Provenance iOS — Multi-System Retro Emulator Setup Guide 2026

Install Provenance from the App Store

1. Open the App Store and search Provenance EMU. Install the free app by Joseph Mattiello. It requires iOS 14 or later and runs on any iPhone 8 or newer.
2. Provenance is an open-source multi-system emulator that handles many classic consoles in a single app with a unified library view.

What Provenance can emulate

• Nintendo: NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS (via melonDS core)
• Sega: Master System, Game Gear, Genesis / Mega Drive, Sega CD, 32X, Saturn (limited), Dreamcast (experimental)
• Sony: PlayStation 1 (via Mednafen/Beetle PSX core)
• Atari: 2600, 5200, 7800, Lynx, Jaguar
• NEC: TurboGrafx-16 / PC Engine, PC-FX
• Arcade: MAME (limited subset)
• Other: Neo Geo Pocket, WonderSwan, Virtual Boy, Vectrex

Note: Provenance does not emulate PSP, PS2, PS3, GameCube/Wii, Wii U, or Switch. For PSP use PPSSPP; for Nintendo systems GBA/NDS and older, Delta is also an excellent choice.

How Provenance compares to Delta

• Delta covers NES/SNES/N64/GBA/GBC/Genesis/NDS with a polished interface optimized for those platforms.
• Provenance covers a wider system range (especially Sony PS1, Sega CD/32X/Saturn, and Atari) with a more library-focused interface.
• For NES/SNES/GBA/N64: Delta has a slightly smoother experience. For PS1 and Sega consoles not in Delta: Provenance is the primary iOS option.

Adding ROMs to Provenance

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable. Open Finder → select your iPhone → Files tab → Provenance EMU. Drag your ROM files into the ROMs folder.
2. Alternatively: open the Files app on your iPhone → browse to On My iPhone → Provenance EMU → ROMs → paste your ROMs here.
3. After adding files, reopen Provenance — it scans on launch and adds discovered ROMs to the library automatically, sorted by system.

ROM file formats accepted

• NES: .nes
• SNES: .sfc, .smc
• Genesis: .md, .bin, .gen
• PS1: .cue + .bin (multi-file disc image), .chd (compressed), .pbp
• N64: .z64, .n64, .v64
• GBA: .gba
• NDS: .nds

Note: PS1 disc images must include both the .cue and .bin files (they work as a pair) or use .chd format (a self-contained compressed image). A .bin alone without its .cue file will not work.

BIOS files Provenance needs

Copy BIOS files to the BIOS folder inside the Provenance EMU files directory (same location as the ROMs folder):

• PS1: scph5501.bin or another region-matching PS1 BIOS — required for PlayStation games to boot
• Sega CD: region-appropriate Sega CD BIOS (bios_CD_U.bin, bios_CD_E.bin, bios_CD_J.bin)
• Saturn: Saturn BIOS (required; Saturn emulation is experimental on Provenance)
• NDS: bios7.bin, bios9.bin, firmware.bin — required for DS games
• GBA: gba_bios.bin — optional (Provenance includes a fallback BIOS)

Connecting a controller

1. Pair your controller via iOS Settings → Bluetooth. Provenance supports DualSense (PS5), DualShock 4 (PS4), Xbox Wireless, and MFi controllers.
2. Launch a game — the controller is mapped automatically to the emulated system's layout.
3. To customize button mapping: in Provenance tap the settings gear on a game → Controller Mapping.

System-specific settings

• PS1 rendering: Long-press a PS1 game → Game Settings → enable OpenGL Renderer for hardware upscaling; use software renderer for accuracy in games that glitch with hardware rendering.
• Multi-tap (4 players) on SNES: Provenance supports multi-tap controllers — connect multiple Bluetooth controllers and they map to ports 3 and 4 automatically.
• Aspect ratio: Settings → Core Options → Aspect Ratio → 4:3 is correct for most retro systems; do not use 16:9 stretch for SNES/NES/Genesis.

ROM not detected / game doesn't appear in library

• Verify the file is in the correct Provenance ROMs folder (On My iPhone → Provenance EMU → ROMs), not in iCloud Drive or Downloads.
• Check the file extension matches what Provenance expects. A file named game.iso for a PS1 game will not be recognized — PS1 needs .cue+.bin or .chd.
• Force-close Provenance and reopen it to trigger a fresh library scan.

PS1 game shows black screen or "BIOS not found"

• PS1 games require the PS1 BIOS file (scph5501.bin or equivalent) in the BIOS folder. Without it, all PS1 games show a black screen.
• Verify the BIOS filename exactly — Provenance is case-sensitive. SCPH5501.BIN is not the same as scph5501.bin. Rename to lowercase if needed via Files app.

Sega CD or 32X games won't launch

• Sega CD requires its own region BIOS files separate from the Genesis BIOS. Confirm you have the correct regional BIOS for your game (US, Europe, or Japan).
• 32X games need both a 32X ROM file AND the underlying Genesis ROM paired correctly. Provenance handles this automatically if both are in the ROMs folder with matching names.

Game saves are lost after app update

• Saves are stored inside the Provenance EMU files directory. Before updating, back up your save files: Finder → iPhone → Files → Provenance EMU → Saves folder → copy to your Mac.
• After an update, copy the saves back if they were lost. This is a known limitation of iOS sandboxed app storage during major version updates.