Utilities Windows
VICE
Run classic Commodore software on Windows with VICE, a free emulator collection for the C64, C128, VIC20, PET and other 8-bit machines. This download is the 64-bit SDL2 build.
- Operating system
- Windows; Softonic lists Windows 11
- Architecture
- 64-bit (win64)
- Download package
- ZIP archive (SDL2 build)
Publisher does not state an exact minimum Windows version on the download page. GTK3 is a separate build and is the publisher-recommended interface. Historical screenshot does not establish current Windows XP compatibility.
Link checked · Download guidance
What is VICE?
VICE recreates several Commodore 8-bit computers so you can work with software written for those machines on a Windows PC. Alongside the C64, it emulates the C64DTV, C128, VIC20, PET, PLUS4 and CBM-II, with a separate emulator for a C64 expanded with the CMD SuperCPU. It suits revisiting old programs and working with Commodore disk or tape images rather than emulating a modern Windows computer.
The manual describes attaching disk and tape images as virtual media, or using Autostart to reset the emulated machine and load the first program from a suitable image. D64, G64 and P64 disk images and T64 and TAP tape images are documented. T64 support is partial and read-only; the publisher recommends TAP for actual tape emulation.
The linked package is VICE 3.10 for 64-bit Windows with the SDL2 interface, supplied as a ZIP archive. The publisher also offers a GTK3 build and recommends GTK3 over SDL2. The screenshot is a historical publisher-provided Windows XP image showing the C64 BASIC startup screen, not a capture of the current SDL2 interface or evidence that version 3.10 supports Windows XP.
What it offers
- Emulate the C64, C64DTV, C128, VIC20, PET, PLUS4 and CBM-II families.
- Use a separate emulator for the C64 with CMD SuperCPU expansion.
- Attach supported disk and tape images as virtual media.
- Autostart a program from a suitable disk or tape image.
- Save and load emulator settings, or restore default settings.
Good to know
- T64 tape-image support is partial and read-only and relies on virtual device traps; the manual recommends TAP for tape emulation.
- This download uses SDL2; the publisher recommends its separate GTK3 interface instead.
- The selected archive is the 64-bit Windows build, not a 32-bit package.
Product images
Sources
References used for this listing. Retrieval dates do not indicate hands-on testing.
- VICE - the Versatile Commodore Emulator ↗Retrieved
- VICE SDL2 - Download ↗Retrieved
- VICE Manual - 4 Basic operation ↗Retrieved
- VICE download | SourceForge.net ↗Retrieved
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