Free PS4 emulators make it possible to play PlayStation-only games on a PC, often with better graphics and frame rates. For the previous generation of Sony consoles, we’ve had a successful PS3 emulator by the team behind RPCS3. The emulator runs your favorite PS3 titles at smooth frame rates and, in some cases, enhanced visuals. However, there’s a new project in the works that’s willing to take it up a notch.
The PS4 emulator, known as RPCSX, was recently discovered on GitHub. It is produced by the same team as RPCS3, the top PS3 emulator at the moment. We speculate that this new emulator will be capable of running PS4 titles. Imagine playing titles like Bloodborne and Shadow of the Colossus on your beloved PC setup.
When can we expect RPCSX, possibly the best PS4 emulator?
The much-anticipated emulator is still in development. Considering RPCS3’s performance, it’s evident that the team previously put a lot of effort bringing PS3 games to PC. Fans should anticipate a similar amount of time for RPCSX’s development given the length of time it took for the emulator to get to where it is now.
From their official GitHub page, there’s some important information we must consider. Firstly, RPCSX isn’t presently being developed for Windows. This PS4 emulator is a test version created in C++ for Linux. There are currently no games that can be played on the emulator, although tests have shown promising results. Additionally, no time frame has been specified, according to the GitHub page.
Furthermore, it takes time to emulate the PS4’s operating system, deal with encryption, implement shaders, construct a user interface, and finally offer Windows compatibility.
In the meantime, you can still access PS4 games through a few alternatives. They are still in the very early stages of development, so there is a lot of work to be done in the upcoming years. Such emulators include Orbital, Spine and GPCS4.
The future of exclusives
RPCSX has another trick up its sleeve – PS5 compatibility. It’s a new level of intriguing feature of RPCSX, but it’s seemingly still years away. They also have a similar design, and developer DH explained that this is where the “X” in the name originates from on RPCSX’s expanding Discord channel.
Talking about a possible PS5 emulator, the developer wrote on their Discord channel:
And on RPCSX’s Discord Channel, developer DH had the following to say;
“PS5 has almost the same [firmware] and [hardware]. It will be emulator of PS4 only for long time. It seems good idea, but PS5 emulation is not in our priority, we will not upload any related with PS5 things soon … It will be emulator of PS4 only for long time.”
Like many titles in the past, PC will stand a chance to see more PS4 ‘exclusives’ officially arrive on Windows. Uncharted, God of War, and The Last of Us are good examples of such titles. However, this doesn’t negate the fact that PS4 and PS4 have a huge library of games that will stay exclusive to the console even after developers stop supporting the titles. And that’s when free PS4 emulators shine.
