Neo Geo

SNK's arcade-perfect home console.

Overview

The Neo Geo (1990) brought arcade-identical hardware home. King of Fighters, Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown, and the best 2D fighting games. The AES (home) and MVS (arcade) share identical games.

SystemYearType
Neo Geo AES1990Home console
Neo Geo MVS1990Arcade
Neo Geo CD1994CD-based home
Neo Geo Pocket / Color1998Handheld

Emulators

EmulatorTypeNotes
FinalBurn NeoRetroArch coreBest for AES/MVS, arcade-focused
MAMERetroArch/StandaloneAlso excellent for Neo Geo
NeoCDRetroArch coreFor Neo Geo CD
Beetle NeoPopRetroArch coreFor Neo Geo Pocket

Setup

ROM Folders

roms/neogeo/
roms/neogeocd/
roms/ngp/ or roms/ngpc/

File Formats

  • .zip - AES/MVS ROMs (keep zipped)
  • .chd - Neo Geo CD (recommended)
  • .ngp, .ngc - Neo Geo Pocket

BIOS

Required

Neo Geo requires BIOS in a neogeo.zip file in your ROMs folder. This contains various region BIOS files.

AES vs MVS

The games are identical between AES (home) and MVS (arcade). Most ROM sets are MVS format. The emulator can simulate either:

  • AES mode: Unlimited continues, home settings
  • MVS mode: Arcade settings, credit system

Where to Find Games

MAME or FBNeo ROM sets on Internet Archive. See the Download Guide and ROM Sets page.