Dolphin

Overview

Dolphin is a free, open-source emulator for the Nintendo GameCube and the Nintendo Wii. An emulator is a program that imitates a console, so that your computer or phone can run that console's games. Dolphin has been developed since 2003 and is still updated very regularly. It runs most of the library of both consoles, from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Metroid Prime to Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart Wii.

It is made for anyone who owns GameCube or Wii games and wants to play them on a computer or an Android phone, often in higher definition than the original consoles could show. It needs no console system file to start, which makes it one of the easiest emulators to set up. The part that takes a little learning is the controllers, especially the Wii Remote, which is explained below.

Dolphin also has a wiki with a page per game, listing known problems and recommended settings. It is worth a look before you play a new game.

Key words explained

• Disc image: a single file that is a copy of a game disc. The common types are ISO and GCM (uncompressed), and RVZ, WIA and GCZ (compressed). WBFS and CISO are also compressed, but they drop the unused parts of the disc.

• RVZ: a compressed disc image format made by Dolphin. It makes files much smaller without losing any data, and Dolphin can read it directly.

• WAD: a file that holds a downloadable Wii game or channel (WiiWare, Virtual Console). Dolphin installs it into the emulated Wii memory.

• Dumping: making a copy of your own discs, saves or console files on your own console. This is how you get files that Dolphin can use.

• NAND: the internal memory of a Wii. Dolphin emulates it in a folder on your computer. Wii saves and installed channels live there.

• Memory card: on a GameCube, the small card that stores saves. Dolphin emulates it with a file.

• Video backend (or graphics backend): the technology Dolphin uses to talk to your graphics card. The choices are Vulkan, Direct3D 11, Direct3D 12 (Windows), Metal (macOS) and OpenGL. They draw the same picture, but one may be faster or more stable on your computer.

• Internal resolution: the size of the picture Dolphin draws inside, before showing it on your screen. The GameCube and Wii drew at about 480p. A higher multiplier makes a sharper picture and needs a stronger graphics card.

• Shader: a small program that tells your graphics card how to draw an effect. Dolphin has to build (compile) them while you play. Building one can make the game freeze for a split second, which is called shader compilation stutter.

• Frame rate (FPS): how many images are shown each second. Most GameCube and Wii games run at 30 or 60 FPS. Dolphin shows 100% speed when it keeps up with the real console.

• Save state: a snapshot of the whole emulator at one moment, that you can load again at any time. It is different from an in-game save, which is the game's own save through its menus.

• Hotkey: a keyboard shortcut for an emulator action, such as saving a state.

• Controller mapping: telling Dolphin which button of your real controller is which button of the console controller.

• Portable mode: a mode where Dolphin keeps all its settings and saves next to the program, so you can move the folder or run it from a USB drive.

• Sensor bar: the bar with infrared lights that sits near the TV on a Wii. The Wii Remote sees it to know where it is pointing.

System requirements

According to the official performance guide:

• Desktop: 64-bit Windows 10 (version 1903 or newer), Linux, or macOS 11 Big Sur or newer.

• Processor: 64-bit (x86-64 or ARM64). Four or more cores are recommended. Dolphin depends mostly on how fast a single core is, so a recent processor with a high clock speed matters more than the number of cores.

• Graphics: a card that supports Direct3D 11.1, OpenGL 4.4 or Vulkan 1.1. Onboard graphics generally work for native or low resolutions.

• Android: 64-bit phone, Android 5.0 or newer according to the performance guide (Android 9 or newer recommended). The official FAQ says Android 7.0. A recent phone is advised, and Wii games ask for a powerful one.

• Memory: 2 GB or more is recommended. More memory does not make emulation faster.

How to check your computer: on Windows, press the Windows key, type dxdiag and press Enter. The System tab shows your processor and memory, and the Display tab shows your graphics card. On macOS, open the Apple menu > About This Mac. On Android, open Settings > About phone.

What you need

• The Dolphin program itself, from the official site. It is free.

• Your own games. Dolphin runs disc images and WAD files, which you must make from your own discs and your own console. The official guide on ripping games explains how. PixelArk cannot give or link game files.

• No BIOS and no firmware: a BIOS is the small program built into a console that starts it up, and many emulators ask for it. Dolphin does not, because it replaces it with its own code. The real GameCube start-up program (IPL) is optional and only adds the start-up animation. It must also be dumped from your own console.

• A controller. A keyboard works but is awkward. For GameCube games, any gamepad with two sticks works. For Wii games, see the Controls section.

• A folder on your drive where you keep your games, to avoid searching for them later.

Installation

Always download Dolphin from its official download page. It offers two kinds of builds: a beta, updated every few weeks or months, and development versions, built after each change. The development versions get new features and fixes first and are the ones most people use.

Windows:

1. Download the Windows x64 archive (a .7z file). If Windows cannot open it, install a free tool such as 7-Zip.

2. Extract it into a folder of your choice, for example C:\Emulators\Dolphin. Do not run Dolphin from inside the archive.

3. Open the extracted folder and double-click Dolphin.exe.

4. If Windows says a DLL file is missing, install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64), then try again. It is a set of common components that many programs need.

macOS:

1. Download the macOS build (a .dmg file) and open it.

2. Drag Dolphin into your Applications folder.

3. The first time, if macOS refuses to open it, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and allow it there.

Linux: install the Flatpak package from the download page or your distribution's package, then start Dolphin from your application menu.

Android: install Dolphin from Google Play or from the official download page.

Portable mode on Windows and Linux: create an empty text file named portable.txt in the same folder as Dolphin.exe (or the Dolphin program on Linux). Dolphin will then keep its data in a User folder next to the program instead of in your account folders.

First setup

When you open Dolphin you see an empty game list. Follow these steps once.

1. Open Options > Configuration and click the Paths tab. Click Add... and choose the folder that holds your game files. Tick Search Recursively if your games are in sub-folders. This tells Dolphin where to look. Close the window: your games should appear in the list with their names and region. If the list stays empty, the folder is wrong or the file type is not supported.

2. In the same Configuration window, the General tab has the speed and emulation options. Leave the default values at first. Enable Dual Core only if a game is slow (see Common problems).

3. Open Options > Controller Settings and choose how each emulated controller is connected (see the Controls section).

4. Open Options > Graphics Settings. Under General, choose a Video Backend: Vulkan on most computers, Direct3D 11 or 12 on Windows if Vulkan gives problems, Metal on macOS. Leave the rest for now, they are explained below.

5. Double-click a game in the list to start it. A black window with the game should open. The title bar shows the speed. If the game runs at 100% speed, everything is fine.

Tip: a wrong setting can always be undone. In the Graphics Settings window, hovering over an option shows a short description at the bottom of the window.

Adding your games

• Put your game files (ISO, GCM, RVZ, WIA, GCZ, WBFS, CISO) in the folder you added in the Paths tab. Dolphin scans it when it starts.

• WAD files (downloadable Wii games) are installed from Tools > Install WAD..., or by right-clicking the file in the list and choosing Install to the NAND.

• To save disk space, convert a disc image to RVZ: right-click the game > Convert File..., choose RVZ, keep the default compression, and start. A GameCube game of 1.4 GB or a Wii game of 4.7 GB can become much smaller with no loss. Keep the original until you have checked that the RVZ works.

• Right-click a game > Properties opens its own settings (info, game config, cheats). The Wiki entry in the same menu opens the game's page on the Dolphin wiki.

Controls

Open Options > Controller Settings. The left side is for the GameCube ports (4 ports), the right side for the Wii Remotes (4 remotes). Next to each port is a drop-down menu and a Configure button.

GameCube games:

• Set Port 1 to Standard Controller, click Configure, then click each field (for example A, B, Main Stick) and press the button or move the stick on your gamepad to bind it. This is the mapping. In the window, choose your gamepad in the Device drop-down first.

• If you own the official GameCube controller adapter for Wii U, choose GameCube Adapter for Wii U instead: your original controllers then work as on the console.

Wii games:

• Emulated Wii Remote: choose Emulated Wii Remote and click Configure. Bind the buttons, the pointer (the cursor used to aim, which you can map to the mouse or the right stick), and the tilt and shake motions (which you can map to buttons or sticks). In the Extension drop-down, add a Nunchuk or a Classic Controller if the game wants one.

• Real Wii Remote: choose Real Wii Remote and press the 1 and 2 buttons on the remote (or the red Sync button) so it connects. You need a Bluetooth adapter that Dolphin can use, and a sensor bar for the pointer. This is the most faithful way to play games like Wii Sports or Skyward Sword. The Dolphin wiki lists the supported Bluetooth adapters.

• Motion from a modern gamepad: gamepads with motion sensors (DualShock 4, DualSense, Switch Pro Controller) can feed the emulated Wii Remote's motion.

Hotkeys: by default, F1 to F8 load a state from slots 1 to 8, and Shift+F1 to Shift+F8 save one. Other hotkeys (screenshot, fullscreen, pause) can be seen and changed in Options > Hotkey Settings.

How to know it worked: start a game and test every button. If a button does nothing, open Configure again and rebind it.

Graphics and performance settings

Open Options > Graphics Settings. These are the important options. For the full list of every setting, the official performance guide is the reference.

• Video Backend (General tab): see Key words. Official advice: Vulkan suits most NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards, Direct3D 11 is a balanced choice on Windows, Direct3D 12 can be faster on some Intel graphics, Metal is preferred on macOS, and OpenGL is usually the slowest. Null and Software are for developers. Change it if a game shows glitches or runs badly.

• V-Sync (General tab): it locks the display to your screen's refresh to avoid tearing. Leave it on, unless your screen is limited to 30 Hz or less.

• Shader Compilation (General tab): Specialized (default) can stutter when many new shaders are built. Hybrid Ubershaders removes most of the stutter by using a universal shader at first, and is a good choice for most graphics cards. Exclusive Ubershaders removes it all but is very demanding. Compile Shaders Before Starting (checkbox) builds the shaders before the game begins, so it starts later but stutters less. Dolphin remembers shaders it has built, so stutter reduces the more you play.

• Internal Resolution (Enhancements tab): Native (640x528) is the original look. 2x is about 720p, 3x about 1080p, 4x about 1440p, 6x about 4K. Pick the highest value that keeps 100% speed. If the game slows down, lower it first.

• Anti-Aliasing (Enhancements tab): smooths jagged edges. 2x or 4x MSAA is fine on a dedicated graphics card. It has a cost on weak graphics chips.

• Anisotropic Filtering (Enhancements tab): makes textures sharper at an angle, such as a road. 16x costs little, and is a safe setting.

• Aspect Ratio (General tab): Auto keeps the game's own ratio. Choose Force 16:9 only if a game has no widescreen option of its own, since it may stretch the picture. Many games have a 16:9 option in their own menus or in the Wii settings, which is better.

• Hacks tab: Dolphin sets these options automatically for known games, so leave them at their defaults. Change one only if the wiki says so, or if a game shows a specific glitch.

Suggested starting points: a modest computer, native or 2x resolution; a mid-range computer, 3x with Hybrid Ubershaders; a powerful computer, 4x to 6x with MSAA. On Android, start at native resolution. In Options > Configuration > General, Enable Dual Core gives more speed but can cause random crashes with some games. Keep DSP-HLE as the audio engine, which is much faster than DSP-LLE and right for almost all games.

How to know it is fine: the title bar shows 100% speed. If it drops below, lower the internal resolution, turn off MSAA, or switch the backend.

Saves

• In-game saves: this is the normal way, through the game's own menu. GameCube games write to an emulated memory card, which Dolphin keeps as files in the GC folder of the user folder, one per region by default. Wii games write to the emulated NAND, in the Wii folder.

• Save states: Emulation > Save State (or Shift+F1 to F8) records the exact moment, Emulation > Load State (or F1 to F8) goes back to it. They are quick and handy, but a Dolphin update can make old save states unreadable. Always make an in-game save too. Save states are in the StateSaves folder.

• Where is the user folder: use File > Open User Folder in Dolphin to open it. By default it is in your account's AppData\Roaming\Dolphin Emulator folder on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/Dolphin on macOS, and ~/.local/share/dolphin-emu on Linux (inside the Flatpak data on a Flatpak install). In portable mode, it is the User folder next to the program.

• Backup: copy the GC, Wii and StateSaves folders to another drive, or the whole user folder to also keep your settings.

• Moving saves: Tools > Memory Card Manager copies saves between memory cards. Tools > Import Wii Save... brings in a Wii save dumped from your own console. Right-click a Wii game > Export Wii Save exports its save.

Updating

• Windows: download the new build from the official page and extract it over the old folder, or into a new one. Your settings and saves are kept in the user folder, so they remain. In portable mode, the User folder is inside the Dolphin folder: copy it to the new version.

• Dolphin can also update itself: Help > Check for Updates... (when the option is present in your build).

• macOS: replace Dolphin in Applications. Linux: update the Flatpak or package. Android: update from Google Play.

• After an update, open the Paths tab and check that your game folders are still listed. Save states from older versions may not load.

Common problems

• The game list is empty. Cause: Dolphin does not know where your games are, or the file type is not supported. Fix: Options > Configuration > Paths, add the folder, tick Search Recursively. Restart Dolphin to rescan.

• Short freezes the first time an effect appears. Cause: shader compilation stutter. Fix: Graphics Settings > General > Shader Compilation > Hybrid Ubershaders, optionally tick Compile Shaders Before Starting. It improves as shaders get stored.

• The game runs slowly. Cause: the processor or graphics card cannot keep up. Fix: lower the Internal Resolution, turn off anti-aliasing, check your Video Backend, update your graphics drivers (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel), and close other programs. Enabling Dual Core in Options > Configuration > General helps but can crash some games.

• The Wii Remote pointer does not move. Cause: the pointer is not mapped. Fix: Controller Settings > Wii Remote > Configure, then bind the pointer fields to the mouse or to a stick.

• A real Wii Remote does not connect. Cause: your Bluetooth adapter is not supported, or Dolphin cannot access it. Fix: check the Bluetooth information on the Dolphin wiki and the FAQ, or use an emulated Wii Remote instead.

• Graphical glitches (black or missing textures, strange colors). Cause: a setting not suited to this game, or a backend bug. Fix: set the Hacks tab back to default, try another Video Backend, and look up the game on the Dolphin wiki for a known fix.

• The sound crackles or skips. Cause: the game is running under 100% speed, so the sound cannot keep up. Fix: improve speed as above. Do not switch to DSP-LLE.

• The game does not start or crashes at once. Cause: a bad or incomplete disc dump, or a file Dolphin cannot read. Fix: check that the file is a full dump of your disc, convert it to RVZ and try again, then ask for help on the Dolphin forums.

• A Windows error about a missing DLL. Cause: missing Visual C++ components. Fix: install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64), see Installation.

Going further

• Netplay: play local multiplayer games online with friends from Tools > Start NetPlay... or Browse NetPlay Sessions....

• Cheats: Tools > Cheats Manager, or Properties > Cheats on a game. Dolphin supports Gecko and Action Replay codes.

• Texture packs and graphics mods: right-click a game > Properties > Graphics Mods, and Tools > Resource Pack Manager.

• Achievements: Dolphin supports RetroAchievements (Tools > Achievements, with a free account).

• Official site: dolphin-emu.org, FAQ, performance guide, wiki and source code.