Ryujinx shut down — what Switch emulator to use instead in 2026

Ryujinx was a high-quality, open-source Nintendo Switch emulator developed primarily by gdkchan. On October 1, 2024, the lead developer announced the project's closure after reaching an agreement with Nintendo.

• Timeline: Yuzu (a competing Switch emulator) was shut down first, in March 2024, after Nintendo's legal action resulted in a settlement. Ryujinx followed in October 2024 under similar circumstances.
• What was removed: The official GitHub repository, ryujinx.org, all official builds, and the project's Discord server were shut down as part of the agreement.
• Development status: The project is abandoned. No remaining team members are continuing it under the Ryujinx name. Any "Ryujinx 2025/2026 update" you see advertised is not from the original developers.
• Safety note: "Ryujinx download" results on random sites are a high-risk category for malware. The name recognition makes it a target for fake download pages. Stick to known, actively-maintained alternatives.

The bottom line: Ryujinx is over. The recommended path forward is Eden — see Solution 2.

Eden is the actively maintained Switch emulator in 2026 and the recommended replacement for both Ryujinx and Yuzu.

Eden is a community fork of Yuzu (the other major Switch emulator, also shut down by Nintendo in March 2024). The Eden team has continued active development, adding compatibility improvements and new features. As of 2026, Eden is the primary option for Switch emulation on PC.

1. Download Eden from eden-emu.dev — the official site. Do not download from any other source.
2. You will need your Switch's prod.keys (dumped from your own console using Lockpick_RCM). Place them in %appdata%\Eden\keys\.
3. Optionally install Switch firmware via Tools → Install Firmware from a firmware package dumped from your console.
4. Add your game library folder via File → Open Yuzu Folder (the interface inherits Yuzu's structure).

For the full Eden setup — graphics settings (Vulkan recommended), resolution scaling, shader pre-compilation, and controller config — see the Eden complete setup guide on EmuDesk.

Note on Ryujinx vs Eden compatibility: Ryujinx and Yuzu/Eden used different internal approaches to Switch emulation. Some titles that ran better on Ryujinx may need compatibility tweaks in Eden, and vice versa. Eden's compatibility database is growing; check the Eden Discord for per-game notes on titles that had Ryujinx-specific workarounds.

If you have existing Ryujinx save data and want to continue in Eden, here are your options — direct migration is possible for many games but not all.

Option A — Direct file copy (works for many games):

1. Ryujinx stored saves in: %appdata%\Ryujinx\bis\user\save\
2. Eden stores saves in: %appdata%\Eden\bis\user\save\
3. The directory structure and save format are similar for many titles. Copy the game's save folder from the Ryujinx path to the Eden path, matching the title ID subfolder.
4. Launch the game in Eden and verify the save loads correctly before relying on it.

Option B — Export from your Switch directly (most reliable):

• Use JKSV (a homebrew save manager) on your modded Switch to export saves directly from the console.
• Import the JKSV export into Eden. This avoids any emulator-to-emulator format differences and gives you a clean save from the authoritative source.

Games where migration is tricky: some Nintendo first-party titles (especially those using cloud saves or system-account linking in unusual ways) may not transfer cleanly. Check the Eden Discord's #save-migration channel for game-specific guidance.

Old Ryujinx builds technically still run, but using them long-term is not recommended.

• No updates: Switch games receive firmware and game-file updates frequently. An emulator that has not been updated since October 2024 will fail to run newer titles or updated versions of games you already have.
• No support: The Ryujinx community and Discord are gone. If something breaks, there is no official resource to consult.
• Compatibility ceiling: Eden's active development means its compatibility list grows every month. An old Ryujinx build is a fixed snapshot; Eden will increasingly outperform it over time.
• Security consideration: Any old Ryujinx build you still have from the official release period is safe if you kept it. Builds downloaded after October 2024 from unofficial sources are high-risk.

Recommendation: back up your Ryujinx saves using Option A or B from Solution 3, then switch to Eden. The transition is straightforward for most users and gives you access to ongoing compatibility improvements.