RPCS3 is a Sony Playstation 3 Emulator.
Website: https://rpcs3.net/
Quickstart Guide: https://rpcs3.net/quickstart
GitHub: https://github.com/RPCS3/rpcs3
Compatibility List: https://rpcs3.net/compatibility
RPCS3 Wiki: https://wiki.rpcs3.net/index.php?title=Main_Page
RPCS3 Table of Contents
Getting Started with RPCS3
In order to play a game on RPCS3, you need to install the firmware through the RPCS3 UI. In desktop mode, open RPCS3, either in the application menu or through its shortcut in Emulation/tools/launchers/rpcs3.sh
. In RPCS3, click File, click Install Firmware. Firmware is provided legally by Sony.
Follow RPCS3's Quickstart Guide for a step by step process on setting up RPCS3: https://rpcs3.net/quickstart
Read the Configuration section to learn more about RPCS3 and its folder locations.
To launch your ROMs in game mode, use Steam ROM Manager and use one of the following parsers to play your Playstation 3 ROMs:
ES-DE
- To play PS3 games in ES-DE, see How to Configure RPCS3 to Work With ES-DE and Pegasus
Sony PlayStation 3 - RPCS3 (Extracted ISO/PSN)
orSony PlayStation 3 - RPCS3 (Installed PKG)
- Read the File Formats section to learn more about these various file formats
Emulators
RPCS3 Configuration
- Type of Emulator: AppImage
- Config Location:
/home/deck/Applications/rpcs3.AppImage
- Storage Location:
Emulation/storage/rpcs3/dev_hdd0
- ROM Location:
Emulation/roms/ps3
- Firmware: Install the firmware through RPCS3's GUI. Read the Quickstart Guide for a tutorial
-
Saves:
- Symlink:
Emulation/saves/rpcs3/saves
- Target:
Emulation/storage/rpcs3/dev_hdd0/home/00000001/savedata
- Symlink:
-
Your game will not show in the RPCS3 UI until you add it manually through the
Add Game
option underFile
in the top left.
Works With
- Steam ROM Manager
- ES-DE
RPCS3 Folder Locations
These file locations apply regardless of where you chose to install EmuDeck (to your internal SSD, to your SD Card, or elsewhere). Some emulator configuration files will be located on the internal SSD as listed below.
Home Directory
~
refers to your Home directory
Hidden Folders
Directories with a .
in front of their name, like ~/.steam
, are hidden by default. In Dolphin(file manager), click the hamburger menu in the top right and toggle on Show Hidden Files
.
~/.config/rpcs3
rpcs3/
├── captures
├── config
├── custom.configs
├── dev_bdvd
├── dev_flash
├── dev_hdd1
├── dev_usb000
├── GuiConfigs
├── Icons
├── input_configs
├── patches
├── sounds
├── config.yml
├── config.yml.bak
├── evdev_positive_axis.yml
├── games.yml
├── players_history.yml
├── recording.yml
├── uuid
├── vfs.yml
└── vfs.yml.bak
Emulation Directory
~/Emulation
refers to either your home
directory or SD Card/removable media depending on your installation location.
~/Emulation/storage/rpcs3
How to Update RPCS3
- Through the
Update your Emulators
section on theManage Emulators
page in theEmuDeck
application - Manual file replacement of
rpcs3.AppImage
- Refer to How to Swap Out AppImages and Binaries for instructions
How to Launch RPCS3 in Desktop Mode
- Launch
RPCS3 AppImage
from the Applications Launcher (Steam Deck icon in the bottom left of the taskbar) - Launch the script from
Emulation/tools/launchers
,rpcs3.sh
- Launch the emulator from
Steam
after adding it via theEmulators
parser inSteam ROM Manager
RPCS3 File Formats
-
Folder Format:
/PS3_GAME/USRDIR/eboot.bin
- Place the folder in
Emulation/roms/ps3
- Visual Reference:
- For more information on the
Folder Format
, read RPCS3's Quickstart Guide- Note: Read the
Dumping Step-by-step
section specifically
- Note: Read the
- Place the folder in
-
Install
.pkg
files directly through the RPCS3 UI- Note: You can drag and drop
.pkg
files to the RPCS3 UI .pkg
files are installed to:Emulation/storage/rpcs3/dev_hdd0/game/
- Note: You can drag and drop
- Install
.rap
files directly through the RPCS3 UI- Note: You can drag and drop
.rap
files to the RPCS3 UI .rap
files are installed to:Emulation/storage/rpcs3/dev_hdd0/game/
- Note: You can drag and drop
Note: A file ending with the file extension, .iso
cannot be played through RPCS3. In order to use a file ending with the file extension, .iso
, you must first decrypt the .iso
file (using a matching IRD file). After decrypting the .iso
file, you may then use a file archiver like 7-Zip or WinRAR to extract the file into a working game folder.
Do keep in mind that this method is not recommended by RPCS3. Make sure to read RPCS3's Quickstart Guide to learn how to properly dump your games in order to have a working and usable ROM.
Steam ROM Manager Parsers
- Folder Format: Use the
Sony PlayStation 3 - RPCS3 (Extracted ISO/PSN)
parser - PKG Format: Use the
Sony PlayStation 3 - RPCS3(Flatpak) (Installed PKG)
parser
RPCS3 Hotkeys
N/A
How to Manage Updates
Read https://wiki.rpcs3.net/index.php?title=Help:Installing_Game_Updates for a tutorial on how to download and manage PS3 updates.
The Linux version of the software mentioned in the above article can be found here: https://github.com/RainbowCookie32/rusty-psn/releases/.
How to Navigate to the SD Card Through RPCS3
When using RPCS3's GUI to navigate to your SD Card or removable storage device, you will need to treat the location of the SD Card or removable storage device as a file path. Your SD Card or removable storage device will be typically located in /run/media/deck/SDCARDNAME
.
To locate this file path, follow the steps below. The steps will cover how to install PKGs, RAPs, and Edats on your SD Card or removable storage device but you may also use the below steps for other RPCS3 functions.
- Open RPCS3
- Click
File
, clickInstall Packages/Raps/Edats
- On the left-hand side of the screen, click
Computer
- Open
/
- Open
run
- Open
media
- Open
deck
- On this screen, you will see a list of your SD Cards and removable storage devices. By default, your SD Card will be named with a long alphanumeric string
RPCS3 Tips and Tricks
How to Configure RPCS3 to Work With ES-DE and Pegasus
AppImage
- In
Desktop Mode
, open RPCS3 - Skip this step if you have already added your games to RPCS3:
- Either:
- In the top left click,
File
, clickAdd Games
, locate your game - In the top left click,
File
, clickInstall Packages/Raps/Edats
, and install your PKG - For more information, read the File Formats section
- In the top left click,
- Either:
- Right click your game, click
Create Shortcut
, clickCreate Desktop Shortcut
- On your desktop, you should see an icon for your game. Move this icon to
Emulation/roms/ps3
- If your desktop shortcut contains special icons any special symbols (Ex: the copyright symbol,
©
), rename the desktop file to remove these symbols.- For example, rename
God Of War® Collection.desktop
toGod Of War Collection.desktop
, removing the©
afterWar
- For example, rename
- If your desktop shortcut contains special icons any special symbols (Ex: the copyright symbol,
- (Optional) If the desktop file is opening RPCS3 instead of the game:
- In Desktop Mode, right click the desktop file
- Click
Properties
- On the
General
tab, clickChange
to the right of theOpen With
line - Under
Application Preference Order
, clickRPCS3
- Click
Remove
on the right - Click
Apply
in the bottom left and clickOK
- The desktop file will not work in Desktop Mode, but will launch the game directly either through a terminal or through ES-DE
- Your game should now show up in and launch directly from ES-DE and Pegasus
If you get an Invalid file or folder
error message, you will need to change the Alternative Emulator
in ES-DE for PlayStation 3 to RPCS3 Shortcut [Standalone]
.
You may also do this on a per-game basis if you are using a mix of folders and PKGs. On a game, press the select
button, scroll down and select EDIT THIS GAME'S METADATA
, scroll down and select ALTERNATIVE EMULATOR
, select PS3 and select the corresponding format.
Refer to https://gitlab.com/es-de/emulationstation-de/-/blob/master/USERGUIDE.md#sony-playstation-3, for additional information.
Flatpak
These are legacy instructions for the Flatpak installation from Discover.
- In
Desktop Mode
, open RPCS3 - Skip this step if you have already added your games to RPCS3:
- Either:
- In the top left click,
File
, clickAdd Games
, locate your game - In the top left click,
File
, clickInstall Packages/Raps/Edats
, and install your PKG - For more information, read the File Formats section
- In the top left click,
- Either:
- Right click your game, click
Create Shortcut
, clickCreate Desktop Shortcut
- On your desktop, you should see an icon for your game. Move this icon to
Emulation/roms/ps3
- Right click the shortcut, click
Open with Kate
or a text editor of your choice - Edit the beginning of the
Exec=
line using the following template:- Original Line:
`Exec="/app/bin/rpcs3" --no-gui
- Updated Line:
Exec="/usr/bin/flatpak" run net.rpcs3.RPCS3 --no-gui
- Replace
"/app/bin/rpcs3" --no-gui
with"/usr/bin/flatpak" run net.rpcs3.RPCS3 --no-gui
- Replace
- Do not edit anything on the line after
--no-gui
- Original Line:
- Example, using Demon Souls:
- Save and close out of the desktop file
- (Optional) If the desktop file is opening RPCS3 instead of the game:
- In Desktop Mode, right click the desktop file
- Click
Properties
- On the
General
tab, clickChange
to the right of theOpen With
line - Under
Application Preference Order
, clickRPCS3
- Click
Remove
on the right - Click
Apply
in the bottom left and clickOK
- The desktop file will not work in Desktop Mode, but will launch the game directly either through a terminal or through ES-DE and Pegasus
- Your game should now show up in and launch directly from ES-DE and Pegasus
If you get an Invalid file or folder
error message, you will need to change the Alternative Emulator
in ES-DE for PlayStation 3 to RPCS3 Shortcut [Standalone]
.
You may also do this on a per-game basis if you are using a mix of folders and PKGs. On a game, press the select
button, scroll down and select EDIT THIS GAME'S METADATA
, scroll down and select ALTERNATIVE EMULATOR
, select PS3 and select the corresponding format.
Refer to https://gitlab.com/es-de/emulationstation-de/-/blob/master/USERGUIDE.md#sony-playstation-3, for additional information.
How to Configure Multiplayer
RPCS3 comes with a nifty auto-map feature that makes setting up multiplayer a breeze. To set up multiplayer, you simply need to enable the additional ports.
Note: If you are in Desktop Mode, make sure that Steam is open.
- Open RPCS3
- Open the
Pads
menu in theSettings
- For each controller you are using for Player 2, 3, 4, etc, click the respective tab
- You do not need to adjust any settings for Player 1
- Under
Handlers
, selectSDL
for each player you are enabling - Under
Devices
- Player 2:
Steam Virtual Gamepad 2
- Player 3:
Steam Virtual Gamepad 3
- Player 4:
Steam Virtual Gamepad 4
- Player 5:
Steam Virtual Gamepad 5
- Player 6:
Steam Virtual Gamepad 6
- Player 7:
Steam Virtual Gamepad 7
- Player 2:
- Using
Player 2
as an example:- On the
Player 2
configuration screen, after you have selected the appropriateDevice
andHandler
, clickRefresh
to the right ofHandler
- On the
- After you are finished enabling any additional players, click
Save
and you may open your game either directly as a shortcut in Steam or through ES-DE and Pegasus - (Optional) You may need to re-arrange the controller order in Game Mode for your controllers to function as expected. See How to Re-Arrange the Controller Order to learn how
Special Game Configurations
RPCS3 Wiki
Some games may require additional setup, needing mods or alteration of settings. The RPCS3 Compatability List can be used to check for these. Simply search for the name of the game and click the hyperlinked name to view the wiki page for that game and see if there are any recommended or required settings changes.
EmuDeck Community Creations
Use the EmuDeck Community Game Configurations page to submit or view special game configurations.
How to Set up the Motion Sensor with External Controllers
The PlayStation 3 controller, or the DualShock 3 notably had "Sixaxis". Sixaxis refers to the motion sensor used in a handful of games. One of the more popular games that utilized Sixaxis was Folklore. For a full list of games, see https://www.giantbomb.com/sixaxis-support/3015-5310/games/.
RPCS3 has implemented support to allow emulating the Sixaxis through evdev, which exposes the gyro in a large variety of modern controllers (including the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, 8BitDo Ultimate Controller, and the DualSense).
At this time, the Steam Deck gyro cannot be used. But if you own one of these controllers, you may emulate the Sixaxis through RPCS3.
Here's How
Desktop Mode
- Switch to Desktop Mode
- Exit out of Steam
- You may exit out of Steam a couple of different ways:
- Right click the
Steam
icon in your taskbar and clickExit Steam
- Open Steam, click the
Steam
button in the top left, clickExit
- Open a terminal (Konsole) and enter
killall -9 steam
- Do note that clicking the the
X
button in the top right of the Steam window will not exit out of Steam
- Right click the
- Your controls will switch to
Lizard Mode
. UseL2
to right click,R2
to left click, and theRight Trackpad
to move the mouse - You may also connect an external keyboard and mouse
- You may exit out of Steam a couple of different ways:
- Click the bluetooth icon in the bottom right of your taskbar and connect your controller
- Click the Steam icon in the bottom left of the taskbar and open
RPCS3
- Click
Pads
at the top - Under the
Player 1
tab, click the Dropdown box belowDevices
and select your controller- To switch back to the default controller layout, make sure
Steam
is open and selectSteam Virtual Gamepad 1
- To switch back to the default controller layout, make sure
- Click
Save
, and exit out of RPCS3
Game Mode
- In Game Mode, connect your controller
- Select your PlayStation 3 game
- On the
Play
screen, select theController
icon to the right of the screen - Select your controller tab at the top
- Click
Reorder Controllers
and move your external controller to the top - Click the
Gear
icon to the right, and clickDisable Steam Input
- You may need to restart first for this setting to properly apply
- Your controller's gyro will now work for this selected game, repeat as needed for your other games
For a video, see below:
Post-Configuration
To restore the default Steam Deck controls:
- Open RPCS3
- Click
Pads
at the top - Under the
Player 1
tab, click the Dropdown box belowDevices
and selectSteam Virtual Gamepad 1
- Select
SDL
underHandlers
- Click
Save
, and exit out of RPCS3
(Optional) To restore Steam Input:
- Select your PlayStation 3 game
- On the
Play
screen, select theController
icon to the right of the screen - Select your controller tab at the top
- Click the
Gear
icon to the right, and clickEnable Steam Input
- You may need to restart first for this setting to properly apply
- The controls will be reverted to Steam Input and the Steam Deck controls will be restored
How to Roll Back RPCS3 to an Older Version
Your ROMs launch using a script created by EmuDeck, rpcs3.sh
in ~/Emulation/tools/launchers
.
Emulation Directory
~/Emulation
refers to either your home
directory or SD Card/removable media depending on your installation location.
The script launches the corresponding emulator in /home/deck/Applications
and specifically looks for two traits:
- The most recently downloaded version of the emulator in
/home/deck/Applications
, based on the file/release date. - The emulator name at the beginning of the file. Anything after the emulator name is ignored.
- For example, if the latest version of the emulator is
1351
and you would like to downgrade to1349
. When you download version1349
, you could rename it toEMULATORNAME-1349.AppImage
, and EmuDeck's script will ignore the-1349
in the file name, allowing you to record which versions of the emulator you are using through the file name.
- For example, if the latest version of the emulator is
How to Roll Back RPCS3
- Download the version of the emulator you would like to use from RPCS3's Builds page: https://rpcs3.net/compatibility?b
- Move the downloaded emulator from Step 1 to
/home/deck/Applications
- (Optional) Rename or delete the original emulator file
- Right click the newly downloaded emulator, click
Properties
, clickPermissions
, checkIs executable
- Your games will now launch using the version of the emulator you downloaded
How to Configure Language Settings
In-Game
- In Desktop Mode, open RPCS3
- At the top, click
Configuration
, clickSystem
- Below
Console Language
, select your preferred language in the drop-down menu