponsors
Bots
License Attribution
Provenance bundles 60+ open-source emulator cores and libraries under a variety of licenses (GPL, LGPL, MIT/Expat, BSD, and others). Each core's license and copyright holder are recorded in its Core.plist and displayed in the app's About > Licenses screen.
For the full machine-readable table of all bundled projects and their licenses, see LICENSES.md (auto-generated from Core.plist files by Scripts/generators/generate_licenses.py).
See LICENSE.md for Provenance's own license terms.
Copyright © 2016–2026 Joseph Mattiello and the Provenance contributors. All rights reserved. Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: (1) Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer. (2) Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution. (3) Neither the name Provenance nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse products derived from this software without prior written permission. (4) The Provenance name, logo, and associated trademarks may NOT be used in any commercial redistribution. See LICENSE.md for the full terms.