# NES / Famicom > The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit console that revived the video game industry after the 1983 crash. Its library is almost perfectly emulated. Web page: https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/ Page updated: 2026-09-30 - Developer: Nintendo - Released: 1983 - Processor: Ricoh 2A03 - Picture Processing Unit: RP2C02 - Picture Processing Unit Speed: 1.79 MHz - RAM: 16Kbit (2 Kib) - Video RAM: 16 Kbit (2 KiB) - Colors Available: 54 - Max Colors on Screen: 25 - Max Sprites: 64 - Max Sprites per Scan Line: 8 - Max Sprite Size: 8 x 8 or 8 x 16 pixels The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), known in Japan as the Famicom, is an 8-bit video game console designed and manufactured by Nintendo. It is widely credited with reviving the American video game industry after the crash of 1983. The NES launched some of Nintendo's most popular series, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. It also saw the birth of Capcom's Mega Man, Konami's Castlevania, Square's Final Fantasy and Enix's Dragon Quest series (Square and Enix later merged to form Square Enix). All of these franchises are still going today. The NES also changed how console makers worked with third-party developers: games could only be published with Nintendo's approval under its licensing programme. This gave Nintendo control over the quality of the games released for the system, which helped restore public confidence in home consoles. The console is no longer manufactured, but it has been emulated to the point where almost all of its hardware behaviour has been reproduced. Accuracy-focused emulators such as Nestopia emulate the hardware cycle by cycle, so what appears on screen should match what the original console produced. ## NES / Famicom Emulators - [ares](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/snes/emulator/ares/index.md): ares is an open source multi-system emulator focused on accuracy and preservation, covering the NES, SNES, N64, Sega consoles and more. The successor to higan. - [Mednafen](https://emulationking.com/sega/saturn/emulator/mednafen/index.md): Mednafen is an open source multi-system emulator, controlled from the command line, known for accurate Sega Saturn and PlayStation emulation. - [Mesen](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/emulator/mesen/index.md): Mesen is an open source multi-system emulator for the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and more, with a built-in debugger, for Windows, Linux and macOS. - [Nemulator](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/emulator/nemulator/index.md): Nemulator is an NES and Sega Master System emulator by James Slepicka, with cycle-accurate timing and support for most NES mappers and unofficial opcodes. - [Nintendulator](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/emulator/nintendulator/index.md): Nintendulator is an open source NES emulator for Windows that reproduces the console's hardware quirks, running games that less accurate emulators get wrong. - [FCEUX](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/emulator/fceux/index.md): FCEUX is an all-in-one NES emulator that pairs accurate emulation with tools for debugging, ROM hacking, movie recording and Lua scripting. - [Nestopia](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/emulator/nestopia/index.md): Nestopia is a cycle-accurate NES emulator with near-perfect compatibility. The original ended in 2008, but forks such as Nestopia UE continue it. - [Nestopia UE](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/emulator/nestopiaue/index.md): Nestopia UE (Undead Edition) is the maintained open source continuation of the accurate Nestopia NES emulator, with builds for Windows, macOS and Linux. - [puNES](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/emulator/punes/index.md): puNES is an open source NES emulator and NSF music player with a Qt interface and wide mapper support, for Windows and Linux. - [higan](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/emulator/higan/index.md): higan is a multi-system emulator by Near (formerly byuu), best known for its highly accurate SNES emulation, which puts accuracy ahead of speed. - [Jnes](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/emulator/jnes/index.md): Jnes is an NES emulator for Windows and Android by Jabo, one of the developers of Project64, with high compatibility, Zapper support and online play. ## NES Games - [Adventure Island II](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/adventureislandii/index.md): Adventure Island II is Hudson Soft's 1991 NES platformer, in which Master Higgins rides dinosaurs across eight islands to rescue Tina. - [Bubble Bobble](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/bubblebobble/index.md): Bubble Bobble is Taito's platform game, in which the dragons Bub and Bob trap enemies in bubbles across 100 single-screen levels. The NES version came in 1988. - [Dr. Mario](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/drmario/index.md): Dr. Mario is Nintendo's 1990 falling-block puzzle game, in which Mario throws coloured vitamin capsules into a bottle to wipe out viruses. - [Duck Hunt](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/duckhunt/index.md): Duck Hunt is Nintendo's 1984 light-gun game for the NES Zapper, in which you shoot flying ducks or clay pigeons while a dog retrieves them. - [Faxanadu](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/faxanadu/index.md): Faxanadu is Hudson Soft's 1987 NES action role-playing game, a spin-off of Falcom's Xanadu set on and inside the World Tree. - [Gumshoe](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/gumshoe/index.md): Gumshoe is Nintendo's 1986 Zapper game, in which you shoot to make the detective Mr. Stevenson jump and clear obstacles on his way to rescue his daughter. - [Mega Man 2](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/megaman2/index.md): Mega Man 2 is Capcom's 1988 NES action game, in which Mega Man fights eight new Robot Masters built by Dr. Wily. - [Mega Man 6](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/megaman6/index.md): Mega Man 6 is Capcom's 1993 NES action game, in which the mysterious Mr. X takes over a robot tournament and Mega Man uses Rush Adapters to fight back. - [Super Mario Bros.](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/supermariobros/index.md): Super Mario Bros. is Nintendo's 1985 platformer, in which Mario runs and jumps through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Toadstool from Bowser. - [The Legend of Zelda](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/legendofzelda/index.md): The Legend of Zelda is Nintendo's 1986 top-down adventure, in which Link explores Hyrule and its dungeons to rebuild the Triforce of Wisdom and defeat Ganon. - [Yoshi](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/yoshi/index.md): Yoshi is a 1991 NES and Game Boy falling-piece puzzle game from Game Freak, in which Mario swaps plates to match enemies and hatch Yoshis. - [Yoshi's Cookie](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/yoshiscookie/index.md): Yoshi's Cookie is a 1992 puzzle game in which Mario slides rows and columns of cookies to line up matching ones. - [Zelda II: The Adventure of Link](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/nes/games/zeldaiitheadventureoflink/index.md): Zelda II is Nintendo's 1987 sequel to The Legend of Zelda, a side-scrolling action game with role-playing experience levels, in which Link wakes Princess Zelda.