Initial Setup
Supported Devices and Platforms
RPCS3 is capable of running on many different hardware configurations, so long as the recommended hardware requirements are met.
Expect good performance for desktop and laptop PCs running on any of the supported operating systems as well as the recommended system hardware specifications.
See the PC Requirements section for more details.
Expect decent performance on Macs with high-end Intel CPUs and variable performance with Apple Silicon on macOS 14.3+, 15.0+ or later.
See the For Mac section for more details.
Expect highly variable performance for handhelds with less than 6 cores and/or 16GB of RAM. Using Linux is highly recommended due to its lower software overhead.
See the For handhelds section for more details.
Supported Input Devices
RPCS3 supports a multitude of inputs ranging from Xinput, Dinput, SDL and proprietary Sony APIs.
Can be used, but your experience may vary
Works via a Bluetooth or USB connection
Works via a Bluetooth or USB connection
Works via a Bluetooth or USB connection
Works via a Bluetooth or USB connection
Works via a USB connection
PC Requirements
Hardware requirements for running RPCS3 will vary depending on your current configuration. For the best experience, users should be targeting the recommended requirements. We cannot guarantee good performance if you are below the recommended requirements but you're always welcome to experiment.
Recommended
For running all playable games with playable performance
CPU
AMD - 6 cores and 12 threads or more
AMD Zen 3 architecture or newerIntel - 6 cores and 12 threads, 8 cores or more
Intel Comet Lake architecture or newerGPU
AMD - Vulkan compatible with active driver support
AMD Polaris architecture, RX 400 series or newerNVIDIA - Vulkan compatible with active driver support
NVIDIA Maxwell architecture, GTX 900 series or newerRAM
16 GB of dual-channel RAM or more
Memory in dual-channel mode is highly recommended over single-channelStorage
SSD storage for emulator data, SSD or HDD storage for games
512 MB for base emulator data, 5 GB for virtual console dev_hdd1 cache
128 MB for emulator cache and console user data per installed game
OS
Windows
Windows 10 22H2 or later, Windows 11 24H2 or laterLinux
Linux 6.13 (Latest), 6.12 (LTS) or latermacOS
macOS 14.3+, 15.0+ or laterFreeBSD
FreeBSD 13.4+, 14.1+ or laterMinimum
For being able to boot/run games, performance is not guaranteed
CPU
AMD - Any x64 CPU
CPUs without AVX2, with 4 threads or less, or with 2 cores per CCX should perform badlyIntel - Any x64 CPU
CPUs without AVX2, or with 4 threads or less should perform badlyGPU
AMD - OpenGL 4.3 compatible or newer
AMD Evergreen architecture, HD 5000 series or newerNVIDIA - OpenGL 4.3 compatible or newer
NVIDIA Fermi architecture, GTX 400 series or newerRAM
8 GB of RAM or more
Single-channel memory should perform badlyStorage
SSD or HDD storage for emulator data and games
512 MB for base emulator data, 5 GB for virtual console dev_hdd1 cache
128 MB for emulator cache and console user data per installed game
OS
Windows
Windows 10, Windows 11Linux
Linux 5.15 (Older LTS), Ubuntu 22.04 or latermacOS
macOS 14.3+, 15.0+ or laterFreeBSD
FreeBSD 13.4 or laterFor PC Laptops
RPCS3 performs well when running on powerful Intel and AMD based laptops. We recommend laptops with a CPU that has at least 8 cores with AVX-512 as well as a GPU with vulkan compatibility. Expect highly variable performance on laptops with less than 8 cores or low-power chipsets.
We recommend using a laptop that fits within the following criteria:
- A laptop with 8-cores and 16-threads or greater
- A laptop with 16GB of RAM or greater
- A dedicated graphics card with Vulkan compatibility
- A dedicated graphics card with 4GB of VRAM or greater
Here are some examples of performant mobile Intel CPUs for use with RPCS3:
- Intel Core i9-13980HX
- Intel Core i9-12900HX
- Intel Core i7-11800H (AVX-512)
- Intel Core i5-11400H (AVX-512)
Here are some examples of performant mobile AMD CPUs for use with RPCS3:
- AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX (AVX-512)
- AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX
- AMD Ryzen 7 6800H
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
For Handhelds
RPCS3 is capable of running on powerful handhelds, but expect highly variable performance for handheld devices with less than 8 cores.
We recommend using a handheld that fits within the following criteria:
- A handheld with 8-cores and 16-threads or greater (AMD's Zen 4 architecture is highly recommended)
- A handheld with 16GB of RAM or greater
- An APU/SOC GPU with Vulkan compatibility
Here are the hardware specifications for this handheld:
- AMD 4-cores / 8-threads APU (Custom)
- 16GB LPDDR5 (5500MHz)
- 64GB - 512GB (Expandable)
- SteamOS
Here are the hardware specifications for this handheld:
- AMD 8-cores / 16-threads APU (Z1 Extreme)
- AMD 6-cores / 12-threads APU (Z1)
- 16GB LPDDR5 (6400MHz)
- 512GB (Expandable)
- Windows 11
Here are the hardware specifications for this handheld:
- AMD 8-cores / 16-threads APU (Z1 Extreme)
- AMD 6-cores / 12-threads APU (Z1)
- 16GB LPDDR5 (7500MHz)
- 512GB (Expandable)
- Windows 11
User Interface
Here is a quick and basic overview of the RPCS3 user interface.
- SYS: 13th Gen(R) Core(TM) i9-13900KS | 32 Threads | 47.85GiB RAM | TSC 3.187GHz | AVX+ FMA3
- SYS: Operating system: Windows, Major: 11, Minor: 0, Build 22621, Service Pack: none, Compatibility mode: 0
- SYS: Current Time: 2023-05-16T12:00:00
- RSX: Found Vulkan-compatible GPU: 'NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090' running on driver 545.92.0.0
- SYS: Firmware Version 4.88
S UPDATER: RPCS3 is up to date!
PS3 Game Directory
Some PlayStation 3 games come in the form of package files, specifically PlayStation Network games, game updates or applications in general. .PKG files must be extracted using RPCS3's package installer found under File > Install Packages/Raps/Edats (or drag and dropped onto emulator window)
Blu-ray disc game data should be placed in \games located in your RPCS3 root folder or anywhere else except for \dev_hdd0\game\ and can be booted from File > Boot Game if not present on the game list.
Note: PlayStation Network games must be placed in \dev_hdd0\game\
Note: PlayStation Network .rap files must be placed in \dev_hdd0\home\00000001\exdata\ (or drag and dropped onto emulator window)
PS3 Save Directory
PlayStation 3 save data is specific to each game you have installed. It's easy to import a save from a real PlayStation 3 or outside source by simply dragging and dropping it into the save data directory.
Here are the locations where save data is stored per operating system:
For Windows users, save data files can be managed in \dev_hdd0\home\00000001\savedata\
For Linux users, save data files can be managed in ~/.config/rpcs3/dev_hdd0/
For macOS users, save data files can be managed in ~/Library/Application Support/rpcs3/dev_hdd0/home/00000001/savedata/
For FreeBSD users, save data files can be managed in ~/.config/rpcs3/dev_hdd0/
PS3 Game Updates
Game updates are handled the same as PlayStation Network .PKGs. Simply install using RPCS3's package installer found under File > Install Packages/Raps/Edats
Note: Game updates must be the same region in order to work. Cross-mixing game regions may create irreversible damage to the game.
Compatible PC Blu-ray Drives
Here's a list of known compatible Blu-ray drives that are capable of reading PlayStation discs for use with your computer.