Hey there Game Nerds!! Welcome back to Emulator info! Our duty is to keep our readers updated on all the best emulators of all kinds on all platforms and for all platforms. In this spirit, today we bring Dolphin Emulator. We will get to know How to Download and Install Dolphin Emulator on Windows.
It is an amazing multi-feature emulator for GameCube and Wii. It can play every single game on these consoles and that too with great customizability. So, let’s go ahead and explore How to Download and Install Dolphin Emulator on Windows 11 along with some other aspects too. So let’s dive in!
Heart of Perfect Gaming!
Dolphin Emulator
Immerse yourself in endless gaming possibilities across all platforms with the best emulator for the two latest Nintendo video game consoles GameCube & Wii. These two consoles are pretty much the best out there; so clearly the PC emulator for these consoles is the best too.
Dolphin enables PC(and android) gamers to experience and enjoy games for these 2 consoles with many custom tweaks and settings to fit the users. Dolphin Emulator is a completely free and open-source platform which implies that it is accessible on all operating systems like Windows (64-bit), MacOS 10, Linux, and Android.
System Requirement
| Minimum Requirement | Recommended specs | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Microsoft: Windows10 (64bit) macOS: Sierra 10.12 Linux: modern 64-bit Android 5.04 | Windows 11(64bit) macOS: Big Sur Linux: latest system Android 10 |
| CPU | x86-64 CPU with SSe2 support Android: AArch64 | Intel core i5-4670K AMD: any Ryzen CPU Android Snapdragon 8cx |
| RAM | 2GB | 4GB or more |
| Graphic hardware | Pixel Shader 3.0 DirectX OpenGL 3 support | Modern DirectX 11.1 OpenGL 4.4 Vulkan GPU |
| Input devices | PC input device like mouse and keyboard | GameCube controller, Wii remote. |
Download and Install Dolphin Emulator on Windows
- Head over to the Dolphin emulator’s official site and go to the download page.
- Given your OS, you will see the following two options:
- Stable Version: Releases once or twice a year. Use it if you want to play super safe
- Development version Releases as many as multiple versions in a single day
Issues don’t usually arise and you can fix them quickly even if they do arise.
- Note: I personally prefer downloading the development version and updating it weekly
- Download the version. It will be downloaded in .zip format. It’s a compressed file
- Use an extracting tool like WinRAR Archiver to extract the file in the desired location
- It is recommended to extract it in a specific location in a drive with ample disk space so all the games can be saved in this folder in the future too.
- Launch the Dolphin emulator by clicking on the desktop icon
- If the desktop icon is not there, go to the dolphin X64 folder and search for the executable file (.exe) to start it for the first time.
Features of Dolphin
- Compatibility with all PCs
- Free & open source
- Full 1080p HD video quality
- Available on all hardware
- Multiple minors and major tweaks/enhancements
- Configurable controls
- Networked LAN multiplayer
- Turbo speed
FAQs on Dolphin Emulator
What Licenses does the Dolphin emulator use?
When Dolphin went open-source in 2008, it was released under the GPLv2 license. However, it has since been relicensed to GPLv2+. According to the license, you may use Dolphin and its source code for any purpose, but distributing Dolphin requires that the source code be released and attribution is given. For more details, see the license document.
How to check Game Compatibility?
We can recommend that before playing any game in dolphin, you should check the compatibility of the system. This can be done by the game icon (right click) -> wiki or searching on dolphin wiki.
This game’s wiki page will show the needed information on compatibility issues. It will also direct you to links to white notepad codes needed to alter the settings.
Use this information to ensure your system is compatible with the game that you’re about to play.
Are controllers compatible? If yes, are they necessary?
Controller configuration is an integral step before starting to play any game. Firstly, check if you have any of these controllers available with you:
Xbox360, Xbox One, and various Logitech gamepads. The PC will recognize these XInput gamepads but you will still have to configure it manually.
Playstation ¾ Controller: Use the SCP Toolkit to recognize this XInput controller.
GameCube Controller: It can be recognized with some configurations, and by using the GameCube Wii U controller adapter or GameCube Mayflash adapter.
Wii Remote: Go to settings and use the Real Wiimote option and a Bluetooth adapter
NOTE: Dolphin games are best when played with controllers as they were supposed to be. You can also use a mouse and keyboard.
Is the Dolphin emulator received well by gamers?
With approximately 60000 daily active users, Dolphin can easily be called a success in the Gaming community. Dolphin’s opt-in analytics has given this data.
Gamers well received the dolphin emulator all around the globe. With the emulator’s ability to run games seamlessly at an in better visual quality and higher resolution than the GameCube’s 480i and Wii’s 480p resolution, it has earned a lot of fame over years. PC Gamer editor Wes Fenlon praised the Dolphin Emulator for continually “making major improvements to compatibility and performance”.
We also covered,
How to Download and Install Dolphin Emulator on Linux
Emulator Info’s Words
Dolphin Emulator is an amazing and innovative emulator for GameCube and Wii consoles. You get all these games for free. Also, you can save the cost to buy the console. You just need a PC with decent specs and you are good to go!
We rate Dolphin Emulator 4.9 Stars since it is feature-loaded with a smooth interface and provides amazing gameplay both visually and performance-wise. The gameplay is so good with Dolphin that it is often better than the original console! So, without wasting any more time, download this amazing application and,
“GAME ON!”
