Best MS-DOS Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: dosbox-automation is ranked #1 of 26 as of 3 October 2026, ahead of DOSBox Staging and Magic DosBox. The best-ranked option with a free plan is DOSBox Staging.
Choosing an MS-DOS emulator means checking compatibility with the software or games you want to run and the system you plan to use. Compare DOS target versions, supported host platforms, and disk image formats, then look at audio CD and gamepad support, save states, and source availability. Free-plan and paid-from details are included as well. DOSBox Staging, dosbox-automation, and DOSBox Pure head the displayed entries, followed by DOSBox and DOS Browser. Use the ranking as an order to explore options, and check the listed platform and format details against your setup.
26 MS-DOS 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 host platforms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  dosbox-automation | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows, Linux | View |
| 2 |  DOSBox Staging | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | View |
| 3 |  Magic DosBox | 6.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Android | View |
| 4 |  DOS Browser | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Steam Deck | View |
| 5 |  DOSBox | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Windows, Linux, macOS | View |
| 6 |  DOSBox Optionals | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows | View |
| 7 |  DOSBox Pure | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | View |
| 8 | DosKit | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | windows, macos, linux, ios, android | View |
| 9 |  DOSBox 3DS | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Nintendo 3DS | View |
| 10 |  DOSBox PSP | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | PlayStation Portable | View |
| 11 |  DOS Wasm X | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | web, mobile | View |
| 12 |  DOSBox Wii | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Wii, Wii U/vWii | View |
| 13 |  dosdoor | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Linux x86_64; macOS ARM64; macOS x86_64 | View |
| 14 |  EM-DOSBox | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | web | View |
| 15 |  js-dos | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | web browser, Node.js, mobile browsers | View |
| 16 |  MS-DOS Player | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows | View |
| 17 |  Retro-DOS | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | android, ios | View |
| 18 |  UniPCemu | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows, Android, PSP, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita | View |
| 19 |  DOS-Emulator | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | macOS, Ubuntu Linux | View |
| 20 |  DOSVAXJ3 | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows, Linux, macOS | View |
| 21 |  DOSVisor | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | windows | View |
| 22 |  riapyx | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | windows, macos | View |
| 23 |  Shed | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 24 | DOSBox-X | 5.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 25 |  Unity | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | 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 MS-DOS emulator is ranked first on Inferse?
dosbox-automation is ranked #1 of 26 with a score of 7.4. DOSBox Staging is second and Magic DosBox third.
How many of these have a free plan?
6 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.