The famous PlayStation 3 emulator is getting some major upgrades these days, and with the new one, it can now run on more devices.
RPCS3 Releases for Native Windows ARM64 Builds, But No Plans for Further Expansion
The RPCS3 developers are doing a great job these days, and perhaps this is the biggest update we have seen from the devs in a while. A few days ago, RPCS3 enabled direct ISO mounting of PS3 disc games, which made mounting games pretty convenient. Today, it announced that it has rolled out native Windows ARM64 builds for the emulator, which is now available to download from the website.
Why is it huge? Because now users with Windows-on-ARM PCs can run the emulator, enabling RPCS3 to run PS3 games on PCs with processors like Snapdragon X Elite, X Plus, etc. The software already runs on Linux ARM64 devices, which was made possible in late 2024, but Windows-based ARM64 devices lacked compatibility. The update just expanded the compatibility of the emulator to both X64 and ARM64 architectures on the three most popular operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, and macOS.
On the other hand, FreeBSD remains supported on X64 systems only. That said, the support will likely stay in its current form, as the RPCS3 team has indicated no plans to expand beyond its existing target platforms. Still, RPCS3 is now one of the most widely available high-end console emulators, but there are a few caveats that we think should be remembered.
Despite the availability of native builds, the RPCS3 team says that the lack of access to Windows-on-ARM hardware with fully functional OpenGL/Vulkan drivers limits RPCS3's compatibility with some games. As reported by a user, he couldn't run Dead to Rights, to which the RPCS3 team responded:
Unfortunately, we don't have any hardware that can run Windows-on-ARM with functioning OpenGL/Vulkan drivers that can run RPCS3. We rely on user reports to know if something is wrong on Windows arm64 builds. Please open an issue on our issue tracker if you find an arm64 only bug.
RPCS3 heavily relies on modern graphics APIs such as Vulkan and OpenGL, and since GPUs on Windows ARM64 devices, such as the Qualcomm Adreno GPUs, aren't fully mature, some games may not run at all. Still, RPCS3 devs are trying to fix as many bugs as possible in many areas through community-submitted reports.
News Source: @rpcs3
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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