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Yuzu is a Nintendo Switch emulator.

Website: https://yuzu-emu.org/

GitHub: https://github.com/yuzu-emu/yuzu-mainline

GitHub Releases: https://github.com/yuzu-emu/yuzu-mainline/releases

Compatibility List: https://yuzu-emu.org/game/

Quickstart guide: https://yuzu-emu.org/help/quickstart/

Yuzu Table of Contents

  1. Getting Started with Yuzu

  2. Common Issues

  3. Yuzu Tips and Tricks

Getting Started with Yuzu

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In order to play Nintendo Switch games on Yuzu, you will need a prod.keys file and title.keys to decrypt your ROMs. You will need to continue to keep your prod.keys and title.keys up to date as new Nintendo Switch firmware releases.

If you play a Nintendo Switch game with Miis (for example - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe), you will need firmware files.

Read Yuzu's Quick Start guide to learn how to dump Nintendo Switch keys, firmware, and ROMs: https://yuzu-emu.org/help/quickstart/.

Place your ROMs in Emulation/roms/switch. Place your prod.keys file in Emulation/bios/yuzu/keys. Place your firmware files in Emulation/bios/yuzu/firmware.

Read the Configuration section to learn more about Yuzu 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 Nintendo Switch ROMs:

  • ES-DE
  • Nintendo Switch - Yuzu
  • Emulators

Yuzu Configuration

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  • Type of Emulator: AppImage
  • Executable Location: /home/deck/Applications/yuzu.AppImage
  • Config Location:
    • $HOME/.config/yuzu/
      • Contains the following folders and files:
        • custom
        • input
        • qt-config.ini
    • $HOME/.local/share/yuzu
      • Contains the following folders:
        • amiibo
        • keys
          • Emulation/bios/yuzu/keys is a symlink to the above location
        • log
        • shader
  • Storage Location: Emulation/storage/yuzu
    • Contains the following folders:
      • dump
      • load
      • nand
        • Firmware: Emulation/storage/yuzu/nand/system/Contents/registered
          • Emulation/bios/yuzu/firmware is a symlink to the above location
      • screenshots
      • sdmc
      • tas
  • ROMs: Emulation/roms/switch/
  • Firmware: Emulation/bios/yuzu/firmware/
    • Symlink folder to the proper place. DO NOT OVERWRITE THE FOLDER or it won't work
    • Target Location: Emulation/storage/yuzu/nand/system/Contents/registered
  • Keys: Emulation/bios/yuzu/keys/
    • Symlink folder to the proper place. DO NOT OVERWRITE THE FOLDER or it won't work
    • Target Location: /home/deck/.local/share/yuzu/keys
  • Saves:
    • Symlink: Emulation/saves/yuzu/
    • Target Location: Emulation/storage/yuzu/nand/user/save/

Note: ~/.local is an invisible folder by default. In Dolphin (file manager), click the hamburger menu in the top right, click Show Hidden Files to see these folders.

Works with:

  • Steam ROM Manager
  • ES-DE

Yuzu Folder Locations

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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 refers to your home folder. If you are on a Steam Deck, this folder will be named /home/deck (you will likely not see deck in the file path when navigating using the file manager).

Paths beginning with Emulation/.. correspond to your EmuDeck install location. If you installed on an SD Card, your path may be /run/media/mmcblk0p1/Emulation/roms/... If you installed on your internal SSD, your path may be /home/deck/Emulation/roms/..

DLC and Updates are installed to the NAND. The NAND is localized to your EmuDeck install. If you installed EmuDeck to your internal SSD, your NAND is on your internal SSD. If you installed EmuDeck to an SD Card or an External Hard Drive, your NAND is on the removable storage device.

Note: Folders with a . (.var, .local, .config, etc.) at the beginning are hidden by default. In Dolphin (file manager), click the hamburger menu in the top right, click Show Hidden Files to see these folders.

$HOME/.config/yuzu

yuzu/
├── custom
├── input
│   ├── emudeck.ini
│   └── emudeck.ini.bak
├── qt-config.ini
├── qt-config.ini.bak
└── telemetry_id

$HOME/.local/share/yuzu

yuzu
├── amiibo
├── keys
├── log
└── shader

Emulation/storage/yuzu

yuzu/
├── dump
├── load
├── nand
│   └── user
│       ├── Contents
│       │   ├── placehld
│       │   └── registered  
│       ├── save
│       │   ├── 0000000000000000
│       │   └── cache
│       └── temp
├── screenshots
├── sdmc
└── tas

Emulation/bios/yuzu

yuzu/
├── firmware -> Emulation/storage/yuzu/nand/system/Contents/registered/
└── keys -> /home/deck/.local/share/yuzu/keys/

How to Update Yuzu

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How to Update Yuzu

  • Through the Update your Emulators & Tools section on the Manage Emulators page in the EmuDeck application
  • Manual file replacement of Yuzu
  • Through the application's automatic updater
  • When you open Yuzu you may be prompted for an update, accept the prompt to update the application

How to Launch Yuzu in Desktop Mode

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How to Launch Yuzu in Desktop Mode

  • Launch yuzu AppImage from the Applications Launcher (Steam Deck icon in the bottom left of the taskbar)
  • Launch the script from Emulation/tools/launchers, yuzu.sh
  • Launch the AppImage in /home/deck/Applications/Yuzu.AppImage
  • Launch the emulator from Steam after adding it via the Emulators parser in Steam ROM Manager

Yuzu File Formats

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  • .kp
  • .nca
  • .nro
  • .nso
  • .nsp
  • .xci

How to Manage DLC and Updates

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Preface: Do not keep your DLC or update files in the Emulation/roms/switch folder. Steam ROM Manager will parse your updates and DLC and create broken shortcuts. After installing your DLC or updates, you can discard them or save them for Ryujinx.

Ryujinx expects your DLC and update files to stay permanently in a folder, either in a folder of your choice, or in Emulation/storage/ryujinx/patchesAndDlc. For further detail, read: Ryujinx: How to Manage DLC and Updates.

DLC and Updates are installed directly through the Yuzu menu.

DLC and Updates are installed to the NAND. The NAND is localized to your EmuDeck install. If you installed EmuDeck to your internal SSD, your NAND is on your internal SSD. If you installed EmuDeck to an SD Card or an External Hard Drive, your NAND is on the removable storage device. For specific folder locations, see Yuzu Folder Locations.

Quick Tutorial

  1. In Desktop Mode, open Yuzu
  2. Click File
  3. Click Install Files to NAND..
  4. (Optional) If your DLC or update files are on your SD Card, your path is: /run/media/.... To navigate here, click Computer on the left, open the / folder, open the run folder, then the media folder, and follow the path to the files on your SD Card.
  5. Locate your DLC or update files in your directory
  6. Your DLC or update files are now installed

Yuzu Hotkeys

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Combo hotkeys have been mapped for this emulator.

Hotkey Yuzu
Quick Menu Select + R3
Toggle Full Screen Start + L3
Pause/Play Select + A
Fast Forward Select + R2
Stop Emulation Select + Start
Full Screen Toggle Select + R3
Docked Mode Toggle Start + DPAD Up
GPU Accuracy Start + DPAD Down
Filter Start + DPAD Left

Note:

Known Issues

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Yuzu Common Issues

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Game suddenly stopped working?

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If your game ever crashes or you exit the game by pressing the STEAM button and clicking Exit Game instead of using the hotkey (Select + Start), you may end up corrupting the shader cache.

To clear the shader cache:

  1. Open Yuzu
  2. Right click the game in specific
  3. Click Remove
  4. Click Remove All Pipeline Caches

Note: Use Select + Start to exit your game instead of using the STEAM button.

Special Characters

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Files with special characters in the ROM name will not launch from Steam.

Rename your ROMs by editing the file name directly in the respective ROM folder and remove the special character.

Known Cases

  • é in Pokémon
  • ' in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

If you used Steam ROM Manager previously, re-run Steam ROM Manager after renaming your ROMs.

Combined XCI Files

Combined Nintendo Switch games can be unreliable. These combined games will still work if you open them through Yuzu directly.

However, using combined games may cause issues if you are using a shortcut created by Steam ROM Manager or running the game through ES-DE.

It is recommended you do not use combined games if you want to use shortcuts created by Steam ROM Manager or run your games through ES-DE.

Why is Mario Kart 8 stuck on the Mii selection screen?

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Dump and use your firmware and keys from your console following Yuzu's Quickstart Guide.

The firmware must contain Mii data. Without it, the game will get stuck on the Mii selection screen.

If the game is stuck on a Mii selection screen, that means your firmware does not contain Mii data. You will need to re-dump your firmware.

Reference Image:

After you dump your firmware with Mii data, place it in Emulation/bios/yuzu/firmware.

Once you have dumped your firmware with the proper Mii data and place it in the correct folder, you will be able to proceed through the Mii selection menu.

Why is New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe stuck on a black screen?

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Dump and use your firmware and keys from your console following Yuzu's Quickstart Guide.

The firmware must contain Mii data. Without it, the game will launch into a black screen.

If the game is stuck on a black screen, that means your firmware does not contain Mii data. You will need to re-dump your firmware.

After you dump your firmware with Mii data, place it in Emulation/bios/yuzu/firmware.

Once you have dumped your firmware with the proper Mii data and place it in the correct folder, the game will proceed and you will be able to play.

Save Data Disappeared

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If your save data disappeared, it's likely because the profile IDs were reset. Fortunately, the data is still present.

  1. In Desktop Mode, open the Emulation/storage/yuzu/nand/user/save/0000000000000000 folder
    • In this folder, you will find more than one folder with alphanumerical names. These are the profile IDs for your save files
  2. In Desktop Mode, open Yuzu, right click on a game, click on Open Save Data Location
  3. If you look at the path, you will see you are in one of the alphanumerical folders from Step 1. This folder is the ID of your current profile, and where you should be placing your recovered saves

Now that you know which save folder corresponds to the new save file, the other folders are for any old profiles you had.

If you only had one profile, there should be one other folder, and you can just transfer the saves over.

If you had two or more profiles, the best way to find out which was which was transfer a save from one game to the new folder and see which save it happens to be.

Inside each profile's folder are one or several game-specific folders, each named after their game-id, which you can find under the game's name in the Yuzu application (for example, Tears of the Kingdom ID is 0100F2C0115B6000). These correspond to the respective game's save data, and moving them over to the new profile folder will make the save work in the new conditions.

If you had more than one profile, you will need to also create new profiles for each old one you had, and place the save files from each folder accordingly.

Yuzu Tips and Tricks

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How to Configure Gyro

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Gyro for Yuzu requires SteamDeckGyroDSU. SteamDeckGyroDSU can be installed via EmuDeck, or it can be installed manually.

Visit SteamDeckGyroDSU to learn how to install and utilize SteamDeckGyroDSU.

How to Diagnose Gyro

Gyro with Yuzu on the Steam Deck can be a little finnicky. Prior to following the steps below, make sure you have already tried resetting Yuzu's configurations to EmuDeck's defaults in the EmuDeck application. If that still does not resolve the issue, you can take a look in the Yuzu settings and try to to set the gyro controls yourself.

Here's How

  1. Add Yuzu to Steam so you may open it in Game Mode
    • You may add Yuzu to Steam by using the Emulators parser in Steam ROM Manager
  2. Install and configure gyro for the Yuzu shortcut in Game Mode
    • Read the instructions on the SteamDeckGyroDSU page to learn how to install and utilize SteamDeckGyroDSU in Game Mode
  3. In Game Mode, on the Yuzu shortcut, click the Gear icon
  4. Select Properties
  5. Scroll down to Game Resolution
  6. Change it to 3840x2160
  7. Enable Set resolution for internal and external display
  8. In Game Mode, open Yuzu
  9. Click Emulation at the top, click Configure
  10. Click Controls on the left
  11. Make sure the emudeck profile is selected in the Profile drop-down menu in the top right
  12. Under Motion 1 at the bottom, click [Not Set] or sdl and shake your Steam Deck
  13. Click OK in the bottom right
  14. Exit out of Yuzu
  15. In Game Mode, on the Yuzu shortcut, click the Gear icon
  16. Select Properties
  17. Scroll down to Game Resolution
  18. Change it to Default
  19. Disable Set resolution for internal and external display
  20. Test gyro on a Nintendo Switch game using Yuzu in Game Mode
    • You may do so by opening the game through Yuzu directly, adding the game as a shortcut through Steam ROM Manager, or opening the game through ES-DE

How to Configure Gyro With External Controllers

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Desktop Mode

  1. Switch to Desktop Mode
  2. Exit out of Steam
    • You may exit out of Steam a couple of different ways:
      • Right click the Steam icon in your taskbar and click Exit Steam
      • Open Steam, click the Steam button in the top left, click Exit
      • 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
    • Your controls will switch to Lizard Mode. Use L2 to right click, R2 to left click, and the Right Trackpad to move the mouse
    • You may also connect an external keyboard and mouse
  3. Click the bluetooth icon in the bottom right of your taskbar and connect your controller
  4. Right click anywhere on the blank space on your desktop and click Configure Display Settings
    • You may also find this menu by opening System Settings and clicking Display and Monitor
  5. Click the Upside Down configuration under Orientation
    • This setting will switch your Steam Deck to "Portrait Mode", hold your Steam Deck sideways for this section to navigate the various settings
  6. Open Yuzu
  7. Click Emulation at the top, click Configure
  8. Click Controls on the left
  9. Under Input Device, select your external controller
  10. Under Motion 1 at the bottom, click [Not Set] or sdl and shake your controller
  11. (Optional), you may also choose to save your layout as a unique profile. With this profile, you can choose to apply it on a per-game basis
  12. Click OK in the bottom right
  13. Exit out of Yuzu
  14. Right click anywhere on the blank space on your desktop and click Configure Display Settings
    • You may also find this menu by opening System Settings and clicking Display and Monitor
  15. Click the 90 Counterclockwise configuration under Orientation
  16. Switch to Game Mode

Game Mode

  1. In Game Mode, connect your controller
  2. Select your Nintendo Switch game
  3. On the Play screen, select the Controller icon to the right of the screen
  4. Select your controller tab at the top
  5. Click the Gear icon to the right, and click Disable Steam Input
    • You may need to restart first for this setting to properly apply
  6. Your controller's gyro will now work for this selected game, repeat as needed for your other games

If your controller gyro does not work after the above steps, reset Yuzu's configuration in the EmuDeck application on the Manage Emulators page and try again.

Post-Configuration

To restore the default Steam Deck controls:

  1. Open Yuzu
  2. Click Emulation at the top, click Configure
  3. Click Controls on the left
  4. Under the Profile drop-down menu in the top right, select emudeck
    • The EmuDeck configured controls should now auto-populate
  5. Select Steam Virtual Gamepad 0 under Input Device
  6. Click OK in the bottom right
  7. Exit out of Yuzu

(Optional) To restore Steam Input:

  1. Select your Nintendo Switch game
  2. On the Play screen, select the Controller icon to the right of the screen
  3. Select your controller tab at the top
  4. Click the Gear icon to the right, and click Enable Steam Input
    • You may need to restart first for this setting to properly apply
  5. The controls will be reverted to Steam Input and the Steam Deck controls will be restored

How to Optimize Performance (Power Tools)

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Visit Power Tools to learn how to optimize performance using Power Tools.

How to Configure Multiplayer

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Multiplayer for Yuzu is configured out of the box, no additional configuration is needed.

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 for more information.

How to Install Mods

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Mod Resources

This list is not comprehensive

Preface

For Yuzu's instructions on how to install mods, see: https://yuzu-emu.org/help/feature/game-modding/

The folder structure of a mod is important. It should generally look like the following:

mod_directory
  - exefs
  - romfs
  - romfs_ext

A few examples:

# Blur Removal Mod for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Blur Removal
  - exefs
      - Zelda-Links Awakening v1.0.1 - DOF.pchtxt

# 60 FPS Mod for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Stable-60fps-v2
  - exefs
      - 1.0.0.pchtxt

# Faster Battles Mod for Pokemon Brilliant Diamond

Faster Battles
  - romfs
      - Data
         - StreamingAssets
             - AssetAssistant
                 - Battle
                     - battle_masterdatas

Tutorial

  1. In Desktop Mode, open Yuzu
  2. Right click a game you intend on modding
  3. Click Open Mod Data Location
    1. Visual Reference:
  4. Place your mod folder in the opened folder
    1. You may need to extract the mod first
    2. Visual Reference:
  5. In Yuzu, right click the same game, open Properties, click the Add-Ons tab
  6. Check the box to the left of your mod(s)
    1. Visual Reference:
  7. Your mod is now installed

Special Game Configurations

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Some games will take additional setup, requiring mods or an extensive alteration of settings. The EmuDeck Community Creations page collects these configurations in one centralized location.

To submit or view special game configurations, see Special Game Configurations.

Current List of Special Game Configurations

  • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

How to Set Up Early Access

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EmuDeck 2.1 added an option to enable Yuzu (Early Access).

Here's how to set it up

  1. Open EmuDeck
  2. Click the Manage Emulators button
  3. Click Yuzu
  4. Click Setup Early Access
  5. Enter your token
  6. Whenever you launch Yuzu, it will now use the Early Access version

How to Roll Back Yuzu to an Older Version

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Preface

Your ROMs launch using a script created by EmuDeck, yuzu.sh in Emulation/tools/launchers.

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 to 1349. When you download version 1349, you could rename it to EMULATORNAME-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.

How to Roll Back Yuzu

  1. Download the version of the emulator you would like to use from Yuzu's GitHub: https://github.com/yuzu-emu/yuzu-mainline/releases
  2. Move the downloaded emulator from Step 1 to /home/deck/Applications
  3. (Optional) Rename or delete the original emulator file
  4. Right click the newly downloaded emulator, click Properties, click Permissions, check Is executable
  5. Your games will now launch using the version of the emulator you downloaded

How to Select Between Yuzu and Ryujinx in Game Mode

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If you are using Steam ROM Manager and would like to run some games through Yuzu and others through Ryujinx, you may use Steam ROM Manager's exception manager to selectively run your games in your preferred emulator.

For further instructions, see Steam ROM Manager: How to Hide ROMs on a Per Parser Basis.

If you are using ES-DE, you may use ES-DE's alternative emulators feature to select on a per-game basis which to run through Yuzu and which to run through Ryujinx.

For further instructions, see ES-DE: How to Select a Different Emulator on a Per-Game Basis.

How to Configure Language Settings

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UI

  1. In Desktop Mode, open Yuzu
  2. At the top, click Emulation, click Configure
  3. On the left, click the General tab
  4. Click the UI tab
  5. To the right of Interface Language, select your preferred language in the drop-down menu

In-Game

  1. In Desktop Mode, open Yuzu
  2. At the top, click Emulation, click Configure
  3. On the left, click the System tab
  4. Click the System tab
  5. To the right of Language, select your preferred language in the drop-down menu