Installation

System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10+, macOS 11+, or Linux (x64)
• RAM: 4 GB minimum
• Disk: ~200 MB for the application
• ROM: A legally obtained SNES ROM of A Link to the Past (.sfc or .smc). Gameplay needs the US (NTSC) ROM; EU and JP ROMs are used only to import their language.

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Download Options

Each release provides platform-specific builds:

Platform	File	Type
Windows	rotp-windows-setup.exe	Installer, small download, updates itself
macOS	rotp-macos.dmg	Disk image
Linux	rotp-linux.AppImage	Universal binary
Linux	rotp-linux.deb	Debian/Ubuntu package

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Windows

Installer (rotp-windows-setup.exe)

A small download, well under a megabyte. It fetches the app itself, so the file never goes stale: the copy you downloaded months ago still installs the current version.

• Installs for your user account, so there is no admin prompt
• Shows a progress window and starts the app when it finishes
• Updates itself from then on, downloading only what changed

If you would rather install somewhere you choose, such as another drive, the installer offers that on the first screen.

See Portable Mode if you want your profiles, saves and imported files kept beside the app instead of in your user profile, so the whole thing can be carried on a USB key.

Windows SmartScreen Warning

The app isn't code-signed, so Windows may show a "Windows protected your PC" warning the first time you launch it. Click "More info", then "Run anyway". You'll only see it once.

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macOS

Disk Image (rotp-macos.dmg)

1. Open the .dmg file
2. Drag Relic of the Past into the Applications folder
3. On first launch, right-click the app and choose Open, then confirm in the dialog

The app is ad-hoc signed but not notarized by Apple, so macOS shows it as coming from an unidentified developer. Right-click → Open clears this, and you only see it once.

"Relic of the Past is damaged and can't be opened"

If macOS says the app is damaged and offers only to move it to the Bin, the file picked up a quarantine flag during download. The app isn't actually damaged. Clear the flag in Terminal:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Relic of the Past.app"

Then open the app normally. Alternatively, copying the .dmg onto the Mac from a USB drive or another computer avoids the quarantine flag entirely.

The app checks for updates and tells you when one is out, but it can't install it for you: applying an update on macOS requires an Apple-notarized signature, which this project doesn't have. The update dialog links straight to the release page.

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Linux

AppImage (rotp-linux.AppImage)

1. Download the file
2. Make it executable: chmod +x rotp-linux.AppImage
3. Run it: ./rotp-linux.AppImage

Works on most Linux distributions without installation, and updates itself in place. If you keep it somewhere only root can write, it asks for your password when updating.

Debian Package (rotp-linux.deb)

For Debian, Ubuntu, and derivatives:

sudo dpkg -i rotp-linux.deb

Installs to /opt/ with a desktop entry. It does not update itself: download a new package, or use the AppImage if you want automatic updates.

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Auto-Update Support Summary

Platform	Build Type	Auto-Update
Windows	Installer	✅ Yes, and only the changes are downloaded
Linux	AppImage	✅ Yes, in place
Linux	.deb	❌ No, download a new one
macOS	DMG	⚠️ Tells you an update exists, but you download it yourself

See Auto-Update for details on how the update system works.

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Data Storage

Regardless of installation method, user data is stored in:

Platform	Location
Windows	%APPDATA%/relic-of-the-past/
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/relic-of-the-past/
Linux	~/.config/relic-of-the-past/

This covers profiles, saves, settings, imported ROMs, and MSU packs. Uninstalling the app leaves this data in place.

The exception is a portable copy, which keeps all of the above in a data folder beside the app instead. See Portable Mode.