Guide All MiSTer FPGA Cores And Where To Download Them

Update: Tamagotchi core added

by Damien McFerran Wed 10th Apr 2024

The MiSTer is a truly wonderful piece of kit if you're into your retro games. Using Field Programmable Gate Array technology, MiSTer is capable of replicating the performance of a whole host of consoles, computers and handhelds with amazing accuracy, thanks to the fact that it uses hardware rather than software emulation; in short, the MiSTer can configure itself to behave exactly like a classic gaming system.

However, unlike other emulation options, such as the surprisingly user-friendly Polymega and the rather more straightforward FPGA handheld Analogue Pocket, MiSTer isn't strictly a commercial product but one that is driven by the community around it. Therefore, it requires a little more effort to get up and running, and is constantly evolving and changing.

Cores can be installed one by one, so you can pick and choose the ones you want and ignore those you don't. You'll also need to make sure you have the relevant files for each system, as well as the ROMs. Outside of that, there are many other ways you can customise your MiSTer experience, right down to the controllers you use and the way it connects to the internet.

Also, because the MiSTer community is incredibly active and home to some seriously talented developers, new cores are coming out all of the time, while existing ones often get updates and new features. Simply keeping track of what's happening in the exciting world of MiSTer is a challenge in itself – so we've put together this handy guide which shows you at a glance what cores are available and will hopefully get you up to speed when it comes to making sure your MiSTer is always running the latest stuff.

theypsilon's 'Update All' Script

Keeping your MiSTer up to date is quite a complicated process, but thankfully, there's an auto-update tool which does it all for you with the minimum of fuss.

Simply download theypsilon's 'Update All' script from here and extract update_all.sh to the /Scripts folder on your MiSTer's primary SD card. Turn on the MiSTer and go to the Scripts menu. Find the Update All script and run it. The script will go online and check for all new MiSTer-related items, downloading them to the correct folders and so on. You'll want to run this fairly regularly as the MiSTer community moves at a fast pace.

Alternatively, you can use the MiSTer Downloader's PC Launcher to download all MiSTer files on your PC – which is handy if your MiSTer doesn't have the ability to connect to the internet. Using this method, you must use the same downloader.ini file you have in the root of your MiSTer's primary SD card. Pop it back into your MiSTer, and you're good to go.

Remember, you can tinker with Update All's settings to specify which databases you'd like to check when running an update, so if there are cores you're not interested in, you can remove them and prevent them from being downloaded or updated in the future.

Note: Some of the cores listed below are 'work in progress' and may not be included downloaded when you run the 'Update All' script. You will need to download these manually to your MiSTer. Also, some cores are still in beta and may require you to be an active Patreon supporter with the creator (such as jotego).