GSE
What it is
GSE is a free emulator for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance, designed primarily for speedrunners. It uses the Gambatte core for the first two systems and Mesen's GBA core for Advance. GSE runs at approximately 59.7275 FPS and uses clock synchronization for consistent frame pacing and low input lag. An optional Low Latency Mode can lower input lag, with potentially less consistent frame pacing. Input logs are stored for runs as an additional source for verification, and the emulator provides 100 savestate slots arranged in ten sets. It supports ROM archives in 7z, rar, tar, gz, and zip formats, plus controllers through SDL3, including GameCube USB Adapter and Switch controllers. Discord Rich Presence is an option and is off by default. GSE requires bootrom or BIOS files. It runs on Android 5.0 or later, Windows 7 SP1 or later, macOS 10.15 or later, and Linux meeting specified library versions. Cheat-code support is omitted. The project is distributed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, which provides covered software as-is without warranty.
For and against
For
- Stores input logs to help verify runs.
- Provides 100 savestate slots in ten sets.
- Supports several compressed ROM archive formats.
- Supports controllers through SDL3, including Switch controllers.
Against
- Bootrom or BIOS files are required.
- Cheat-code support is omitted.
- Low Latency Mode may reduce frame-pacing consistency.
The verdict
GSE focuses on speedrunning, with input logging, timing features, and savestates across three Game Boy systems. Users need the required bootrom or BIOS files and a supported system.
Who it suits
GSE is intended primarily for speedrunners seeking Game Boy, Game Boy Color, or Game Boy Advance emulation with input logs and savestates. It is available for desktop and mobile systems that meet its requirements.
On the record
- Boot requirements
- Bootrom or BIOS files are required to use GSE.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Cheat support
- Features that are not useful for speedrunning are omitted, including cheat-code support.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Console accuracy
- The emulator provides battleground-tested Game Boy and Game Boy Color emulation and console-accurate Game Boy Advance emulation for speedrunning.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Controller support
- Controller support is provided through SDL3, including the official GameCube USB Adapter and Switch controllers.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Discord integration
- Discord Rich Presence is available as a configurable option and is off by default.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Emulation cores
- GSE uses Gambatte for Game Boy and Game Boy Color emulation and Mesen's core for Game Boy Advance emulation.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Feature limitation
- Features not useful for speedrunning runs or practice, such as cheat-code support, are not included.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Input limits
- GSE prohibits binding different game inputs to the same host input and prohibits Left+Right and Up+Down combinations.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Input logs
- Input logs are stored for all runs and provide run verifiers with a secondary source of proof.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Input verification
- GSE stores input logs for runs as a secondary source of proof for run verification.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Latency mode
- An optional Low Latency Mode provides lower input latency at the potential cost of less consistent frame pacing.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Latest release
- GSE v0.6 replaces the GBA emulation core with Mesen's core and offers downloads for multiple operating systems and CPU architectures.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository's original GSE code is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Low latency
- An optional Low Latency Mode provides lower input lag at the potential cost of less consistent frame pacing.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Operating systems
- The documented requirements are Windows 7 SP1 or later, macOS 10.15 or later, Linux with glibc 2.31 or libstdc++ 3.4.28 or later, and Android 5.0 or later.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- GSE is a Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance emulator written in C# for speedrunners.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Release downloads
- The v0.6 release provides download options for multiple operating systems and CPU architectures, with GSE-win-x64.zip recommended for most Windows x64 users.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- Bootrom or BIOS files are required for usage.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
