The go to Atari emulators are still considered to be either Hatari or Steem. There is mixed opinion as to which is the preferred choice, but I recommend you give both a try and make your own mind up. The good news is that with both Hatari and Steem, you have an Atari ST Emulator compatible with Windows, Mac OS & Linux.
Hatari
My go to Atari ST Emulator for PC, Mac & Linux
Hatari is my recommendation for Atari ST Emulation for Windows PCs. First launched in 2001, it is the most established and well-maintained Atari ST Emulator.
Hatari emulates the Atari ST/STE/TT & Falcon systems. Hatari provides support for much of the ST and STE hardware. The ability to mount hard drives directly from a folder on your PC as well as using hard disk images.
I found Hatari easy to get up and running, primarily due to the inclusion of its own built-in replacement operating system, EmuTOS. You can easily enough though boot from a genuine TOS installation, simply by loading your own TOS image file.
The Hatari user interface perhaps looks a little dated, but don’t let that put you off, it is actually very simple to use and has plenty of functionality.
Hatari Features Include:
- The most widely supported and developed Atari ST Emulator available – Hatari offers versions for Windows, mac OS & Linux, making it hugely accessible for all desktop and laptop users.
- Switch between machines and configurations easily – Hatari emulates the Atari ST/STE, Mega ST/STE, TT and Falcon. Simply set up your ideal setup, save the configuration and easily switch between each configuration.
- Change RAM Size, CPU, FPU & CPU Clock Speeds – Utilise the Motorola 68000 all the way up to the 68060 @ 32mhz as well maxing out your RAM up to 14MB, perfect if you are looking to revisit old applications such as Cubase.
- Full Floppy & Hard Drive Emulation – Load in ST Disk files, a Hard Disk image or create your own Hard Disk from a folder on your desktop/laptop.
- Midi Emulation – Perfect again for revisiting applications such as Cubase.
- Joystick Emulation – Use a USB joystick or remap the joystick to the keyboard.
Hataroid
Even Android owners get to experience the Atari ST with Hataroid
There are not many Atari ST Emulators for Android, but Hataroid still manages to still be the best available, even though it’s quite old now.
You will need a couple of things before you can get going:-
- A TOS (Operating System) ROM image (Or alternatively, utilise the built-in EmuTOS to get going. It is very good, but you may have some issues with compatibility with some games/software.
- Disk images of games/software you wish to run – They can be in ST, MSA, DIM or STX file formats.
Hataroid offers a range of excellent features, including:
- Emulations for both the ST & STE
- Emulation is based on Hatari, so compatibility is overall very good
- Save states
- External SD Card support
- External Controller & Mouse support
- Built-in soft MIDI output support
- On-screen keyboard / controls
- Scanline/CRT Effects
- Disk drive loading sounds
As a retro gaming & retro computing enthusiast, I enjoy sharing help guides and about retro gaming in general, when I have the spare time to do so!