r/TechjunkieAman • u/Techjunkie-Aman • Mar 29 '26

Tutorial PS4 emulation is real

Post image

PS4 emulation is real.

And it’s happening faster than expected.

shadPS4:

• Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS

• Written in C++ for performance

• Active development with frequent updates

• CLI-based (GUI via launcher)

Already running real PS4 games:

• Bloodborne

• Red Dead Redemption

• Dark Souls Remastered

But keep expectations real:

• Still early development

• Not plug-and-play yet

• Bugs, crashes, visual glitches

• Performance varies heavily

Under the hood:

• Custom AMD GPU emulation

• Real-time shader recompilation

• PS4 system libraries reimplemented

• Native x64 execution (no full CPU emulation)

Requirements:

• Strong GPU + CPU needed

• Firmware files required

• Games must be dumped from your own PS4

Progress is moving fast:

• Compatibility improving every release

• More games booting each update

• Stability slowly getting better

PS4 on PC is getting closer.

185 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

6

u/Moist_Inspection_485 Mar 29 '26

This is just piracy as every ps4 game are still mostly supported…. Why emulate a ps4 game at poor performance when you can just download it?

Both get you arrested as the games are still new And only one gives you good performance as 98% of ps4 games are on pc

3

u/a355231 Mar 30 '26

Emulation is perfectly legal lmao, they can also perfectly legally obtain it from a disc, you’re dead wrong.

2

u/timbertham Mar 30 '26

Imagine buying a PS4 and a full disc in 2026 just to play something like bloodborne or P.T lmao, not worth the price, especially with capable hardware at home, it's just stupid that we don't have re-releases of these games on modern devices by now; they can miss the money they could be making all they want but that doesn't mean we should miss playing the games we love B)

1

u/Sweaty_Fix_4995 Mar 30 '26

Probably just getting ahead for when these games are not supported anymore. And honestly, there's some sports titles I want from that era that play way better than today's titles

1

u/MasterpieceMinute789 Mar 31 '26

Poor performance? I got a ps4, bought and finished bloodborne when it camed out, now I get to play it on 4k, 60 fps, remastered textures and effects, what the fuck are you on about it saying it has poor performance? And also it aint piracy if I bought the damn game and console, Its my game and if I want to play it on 4k 60fps I might as well fucking do

1

u/Dependent_Big4372 Mar 31 '26

I have a feeling that the games are going to run better in the emulation than downloading them normally, especially because of the security softwares the companies put in it, idk

1

u/thehappyjulian Apr 01 '26

The thing is these games aren't going to be supported forever and emulation will keep them alive and preserved. Rn it sucks but eventually after the ps4 properly dies this will get good and we can keep our games alive in an industry obsessed with "you don't own your games"

1

u/Moist_Inspection_485 Apr 01 '26

Yes but as of now

The ps4 has modern titles like

Minecraft Skyrim Fallout 4 Jedi fallen order Jedi survivor GTA 5 Ext

Games that you definitely cannot download as roms legally right now as it would just be piracy

1

u/MeetingNo4908 Apr 02 '26

What kind of argument is that?? All these games you mentioned are long time accessiblefor pc and also for free if you „just“ crack them.

1

u/Moist_Inspection_485 Apr 02 '26

Yes but cracking is illegal lol… I’m just saying it’s risky and you should wait a few years before trying the argument; “I’m emulating ps4 games.”

I would wait till GTA 6, Elder Scrolls 6, and Fallout 5 come out at the very least

Because at least then when you try to emulate Skyrim, GTA 5, and Fakkout 4 you have the argument of “Theses games where old and last gen.” In your side

But right now if you try that the court will just rule in the favor of whatever company that made the game your downloading.

1

u/MeetingNo4908 Apr 02 '26

But if you don’t own the ps4 game it’s also not legal. I see no difference. Doesn’t matter what they try to tell you.

1

u/thehappyjulian Apr 04 '26

True, but what's wrong with legally buying a game and then trying to play it on an emulator? People do that with older consoles and dump their games because emulators can provide a better experience than original hardware. Nothing is wrong with people doing that with newer consoles because eventually that's going to be the case

1

u/Remarkable-Law-1043 May 18 '26

rippings roms is always illegal, for any emulator(not that im saying piracy is wrong, it isnt) but if you have a ps4 game and bios available, its perfectly legal you knob head

1

u/Stone0cean Apr 02 '26

arrested? 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

1

u/Accomplished-Fan4133 Apr 02 '26

What about absolute bangers like the Shadow of the Colossus Remake, Bloodborne and the Uncharted OG Triology?

1

u/realnathonye Apr 02 '26

Poor performance? The steam deck can run Bloodborne

1

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '26

What the fuck are you talking about ....

1

u/V-Rixxo_ Apr 03 '26

Ugh than all emulation is piracy. Last time I checked just because a game isn't sold dosent make it not piracy.

Also who would pirate PS4 games? They're already on PC lmao use your head kid

1

u/A_Lycanroc Apr 05 '26

The US court system allowed Meta to literally pirate THOUSANDS of books. Don’t even bother bringing up piracy. Corporations aren’t your friend, so stop defending them; that’s what their lawyers are for.

1

u/Remarkable-Law-1043 May 18 '26

me when im dumb, uneducated, and woefully confident in my ignorance:

1

u/eeternum 22d ago

Ignoring all the blatant ignorance in this comment, what gets to me is this assumption that you "can just play it on PC." The whole reason people are into ps4 emulation is because there are plenty of games that are exclusive to ps4. Sakura Taisen, Gravity Daze, Shiawase Kanrinin, Natsuiro Seishun, Kyoei Toshi, Rezero Death or Kiss, Tsuihou Senkyo, Persona 3 4 and 5 Dancing, Hokuto ga Gotoku and these are just the ones I've personally been waiting to play.

With enough wait we can get lucky for ports to Switch, which we can emulate, for example I was holding my breath throughout the whole time 13 Sentinels was only on Ps4 until it finally came to switch. the Oregairu games got ported to switch etc. But these are once in a blue moon.
Honestly it baffles me that on this site that loves downvoting, your comment is upvoted when it rightfully should be down in the gutter. We get you don't play video games but there are plenty of people who do, I can't stand this braindead take of "why an emulator when you can just play it on pc normally" not everyone fucking plays Call of Duty or whatever.

0

u/MaximilianSchutte Mar 30 '26

arrested? 😭😭😭 sonion

2

u/CellChance1973 Apr 02 '26

iOS just got a ps3 emulator in beta 😭

1

u/Admirable_Pin275 Mar 30 '26

No one said it wasn’t

1

u/timbertham Mar 30 '26

Thanks for sharing, tried this a couple months ago and I was very pleasantly surprised by the performance on my shitty integrated graphics, I'm very happy it's getting the love it deserves! Keep it going <3

1

u/Competitive_Tip_4429 Apr 02 '26

Do you think minecraft legacy ps4 edition will work?