Best Commodore 64 Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: C64 Forever is ranked #1 of 28 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of Power64 and VICE. The best-ranked option with a free plan is VICE.
For running Commodore 64 software or exploring the system, emulator capabilities can make a practical difference. Compare emulated C64 variants and disk and tape formats, then look at built-in debugging, bundled software libraries, and netplay support. Supported platforms, free plans, and paid-from pricing help round out the comparison. VICE, Breadbin466, and C64 Forever lead the entries, with Z64K and CCS64 next. The order is a ranked best-of list; match the listed formats and features to the media, tools, and platform you need.
28 Commodore 64 emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  C64 Forever | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | 19.95 one-time | Windows | View |
| 2 |  Power64 | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | 30 one-time | macOS; Classic Mac OS | View |
| 3 |  VICE | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 4 |  Viciious | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Web browser; Node.js terminal | View |
| 5 |  Breadbin466 | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | macOS, Windows, Linux | View |
| 6 | Buddi | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 7 |  CCS64 | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows, DOS, Linux, Unix | View |
| 8 |  Z64K | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS and Linux via Java runtime | View |
| 9 |  Atari 5200DS | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DSi XL, Nintendo DSi LL | View |
| 10 |  VirtualC64 | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | macOS | View |
| 11 |  BMC64 | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Raspberry Pi Zero, Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, Raspberry Pi 2, Raspberry Pi 3 | View |
| 12 |  C64 by ChronoCoders | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Linux x86-64; Windows x86-64 (MSYS2 MinGW64) | View |
| 13 |  C64net | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows | View |
| 14 |  Frodo | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux/Unix | View |
| 15 |  Hoxs64 | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows 7/10/11 | View |
| 16 |  jsc64 | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | web browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari) | View |
| 17 |  Rust64 | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 18 |  simple-emu-c64 | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | View |
| 19 |  ViceSharp | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows | View |
| 20 |  Zinc64 | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Linux, Windows | View |
| 21 |  c64js | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | web | View |
| 22 | Denise | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 23 |  POKE64 | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | iPadOS | View |
| 24 |  Emu64 | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | Windows, Linux | View |
| 25 |  TRX64 | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which Commodore 64 emulator is ranked first on Inferse?
C64 Forever is ranked #1 of 28 with a score of 6.0. Power64 is second and VICE third.
How many of these have a free plan?
4 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.