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macOS Installation

This guide covers installing Stable Retro on macOS, including both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

Requirements

  • Python 3.10 to 3.14
  • macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later

Standard Installation

For most users, the simplest installation method is via pip:

pip3 install stable-retro

If the above doesn't work for your platform:

pip3 install git+https://github.com/Farama-Foundation/stable-retro.git

Development Installation

If you plan to integrate new ROMs, states or emulator cores, or plan to edit an existing environment:

git clone https://github.com/Farama-Foundation/stable-retro.git
cd stable-retro
pip3 install -e .

Apple Silicon Installation

Tested on Python 3.10.

The Game Boy (gambatte) emulator is not supported on Apple Silicon.

Build from Source

  1. Install build dependencies:

    pip install cmake wheel

  2. Install system dependencies via Homebrew:

    brew install pkg-config lua@5.3 libzip qt@5 capnp

  3. Add Qt to your PATH:

    echo 'export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/qt@5/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc

  4. Set the SDK root:

    export SDKROOT=$(xcrun --sdk macosx --show-sdk-path)

  5. Install the package:

    pip install -e .

Build Integration UI

After building from source, you can optionally build the Integration UI:

  1. Configure CMake with UI support:

    cmake . -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/usr/local/opt/qt -DBUILD_UI=ON -UPYLIB_DIRECTORY

  2. Build the application:

    make -j$(sysctl hw.ncpu | cut -d: -f2)

  3. Launch the Integration UI:

    open "Gym Retro Integration.app"

Docker for Apple Silicon

An alternative option for M1/M2/M3 Macs is to use Docker:

https://github.com/arvganesh/stable-retro-docker

Verify Installation

After installation, verify it works by running:

import stable_retro
env = stable_retro.make(game='Airstriker-Genesis-v0')
print("Installation successful!")
env.close()

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  • Import errors: Ensure you have the correct Python version (3.10-3.14)
  • Build failures on Apple Silicon: Make sure you've set SDKROOT correctly
  • Qt not found: Verify Qt is in your PATH after running the export command
  • Game Boy games not working on Apple Silicon: This is expected; the gambatte core is not supported on arm64