How to Get an Atari 2600 Emulator

Maybe the old Atari 2600 doesn't compete with modern video game systems, but it can definitely provide a nostalgic experience. Those old, hokey games still provide a grand time despite the silly graphics and sounds. If you want to play Atari 2600 games, but you can't find (or don't want to pay for) a used system, you can get an emulator to play the games right on your computer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Search for websites offering Atari emulators. There are many such sites on the Internet, and you may have to do a little research to ensure that the site you choose is legitimate and won't infect your computer with malware. For instance, Stella is an Atari 2600 emulator for the Linux operating system, and is available at the SourceForge website (see Resources below).

2. Download the emulator. Run a virus and spyware scan of the file, just to be sure, before you open it.

3. Get some games. An emulator is a waste of hard drive space unless you have some games to play. Games for emulators are commonly called ROMs. A good site for downloading ROMs is AtariAge (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• The designers or manufacturers of Atari 2600 games may still hold licensing rights to these games. As a result, you would be (technically) using unlicensed software by downloading or playing certain games. It's unlikely that any company would do anything about people playing Atari 2600 games illegally, but there are no guarantees.

Resources

• Download Stella from SourceForge.
• SourceForge offers a range of emulator resources.
• Download Atari 2600 ROMs (games) from AtariAge.