Azahar

Overview

Azahar is a free, open-source emulator for the Nintendo 3DS. An emulator is a program that imitates a game console, so that your computer or phone can run that console's games. Azahar continues the work of Citra, an earlier 3DS emulator, and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.

Compared with the real console, it lets you play at a much higher image resolution, use a modern controller, and save or restore your progress at any moment with save states (explained below). The 3DS has two screens, a touchscreen and a 3D effect, so Azahar also lets you choose how the two screens are laid out and can reproduce the 3D effect on some displays.

This guide is for people who have never used an emulator. Take it step by step: each step says what the thing is, why you need it and how to know it worked.

Key words explained

• Game dump (or backup): a file copy of a game that you made yourself from your own cartridge or download. Azahar plays these files; it does not include any game.

• Decrypted: a 3DS game is stored scrambled (encrypted) by Nintendo. Azahar cannot read scrambled files, so it needs a game file that was unscrambled (decrypted) when it was dumped from a 3DS.

• CCI, CIA, CXI, 3DSX: the file types Azahar opens. CCI (.cci or .3ds) is a cartridge copy, CIA (.cia) is a game as installed on the console, CXI (.cxi) is the program part of a game, and 3DSX (.3dsx) is a format used by homebrew, which is software made by fans.

• System files: small files from the 3DS itself (for example fonts and system archives). Most games run without them, but the Home Menu and some games need them.

• Renderer or graphics API: the way the program talks to your graphics card. Azahar offers Vulkan and OpenGL (and a slow Software mode). Vulkan is the more modern one.

• Internal resolution: the size of the image the emulator draws before showing it on your screen. The 3DS top screen is 400 x 240 pixels, which looks blurry on a modern monitor, so Azahar can draw it 2, 3, 4 times bigger.

• Shader: a small program that tells the graphics card how to draw something. Azahar must translate the 3DS ones. A shader cache is a file where the translated shaders are kept, so that the game does not freeze for a moment each time it needs one again. That freeze is called shader compilation stutter.

• Frame rate: how many images per second are shown. Most 3DS games run at 30 or 60.

• Controller mapping: choosing which button of your keyboard or controller acts as which button of the 3DS. A hotkey is a key that triggers an action of the emulator itself, such as saving a state.

• In-game save and save state: an in-game save is the one the game makes itself (a save point, a menu). A save state is a snapshot of the whole emulator taken at any moment, which you can load later.

System requirements

The official minimum requirements, from the project's GitHub page, are:

• Computer: Windows 10 (64-bit), macOS 13.4 (Ventura) or a modern 64-bit Linux. A processor (CPU) with a single-core score above 1,800 on Passmark, and SSE4.2 support on x86-64 processors. Windows on ARM is not supported. A graphics card (GPU) supporting OpenGL 4.3 or Vulkan 1.1. 2 GB of memory (RAM), 4 GB recommended.

• Android: Android 10 or newer, 64-bit, a Snapdragon 835 processor or better, a GPU supporting OpenGL ES 3.2 or Vulkan 1.1, 2 GB of RAM, 4 GB recommended.

How to check your own machine: on Windows, press the Windows key, type dxdiag and open it to see your processor, memory and graphics card; on macOS, open the Apple menu > About This Mac; on Android, open Settings > About phone and look for the processor and memory. The Passmark site lists single-core scores by processor name. These are minimums: the more you raise the internal resolution, the more your graphics card has to work.

What you need

• Azahar itself, downloaded from the official site (see Installation).

• Your own games, decrypted. Azahar only plays backups of games you own, made from your own 3DS. You need a real 3DS for this, a PC alone cannot do it. The emulator's wiki page on dumping games lists the supported file types and says that encrypted files are not supported. PixelArk does not provide or link game files.

• Optional: system files dumped from your own 3DS. They are needed for the Home Menu and a few games only. The wiki page on dumping system files explains what they are for.

• Optional but recommended: a game controller. Without one you can use the keyboard, and the mouse (or your finger on Android) for the touchscreen.

Installation

All downloads are on the official download page. The builds are also on the project's releases page.

• Windows: there are two builds, MXE and MSVC, as an installer or a zip archive. If you are unsure, choose MXE. With a zip archive, extract it to a folder first (right-click > Extract All), then run Azahar from there. If an error says MSVCP140_ATOMIC_WAIT.dll is missing, install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, as the official FAQ explains.

• macOS: the macos-universal build works on every Mac. You can instead take macos-arm64 for Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later) or macos-x86_64 for Intel Macs. Open the downloaded file and drag Azahar to Applications.

• Linux: the recommended way is the Flatpak on Flathub (Flatpak is a standard app packaging system). You can also use the AppImage, a single file that you make executable and run. Choose azahar.AppImage unless you specifically need native Wayland support.

• Android: install it from the Google Play Store, or download the APK (the Android install file) from the releases page. The wiki explains that the APK build (called vanilla) reads files faster, while the Play Store build follows Google's storage rules. With an APK, Android asks you to allow installing from that source, and updates are not automatic.

How to know it worked: Azahar opens on an empty game list.

First setup

On a computer, almost everything is in Emulation > Configure. It groups the options into General, System, Graphics, Audio and Controls. Defaults are fine to begin with.

1. Add your games folder. Double-click the empty game list (or use File > Load File... to open a single game). A folder you add is scanned, and the games appear with their icons. Only decrypted files will work.

2. Check the system settings. Under Emulation > Configure > System you can set the region, language, username and whether to use New 3DS mode. Region Auto-select is a good default.

3. Set up your controls (next section).

4. Pick the renderer (see Graphics and performance).

5. Double-click a game to start it. The first launch can be slow while Azahar prepares its files.

On Android, the first launch shows two pop-ups. The first asks you to create and choose a folder for Azahar's own data (your saves and settings); the second asks you to choose the folder where your games are. In each, open the folder and press the USE THIS FOLDER button. You can change both later with the folder icon in the top bar. See the wiki page on Android storage.

System files: if you dumped them, use File > Set Up System Files... and follow the screen. If you have none, skip this: most games work without.

Adding your games

Azahar opens .cci, .3ds, .cia, .cxi and .3dsx files. If a game does not appear or refuses to start, the most likely reason is that it is encrypted. It must be dumped again from your 3DS in a decrypted form. The File menu has Install CIA... to install a CIA file, and the Tools menu has Compress ROM File... to make a game file smaller.

Controls

Open Emulation > Configure > Controls > Input. Each line is a button of the 3DS (the face buttons, the Circle Pad, the C-Stick, the shoulder buttons L, R, ZL and ZR, Start, Select, Home). The Circle Pad is the 3DS's analog stick, and the C-Stick is the second small stick of the New 3DS. ZL and ZR are the extra shoulder buttons of the New 3DS.

1. Plug in or pair your controller before opening the window.

2. Click Auto Map for a quick mapping, or click a field and press the button on your controller (or a key) that should act as that 3DS button.

3. Use Clear All or Restore Defaults if you want to start over. The Profile box at the top lets you keep several mappings.

4. Press OK and test in a game.

• Touchscreen: click the bottom screen with the mouse on a computer, tap it on Android.

• Motion controls, used by games that read the gyroscope, are set in the Motion / Touch... button of the same window.

• Hotkeys: they are listed in the Keyboard Hotkeys and Controller Hotkeys tabs, where you can change them. Look there for swapping the screens, quick save and quick load.

Graphics and performance

The settings are under Emulation > Configure > Graphics. The tabs are Enhancements, Layout and Advanced. A game can also have its own settings: use Emulation > Configure Current Application... while a game is running

• Graphics API (Advanced): Vulkan is the usual first choice. If a game shows broken images, try OpenGL.

• Internal Resolution (Enhancements): Native (400x240) is the original image. 2x Native, 3x Native and so on draw it larger and sharper. Start at 2x or 3x and raise it while the game stays smooth. Higher values need a stronger graphics card. If the game slows down, lower it first.

• Use disk shader cache (Advanced): keeps the translated shaders on your drive so the stutter fades with use. Leave it on.

• Enable async shader compilation (Advanced): compiles shaders in the background so the game does not freeze, at the price of temporary visual glitches. Try it if you still get freezes.

• Enable VSync (Advanced): synchronizes with your screen to avoid tearing. Keep it on unless you notice a drop of speed.

• Screen layout (Layout): Default, Single Screen, Large Screen, Side by Side, Separate Windows, Hybrid Screen or Custom Layout. Large Screen shows one big screen and a small one, which suits a monitor. You can also change the layout from the Screen Layout menu in the menu bar.

• Stereoscopic 3D (Enhancements): Off, Side by Side, Anaglyph (red and cyan glasses), Interlaced and others. Only use it if you have a matching display.

• Speed: Emulation > Configure > General sets the emulation speed limit.

If a game is too slow: lower the internal resolution, then keep the shader cache on, then update your graphics drivers (the software that lets the system use your graphics card).

Saves

In-game saves work as on the console. Azahar stores them in an emulated SD card and system memory (called SDMC and NAND), inside its user folder. To open it on a computer, use File > Open Azahar Folder. The Emulation > Configure > System > Storage settings show the folders, and a custom location can be chosen.

Save states: Emulation > Save State and Load State store and restore the exact state of the game in a numbered slot. Quick Save and Quick Load use the slots without asking. A save state belongs to the emulator's version and can stop working after an update, so always keep an in-game save too.

Backup: copy the user folder (or the Android folder you chose) to another drive from time to time.

Updating

On a computer, the Updates options in Emulation > Configure > General let Azahar check for updates, on the Stable or the Prerelease channel. Prerelease versions have newer fixes but can be less stable. On Android, the Play Store updates the app; an APK must be replaced by hand. Your saves stay in your user folder when you update.

Common problems

• A game does not appear or will not start: it is encrypted or in an unsupported format. Use a decrypted dump of a game you own.

• The error MSVCP140_ATOMIC_WAIT.dll not found (Windows): install the Visual C++ Redistributable.

• Azahar crashes at once: check that your device reaches the minimum requirements above.

• Freezes the first time something appears on screen: shader compilation stutter. Keep the disk shader cache on and give it time, or try asynchronous shader compilation.

• The game is slow: lower the internal resolution; close other programs; update your graphics drivers.

• The Home Menu or a feature does not start: it needs system files from your own 3DS (see First setup).

• The touchscreen does not respond: click or tap the bottom screen, not the top one. Change the layout or swap the screens if you lose track of it.

• Broken graphics: switch the renderer between Vulkan and OpenGL.

• A save state will not load after an update: use the in-game save instead.

You can check how a given game is reported to work in the official compatibility tracker linked from the FAQ.

Going further

• Official site

• FAQ

• Download page

• GitHub page and requirements

• Wiki

• Lemuroid runs a few 3DS games on powerful phones, with far fewer settings.