Console gaming has its charm. You power up and start playing without a hiccup. The fun reaches a different level when you are playing with friends.
And let us not forget the retro consoles. They have been an integral part of millions of lives while growing up. The computer’s power has beefed up, and it has become within the realm of affordability for most of us.
You can now play your favorite classic console games on the computer using a console emulator.
For playing console games, you will need to download ROMS as your original disc may not work anymore.
Check out the compilation of the best ROM sites that are safe and trusted for downloading all console games for free for your PC, android Phone, iPhone, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and other devices.
Disclaimer – The article is for educational purposes. Use your own original BIOS for playing games after gathering the game DUMP from third-party sources.
Best ROM Sites That Are Safe
1. Roms Games
ROMS Library: 42,655+
Starting with the ROM site that has nearly all the modern console game dumps. From Nintendo 64 (N64) to Sega Master System, you name it, and they have it.
The ROMS are categorized by consoles, as well as by some famous retro emulators such as MAME. There is a search bar that can search both ROMs and emulators.
Talking about emulation, there is a dedicated section for emulators, which is also segregated by consoles.
2. Roms Mania
ROMS Library: 89,487+
Roms Mania has been around for a while now, being amongst the most popular safe sites for downloading ROMs.
On the homepage, you greeted by a prominent search bar that is difficult to miss. Put your name of the game or a keyword relevant to it.
RomsMania houses ROMS of over 100 consoles such as GameBoy, GameCube, Sega, SNES, amongst others. On top of that, they have a library of over 5000 video game titles.
Also Read – Best NES Emulators for PC
3. Gamulator
ROMS Library: 9,678+
Specializing in Pokemon ROMS, Gamulator is a console game site with a formidable collection of video game titles.
You can view the site in four languages – English, Spanish, French, Portuguese. The website has ROMS of over 45 video game consoles.
4. Hexrom
ROMS Library: 10,940+
Download ROMS of your choice from Hexrom, which is considered the best ROM site for all modern and retro consoles. They have over 200 Emulators for 100 plus video game consoles such as the PS2, Sega Genesis, Wii, etc.
As soon as you click on the download button, a new link is generated within a few seconds. The download speeds are normal and may depend on your Internet connection.
The website houses over 95,000 ROMS of video games across different consoles. There are no ads on the website, which is a rare sight in this niche. A clear contender for the best ROM site to download console games.
5. Romsie
ROMS Library: 34,120+
Romsie is a rather conventional and simple website. All the relevant information can be found on a single webpage.
On the homepage, you will find charts of the most downloaded, top consoles, and top-rated. When you are looking for console games recommendation, these charts will help you decide.
The direct download speeds are slow, but you can remedy it with a download manager.
6. Romsget
ROMS Library: 28,326+
Next on the list is among the best ROM sites for console games. Sans the frills; you can download it by visiting the game page.
We found no ads, similar to what we experienced on Hexroms. There are comments on every game listing that will help ascertain the reliability of the video game ROM.
Also Read – Best PS3 Emulator for PC
7. Roms Kingdom
ROMS Library: 118,688+
Roms Kingdom is one of the best place to download roms.
They have an extensive library of Retro console games. And the search results can be sorted by different parameters.
Talking about the download speeds, you will not be disappointed with ROMS that run into a couple of gigabytes. The speed is constant across the download time.
8. Emuroms
ROMS Library: 78,607+
We did not find any ads on this site, and it’s amongst the best ROM site to download ROMs. Pokémon Red and blue, Super Smash Bros, Tekken, you wish it, and they are available.
There are no direct download buttons. Instead of that, you will get magnets links to torrents. They can be downloaded using any standard torrent client such as uTorrent, Qbittorrent.
9. ClassicGames
ROMS Library: 78,607+
Now we have a website that has all the old-school game console games. You can play games directly in the browser. ClassicGames have added Google enhanced search, which allows you to search for ROMS on the site with ease.
They offer games on nine different consoles. It includes NES, SNES, GBA, SEGA, GBA, GBC, FLASH and MS-DOS. You can filter the games by clicking on the categories.
As the website relies on Adobe flash, make sure to use a web browser that supports Flash. Major browsers have stopped supporting Flash.
10. Retrostic
ROMS Library: 83,797+
Retrostic offers retro games in the form of ROMs and ISOs. They have a massive collection of 80,000+ ROMs of over 50 different consoles.
Apart from consoles games and emulators, they also have a library of ROMS hacks. They can be searched using filters like genre, console, category, and game title.
11. Emulator-zone
ROMS Library: 45+
A rather underrated but safe rom site is Emulator-zone. Along with ROMs, you can also download emulators for different consoles here.
The site offers free ROMs that are legal to download. You will find games for Sega Genesis, Sony PlayStation, Neo Geo, Xbox and a few of the other retro consoles.
12. The NES Files
ROMS Library: 368+
The name gives it away before we can say anything. You will find all genres of NES ROMs on this trusted site.
NES is an 8bit home video game console from Nintendo. Find games from Contra to Fist of the North Star.
On top of that, you will also find detailed manuals and guides of the games developed by the game studios.
13. Vimm’s Lair
ROMS Library: 3,560+
Vimm’s Lair has been around for over two decades now, with its first appearance in 1997. The ROM site has every available game released for a major console in the US.
The game ROM site has titles from 18 different consoles to offer. Here the collection includes both TV and handheld consoles.
You can search for ROMs using the standard search or go advanced, which filters based on rating, release, size, players allowed, etc.
Also Read – Best GBA Emulators for Windows PC
14. CoolRom
ROMS Library: 18,481+
Find the early age retro ROMS of games for consoles as old as Atari 2600. You will find the likes of Atari Lynx, Namco System 32, Neo Geo Pocket, and Dolphin Gamecube ROMs amongst others.|
Nintendo Console ROMS are not available. PS2 and PSP have been included. The ROMs cannot be downloaded directly. You will have to download their sponsored download manager, which will run consequently down the files.
15. TheOldComputer
ROMS Library: 5,85,615+
TheOldComputer is a community driven portal that has a collection of over 500,000 ROMS across 550 plus systems. Amongst the best ROM site for the paid users.
Features are limited for the guests and registered users. The unlimited plan allows the user access to the entire website, including all the available ROMS.
You can donate a certain amount above the lower ceiling for acquiring a paid plan.
16. NiceRom
ROMS Library: 45,870+
NiceRom has ROMs of over 31 different video game consoles. They include the likes of Famicom Disk System, Dreamcast, Atari 7800, etc.
When you click on the download button on a game’s page, it will redirect you to another page. There you get the option to either download the file in a zip or try the online emulator.
17. Moreroms
ROMS Library: 12,483+
Dial back in time, and you will find SNES ROMS, NES ROMS, and GBA ROMS. When you are looking for Nintendo games, this is among the best ROM sites you can find on the Internet.
Downloading games is easier than most free ROM sites. Click on the video game’s name, and the download popup will appear on the screen.
18. CDRomance
ROMS Library: 13,554+
CDRomance has emulators and its kin, ROMS, and guides. Each file can be downloaded with a single click. All the game ROMS are in 7zip compressed file.
You will find ROMS in Japanese, English, French and other major languages. The games can be found categorizing by the languages as well.
19. Emuparadise
ROMS Library: 18,766+
Saving the best for the end, Emuparadise is considered the best ROM site by several retro console gamers.
Diving into the site, they have a Retro Game of the Day section. It has a new game every day, handpicked by the community.
For downloading the ROMS, you will need to register and login to the website/forum.
20. Emulanium
ROMS Library:7,165+
Ending the list of the best ROM sites with a retro collection of games for ten different consoles.
Emulanium is a good room site. On the home page, you get a list of CPS1, CPS2 ROMS, SEGA GAME GEAR and SEGA MASTER SYSTEM ROMS, amongst others.
Click on any of the consoles, and the games will be displayed in alphabetical order.
21. Romspedia
ROMS Library:256,880
Romspedia is a new entrant in our list of the best ROM site. All the ROM files are categorized by consoles and can be found through the dedicated search bar.
All the emulators are available to download on the site. The ROMs site offers two download buttons – fast and slow. There is a considerable difference in the download speed as the slower one has an average speed of 10 MB/second.
The download doubles with the fast option, so choose according to what your internet can offer. Many game ROMS have ratings, so it will be easier to know whether the files are worth downloading. ROM packs contain the top games of the different consoles, packing three dozen games on average.
Note: You can now play Nintendo 3DS ROMs on Steam Deck.
22. Romhustler
ROMS Library:68,900
Romhustler is a good site to download ROMs for 48 different classic consoles. Search for ROM in particular consoles and for specific regions.
All of the ROM files are in RAR format, so you can unzip them and hook them to your emulator. They also have a section to download the best emulators for various consoles.
One of the best things about this site is that there are no ads. It is supported by premium memberships which offer unlimited downloads with minimal restrictions.
The download speeds for ROM were fast and you could quickly download larger files.
23. RomsUniverse
ROMS Library:110,130
You will get ROMS for 103 different console systems along with 60 plus emulators to play all the games available on your device. They have a wide range of games for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
Search for ROMS through the search bar on the homepage. It shows results based on the number of downloads, and ratings, apart from the console they are compatible with. All the ROMS are in ZIP format so you won’t have problems extracting the file.
Every ROM listing has the option to play the game online. It takes you to an online retro game site.
24. WOWRoms
ROMS Library:60,430
Get the latest ROMS from USA, Japan, and Germany regions on WOWRoms. They also have a large library for BIOS to use on the emulators which comes in handy when you lose your original while dumping the game.
Every ROM listing has a how-to-play section to play it on different emulators. This is useful for newbie users who are new to the emulation world. Their search functionality can take a few seconds at times to show you results.
Apart from consoles, WOWRoms has thousands of games for older computers such as Amiga, Apple 1 and 2, Windows 3.x, etc.
25. RomsDL
ROMS Library:160,890+
RomsDL is a hidden gem on this list of the best ROM sites. Get the best working console game files from this site within seconds. The search functionality is the center of attention here on the homepage. Make sure to spell the game correctly for the best results.
You get a recommended emulator on the ROM download page. Download the ROM and emulator together to start playing the game in no time.
RomsDL has a request ROM section where you can submit your requests for a specific game. When the game receives a certain number of requests, then it will be made available as a ROM.
26. CDRomance
ROMS Library:25,000+
CDRomance is a website that focuses on providing ROMs, ISOs, and game files for various retro gaming systems.
These files are meant to be used with emulators, allowing players to experience classic games on their modern devices, such as computers, smartphones, and tablets.
The site hosts a vast collection of games, covering platforms such as PlayStation 1, PlayStation Portable (PSP), Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, Super Nintendo, and many more.
You can also find translation patches for certain games that were never officially localized, as well as hacks and mods created by the community. This lets players experience games in their preferred language or with added features and improvements
Best ROM Sites FAQs
Roms Mania, Roms Games, Gamulator, and Hexrom are considered to be some of the best ROM sites. You can check out the list above to find out more good ROM sites.
Romsgames and Romsmania are considered to be among the safest ROM sites to download ROMs.
You can download emulator games from the ROM sites such as Romsmania, Gamulator, Hexrom, and other ROM sites provided in the list.
It is illegal to download ROMs unless they are freeware and are in the public domain. Even though you own a copy of the game you are not allowed to download the ROM without the permission of the copyright holder. In fact, most of the ROM sites are also illegal. It is better to buy an original copy of the game instead of downloading the ROM.
Always look for a ROM site that is old and trusted. Better to use one with fewer adverts.
Look for a site that provides verified ROM for downloading. ROMs usually come in compressed ZIP files. After downloading the ROM always scan it for malware and viruses. Avoid installing any bundleware with it.
Look for good reviews and comments before you download any ROM.
Hexrom is safe and doesn’t have any ads on the site. In fact, it is a pretty well-known site and is widely used.
Over to You
These were some of the best ROM sites to download games, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Galaxy, and Brain Age, amongst thousands of others.
Few of the listings of some of these new but safe ROM websites will be dead. Notify the admin about fixing the links.
Beware of the bundleware that is provided with a few game files. Make sure to keep anything getting installed without your consent.
