RPCS3 expands physical PS3 disc support beyond Windows

The team behind the RPCS3 PlayStation 3 emulator has expanded physical PS3 disc support to macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD. The feature was previously available to Windows users.

Developers digant73 and Megamouse announced the change on social media. The team said games launched as far back as 2006 should now be playable on compatible hardware at home. Replies also discussed booting PS3 discs on Linux-powered PS4 and PS5 consoles.

Using the feature requires more than inserting a disc. RPCS3 lists an Nvidia GTX 400 series or newer GPU as the minimum graphics requirement. That series was released in 2010, and the source says desktop or laptop computers released in the last 15 years should generally be suitable. A disc drive is also required.

Users must install the emulator, obtain PS3 system software for their computer, and use a decryption key to read the disc during play. The key is obtained through a community-made database. The broader hardware support gives owners another way to access and preserve parts of the PS3 library, including on supported modded consoles.