# Install mednafen with Homebrew

Multi-system emulator. Version 1.32.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-18.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:mednafen
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install mednafen
```

  Evidence: provider-native install command

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:mednafen
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.32.1
- **Source summary:** Multi-system emulator
- **Homepage:** <https://mednafen.github.io/>
- **Last updated:** 2026-06-18T02:28:59-04:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T00:40:33+00:00

## Executables

- mednafen (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.32.1
## Project history and usage

Mednafen is a command-line-oriented multi-system emulator whose official documentation covers console, handheld, CD, debugger, and netplay modules. It is packaged as a compact emulator core rather than a full frontend.

### Project history

The official Mednafen site dates its page design and original content to 2005, and the changelog shows a long sequence of releases from the 0.x series through modern 1.x releases. Its documentation lists emulation modules for systems including NES/Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, PC Engine/TurboGrafx, PC-FX, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, SNES/Super Famicom, Lynx, Neo Geo Pocket, WonderSwan, Virtual Boy, and Apple II.

Over time, Mednafen accumulated features important to emulator users and packagers: compressed game loading, CD image handling, M3U multi-disc workflows, per-system configuration, save paths, screenshots, netplay, debugger documentation, and detailed per-module manuals.

### Adoption history

Mednafen is adopted by users who prefer a scriptable emulator backend and by frontends that want a reliable command-line emulator core. The package input lists it in Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, MacPorts, Nix, Scoop, Winget, and other packaging ecosystems, reflecting its role as a portable retro-gaming tool.

Its adoption is also tied to accuracy and breadth: the official docs expose many emulation modules and low-level configuration settings, making it attractive to users who want repeatable emulator launches rather than only a GUI experience.

### How it is used

Users launch Mednafen from the command line with a game or disc image, then tune settings in `mednafen.cfg` under the base directory. The official documentation says the base directory is normally `~/.mednafen`, can be overridden with `MEDNAFEN_HOME`, and contains the primary configuration file.

### Why package nerds care

Mednafen matters in package-manager culture because it is a frontend-friendly emulator core with extensive official documentation and a long release history. Its config and firmware-directory conventions are predictable, which makes it easy to package while leaving UI choices to wrappers and frontends.

### Timeline

- 2005: Mednafen site copyright and early release history establish the long-running project era.
- 2014: Mednafen-Server 0.5.2 is listed on the official releases page.
- 2021: Mednafen 1.27.1 is released.
- 2022: Mednafen 1.29.0 is released.
- 2024: Mednafen 1.32.1 is released.

### Related projects

- Mednafen relates to emulator frontends and to the many console modules it incorporates, including PC Engine, PlayStation, Saturn, SNES, NES, Game Boy, Genesis, and other retro systems.

### Sources

- <https://mednafen.github.io/documentation/>
- <https://mednafen.github.io/releases/>
- <https://mednafen.github.io/releases/ChangeLog>
- source_facts.package-manager


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.


## Configuration files

- Unix: ~/.mednafen/mednafen.cfg, $MEDNAFEN_HOME/mednafen.cfg
- Windows: mednafen.cfg in the mednafen.exe directory

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/mednafen.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/mednafen.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation