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SPECIFICTION
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BizHawk

tasvideos.org

WindowsmacOSLinux
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Spec score 7.7 #20 of 35 in Game Console Emulators

What it is

BizHawk is an emulation project centered on EmuHawk, a multi-system emulator written in C#. It targets tool-assisted speedrunners with recording, playback, and debugging tools. EmuHawk records rerecordable movies for 45 or more systems, while the integrated TAStudio provides a piano-roll workspace for composing movies with savestates that rewind and adjust inputs. Other functions include save slots, named savestates, speed control, frame stepping, rewinding, screenshots, audio and video recording, and memory viewing, searching, and editing. Lua and C#.NET can control the frontend and emulator cores programmatically, and keyboard, mouse, and gamepad hotkeys can be rebound. Supported systems include Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony PlayStation, arcade machines, and DOS/Windows. BizHawk is free and open source, with the team’s original work under the MIT License. Installation instructions cover Windows and Unix, but current EmuHawk does not work on macOS; Android and iOS are unavailable.

Spec sheet

Purpose
BizHawk is an emulation project whose EmuHawk app is a multi-system emulator with recording, playback, and debugging tools.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Product
BizHawk is an emulation project whose EmuHawk app is a multi-system emulator written in C#.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Audience
The project describes EmuHawk as made by and for tool-assisted speedrunners and calls it a first choice for TASers.Read 5 Oct 2026 · tasvideos.org
Integrations
EmuHawk supports Lua and C#.NET scripting and has rebindable keyboard, mouse, and gamepad hotkeys.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Support
The project directs users to its TASVideos subforum, Discord channels, GitHub issue tracker, and README troubleshooting information.Read 5 Oct 2026 · tasvideos.org
License
The repository says the BizHawk team's original work is provided under the MIT License, while warning that repository licensing is heterogeneous and advising users to contact the team about licensing details.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Common features
Features include save slots and named savestates, speed control, frame stepping, rewinding, memory viewing and editing, screenshots, and audio and video recording.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Debugging and scripting
The app provides memory viewing, searching, and editing, plus programmatic control through Lua or C#.NET.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Editing movies
TAStudio is a piano-roll interface integrated with EmuHawk for composing movies, using savestates to rewind and adjust inputs.Read 5 Oct 2026 · tasvideos.org
Linux limits
The Linux build is for x86_64 CPUs, and the README notes that Mupen64Plus (N64) is a notable omission on Linux.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Movie recording
EmuHawk can make movies with rerecording for 45 or more systems.Read 5 Oct 2026 · tasvideos.org
Operating systems
The current README provides installation instructions for Windows and Unix, and says BizHawk is unavailable for Android and iOS.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Recording and playback
EmuHawk supports input recording to make tool-assisted speedrun movies.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Release stability
The README recommends stable releases for work requiring stability, such as TASing, and development builds only when a specific change is needed.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Scripting
The frontend and cores can be controlled programmatically with Lua or C#.NET.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Security policy
The project lists versions 2.11 and 2.10 as supported, advises updating to the latest release, and accepts vulnerability reports through GitHub.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Security support
The security policy lists versions 2.11 and 2.10 as supported and directs vulnerability reports to the BizHawk team on GitHub.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
System support
The README lists support for systems including Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony PlayStation, arcade machines, and DOS/Windows.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
TAStudio
EmuHawk integrates with TAStudio, a piano-roll interface for composing movies that uses savestates to rewind and adjust inputs.Read 5 Oct 2026 · tasvideos.org
Unavailable platforms
The README says BizHawk is unavailable for Android and iOS, and current EmuHawk does not work on macOS.Read 5 Oct 2026 · github.com
Windows requirements
Windows users must run the prerequisite installer first; the README says current releases require the MSVC++ redistributable and target Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11 21H2 and later.Read 5 Oct 2026 · tasvideos.org

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free and open source
  • 45+ systems support rerecording
  • TAStudio piano-roll editing
  • Lua and C#.NET scripting
  • Memory viewing and editing

Limits

  • Current EmuHawk does not work on macOS
  • Unavailable on Android and iOS
  • Linux build targets x86_64
  • Mupen64Plus omitted on Linux

Who it suits

BizHawk suits tool-assisted speedrunners and users who need frame-level recording, rewind, memory tools, or scripting. It also fits emulator users targeting the listed console, arcade, and computer systems.

Verdict

BizHawk provides a broad, scriptable emulator toolkit with dedicated movie creation and debugging workflows. Platform restrictions are significant, especially for macOS, mobile devices, and some Linux system support.

Where Specifiction places it

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