shadps4

shadPS4 is an open-source PlayStation 4 emulator core written in C++ targeting Windows, Linux, macOS (26.0+ on Apple Silicon), and FreeBSD. The project is in early development and does not include a graphical interface; users are directed to the separate QtLauncher repository for a GUI experience. The emulator can boot and run a growing list of commercial games, with demonstrated compatibility for titles such as Bloodborne, Dark Souls Remastered, Red Dead Redemption, Yakuza 0, and DRIVECLUB. It requires firmware modules (SPRX libraries) dumped from a legally owned PS4 console, which must be placed in a sys_modules directory. The emulator is controlled via command-line arguments and supports keyboard, mouse, and gamepad input with customizable bindings saved per game. Debugging features include RenderDoc capture, screenshots, FPS counters, and video debug overlays. Build instructions are provided for each supported platform using CMake, with Docker-based workflows also documented. The codebase is licensed under GPL-2.0-or-later and acknowledges contributions from related emulation projects such as yuzu (shader compiler design), fpPS4 (OS research), and Panda3DS (x64 binary execution insights). Development coordination occurs on Discord, with a public game compatibility tracker maintained by the community.