Ryujinx (Ryubing)

Overview

Ryujinx is an emulator for the Nintendo Switch. An emulator is a program that imitates a console so that you can run its games on another device, here a computer. Ryujinx runs a large part of the Switch library, from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to Super Mario Odyssey, and can draw games in a sharper picture than the console does.

The original project stopped in 2024. Development went on under the name Ryubing, which is the project now hosted on the official Ryujinx site. The program is still called Ryujinx, and it is free and open source (MIT license). This sheet follows that current version.

Ryujinx is aimed at people who own a Switch and its games and want to play them on a computer. It is more demanding to set up than a retro-console emulator, because it needs files taken from your own console. Every step is explained below.

Key words explained

• Keys (prod.keys): Switch games are encrypted, like a locked box. The keys are the small file that opens the box. Ryujinx cannot read any game without it.

• Firmware: the Switch's operating system, the software that runs under every game, like Windows on a computer. Games call on parts of it, so the emulator needs a copy.

• Dumping: copying files from your own console or your own game cartridges onto a computer.

• XCI and NSP: two file formats for Switch games. XCI is a copy of a game cartridge. NSP is a package of a game as it is installed from the eShop. Ryujinx opens both.

• Update and DLC: an update is a patch for a game. DLC is extra downloadable content. Both are separate files that you add on top of the base game.

• Graphics backend: the technique the program uses to talk to your graphics card. Vulkan is the modern one and the one to choose.

• Shader: a small program run by the graphics card to draw effects. The emulator has to translate the console's shaders for your graphics card, which takes a moment, and the result is kept in a shader cache so that the work is done only once.

• Shader stutter: the short freezes you see while shaders are translated for the first time.

• Frame rate (FPS): how many images per second are drawn. Most Switch games aim for 30 or 60.

• Docked and handheld: the Switch runs at a higher resolution on a TV (docked) than in your hands (handheld). Ryujinx can imitate either.

• Save: the progress a game stores, as on the console.

System requirements

• Computer: a 64-bit processor with several cores, a graphics card that supports Vulkan, and enough memory. As a rough guide, 8 GB of memory is the minimum and 16 GB is comfortable. Demanding games need a recent processor and a dedicated graphics card.

• Operating systems: Windows 10 or 11, Linux (x64 or ARM), and macOS on Apple Silicon Macs. The official download page says Intel Macs are not properly supported.

• Not available on phones: use a computer.

How to check your computer: on Windows, press the Windows key, type System Information and open it. It shows your processor and installed memory. For the graphics card, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and look at the Performance tab. Keep your graphics drivers up to date, since many problems come from old ones (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel).

What you need

• The emulator itself, free from the official site.

• The keys (prod.keys) and the firmware of your own Switch. They are not provided with Ryujinx and must come from your own console. The official setup and configuration guide explains how to dump them. This sheet does not cover that step.

• Your own games, dumped from your own cartridges or your own installed games (XCI or NSP files), with their updates and DLC if you own them.

• A controller. A Switch Pro Controller, a pair of Joy-Con, or an Xbox or PlayStation pad all work. A keyboard also works but is awkward for most games.

• Free disk space: the emulator is small, but games take between a few and about 20 GB each.

Installation

Always download from the official download page. Look-alike sites exist, so avoid downloading from anywhere else.

• Windows: download the x64 build, extract the archive into a folder of your choice (for example Documents\Ryujinx), then double-click Ryujinx.exe. If Windows reports a missing DLL (a missing component), install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64).

• macOS (Apple Silicon only): open the downloaded file, drag Ryujinx into Applications. The first time, macOS may block it: open System Settings > Privacy & Security and allow it.

• Linux: download either the tarball (an archive that contains the program and what it needs) or the AppImage (a single file that runs on its own). Both exist for x64 and ARM. For an AppImage, make the file executable (right-click > Properties > Permissions) and run it.

How to know it worked: the Ryujinx window opens with an empty game list. If it does, move to the next section.

First setup

Ryujinx keeps its own data (settings, keys, firmware, saves) in a folder of its own. You can open it at any time with File > Open Ryujinx Folder. Do the steps below in this order.

1. Install the keys. Open Tools > Install Keys and pick your prod.keys file, or the folder that contains it. You can also copy the file into the system folder inside the Ryujinx folder and restart. Why: without keys, no game can be read. Ryujinx checks the file when it starts.

2. Install the firmware. Open Tools > Install Firmware and pick the firmware you dumped (an XCI or ZIP file, or a folder). Why: games rely on parts of the Switch system. The keys must be at least as recent as the firmware, or the install fails with an error.

3. How to know it worked: after the firmware install, Ryujinx shows the firmware version it installed. If an error appears instead, see Common problems below.

4. Open Options > Settings > General. In Game Directories, add the folder where you keep your games, then confirm. Ryujinx lists every game it finds there.

5. Set up your controller in Options > Settings > Input (see Controls).

6. Double-click a game to start it. The first launch is slow: this is normal.

Adding your games

• Put your XCI and NSP files in the folder you added in Game Directories. The list updates when you reopen Ryujinx or when you add the folder again.

• Updates and DLC: right-click a game and choose Manage Title Updates to select an update, or Manage DLC to add extra content. Many games need their latest update to run correctly.

• Only use files from your own games.

Controls

Controller mapping means telling the emulator which of your buttons acts as which Switch button. In Options > Settings > Input, choose a player, then pick your device in the Input Device list.

• Controller type: Pro Controller is the simplest choice and suits almost every game. Handheld imitates the console held in your hands. Pair of Joy-Con lets two Joy-Con act together as one controller.

• If your pad is recognized, a ready-made profile is usually offered. If not, press each button in the settings window to assign it. Click Save when done.

• Motion controls, used by a few games, work with some controllers that have motion sensors (for example DualShock 4, DualSense, Switch Pro Controller).

• Keyboard: it can be mapped in the same window if you have no controller.

• If the controller is not detected, plug it in or switch it on before launching Ryujinx.

Graphics and performance settings

Open Options > Settings > Graphics. The main options are explained here. If you are not sure, keep the defaults and change one thing at a time.

• Graphics Backend: Vulkan. It is the recommended way to talk to your graphics card. Use OpenGL only if Vulkan causes problems.

• Resolution Scale: 1x matches the console. 2x gives a sharper picture and needs a powerful graphics card. Lower the value if the game runs slowly.

• Anisotropic Filtering: sharpens textures seen at an angle, such as a road ahead. 4x or more is cheap on modern cards.

• Enable Shader Cache: leave it on. It stores translated shaders so that stutter fades after the first sessions of a game.

• VSync: keeps the picture in step with your screen to avoid tearing. Leave it on unless you want to run a game above its normal frame rate.

• Docked mode: in Options > Settings > System, Enable Docked Mode runs games at the TV resolution. Turning it off imitates handheld, which is lighter on a weak computer.

Mods (resolution, frame rate or content) are optional. Right-click a game and choose Open Mods Directory to see where to put them, or Manage Mods to switch them on and off. Cheats can be managed from the same right-click menu. A mod that is not meant for your game version can crash it.

Saves

Games save progress as on the console (an in-game save): you save from the game's own menu. Ryujinx has no save states, which are snapshots of the whole emulator taken at any moment.

To find or back up the saves of a game, right-click it and choose Open User Save Directory. You can copy that folder somewhere safe. The whole data folder (File > Open Ryujinx Folder) also contains your saves, so copying it is a complete backup.

Updating

Download the new version from the official download page and replace the program files. Your settings, keys, firmware and saves are in the separate Ryujinx data folder, so they are kept. Back it up first if you are cautious.

Common problems

• Keys not found, or a message about missing keys: the keys were not installed. Use Tools > Install Keys again, then restart Ryujinx.

• Firmware install fails or a parsing error: your keys are older than your firmware. Use keys dumped from the same console after it was updated.

• A game says it needs a newer firmware: the game was made for a later system version. Dump the firmware again from your own updated console and install it.

• A black screen or a crash at start: install the latest update of the game, check that the firmware is installed, and update your graphics drivers.

• Stutter during the first sessions: shaders are being translated. Keep the shader cache on and it fades.

• A missing DLL message on Windows: install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64).

• The controller is not detected: connect it before launching Ryujinx, then select it again in Options > Settings > Input.

• Slow game: lower Resolution Scale, turn off Docked mode, close other programs, and plug in a laptop.

Going further

• Official site and downloads.

• Setup and configuration guide, the reference for dumping your own files and for every setting.

• LDN status page: local wireless play over the internet between Ryujinx users.

• Project blog for news.

• Alternative: Eden, also on Android.