⬡ OpenROM

Universal Retro Gaming Toolkit — by M5 Dev

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🎮 Meet ROMeo — OpenROM's official mascot. Your friendly pixel-art cartridge companion for all things ROM.

OpenROM is a free, open-source Universal Retro Gaming Toolkit — one app to replace every fragmented ROM tool out there. Convert, patch, compress, clean, and manage your ROM collection with a modern Flutter desktop UI, real-time terminal logging, smart platform detection, and a full headless CLI for automation — with optional online features that are always opt-in.

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⬇️ Download

Platform	GitHub Release	SourceForge Mirror
🪟 Windows (Installer)	OpenROM-Windows-Setup.exe	Mirror
🪟 Windows (Portable)	OpenROM_Windows_Portable.zip	Mirror
🐧 Linux x86_64	OpenROM_Linux_x86_64.AppImage · Core CLI	Mirror
🐧 Linux ARM64	OpenROM_Linux_arm64.AppImage · Core CLI	Mirror
🍎 macOS Apple Silicon	OpenROM_macOS_arm64.dmg	Mirror
🍎 macOS Intel	OpenROM_macOS_x86_64.dmg	Mirror

Each release includes the Flutter GUI (OpenROM) and the headless CLI (openrom-core).

📖 Guides & Docs: Official Wiki — setup, Steam Deck, FAQs.

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🎮 Features

🔁 ROM Conversion

• 20+ conversion paths — ISO, BIN, CUE, GDI, IMG, ECM, CHD, CSO, ZSO, XISO, RVZ, WIA, WBFS, GCZ and more.
• Smart Platform Detection — Magic byte detection for PS1, PS2, PSP, Xbox, GameCube, Wii, Dreamcast, Saturn, Sega CD — not size guessing.
• Real CHD Header Parsing — Reads actual CHD v4/v5 headers to determine CD vs DVD type accurately.
• Correct CHD Codec Routing — createcd for PS1/Dreamcast/Saturn/Sega CD, createdvd for PS2/GameCube/Wii/Xbox — never mixed up.
• Auto CUE Generation — Generates CUE sheets for standalone BIN files with correct track mode detection (MODE1/MODE2/AUDIO) via sector header inspection.
• Integrity Verification — Post-conversion CHD integrity check via chdman verify.

🩹 ROM Patching

• 11 patch formats — IPS, IPS32, UPS, BPS, PPF, APS, EBP, DPS, xdelta3, SSP (Sega Saturn), DCP (Dreamcast).
• Auto format detection — Drop a patch file and OpenROM detects the format automatically.
• Checksum verification — CRC32 integrity checks before and after patching with a detailed report.
• Ignore checksum mode — Force-apply patches even on modified ROMs.

🎮 Dreamcast Tools

• DCP Patch Applier — Apply Dreamcast .dcp patch files with full xdelta3 delta-patch support. Compatible with Universal Dreamcast Patcher patch files.
• IP.BIN Editor — Read and modify the Dreamcast boot sector: game title, region flags (Japan / USA / Europe / Region Free), VGA mode toggle, and full Shift-JIS encoding support for Japanese game titles.
• GDI Track Inspector — Load and inspect GDI disc image track structure — track number, LBA offset, type (Audio/Data), sector size, and filename.

🗜️ Compression & Extraction

• ZIP support — Compress ROMs or entire folders with fast / normal / ultra presets. Needs nothing installed.
• 7Z support — Compress and extract .7z archives (fast / normal / ultra) through an installed 7-Zip binary (7zz/7z), or one pointed to by OPENROM_7Z. Not bundled.
• Smart skip — Already-compressed formats (CHD, CSO, RVZ, 7Z…) are automatically skipped.
• Batch extraction — Extract ZIP and 7Z archives with progress tracking.
• Delete source option — Auto-clean source files after successful compression.

7-Zip requirement

ZIP compression and extraction work with no external tools. 7Z compression and extraction shell out to a 7-Zip binary:

• Linux — sudo apt-get install p7zip-full (or your distro's p7zip / 7zip package).
• macOS — brew install sevenzip (provides 7zz).
• Windows — install 7-Zip, or rely on the default %ProgramFiles%\7-Zip\7z.exe lookup.

The lookup order is OPENROM_7Z (an explicit path), then 7zz, 7z, 7za, 7zr on PATH, then the Windows Program Files locations. If no binary is found, 7Z jobs fail with a clear message instead of throwing. Encrypted archives are not supported and fail fast.

🧹 ROM Header Removal

• Copier header detection and removal for NES (iNES), SNES (SMC), Game Boy / GBC — with confidence rating (certain / likely).
• Double-strip protection — SNES internal header validation prevents stripping clean ROMs twice.
• Auto backup — Original ROM backed up as .bak before any modification. Existing backups are never overwritten.
• Non-destructive — Output written to a separate file; source untouched by default.

🗂️ Collection Utilities

• M3U Playlist Generator — Auto-generate M3U playlists for multi-disc games (PS1, Saturn, etc.).
• BIN Merger — Merge multi-track BIN files into a single BIN + CUE, with correct INDEX 00 pregap handling.
• CUE Sheet Editor — Open, edit, and save .cue files directly inside OpenROM.
• Batch Processing — Drop a whole folder, process everything at once.

🏷️ ROM Renamer

• No-Intro + Redump DAT support — Import any DAT file from datomatic.no-intro.org or redump.org.
• CRC32 matching — Identifies ROMs by hash, not filename.
• Dry run mode — Preview renames before applying.
• DAT library — Import multiple DATs and OpenROM stores them locally for reuse.
• Event-based XML parser — Parses DAT metadata without building a full DOM tree; a streaming file decoder is planned for extremely large DAT files.
• 100% offline — No network requests, no API keys.

📊 Queue & Preview

• Queue Manager — Drag to reorder conversion jobs before running. Clear completed jobs with one click.
• Compression Preview — See estimated output size before converting, based on format and compression level.

🖥️ UI & Workflow

• Gaming Dashboard UI — Flutter-powered dark interface inspired by PS5/Xbox aesthetics, with ROM cards, platform badges, and real-time progress.
• Themeable — Swap between built-in themes (Gaming Dashboard, Cyberpunk, Terminal, Minimal) or create your own via JSON.
• Real-time Terminal Log — Live process output with timestamps, slides up during conversion.
• Drag & Drop — Native drag and drop for files and folders.
• Full Headless CLI — openrom-core for scripting, automation, and Flutter IPC.
• 6 Languages — English, Arabic, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese.
• Privacy-first — No telemetry, no analytics, no accounts. Optional online features (update checks, RetroAchievements) are opt-in and clearly disclosed.

🌐 Online Features (Optional)

• Auto-update check — Checks GitHub on startup for a newer version. Disabled by default, enable in Settings.
• RetroAchievements hash check — Verifies if your ROM is supported before converting. Requires a free retroachievements.org account. Disabled by default.
• All online features are opt-in. No data is ever collected without explicit user consent.

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🔁 Conversion Matrix

Input	Output	Tool	Notes
ISO	CHD	chdman	createcd for PS1/Dreamcast/Saturn/Sega CD, createdvd for PS2/GC/Wii/Xbox
ISO	CSO	maxcso	PSP / PS2
ISO	ECM	ecm
ISO	RVZ	nodtool	GameCube / Wii
BIN	CHD	chdman	Auto CUE if missing
BIN	ECM	ecm
CUE	CHD	chdman
GDI	CHD	chdman	Dreamcast
IMG	CHD	chdman
CHD	ISO	chdman
CHD	BIN/CUE	chdman
CSO	ISO	maxcso
ZSO	ISO	maxcso
ECM	ISO / BIN	unecm	Auto-detects output format
RVZ	ISO	nodtool	GameCube / Wii
WIA	ISO	nodtool	GameCube / Wii
WBFS	ISO	nodtool	Wii
GCZ	ISO	nodtool	GameCube / Wii

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🩹 Supported Patch Formats

Format	Systems
IPS / IPS32	NES, SNES, GBA, and most retro systems
UPS	Universal — any ROM
BPS	Universal — any ROM
PPF	PS1 / PS2 disc patches
APS (GBA)	Game Boy Advance
APS (N64)	Nintendo 64
EBP	EarthBound / SNES
DPS	DOS / PC
xdelta3 / VCDIFF	Large ROMs, disc images, PS2, PSP
SSP (Sega Saturn Patcher)	Sega Saturn disc patches
DCP (Dreamcast Patch Container)	Sega Dreamcast disc patches

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💻 CLI Usage

# Show all options
openrom-core --help

# Detect file format and platform
openrom-core --detect game.iso

# Convert a single file
openrom-core --input game.iso --format CHD

# Batch convert a folder
openrom-core --folder /roms/ --format CHD --compression Max

# Convert with verification
openrom-core --input game.iso --format CHD --verify

# Apply a patch
# Apply a Dreamcast DCP patch
openrom-core --dcp patch.dcp --disc-dir /disc/ --output /out/

# Generic ROM patching (IPS, BPS, UPS, etc.) is supported via the OpenROM GUI

# Read IP.BIN fields
openrom-core --read-ipbin IP.BIN

# Edit IP.BIN — region free + enable VGA
openrom-core --write-ipbin IP.BIN --region-free --set-vga

# Edit IP.BIN — set custom title
openrom-core --write-ipbin IP.BIN --set-title "MY GAME"

# Inspect GDI track structure
openrom-core --read-gdi disc.gdi

# Compress to ZIP
openrom-core --compress game.iso --format zip --level ultra

# Remove ROM header
openrom-core --remove-header game.smc

# Generate M3U for multi-disc game
openrom-core --m3u /roms/Metal\ Gear\ Solid/

# Verify a CHD
openrom-core --input game.chd --verify-only

# Hash a ROM (CRC32 / MD5 / SHA-1 / SHA-256)
openrom-core --hash game.iso
openrom-core --json --hash game.iso

# Plugin developer tooling (orplug-builder)
openrom-core --plugin-init ./my-tool --name "My Tool" --id my-tool --category Utility
openrom-core --plugin-validate ./my-tool
openrom-core --plugin-pack ./my-tool --out ./my-tool-1.0.0.orplug

# Resolve an openrom:// deep link (store install links)
openrom-core --deeplink "openrom://install/my-tool"

# JSON output (for scripting / Flutter IPC)
openrom-core --json --detect game.iso

🛠️ Visual Plugin Builder (GUI)

The Plugins screen ships a Create / Studio tab that wraps the same orplug-builder engine: scaffold a plugin, fill in the manifest, attach a binary per platform (SHA-256 is computed automatically), validate, then pack to .orplug and copy the marketplace JSON entry — all without leaving the app. Projects are plain folders, so a plugin started in the GUI can be finished from the CLI (and vice versa).

🔗 openrom:// links

OpenROM registers the openrom:// URL scheme on Windows (NSIS registry), Linux (Flatpak .desktop x-scheme-handler), and macOS (CFBundleURLTypes). openrom://install/<plugin-id> opens the storefront with a confirmation dialog; the download is still verified against the published SHA-256 before anything is installed.

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🎨 Themes

OpenROM ships with 4 built-in themes and supports fully custom themes via JSON files in the themes/ folder:

Theme	Description
default.json	Gaming Dashboard — dark navy, red accent
cyberpunk.json	Neon on black
terminal.json	Green on black, monospace
minimal.json	Clean light mode

Create your own theme by copying any JSON file and editing the color values.

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🛠️ Bundled Tools

All tools are open source and verifiable. See SECURITY.md for SHA256 checksums.

Tool	Purpose	License
chdman	CHD conversion (MAME)	GPL v2
maxcso	CSO/ZSO compression	ISC
ecm / unecm	ECM compression	GPL v2
nodtool	GameCube / Wii formats	MIT
xdelta3	xdelta/VCDIFF patching	Apache 2.0

Xbox (XISO), Wii U (WUD/WUX/WUA), NKit and Sega Saturn SSP support ship as community .orplug extensions from the OpenROM Extension Store.

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🚀 Building from Source

Requirements

• Dart SDK 3.0+
• Flutter SDK (stable channel)

Run Flutter UI from source

git clone https://github.com/M5Devs/OpenROM
cd OpenROM

# Build Dart core CLI
cd core
dart pub get
dart compile exe bin/openrom.dart -o ../openrom-core

# Run Flutter UI
cd gui
flutter pub get
flutter run -d windows   # or linux / macos

Build release packages

# Windows
build_windows.bat

# Linux
./build_linux.sh

# macOS
./build_mac.sh

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🗺️ Roadmap

• Flutter UI rewrite (v2.5.0)
• Magic byte platform detection
• CHD header parsing
• Theme system
• ROM Patcher — IPS, BPS, UPS, xdelta3, PPF, SSP and more (v2.5.0)
• ZIP compression & extraction (no external tools needed)
• 7Z compression & extraction (requires an installed 7-Zip — 7zz/7z, or OPENROM_7Z; not bundled)
• ROM header removal — NES, SNES, GB/GBC
• M3U playlist generator
• NKit / WUD / WUX support (v2.8.0)
• SSP Sega Saturn Patcher (v2.8.0)
• Linux ARM64 builds (v2.8.0)
• CUE Sheet Editor (v2.9.0)
• Queue Manager + Compression Preview (v2.9.0)
• ROM Renamer — No-Intro + Redump DAT support (v3.0.0)
• Dreamcast DCP Patch Applier (v3.0.0)
• IP.BIN Editor — region, VGA, Shift-JIS (v3.0.0)
• GDI Track Inspector (v3.0.0)
• DCP Patch Builder 🔨
• maxcso ARM64 build
• RetroAchievements hash verification (v3.8.0)

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Read CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines on bug reports, feature requests, and pull requests.

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📄 License

OpenROM is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL v3) — a free, copyleft license approved by the Open Source Initiative.

✅	Free to use personally and commercially
✅	Free to study, modify, and distribute
✅	Forks must remain open source under GPL v3
✅	Listed on Flathub, Linux distros, and OSI-compliant repos

See LICENSE for the full license text.