Mega Drive / Genesis emulator

AozoraMD is a C++20 desktop emulator for Windows, macOS and Linux. Development focuses on hardware accuracy, including CPU, VDP and audio timing.

Why AozoraMD?

Hardware accuracy: CPU, video and sound run on a shared master-clock timeline. The VDP models fetch slots, FIFO and DMA timing to handle mid-frame effects and bus contention.
AzoraVision BETA: An experimental shader that aims for a remastered look: upscaling, reducing dithering and color banding, and reconstructing transparency from checkerboard effects. Results vary by game and scene. Raw output and CRT modes are also available.
Built-in tools: Inspect CPU execution, memory, VDP layers and graphics in the debugger. Useful for homebrew development and tracking down emulation problems.
Everyday features: Save states, rewind, input recording, cheats and configurable controllers. OpenGL and Vulkan rendering on desktop.

Windows · macOS · Linux

Check GitHub Releases for available builds.

x64 · ZIP

Apple silicon · DMG

x86_64 · Flatpak

Source archives, release notes and SHA-256 checksums: GitHub Releases.

Installation notes

Windows: extract the entire ZIP and run aozoramd.exe.
macOS: copy AozoraMD from the DMG to Applications. Builds are unsigned and not notarized.
Linux: install Flatpak and add Flathub, then run flatpak install ./aozoramd-linux-x86_64.flatpak.

Mega Drive / Genesis: Primary target. 68000, Z80, VDP, YM2612 and PSG emulation.
Mega-CD / Sega CD: Experimental. Requires a user-supplied BIOS.
32X: Experimental. Requires user-supplied SH-2 BIOS files.
SVP: Experimental support for Virtua Racing.

Android arm64 is experimental; no Android package is offered here.

No ROMs or BIOS files are included. Open your own game files in the desktop app. Configuration and saves use ~/.aozoramd.