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PS5PCEM

Early prototype · 0.3.6

PlayStation 5 emulation research, in the open

PS5PCEM is an experimental emulator written in Zig: guest code runs natively, RDNA2 shaders are translated for Vulkan or the experimental DirectX 12 backend, and a Windows and Linux launcher ties it together. 11 of the 34 titles on record have been finished end to end.

Linux / Windows 10 2004 or newer · x86-64-v3 · Vulkan 1.2 driver · GPL-3.0-or-later

Cat Quest III island gameplay with the HUD, mountains and blue sea, rendered by PS5PCEM

Cat Quest III, drawn by PS5PCEM on the reference host. Confirmed playable from start to finish. More captures

34

Titles on record

Tested on 0.3.2

11

Finished end to end

Confirmed by the maintainer

11

Reach in-game scenes

Gameplay on screen

12

Boot, intro or menus

Earlier milestones

Where it stands

A prototype, openly measured

Guest code executes natively, RDNA2 shaders become SPIR-V, and Vulkan puts frames on screen. Several titles can be played to the end; others stop at a menu or a loading screen. Each result below says which, and on what build.

Native guest execution

x86-64 guest code runs natively on Windows and Linux with ELF/SELF loading, relocation, module linking, TLS, firmware HLE, savedata and contained-fault diagnostics.

RDNA2 to SPIR-V

Stateful AGC command-stream execution feeds a growing RDNA2-to-SPIR-V shader pipeline covering both graphics and compute workloads.

Vulkan and DirectX 12

Vulkan is the default renderer: resident render targets, image alias tracking, timeline scheduling, texture detiling, depth/stencil and MSAA. An experimental native DirectX 12 backend is in Windows development builds.

Audio, video and pads

Host audio, H.264/AAC playback through FFmpeg, Sony controller HID support, XInput and keyboard fallbacks, and launcher-managed input profiles.

Graphics APIs

Two renderers: Vulkan and DirectX 12

Both execute the same AGC command stream and start from the same RDNA2 shader translation. Pick one under Graphics API in the launcher settings; the choice applies on the next launch.

Vulkan

Default

Vulkan is the default on Windows and Linux. It supports cached targets and pipelines, GPU texture detiling, depth, stencil and MSAA. A Vulkan 1.2 driver is required; DirectX test reports are labelled separately.

Platforms
Windows · Linux
PS5_GRAPHICS_API
vulkan
How the Vulkan renderer works

DirectX 12

Experimental

Release 0.3.6 includes an experimental native Windows DirectX 12 renderer. Terminator 2D reaches gameplay, Raiden IV its first stage and Super Woden GP its map. Vulkan remains the default; Linux uses Vulkan.

Platforms
Windows
PS5_GRAPHICS_API
d3d12
How the DirectX 12 backend works

Test results

Compatibility at a glance

Each result was observed by the maintainer on an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. Timings describe that machine and will differ on yours. Open a title for its full test history.

All 34 results
Playable
Playable · Completable
The maintainer finished the title. Picture, sound and input behave correctly in the runs that were recorded, although frame rate still depends on the scene and the hardware.
In-game
Reaches in-game scenes
Loaded gameplay or in-engine scenes appear on screen, but no playthrough is claimed — frame rate, loading times or untested input stand in the way.
Intro / menus
Intro and menus render
The title draws its intro, logos, artwork or menus through the guest render graph. Gameplay has either not been reached or not been verified.
Boots
Boots and loads assets
Modules link and the engine bootstrap makes progress, but nothing is claimed about a frame reaching the screen.

Watch it run

Recorded runs on the YouTube channel

A still frame cannot show pacing. The channel records the titles tracked here as they actually run, which is the honest way to judge a build that renders correctly but slowly.

Ghost of Yōtei

Launcher

One launcher, twelve languages

Release 0.3.6 includes all 12 languages, a 48-game library, PKG/ZAR extraction, FPS limits and renderer selection. Vulkan is the default; DirectX 12 is experimental and Windows-only.

PS5PCEM launcher settings page with twelve language cards

Use only content you are entitled to use

No games, console firmware, system libraries, keys or vendor material are shipped with PS5PCEM or offered here. The project exists for interoperability research and education. The full legal note.

Try 0.3.6 on Windows and Linux

Published October 30, 2026. Portable archive or per-user installer, both with published SHA-256 checksums. Linux: DEB, RPM, Pacman, AppImage.