Screenshot published in the Avocado project's official README. Image source: Avocado project on GitHub.

Avocado

PLAYSTATION EMULATOR

Avocado

Avocado is an open-source PlayStation (PS1) emulator project hosted on GitHub that targets modern platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux) and provides hardware-accelerated rendering, controller and memory-card support, and a growing compatibility list.

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Screenshot published in the Avocado project's official README. Image source: Avocado project on GitHub.

playstationPRIMARY SYSTEM

2018PROJECT BEGAN

Open sourcePROJECT MODEL

WHY IT MATTERS

Why Avocado exists

Avocado aims to be a modern, hardware-accelerated PS1 emulator focused on correctness and ongoing development rather than being a polished end-user product. It provides an alternative codebase for emulator developers and users who want to test compatibility or build from source.

BEST FOR

Where Avocado stands out

Active development history with a public compatibility list and prebuilt builds for multiple platforms; features include OpenGL rendering, support for common disc image formats (.cue/.bin/.img/.chd/.ecm), memory cards, DualShock input, basic audio (XA/Red Book), save states, and tools for developers (tests and builds).

Gameplay from Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation.

The people behind Avocado

History and status

The Avocado GitHub repository describes the project as "A Modern PlayStation 1 emulator." Development notes and changelog entries show active work since at least 2018 (compatibility list and many feature additions logged between 2018–2021). The project provides prebuilt nightly/develop builds for Linux, macOS, Android and Windows and maintains a separate compatibility database webapp. The README warns the emulator is still in early development: many games do not boot, audio is currently NTSC-tied (PAL games can stutter), timers may be inaccurate, and the emulator is single-threaded. Build instructions and platform-specific notes (Visual Studio, premake5, Clang, SDL2, Xcode/Homebrew) are included in the repository. The project is GPL-2.0 licensed on GitHub.

What Avocado supports

Windows (x86/x64)
macOS (x64)
Linux (x64)
Android (prebuilt builds available)

Download and availability

OFFICIAL DOWNLOADS

Get Avocado

Official source and releases are hosted on the project's GitHub page. Prebuilt/develop builds are available from the project's build site and releases page; building from source is supported via premake/premake5 and standard toolchains for each platform.

Get Avocado ↗

DOCUMENTATION

Official documentation

Read the official configuration, compatibility, and troubleshooting material before changing advanced options.

Read official documentation ↗

Broken or missing download? Emulator projects move and official links sometimes change. Please contact Retro Replay so the source can be verified and updated.

Avocado setup guide

Setup note: Practical setup for Avocado requires: 1) obtaining the emulator (prebuilt or building from source), 2) placing an official PlayStation BIOS file into Avocado's data/bios directory (the BIOS is NOT provided), and 3) using a compatible disc image or executable. Below are platform-specific build/run steps condensed from the project's README.

Get Avocado: Option A — download a prebuilt develop/nightly build from the project's builds page or GitHub releases. Option B — build from source: clone the repository with submodules (git clone –recursive https://github.com/JaCzekanski/Avocado.git).
Prepare the PlayStation BIOS: Avocado requires a real PlayStation BIOS placed in data/bios inside Avocado's application directory. On first run the BIOS selection is required. The emulator does not include BIOS files; obtain one from original hardware (legal note: keep only BIOS files you legally own).
Windows (build): Requirements: Visual Studio 2019 (or 2017) and premake5. After cloning: run premake5 vs2019, open avocado.sln in Visual Studio, select Release, and build. Built executable will run on supported Windows versions.
Linux (build): Requirements: Clang 6+, premake5, libsdl2-dev. After cloning: premake5 gmake, make config=release_x64 -jN. Run the resulting ./build/release_x64/avocado binary. The README references .ci/linux/build.sh for CI build examples.
macOS (build): Requirements: Xcode, premake5, Homebrew (for SDL2). After cloning: brew install sdl2, premake5 gmake, make config=release_x64 -jN. The built avocado.app is in build/release_x64/avocado.app.
Running games and images: Avocado accepts .cue/.bin/.img/.chd/.ecm and executable PS formats (.exe/.psexe/.psf/.minipsf) — drag and drop an image into the running app or use File->Open. For some LibCrypt-protected PAL games you may need subchannel files (.SBI or .LSD) from a verified archive placed alongside the image.
Controls, save and restore: Default hotkeys: Space = pause/resume, F1 = hide GUI, F2 = soft reset, Shift+F2 = hard reset, F5 = quick save, F7 = quick load, Tab = disable framelimiting, Backspace = rewind one second. Controller configuration is available in Options->Controller; memory cards are supported and can be loaded by drag & drop.
Practical tips and limitations: Audio timing may be NTSC-centric (PAL stutter), emulator is single-threaded, and many games will not boot or may crash; consult the project's compatibility list before spending time on configuration. Use the project's Discord or GitHub Issues for troubleshooting.

Software reminder: Avocado requires a PlayStation BIOS file from original hardware (not included). Do not expect perfect compatibility; consult the compatibility list and use the latest develop build for best results.