# KytyPS5 [![Build KytyPS5 (Windows)](https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/KytyPS5/KytyPS5/build.yml?branch=main&event=push&label=Build%20KytyPS5%20%28Windows%29)](https://github.com/KytyPS5/KytyPS5/actions/workflows/build.yml) [![Build KytyPS5 (Linux)](https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/KytyPS5/KytyPS5/build.yml?branch=main&event=push&label=Build%20KytyPS5%20%28Linux%29)](https://github.com/KytyPS5/KytyPS5/actions/workflows/build.yml) [![Build KytyPS5 (macOS)](https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/KytyPS5/KytyPS5/build.yml?branch=main&event=push&label=Build%20KytyPS5%20%28macOS%29)](https://github.com/KytyPS5/KytyPS5/actions/workflows/build.yml) [![Platform](https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-Windows%20x64%20%7C%20Linux%20x64%20%7C%20macOS%20x86__64-0078D4.svg)](#system-requirements) [![Status](https://img.shields.io/badge/status-early%20development-orange.svg)](#current-status) [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-GPL--2.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE) KytyPS5 is a free and open-source PlayStation 5 emulator written in C++ for Windows and Linux, with experimental macOS support. It is based on a heavily modified version of [Kyty](https://github.com/InoriRus/Kyty). The project is in an early stage of development, so compatibility is limited and behavior may change significantly between builds. > [!IMPORTANT] > KytyPS5 is not affiliated with Sony Interactive Entertainment or PlayStation. The project does > not distribute games or copyrighted system software. Use only game files that you have obtained > legally. ## Current Status KytyPS5 can boot 2D games and a selection of 3D games, including titles built with Unreal Engine 4/5, Unity, and custom engines. No external low-level emulation modules are currently required. Development is focused on compatibility and boot reliability. Windows is the primary platform and receives the most testing. Linux builds and runs; see [Building on Linux](#building-on-linux). macOS support is experimental. Compatibility with the same games on Windows and macOS has not yet been tested. ## Bugs and Issues The project is in an early stage, so please be mindful when opening new issues. Expect crashes, graphical glitches, low compatibility, and poor performance. ## Screenshots
Disgaea 6
Disgaea 6 running in KytyPS5 		Dreaming Sarah
Dreaming Sarah running in KytyPS5
Minecraft Legends
Minecraft Legends running in KytyPS5 		SILENT HILL: The Short Message
SILENT HILL: The Short Message running in KytyPS5
## Contributing Testing games and submitting detailed bug reports are useful ways to contribute. Search existing issues first, then use the **Game Emulation Bug Report** template and attach the complete log file. Code contributions should be focused, build successfully on the platforms they touch, and include relevant tests where practical. Windows is the primary target, so a change that alters shared code should not regress it; changes confined to a platform's own code paths only need to build there. Because KytyPS5 is still evolving quickly, consider opening an issue before starting a large change. ### Formatting Set up the clang-format hook after cloning: ```powershell python -m pip install pre-commit python -m pre_commit install --install-hooks ``` It formats staged `.cpp`, `.h`, and `.inc` files in `src`. ## Developer Information The PS5 graphics architecture is based on AMD RDNA 2. Use AMD's [RDNA 2 Instruction Set Architecture Reference Guide (document 70648)](https://docs.amd.com/v/u/en-US/rdna2-shader-instruction-set-architecture) as the primary instruction-encoding reference when working on shader decoding and recompilation. Important areas of the codebase: - [`src/graphics/shader/recompiler`](src/graphics/shader/recompiler) — instruction decoding, intermediate representation, control flow, resource tracking, and SPIR-V emission - [`src/graphics/guest_gpu`](src/graphics/guest_gpu) — PS5 (Prospero) GPU formats and command processing - [`src/graphics/host_gpu`](src/graphics/host_gpu) — Vulkan host backend and resource management - [`tests`](tests) — focused memory, shader, and resource-tracking regression tests The renderer targets Vulkan 1.3. Keep shader changes aligned with both the RDNA 2 ISA semantics and the Vulkan/SPIR-V validation rules. ## Building ### System requirements - Windows 10 version 1803, or a current Linux distribution - A 64-bit x86 processor - A Vulkan 1.3-capable GPU with current drivers ### Build requirements (Windows) - Git - CMake 3.12 or newer - Ninja - Visual Studio 2022 or Build Tools 2022 with the **Desktop development with C++** workload and **C++ Clang tools for Windows** component - Qt 6 for MSVC 2022 64-bit, including Concurrent, Network, and Widgets The Microsoft C++ compiler (`cl.exe`) is not supported; use `clang-cl`. Open an **x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for Visual Studio 2022** (or the equivalent Developer PowerShell), change to the repository root, and initialize the dependencies: ```powershell git submodule update --init --recursive ``` Configure the project. Replace the Qt path with the version installed on your system: ```powershell cmake -S src -B _Build/windows -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang-cl -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=clang-cl -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="C:/Qt/6.x.x/msvc2022_64" ``` Build the launcher and stage a runnable installation: ```powershell cmake --build _Build/windows --target launcher cmake --install _Build/windows --prefix _Build/windows/install ``` The finished application and its runtime dependencies will be placed in `_Build/windows/install`. ### Building on Linux Install the toolchain and the libraries the bundled SDL2 needs. Without the audio, Wayland and udev development packages SDL2 quietly configures itself without those backends, and the resulting build has no working sound and no gamepad hotplug: ```bash sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends \ clang lld ninja-build cmake git glslang-tools \ libgl1-mesa-dev libx11-dev libxcursor-dev libxext-dev libxfixes-dev \ libxi-dev libxrandr-dev libxss-dev libxkbcommon-dev \ libasound2-dev libpulse-dev libudev-dev libdbus-1-dev libwayland-dev wayland-protocols ``` Qt 6 (Concurrent, Network, Widgets) is also required — either the distribution packages (`qt6-base-dev`) or an official Qt installation. ```bash git submodule update --init --recursive cmake -S src -B _Build/linux -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \ -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=clang++ \ -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$Qt6_DIR" cmake --build _Build/linux --target launcher --parallel cmake --install _Build/linux --prefix _Build/linux/install ``` The install step copies the Qt libraries and plugins next to the binaries, so `_Build/linux/install` runs without a matching system Qt. As on Windows, the MSVC compiler is not used; Clang is required. `cl.exe` is rejected at configure time. Note that the CMake source root is `src`, not the repository root. ### Visual Studio Code A ready-made Visual Studio Code setup is included in [`.vscode`](.vscode). It configures CMake Tools to build the project with Ninja and `clang-cl` and provides launch profiles for both `launcher.exe` and `kyty_emulator.exe`. It is Windows-only: VS Code settings cannot select a compiler per platform, so on Linux configure from the command line as shown above. Before using it: 1. Install the **CMake Tools** and **C/C++** extensions in Visual Studio Code. 2. Update `CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH` in [`.vscode/settings.json`](.vscode/settings.json) to point to your Qt 6 MSVC installation. 3. Update the `--game` path in [`.vscode/launch.json`](.vscode/launch.json) for the **Debug kyty_emulator** profile. 4. Open the repository in an x64 Visual Studio developer environment, configure the CMake project, and select a launch profile from **Run and Debug**. ## Running Update your graphics driver before reporting rendering problems. To use the graphical launcher: ```powershell .\_Build\windows\install\launcher.exe ``` ```bash ./_Build/linux/install/launcher ``` On first launch, add one or more game folders in the global settings. The launcher searches those folders recursively for game directories containing `eboot.bin`. Select a detected game and run it from the game list. The emulator can also be started directly with a legally obtained game directory or ELF file: ```powershell .\_Build\windows\install\kyty_emulator.exe --game "D:\Games\ExampleGame" ``` ```bash ./_Build/linux/install/kyty_emulator --game "/games/ExampleGame" ``` Run `kyty_emulator --help` to see the available graphics, logging, validation, profiling, and debugging options. ### AI Use AI tools may be used for research, reverse engineering, and development assistance. Contributors must fully understand, review, and test all code they submit and remain responsible for its correctness. Repository communication, including pull-request descriptions, code comments, and issue comments, must come from the human contributor rather than an autonomous AI agent. Pull requests that include AI-assisted or AI-generated work should disclose the scope of the AI involvement and describe the human review and testing performed before submission. Unverified or untested generated changes may be closed without review. ## License KytyPS5 is licensed under the [GNU General Public License version 2](LICENSE) (`GPL-2.0-only`). This project is based on the original [Kyty](https://github.com/InoriRus/Kyty), which was released under the MIT License. Kyty's original copyright and license notice are preserved in [`LICENSES/Kyty-MIT.txt`](LICENSES/Kyty-MIT.txt). Third-party components remain subject to the licenses included with those components. ## Special Thanks - [InoriRus/Kyty](https://github.com/InoriRus/Kyty) — KytyPS5 is based on a heavily modified version of the original Kyty project. - [shadps4-emu/shadPS4](https://github.com/shadps4-emu/shadPS4) — reference for memory-model understanding and the AVPlayer implementation.