RPCS3 is an open-source PC emulator for PlayStation 3 that allows you to play your favorite PS3 games on your Windows PC. RPCS3 is an experimental open-source Sony PlayStation 3 emulator and debugger written in C++ for Windows and Linux. It uses the GNU General Public License Version 2. According to the license, you are welcome to use RPCS3 Emulator and its source code for any purpose, but distributing the program requires that the source code be released and attribution given.
The goal of this project is to experiment, research, and educate on the topic of PlayStation 3 emulation that can be performed on compatible devices and operating systems. All information was obtained legally by purchasing PlayStation 3 hardware and software. Additional information was obtained from various sources on the internet that include but is not limited to system hardware and software documentation.
'Join our Discord community featuring over 37,000 members for project announcements, developer interaction and emulator configuration support. With regular interaction from our team, we aim to create a tight-knit community of emulation hobbyists and PlayStation 3 fans alike. Our server features a custom designed compatibility bot that allows users to request, then fetch the status for over 2800 tested PlayStation 3 titles.'
Frequently asked questions for the curious
Installing PlayStation 3 firmware files
'Due to legal reasons, we cannot distribute official PlayStation 3 firmware files.' You must download the latest PlayStation 3 firmware update file from PlayStation.com for use with the game emulator. Once downloaded, you must install the firmware using the app's built in firmware installer found under File > Install Firmware.
Managing PlayStation 3 titles
Due to legal reasons, PlayStation 3 titles cannot be distributed online and must be self-dumped from your own PlayStation 3 console or from your computer using a compatible Blu-ray drive. Both Blu-ray and PlayStation Network titles (PSN) must be placed into a single folder with their respective files and the folder name must correspond to the title's ID. If you are not sure what your dumped title's region ID is, you can find your region ID on the bottom side-edge of your game case.
Installing PlayStation 3 title updates
Title updates are handled the same as PSN .pkg files. The. pkg update file must be installed using the tool's built-in package installer found under File > Install .pkg. The update will be placed in the title folder that corresponds to the correct region ID. Please note that title updates must be the same region in order to work. Cross-mixing title regions may create irreversible damage to the title.
How stable is RPCS3 game emulator in its current state?
It is stable enough to boot into games and play many of them with ease. Stability is more of a per-game factor that may change with new builds as new features get implemented. As PS3 emulators progress in accuracy, there may be some regressions that occur and stability is typically one of them. Rest assured, the developers are always hard at work when it comes to keeping the app as stable as possible for now and into the future.
What input devices can I use with the program?
'We currently support keyboard / mouse inputs and native DualShock 4 controllers. We also support XInput and MMjoy based controllers. Unfortunately, we currently do not natively support DualShock 3 controllers. You can however use third-party tools like SCP Driver Package to allow your DualShock 3 controller to function like an XInput controller. We plan to add additional input methods in the future as we implement more meaningful features to the emulator.'
Where do I get PlayStation 3 games and software?
'Typically, you want to dump your own PlayStation 3 games and software from your own console. We believe that this is the most efficient and safest way to migrate your disc-based games and digital games from your console to your PC. You can also dump games using select compatible Blu-ray drives. Not every Blu-ray drive will recognize PlayStation 3 games due to how data is formatted on the disc.'
Can I play multiplayer games online with real consoles or other users?
'Unfortunately, this is not something we're even remotely close to implementing just yet in RPCS 3's current stage of development. Online multiplayer is something we're thinking about, but we may not focus on it until It is as stable and as accurate as possible. Playing games online with real PlayStation 3 systems would require the user to connect to PlayStation Network which isn't very feasible due to obvious technical and legal limitations.'
Can I at least import my save data from my real PlayStation 3?
Yes, saves can be imported from a real PlayStation 3 system using the standard USB flash drive transfer method. Due to how the user account system works on a real PlayStation 3 system, in some cases, you may need to re-sign your save.
Will emulator be ported to platform X or include feature Y?
'As long as the platform is powerful enough to emulate the PlayStation 3, probably yes. At the moment we only target Windows and Linux. macOS is not supported at the moment because it only supports up to OpenGL 4.1 and doesn't support Vulkan either. The same applies to additional features. If they are reasonable and are requested by enough people, we will most likely agree and implement it. For now, It consider the PS3 emulator itself biggest priority rather than all the other secondary features such as GUI translations, higher rendering resolutions, PlayStation Move support, etc.'