iHaiDeeZ/DolphinPS4

⬇ Get the latest version · Discord · Getting started · Controls · FAQ · Credits

Dolphin for PS4 brings the Dolphin emulator to jailbroken PS4 consoles as an app you launch from the home screen like any other. You browse your box art in a cover-flow library (or a PSP-style XMB, if you prefer), press Cross, and play with a DualShock 4. Pressing L3 + R3 during a game pauses it and opens a menu for save states, settings and cheats.

Under the hood, Dolphin's JIT recompiler runs on the PS4's CPU, and rendering goes through Vulkan: Mesa's RADV driver, adapted to submit work directly to the PS4's AMD GPU.

You bring your own game backups. Nothing copyrighted is bundled: no games, BIOS or keys.

A launcher made for the couch

• Your games as a row of covers, with the selected one up front, its title, platform and when you last played it. Tabs for Library, Memory Cards, Settings and Themes switch with L1 / R1.
• OPTIONS sorts the games A-Z, by Recently Played or by Platform; Square looks for new games.
• Prefer the PSP look? Settings → Menu Style → XMB brings back the columns, with purple badges for GameCube games and white ones for Wii games.
• Box art is fetched from GameTDB on its own each time the app starts, only for the games that are still missing a cover. GameCube discs without art show their built-in banner.
• It remembers the last game you played and starts there. A short animated intro plays at launch and when you come back from a game.

Every game tuned the way you like

• Each setting can be global or saved for a single game. Switch a game to This Game and it keeps its own copy; switch it back and it follows the global values again.
• Settings changed in the middle of a game stick.
• The app ships with settings tested on a base PS4, plus ready-made fixes for some games, such as Wii Sports without a Nunchuk and sideways Wii Remote games.
• Cheat codes (Action Replay and Gecko) can be switched on per game, from the launcher or the pause menu. Each code shows a green ON or red OFF tag, and Enable All / Disable All flip them in one go.

Memory cards you can see

• Every GameCube save shows up with its own icon, title, size and date, in both menu styles.
• Make a new, empty memory card for a fresh playthrough or a second player, and choose which card sits in Slot A. Your other cards keep their saves.

Play together

• Up to four players, each on their own DualShock 4. Turn on another controller, pick a PS4 user for it, and it becomes the next player, even in the middle of a game.
• Games only see the controllers that are really there, so nobody gets an empty extra port.

A pause menu on L3 + R3

• Eight save state slots, each marked Empty or Other Version when it can't be loaded.
• All settings, applied immediately.
• For Wii games, plug the Nunchuk in or out, or turn the Wii Remote sideways, without leaving the game.
• Quit straight back to the launcher.

Make it yours

• Twelve colour themes, from Dolphin Blue and GameCube Indigo to Wii White and Midnight.
• Drop PNG images in a folder to use them as wallpapers, or WAV files to replace the menu sounds.
• Remap the GameCube controller and the Wii Remote, with the DualShock 4 buttons shown as icons. The layout you pick is used by every player.

Built for the PS4's hardware

• Shaders are compiled in the background on spare CPU cores, and the cache is kept for next time.
• An automatic CPU clock that slows the emulated GameCube CPU down in heavy scenes, so games keep their normal speed instead of dragging, and brings it back up when a game starts dropping frames of its own.
• Pressure-sensitive L and R: a partial pull reaches the game as a partial press, and the click comes at the end of the pull.
• An Auto (60/30) frame limit that switches to a steady 30 FPS when a game can't hold 60.
• Logs, freeze reports and a profiler you can switch on when something needs investigating.

You need: a jailbroken PS4 that runs homebrew packages (developed on a launch-model "fat" PS4), an FTP connection to it, and backups of games you own.

1. Grab the latest DolphinPS4-vXX.XX.pkg from the releases page and install it with your package installer.
2. Put your games in /data/DolphinPS4/games/. Accepted formats are .rvz, .iso, .nkit.iso, .gcm, .gcz, .ciso, .wia, .wbfs and .tgc (discs), .wad (WiiWare, Virtual Console, channels), and .dol / .elf (homebrew). Multi-disc games just need (Disc 1) / (Disc 2) in their names.
3. Launch Dolphin from the home screen.

Tip: RVZ is the best format to store games in. It's much smaller than ISO and loads just as fast. Dolphin on a PC can convert your games (right-click → Convert File).

Updating: install the newer package on top of the old one. Everything you've set up lives in /data/DolphinPS4/ and survives updates. Settings → About shows which version you're on. Dolphin also checks GitHub for new versions: say Yes and it downloads the package, checks it and puts it in /data/pkg; then close Dolphin and install it from Debug Settings → Game → Package Installer (or GoldHEN's).

Any of these can be changed under Settings → Controls: highlight an input, press Cross, then press the button you'd like to use.

More players: switch on another DualShock 4 and choose a PS4 user for it. Players 2 to 4 use the same layout on their own controller. The pause menu belongs to player 1.

The launcher also has switches for its sounds and clock, a cover downloader, the controls editor, Reset All Settings and About.

The best settings found for each game live in xmb/game-settings.ini. Dolphin downloads it from GitHub every time it starts online, so a game's fix or speed-up reaches everyone without a new release. Your own settings (the menu, ps4.ini) always win over it.

Before a covered game's first start, Dolphin asks whether to use its recommended settings (Yes / No). Settings → Game Settings Center shows the source, the last update, Update Now, and your games with recommended settings, each switchable between Used and Not used (also at the top of the game's own Game Settings).

Triangle on a game → Cheats (or L3 + R3 → Cheats while playing).

• Download Codes fetches the game's Gecko codes from the internet. New codes arrive switched off.
• Your own codes: add them to /data/DolphinPS4/User/GameSettings/<GAME ID>.ini (for example GMSE01.ini, not a .txt), under a [Gecko] or [ActionReplay] line, each code starting with a $Name line. They then appear in the list to switch on.

Everything the app creates sits in /data/DolphinPS4/:

• games/: your game backups
• covers/: box art, one <disc ID>.png per game. Swap in your own art if you like.
• themes/: custom wallpapers (PNG) and menu sounds (themes/sounds/*.wav)
• User/: Dolphin's own data: GameCube memory cards, the Wii's saves, save states, shader cache and controller layouts
• settings.ini: your settings, global and per game
• xmb.ini: launcher preferences (theme, wallpaper, sounds, last game)
• ps4.ini: optional advanced switches, layered on top of the built-in defaults
• game-settings.ini: the game settings center's latest copy (downloaded; don't edit)
• *.log and *-stacks*.txt: logs and freeze reports for bug reports

Status	Meaning
	Runs well enough to play through
	Gets into the game, but slowdowns, glitches or freezes get in the way
	Shows the intro or menus, but doesn't get into the game
	Starts, but stays on a black screen
	Doesn't start, or closes right away

Tested by us on a launch-model PS4, average frames per second while playing:

Status	Game	System	FPS
	Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean	GameCube	30 (its normal rate), full speed with its recommended settings
	Call of Duty 2: Big Red One	GameCube	15–20 (its normal rate is 30)
	Chicken Little	GameCube	30 (its normal rate); video cutscenes need its recommended settings
	Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex	GameCube	20–60
	Crash Nitro Kart	GameCube	60
	Crash Tag Team Racing	GameCube	60
	Disney's Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers	GameCube	60 in light areas; heavy areas 30–55 (60–95% speed) with its recommended settings
	F-Zero GX	GameCube	~29 in races with its recommended settings (its normal rate is 60)
	FIFA Street 2	GameCube	~34
	The Hulk	GameCube	20–30 at full speed (Dolphin's own patch caps the frame rate: the game has audio and gameplay bugs when it runs uncapped)
	Killer7	GameCube	30 (its normal rate), full speed; froze on older versions without its recommended settings
	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess	GameCube	30 (its normal rate)
	Metroid Prime	GameCube	~48 with its recommended settings (its normal rate is 60)
	Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance	GameCube	60
	NBA Street Vol. 2	GameCube	55–60 at full speed; thin lines over the picture without its recommended settings
	NBA Street V3	GameCube	~42 in matches with its recommended settings (~70% speed, a little slow motion); menus 60
	Need for Speed: Most Wanted	GameCube	25–35 in races with its recommended settings (2x, no lines over the videos); cutscenes 13–30
	Resident Evil Zero	GameCube	25 (the European version's normal rate) at full speed with its recommended settings
	Resident Evil 4	GameCube	30 (its normal rate)
	Shadow the Hedgehog	GameCube	30–60
	Soulcalibur II	GameCube	35–60 in fights (average ~46), ~96% speed
	Sonic Adventure DX	GameCube	60
	Sonic Gems Collection	GameCube	60, smooth; Sonic the Fighters ~30 and needs its recommended settings (froze without them)
	Spider-Man 2	GameCube	15–29 (its normal rate is 30)
	Star Fox Adventures	GameCube	60 in gameplay with its recommended settings; cutscenes 42–52 (voices stutter a little)
	Super Mario Sunshine	GameCube	30 (its normal rate)
	Super Smash Bros. Melee	GameCube	36–60
	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003)	GameCube	50–60
	TMNT (2007, Europe)	GameCube	25 (the PAL version's normal rate); thin lines in some cutscenes
	Worms 3D	GameCube	~55
	Bully: Scholarship Edition	Wii	18–30 with its recommended settings (its normal rate is 30); busy streets and fights ~20–25, no slow motion
	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3	Wii	12–25 with its recommended settings (its normal rate is 30); freezes ~45 s into the first level without them
	Crash of the Titans	Wii	25–30 with its recommended settings (its normal rate is 30)
	Mario Kart Wii	Wii	45–50 in races with its recommended settings (its normal rate is 60)
	Sonic and the Black Knight	Wii	50–60 with its recommended settings; one heavy scene 25–40
	Super Mario Galaxy	Wii	40–60 (average ~56); don't turn on graphics mods: Bloom Removal halved its speed
	Wii Sports	Wii	~40
	Wii Sports Resort	Wii	~37

A range means the frame rate depends on what's on screen. Recommended settings come from the Game settings center and are applied when you say Yes at the game's first start.

Reported by testers on the Discord:

Status	Game	System	Console	Resolution	Result
	007: Agent Under Fire	GameCube	–	–	Smooth cutscenes, menus at 60 FPS; small drops in busy scenes, audio crackles at times
	007: Everything or Nothing	GameCube	–	–	27–30 FPS, stable, runs really well
	007: NightFire	GameCube	–	–	20 FPS, 49% speed
	1080° Avalanche	GameCube	–	–	20–35 FPS
	18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	2002 FIFA World Cup	GameCube	–	–	40 FPS, ~70% speed
	4x4 Evo 2	GameCube	–	–	Stuck at the “Licensed by Nintendo” screen
	Aggressive Inline	GameCube	–	–	45–60 FPS depending on the scene
	Alien Hominid	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	All-Star Baseball 2002	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	All-Star Baseball 2003	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	All-Star Baseball 2004	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	Amazing Island	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	American Chopper 2: Full Throttle	GameCube	–	–	Works, but can slow down a lot
	Animal Crossing	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	Army Men: Air Combat – The Elite Missions	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	Army Men: RTS	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	Army Men: Sarge's War	GameCube	–	–	Runs well; drops to 15 FPS in heavy fights, still playable
	Astérix & Obélix XXL	GameCube	–	–	Doesn't launch
	ATV: Quad Power Racing 2	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	Auto Modellista	GameCube	–	–	Runs, but slows down and drops to 20 FPS
	Avatar: The Last Airbender	GameCube	–	–	Stuck at the “Licensed by Nintendo” screen
	Backyard Baseball	GameCube	–	–	Works perfectly
	Backyard Baseball 2007	GameCube	–	–	18 FPS, 60% speed
	Backyard Football	GameCube	–	–	30 FPS, 60% speed
	Bad Boys: Miami Takedown	GameCube	–	–	25–30 FPS, ~70% speed
	Dead to Rights	GameCube	PS4 Slim, 12.52	720p	45–50 FPS, speed dips, some stutters, no crashes
	Dragon Ball Z: Budokai	GameCube	PS4 Slim, 12.52	1080p	60 FPS, stable, no stutters or crashes
	GoldenEye: Rogue Agent	GameCube	–	–	Cutscenes 15 FPS (up to 60% speed); unplayable in game
	The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction	GameCube	–	–	97–100% speed, some noticeable FPS drops, playable
	The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures	GameCube	PS4 Slim, 11.02	1080p	Steady 60 FPS most of the time
	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess	GameCube	PS4 Slim, 12.52	1080p	28 FPS, stable, no stutters or freezes
	Mario Kart: Double Dash!!	GameCube	PS4 Pro, 9.60	1080p	60 FPS, very smooth, no stutters or crashes
	Mario Party 7	GameCube	PS4 Pro, 11.00 (Boost Mode on)	–	45–60 FPS, very stable
	Mario Power Tennis	GameCube	PS4 Pro, 11.00 (Boost Mode on)	–	45–60 FPS, very stable
	Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (Europe)	GameCube	–	–	Runs fine at the start, then freezes (around the elevator)
	Pokémon Colosseum	GameCube	PS4, 13.52	–	30 FPS in gameplay and cutscenes (60 in menus), 100% speed
	Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness	GameCube	PS4, 13.52	–	25–30 FPS, heavier scenes ~20, playable
	Prince of Persia: Warrior Within	GameCube	PS4, 13.02	480p (native)	15–24 FPS
	Resident Evil 2	GameCube	–	–	30 FPS (reported by a player)
	Shrek 2	GameCube	PS4 (original), 9.00	720p (2x)	30 FPS, playable; some drops in cutscenes
	Shrek: Extra Large	GameCube	–	480p	30–60 FPS, some stuttering
	Sonic Adventure 2: Battle	GameCube	PS4, 13.52	–	30–60 FPS (mostly in the 30s), works normally, playable
	Sonic Gems Collection	GameCube	PS4 Pro, 13.52	1080p	Sonic R and Sonic CD run great; Sonic the Fighters crashed at the SEGA screen (fixed by its recommended settings)
	Sonic Heroes	GameCube	–	–	60 FPS
	Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy	GameCube	PS4 Pro, 6.72	1080p (3x), 2x anti-aliasing	50 FPS with Speed Features: Compatible (with Fast: a black screen instead of the THQ logo)
	Spider-Man 2	GameCube	PS4 Slim, 12.52	1080p	~25 FPS, dips to 80% speed, some stutters, no crashes
	SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom (Deluxe mod)	GameCube	–	480p	Playable, but the frame rate is unsteady with frequent slowdowns
	Super Smash Bros. Melee (Akaneia / ACE mod)	GameCube	PS4 Slim, 11.00	1080p	60 FPS, very stable, no stutters or crashes
	Tony Hawk's Underground	GameCube	–	–	Very low frame rate
	Ultimate Spider-Man	GameCube	–	Native	Many FPS drops, even at native resolution
	X2: Wolverine's Revenge	GameCube	PS4 Slim	2x	Full speed; a minor issue with the purple loading screen
	Angry Birds Trilogy	Wii	PS4 Slim, 11.00	–	20–30 FPS, not very stable, playable
	Animal Crossing: City Folk	Wii	PS4 Slim, 11.00	–	30–40 FPS, mostly ~40
	Arc Rise Fantasia (USA)	Wii	–	–	12–30 FPS with default settings, somewhat playable
	Bad Piggies (as reported)	Wii	–	–	Runs decently
	Donkey Kong Country Returns (USA)	Wii	PS4 (original), 11.00	–	40–45 FPS
	Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3	Wii	–	480p (native)	Runs well with a bit of lag; 720p is decent
	Far Cry Vengeance	Wii	–	–	Freezes at the title screen
	Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (USA)	Wii	–	–	60 FPS, but the game runs slow
	Inazuma Eleven GO Strikers 2013	Wii	–	Native	Special techniques work; performance is mixed
	Mario Kart Wii	Wii	PS4 Slim, 11.00	1080p	40–50 FPS, sometimes full speed, some stutters, no crashes
	Mario Party 9	Wii	PS4 Pro	–	30–50 FPS
	Michael Jackson: The Experience	Wii	–	480p / 720p	Stable 60 FPS
	New Super Mario Bros. Wii	Wii	PS4 Slim, 9.00	720p	60 FPS with V-Sync off; lag spikes on power-ups at 1080p and in local co-op
	PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond	Wii	PS4, 13.52	–	30 FPS, 100% speed; turn on Sideways Wii Remote for the D-pad
	Project Zero 2: Wii Edition	Wii	–	–	~30 FPS in empty corridors, 13–17 FPS in fights with several enemies: not recommended
	Rayman Raving Rabbids 2	Wii	–	–	The emulator closes right away
	The Smurfs: Dance Party	Wii	–	–	Runs with no problems
	Sonic Unleashed	Wii	PS4 Slim, 13.52	–	22–27 FPS (70–90% speed) with default settings, no crashes
	Spider-Man: Edge of Time	Wii	PS4 Slim	2x	Works perfectly; turn V-Sync off to fix graphics issues
	Super Mario Galaxy	Wii	–	–	45–60 FPS, 35–45 when a lot is on screen
	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Wii	PS4 (original)	–	35–45 FPS
	Super Paper Mario	Wii	–	1080p	50–60 FPS, stable, playable
	Super Smash Bros. Brawl	Wii	PS4 Slim, 11.00	1080p	60 FPS, stutters on some stages, no crashes
	Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (USA)	Wii	PS4 (original), 11.00	–	Stable, playable
	Wii Sports Resort (USA)	Wii	–	–	60 FPS, slow in some game modes; motion controls work
	Bomberman Blast	Wii (WiiWare)	PS4 (original)	–	49 of 60 FPS, stable, playable; some textures sometimes disappear, no crashes
	Contra ReBirth (USA)	Wii (WiiWare)	–	–	Stable 60 FPS with default settings
	Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (USA)	Wii (WiiWare)	–	–	30–60 FPS with default settings, playable
	"Pokémon Stadium" (name as reported)	–	–	1080p	30 FPS, a small drop at the start of battles, saves work
	Pokémon Colosseum	GameCube	PS4 Slim 9.00	1080p	1080p it works at 30 fps, could get more maybe out of 720p
	Sonic Riders	GameCube	PS4 Pro 13.52	1080p	Runs well in some places at 1080p, places with heavy reflections dip down to 50-35 fps
	Mario Strikers	GameCube	PS4 Slim 9.00	1080p	Runs perfect , 1080p 60fps most of the time. Very clean and very fast
	Happy feet	Wii	PS4 Slim	720p	Running Very well
	007 From Russia with Love	GameCube	PS4 Slim 13.02	–	Game freeze after the opening cutscene, gets stuck on loading.
	Virtua Striker 3	GameCube	PS4 Pro	–	Perfect until the match starts, then unplayable due to the game running extremely slowly.
	The Simpsons Road Rage	GameCube	PS4 Fat 9.00	720p	It loads everything cinematics, menus but when selecting the character it freezes
	Newer Super Mario Bros Wii	Wii	PS4 slim	720p	The game runs well in the menus, and cutscene runs at 45 to 50 fps gameplay runs from 55-60 fps
	The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword	Wii	PS4 fat	480p	Ran a consistent 30 fps

Tested a game that isn't listed? Tell us on the Discord or in an issue: the game, your console and firmware, the resolution and how it ran.

The full list is in FAQ.md: Wii Menu downloads and DNS blockers, saves, PS Move, crashes and more. The most common questions:

Why does a game slow down in busy scenes? The PS4's CPU is usually the bottleneck, not its GPU. Leave the emulated CPU clock on Auto. If the frame rate wanders between 45 and 55 and feels choppy, Frame Rate Limit → Auto (60/30) gives a smoother, steady 30.

The game hitches the first time an effect appears. Why? Its shader is being compiled. It's saved to the cache, so it won't happen there again. The Hybrid Ubershaders mode avoids even the first hitch, at some GPU cost.

A game shows glitches or locks up. Open its Game Settings and set Speed Features to Compatible. If it still happens, please report it.

Tilting the controller does nothing in Wii games. Motion controls need an official DualShock 4. Many third-party controllers have no motion sensors: the PS4 then reports a controller that never moves. Also check Settings → System → Motion Controls is On.

A Wii game tells me to disconnect the Nunchuk. Press L3 + R3 and set Wii Extension to None. The game remembers it.

Some covers are missing. The console has to be online when the app starts. GameTDB doesn't have art for every disc, so you can put your own PNG in covers/.

How do I report a bug? Turn on Settings → Diagnostics → All Diagnostics, play until the problem shows up, then open an issue. Attach boot-trace.log and dolphin.log from /data/DolphinPS4/, plus crash.log or any *-stacks*.txt file if there is one, and mention the game, its region and the app version.

Want to help test new versions, report a game that misbehaves or share frame rates? Join the Dolphin for PS4 Discord. When you report a problem, say which game and version (Settings → About) you used, and attach /data/DolphinPS4/dolphin.log if you can.

• Games built around Wii Remote pointing or motion are hard to play on a DualShock 4.
• Save states carry over to new versions unless a release says otherwise. A state an update can't load is marked "Other Version" in the menu and is never loaded halfway, but in-game saves are the safe place for progress. In-game saves are never affected.
• Netplay and texture packs aren't supported on the PS4. RetroAchievements is (Settings → RetroAchievements).
• Only the original PS4 has been tested so far. PS4 Pro reports are welcome.

• Dolphin: the emulator itself, from its creators F|RES and ector to the hundreds of people who have contributed since
• Mesa: the RADV Vulkan driver that draws every frame
• OpenOrbis and PacBrew: the PS4 toolchains
• love-ps4: the reference PS4 setup
• GameTDB: game titles and box art

Everyone involved, with licences, is listed in CREDITS.md.

Released under GPL-2.0-or-later, the same licence as Dolphin. See LICENSE.

This is a fan-made project with no ties to Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment or the Dolphin Emulator Project. GameCube and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo; PlayStation and PS4 are trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Please only play games you own. This project won't help you find or share game files.