If you are planning on playing games that were initially developed for running on a particular video game console, you will need to deal with downloading and installing such programs as emulators and ROMs.

Presently, you get a chance to play classic video games on your personal computer, Mac, or Android device even when you don’t own a console system. Nevertheless, despite the seeming easiness of the emulation process, many users find themselves unable to install the programs and ROMs quickly and painlessly. Lots of gamers have to tinker with emulators for hours prior to finally launching their favorite games on the computer. We suggest going on reading our tutorial which was especially created to make the process of installing an emulator and ROMs easier and more comfortable.

A Few Words about Emulators and ROMs

The emulation is the process of simulating a certain type of hardware on another machine. Through the magic of such programs, you can play NES, SNES, N64, and even Sega Genesis games on your Windows, Mac, or a mobile device without having a physical console whose functions are performed by an emulator.

And what about ROMs? Why do we need them? As you might have understood, emulator alone is not enough to start enjoying classic video games. Except for an emulator, you will need to download ROMs, also known as ISOs. These files represent images of some certain games, such as Super Mario Bros, X-Men 4, and many others. ROMs are converted files that came from original cartridges or CDs storing a game. With their help you can run console game on the device of your choice.

Choosing and Downloading an Emulator

Now that you are familiar with important terms, we can proceed to a more important stage. Go surf the Internet to find a suitable emulator and get it downloaded.

• Usually users download the emulators having the highest rating and nice feedback.

Make sure to scan the acquired software by means of an antivirus program, then.

Choosing and Downloading ROMs

There is a plethora of sources that offer ROMs for the most popular games. Be choosy and visit only reputable and trustworthy websites to get ROMs. Once you have chosen the ROMs you want to play, don’t hesitate to download them.

• Don’t forget to pay attention to the descriptions that accompany ROMs to get the files that will be compatible with your emulator. Also be mindful of the game system you intend to use when downloading ROMs.

Installing an Emulator and ROMs
After downloading your emulator and ROMs, will need to use a proper program to extract the new files’ content. You can take advantage of such popular programs as WinZip, WinRAR, or 7-ZIP to unpack the downloaded files. Mac users should use The Unarchiver to extract the files.

Still, there are situations where it is more convenient to leave the archived files are they are and put them into the appropriate folder, you should create yourself for storing your ROM files.

Some emulators are automatically saved to the default folder. So, make sure that the files have been stored in the appropriate game folder.

Then, you should launch your emulator and load the ROMs you want to play. That’s all! Now you can start enjoying cool console games on your device.