DOSBox makes it possible to play games and run software designed for MS-DOS on a wide range of platforms. Though this emulator makes interacting with DOS relatively straightforward, the open-source nature of the project has enabled others to further improve upon it with new versions.
By “forking” the original emulator, different implementations of DOSBox have appeared with various enhancements that improve accuracy, usability, and targeted use cases. While you could just use the “vanilla” version of DOSBox, these ports offer tangible benefits that shouldn’t be ignored.
DOSBox-X
I’ve hadDOSBox-Xinstalled on my Mac for years as my go-to DOS emulator, whether I want to play a round ofDescentor install Windows 95 and use a virtualized 3dfx Voodoo card to revisit childhood favorites. DOSBox-X primarily focuses on accuracy and improvements to the general emulation experience, and it frequently shows up in many guides as the most feature-complete version of the emulator. In fact,our own guide for playing classic 90s Windows gameseven recommends it.
The most noticeable improvement over the original DOSBox from an end-user standpoint is an array of additional options that make configuring your virtual DOS machine as easy as navigating a few menus. you’re able to use the configuration tool to set all manner of parameters, including video cards, sound and MIDI settings, and connected drives; then save the configuration and call upon it time and time again.
There’s also a focus on running early versions of Windows (including Windows 3.x, Windows 95 and 98, and even Windows Me), which relied on MS-DOS. DOSBox-X includes support for video accelerators necessary to get the most out of many early games, plus built-in options for video scaling, V-Sync support, and support for Hi-DPI displays. You can tweak all of these settings on the fly using the menus at the top of the window.
Also of note is the mapper editor, which allows you to change key bindings (perfect if you have a smaller keyboard that lacks keys like Page Up and End, or if you’re on a Mac and need to shift some things around to improve the experience). Mac users will also be delighted to see that DOSBox-X runs as a native Apple silicon app, unlike vanilla DOSBox, which still depends on Rosetta 2.
If anything, DOSBox-X can feel a little overwhelming due to the sheer volume of options you have at your disposal. Despite this, it’s probably the best option for most users and is a great place to start your MS-DOS nostalgia trip.
DOSBox Staging
Describing itself as a “modern continuation of DOSBox,”DOSBox Stagingis a solid choice for anyone looking for a version of DOSBox that incorporates advanced features while keeping things simple. Unlike DOSBox-X, this fork feels a lot more like vanilla DOSBox since it lacks the vast amount of menus and toggles in favor of a simple command-based approach (though you can still use your old configuration files with this fork).
The first change you’ll notice is the inclusion of “zero-config” CRT emulation, which makes the DOSBox window look a lot better on modern high-resolution displays (and automatically adjusts based on your system). This is a bit of a theme throughout, with the project using so-called “sensible defaults” in order to make using DOS as simple as possible. The idea here is that most games will just work with the default configuration, making DOSBox Staging the ideal choice for anyone who values simplicity.
On top of this, the project includes behind-the-scenes advancements like support for 3dfx Voodoo and S3 graphics cards, integrated support for sound and MIDI devices like the Roland MT-32 and Gravis Ultrasound, broad support for input devices like serial mouse emulation and joystick support, and more complex accommodations like variable refresh rate frame pacing options. You shouldn’t need to call upon these features manually to get everything working either.
The project is not designed to support older legacy operating systems (like Windows 7 and older Mac OS X versions), nor is it designed to run older Windows 3.x, Windows 95 and 98, or Windows Me operating systems. The main aim is to provide a modern platform that runs games and software with minimal fuss, with improvements that are absent in the vanilla DOSBox release.
DOSBox Pure
DOSBox Pureisn’t a standalone fork in the same way that DOSBox-X and DOSBox Staging are, but rather it’s a core for theRetroArch(Libretro) emulator front-end. It allows you to get DOS games working in a similar manner to other emulated platforms using the RetroArch emulator, which runs on a staggering number of operating systems and devices.
My favorite thing about DOSBox Pure is how easy it is to get things working, and much of that is down RetroArch. For example, with a standard DOSBox fork, you’ll need to mount a specific location on your drive and then navigate to that location using MS-DOS commands. From here, you’ll run the setup or game executable and be on your way (assuming you don’t need to extract or install things first).
That’s not the case with DOSBox Pure, which can take a zipped game folder as if it were a ROM for any other platform and play it. RetroArch will even apply a default gamepad profile, so there’s a chance you won’t need to do any manual setup to get the game working (though you can use the in-game menu to make tweaks where necessary). Any changes you make will be saved as a linked but separate ZIP file.
On top of this, it’s surprisingly straightforward to install and boot operating systems like Windows 95 within DOSBox Pure. The project includes the same 3dfx Voodoo support that’s included in other forks, making it possible to make 3D games look their best. There’s also a good range of mouse, keyboard, and joystick emulation and an on-screen keyboard for touchscreen devices (like phones and tablets).
On top of this, you have a great selection of RetroArch mainstays, including save states, the ability to rewind the emulator, cheats, and support for multiplayer gaming. That’s before we’ve mentioned the ability to load DOS games from a single file using a menu (no command-line skills necessary).
To get your hands on DOSBox Pure,download and set up RetroArchon your platform of choice. From here, use the Online Updater > Core Downloader > DOS (DOSBox Pure) menu option to download the core.
EM-DOSBox
Have you ever played a DOS game in a web browser? If the answer is yes, then it’s highly likely that you’ve encountered theEM-DOSBoxfork, and possibly thejs-dosAPI. Browser-based DOSBox implementation is one of the easiest ways to play, since you don’t need to download or set up anything to play.
EM-DOSBox is widely used across the web, and is arguably most famous for being used by the Internet Archive to enable browser-based playback of the swellingDOS game software library. The project makes use of the Emscripten compiler in order to compile DOSBox code as WebAssembly and JavaScript, which can then be deployed and understood by a modern web browser.
This enables one-click execution of many DOS games, as you will see over at the Internet Archive. There are some limitations to this approach, for example, remapping keys isn’t always possible, and support for gamepads can be thin on the ground. Even so, it’s a great way to preview DOS software and, given how easily modern computers can handle DOS emulation and web technologies, performance is excellent.
EM-DOSBox appears to currently be in a state of dormancy, but the fork makes up the backbone of other projects likeEmularity, which has itself enabled similar projects likeDOSee—a simplified method of hosting and rolling out an embedded emulator on your own server. While the Internet Archive gives EM-DOSBox its wings, with a huge library of hosted games, you may also use websites likeGameloadto upload your own ZIP files too.
You likely won’t be ditching one of the main forks or even vanilla DOSBox for this project, but it’s worth keeping in mind. You might be interested in this sort of technology if you’re throwing together a web project or want to make DOS games available easily to a group of people who don’t understand (or care to learn) the technical aspects of setting up the emulator.
It’s ideal if you have a group of friends who just want to playWolfenstein 3Dor experience some other childhood favorites.
DOSVAX and DOSVAXJ3
I’ll be the first to admit thatDOSVAXis a bit of a weird one that most people probably won’t ever need, but it’s still worth knowing about if you consider yourself to be an enthusiast. This fork of DOSBox is designed specifically to emulate the JapaneseAXcomputer architecture, which appeared in 1986 to accommodatedouble-byteJapanese text.DOSVAXJ3expands support to even more standards.
Ergo, these are forks of DOSBox for anyone who wants to run software and games designed for the Japanese market in the late 80s and early 90s. DOSVAX also targets the IBM PS/55 personal computer series released in Japan in 1987.
Many DOSBox forks have come and gone over the years. Arguably, the most significant was the DOSBox SVN Baum fork, which pioneered big advancements like 3dfx Voodoo emulation and long file name support. It was eventually rolled into the DOSBox-X project, which is still under active development to this day.
If you need customization and you’re happy tweaking and fiddling within menus, pick DOSBox-X. If you want a simple and enhanced version of vanilla DOSBox, pick DOSBox Staging. If you’d rather play DOS games as if they were ROMs, install RetroArch and the DOSBox Pure core.
