86Box logo

Revolutionize your
retro PC experience.

86Box is a low level x86 emulator that runs older operating systems and software designed for IBM PC systems and compatibles from 1981 through fairly recent system designs based on the PCI bus.

Features

Downloads

The latest stable version of 86Box is v4.2.1, which was released on September 1, 2024, and is available from our GitHub repository.

We also offer nightly builds, which are built from the latest source code, but may not be as stable and/or optimized as stable builds.

Minimum system requirements and recommendations

Performance may vary depending on both host and guest configuration. Most emulation logic is executed in a single thread; therefore, systems with better IPC (instructions per clock) generally should be able to emulate higher clock speeds.

It is also recommended to use a manager application with 86Box for easier handling of multiple virtual machines.

It is also possible to use 86Box on its own with the --vmpath/-P command line option.

Getting started

See our documentation for an overview of the emulator’s features and user interface.

Get in touch

You can reach us on our IRC channel, Discord server or Twitter to discuss anything related to retro computing and, of course, 86Box. We look forward to hearing from you!

Visit our IRC channel

Visit our Discord server

Visit our IRC channel (requires an IRC client)

Twitter: @86BoxEmulator

YouTube: 86Box

Licensing

86Box is released under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later. For more information, see the COPYING file in the root of the repository.

The emulator can also optionally make use of munt, FluidSynth, Ghostscript and Discord Game SDK, which are distributed under their respective licenses.

Donations

We do not charge you for the emulator but donations are still welcome. You can also support the project on Patreon.