Patrick Hearn · April 6, 2020 · 4 min read The Commodore 64 is remembered for beloved titles like Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders and Pirates! Released in 1982, the Commodore 64 is the highest-selling single computer model of all time.
Many people have fond memories of spending Saturday afternoons playing the Commodore 64. Whether you’re someone revisiting their favorite childhood form of entertainment or a younger person exploring retro titles for the first time, it’s hard to find a Commodore 64 in the wild—but you can find ROMs.
These are the best online places to find Commodore 64 ROMs.
A Note About ROMS
Before you begin exploring and downloading Commodore 64 ROMS, double check the laws regarding emulation in your country. Using ROMs is illegal in many places. Even where ROMs are not illegal, they tend to be a gray area where the law is not completely clear.
We at Online Tech Tips are not a legal firm and we cannot offer legal recommendation on the use of ROMs. As a result, we are not responsible for any legal trouble that comes about as a result of using ROMs.
The Best Places To Find Commodore 64 ROMs
Finding ROMs can be tough, especially after the ROM purge of 2018. Many of the biggest ROM sites shut down or removed the vast majority of their titles. Unless you already had a ROM library (or know someone that does), tracking down reliable ROMs can be difficult.
Luckily, we found a few sites that have a lot of Commodore 64 ROMs to pick from.
C64.com
C64.com is one of, if not the biggest, fansites anywhere on the web. You can find huge amounts of content related to the Commodore 64 on a site that channels mid-90s web design in a way that is both nostalgic and charming.
There are articles about the system, interviews with developers, and much more. There are also hundreds of ROMs to choose from, as well as a list of the top 50 downloads if you aren’t sure which game to try out first.
CoolRom.com
CoolRom.com is a well-known outlet for finding Commodore 64 ROMs, and anyone with experience in the emulation scene has likely heard of the site. CoolRoms.com doesn’t have resources and articles like C64.com does; instead, it’s a much more straightforward ROM site. You can search by the first letter of the title, by the name of the game, or peruse the top 50 most downloaded games for the Commodore 64.
There are also tutorials on downloading and launching ROMs to help users figure out the technical aspects of emulation.
EmuParadise
Despite what its name may suggest, EmuParadise is not a site for breeding large birds. It is, however, a fantastic resource for Commodore 64 ROMs. You can sort ROMs by the first letter of their title, by genre, or by user rating and downloads.
There are a total of 1,683 titles available for download. You can also find magazines, comics, guides, and much more. If you’re interested, you can also find video game music for download.
EmuRom.net
EmuRom.net is another site that’s all about the ROMs with little to no other resources. However, it’s a great place for finding Commodore 64 ROMs. It has literally thousands of different ROMs available—according to the site, 24,970.
Some of those ROMs might be duplicates or in other languages, however, so be wary of that. You can search by ROM name, region, and sort by date, size of file, popularity, or name.
Romsmania
Romsmania is yet another outlet for finding Commodore 64 ROMs, but it has one feature that sets it apart: you can immediately see the number of times a title has been downloaded, as well as its rating.
You can sort the list of titles by rating and by download number. You can also sort by role playing and action and search by the title of the game.
Best Commodore 64 Emulators
Finding the best-quality ROM is important, but you also need a reliable platform to play it on. There are multiple options for Commodore 64 emulators, but the most popular and widely-regarded option is VICE, or the Versatile Commodore Emulator. VICE runs on Unix, Windows, and macOS systems and allows you to replay your favorite games from the Commodore 64 era with ease. The latest release is from December 24, 2019.
Remember, using an emulator and/or downloading ROMs may not be legal—but if you are looking for the easiest way to experience your favorite titles from the Commodore 64 without finding a working machine, then emulation is the best way to go.
What are your favorite games for the Commodore 64? Do you prefer emulation or the real thing? Let us know in the comments below.
