Compatible programs

A list of applications that seem to work decently with the C64 emulator.

Warning

You may need a license to be allowed to use C64 apps and games.

Limitations

• The C64 emulator now has limited support for the 1541 disk drive. You can attach .d64 disk images and use the Basic LOAD command to load the directory and files. However, only basic directory and file loading is supported. Advanced disk operations, file writing, and copy protection schemes are not supported.
• The default rasterizer follows VIC-II timing cycle by cycle and draws graphics pixel by pixel, but some chip behaviours still differ. Advanced programs may not work as expected; see C64 accuracy and limitations.
• There are currently different video renderer implementations that can be selected in the C64 config UI. All renderers support Character mode, most support sprites, but only some support Bitmap mode (which makes them a bit slower). Bitmap mode may be required by some apps, so the correct renderer must be selected before starting certain apps (see Renderer column in table below).
• The default sample-based SID audio provider reproduces most C64 music well, but is not fully chip-accurate. The legacy command-stream provider is also selectable (low CPU but music will sound noticeably wrong). See C64 audio.

Games

Game	D/L URL	.D64 → PRG file	.prg type	Renderer (C64 Config menu)	Comment
Digiloi	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=213381	digiloi.d64 → digiloi64	Basic	Rasterizer, Custom (v1+)	Character mode.
Elite (NTSC)	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=254875	Elite.D64 → elite /tpx	Basic	Rasterizer, Custom (v2+), GPU Packet	C64 NTSC variant. Bitmap mode.
Elite (PAL)	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=70413	.zip → ELITE.D64 → elite [3]	Basic	Rasterizer, Custom (v2+), GPU Packet	C64 PAL variant. Bitmap mode. Some gfx artifacts.
Last Ninja	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=101848	.zip → lncro.d64 → last ninja/zcs	Basic	Rasterizer, Custom (v2+), GPU Packet	Bitmap mode, sprites.
Mini Zork	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=42919	Mini-Zork(L+T).d64 → mini-zork /l+t	Basic	Rasterizer, Custom (v1+), GPU Packet, Video Commands	Character mode (default charset).
Rally Speedway	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=22736	jolly_roger_-_rally_speedway.d64 → rallyspeedway	Basic	Rasterizer, Custom (v1+), GPU Packet	Character mode, sprites.
Montezuma's Revenge	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=128101	.zip → Montezuma's Revenge - 1103.d64 → montezuma's rev.	Basic	Rasterizer, Custom (v2+), GPU Packet	Character mode, sprites.
Bubble Bobble	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=187937	Bubble Bobble.d64 → bubble bobble	Basic	Rasterizer, Custom (v1+), GPU Packet	Character mode, sprites.

For advanced use, see Useful tools for how to extract PRG files from D64 disk images.

Demos and intros

Program	D/L URL	File	Comment
Fairlight Intro (Golden Collection)	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=221432	flt-25.prg	C64 PAL variant. Character mode with multicolour register changes every second line, per-line background colour bars, a mid-frame charset switch and a hires scroller, all timed by polling the raster register.
For Your Sprites Only	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=245856	foryourspritesonly.prg	C64 PAL variant, per-line sprites switched on. Sprites only: the display is off and the vertical border opened, sprite rows are stretched by rewriting the Y-expand register every line, sprite pointers and colours change per line, raster bars in the border and background.
Unfortunate Coincidence	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=245796	unf-coincidence.prg	C64 PAL variant, per-line sprites switched on. Sprites only: sprite multiplexing with per-line changes of the scroll/mode and memory setup registers.
Smooth and Wonders	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=245318	Smooth_And_Wonders.prg	C64 PAL variant, per-line sprites switched on. Sprites only: full-frame pictures and text on a 384x273 hyperscreen with the display off and the borders opened, drawn with sprites stretched by rewriting the Y-expand register every line and shown as two alternating frames.
Krestage 3	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=58941	KRESTAGE3.D64 → first file	C64 PAL variant, per-line sprites switched on. Two pictures under a scroller, drawn with X-expanded sprites whose expand, multicolour and priority bits are switched while they shift (the sprite split effect), nine sprites on a line and 50-pixel-wide sprites among them; the demo checks the chip for these before it starts.
Chars Sucks	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=244748	TRIAD_Charssucks.d64 → first file	C64 PAL variant, per-line sprites switched on. No characters at all: the display is off for the whole frame and the vertical border left open, the logo and the scroller are sprites behind the idle graphics, and the blocks' shading on the two X-expanded sprites is the idle byte of the VIC-II's bank, rewritten twice per line for a few cycles at a time.
Robot - Not Human	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=322645	robot - not human.prg	C64 PAL variant, per-line sprites switched on. A music-synced robot animation with sprites in the side borders and sampled sound. Starts a one-shot CIA timer from a counter of 0 and enables its NMI only afterwards, so it needs the interrupt to be raised when a source is enabled with its flag already set.
Party Elk 2	https://csdb.dk/release/download.php?id=283419	FppScroller.prg	C64 PAL variant, per-line sprites switched on. A PETSCII logo over an FPP scroller (character rows re-addressed every raster line) that bends through the side borders. Its FPP tables are computed with the undocumented ARR opcode, so it needs the StableUnofficial CPU profile or higher (the default), and it switches the VIC-II bank in the middle of every scroller line, so the bank change must reach the chip's fetches on the cycle after the write.

Online / modem-style software

Program	Media	SwiftLink requirement	Comment
Compunet Reborn	compunet-reborn-live.d64 or compunet-reborn-live.prg	SwiftLink at $DE00, NMI, HayesModem mode recommended	Reaches the login prompt reliably on native hosts and is now the primary browser SwiftLink target through the fixed-target WebSocket bridge.