Dreamcast is a video game console by Sega and entered into the market as its 6th console in 1998. Well, that’s kind of a past now and better consoles have been released. But what about the games which can be played on Dreamcast only? For this, you need to use best Dreamcast emulator to replicate the console on your own system.
10 Best Dreamcast Emulator for Windows
But now the biggest question pops up that what are the best options you can check out for emulating the best Dreamcast games of your choice on your system. Well, the answer is pretty simple and you got this list curated right below to check out the best Sega Dreamcast emulator for your system.
1. DEmul
Website: http://demul.emulation64.com/
DEmul is the first option for the list of best Dreamcast Emulator which not only works for emulating Dreamcast games but also works for Sega Naomi console too. It is available for only Windows operating system and known to be one of the most popular Dreamcast emulator.
It is completely free to access this program but you would have to install Dreamcast BIOS first as this package is not included in the software itself.
Under this emulation program, you get to play over 100 games like Sega GT, Star Wars Demolition, Marvel VS, Virtua Tennis 2 and many more. DEmul is extremely lightweight in size and hence does not affect the system at all and also the installation process is quite simple.
However, the recurring problem of ads is a bit of havoc while accessing it and also there are some security issues too. The additional plug-ins can be used with DEmul to accentuate its functionality and features and am sure you would love to play games on it and that too for free.
Compatible with: 
2. Reicast
Website: http://reicast.com/
If all of you are wondering that why did I not mention NullDC as a Dream Cast emulator in this list then let me tell you after the development of NullDC stopped, it later on changed into Reicast. So, basically, Reicast is the modified version of NullDC itself.
There is one thing quite interesting about Reicast that it is probably the only kind of emulator which works for both Windows and Android Operating System.
In fact, the new R6 version of Reicast is especially curated for Android platform only. Reicast allows you to play some of the most iconic games like Space Channel 5, Shenmu, Jet Set Radio and many more. However, like most of the best Dreamcast emulator Reicast does not come with Dreamcast BIOS already installed.
Hence, you would have to install it separately and also have to manually create a folder where you want to save Dreamcast BIOS. Apart from it the remaining process is quite simple and it will not take long for the configuration process. Also, as it is an open source program it is not going to charge you even a penny for the services.
Compatible with: 
3. Chankast
Website: http://www.emulator-zone.com/
This is a special mention in the list of best Dreamcast emulator mainly because Chankast was the first successful emulator made for playing commercial Dreamcast based games. Over the time with the help of various stable updates, it has become one of the most renowned and advanced emulator for Dreamcast console for sure.
So, like the rest of the programs, it is also available for free to download. However, it supports Windows XP the best but can be used for later versions too.
Chankast is also the most lightweight program and hence does not acquire much of storage space in your system but you would have to install the BIOS separately too. Because of being an utterly simple program, Chankast is capable to load only those games which uses self-rebooting.
This is why it is most suitable for simple and light Dreamcast games rather than the complicated ones. However, it is also reported that Chankast is not that much capable with the recent versions of Windows and hence it would be better to choose other emulators over it.
Compatible with:
4. DreamSpec
Website: https://emulationrealm.net/
DreamSpec is a type of spectrum emulator which works quite different than all the other best Dreamcast emulator mentioned here. And to be true this is not the only spectrum emulator that we have but surely DreamSpec stands out of all.
Interestingly, it is way advanced than most of the emulators mentioned here and comes with prepared CDI images of more than 200 legally available free spectrum games of Dreamcast console.
You can download it for free and because of being a spectrum emulator it does not support the mainstream operating systems. However, in terms of features, you are going to be really impressed with DreamSpec.
It supports great sound and also new skinnable GUI too. You can play games on full speed and that too in full screen too. It not only increases the fun of games but also keep the gamers hooked on them for a really long time. DreamSpec eliminated additional need of installing games as you just need to burn the CDI image and then boot it.
Compatible with: 
5. NesterDC
Website: http://nesterdc.emulation64.com/
NesterDC is a type of Nintendo Entertainment System emulator for Dreamcast games which along with serving as a Sega Dreamcast emulator also allows the people to play various NES games on too. It is quite advanced and despite that totally free to download and operate.
It comes with a long list of features but to mention the most popular ones, you would be glad to know that it supports 2 players mode too.
Other features of NesterDC are super NES box art, classic background chip tunes involvement, allows you to save up to 10 states in a game and many more. NesterDC works on interactive and selective system and this is why the user can hold a great control over various aspects.
NesterDC is undisputedly one of the best Dreamcast emulator in this list and also highly compatible to various versions of Windows platform too. It supports the games in full speed without frame-skip and gives a great interface for smooth and efficient accessing. This is an emulator you should not miss at all.
Compatible with:
6. Makaron
Website: https://www.emuparadise.me/
Makaron is the next mention in the list of best Dreamcast emulator. Let me already tell you already that it is a highly compatible program and also features a lot of commercial games for Dreamcast on your Windows Operating System easily.
However, as Makaron is an extremely lightweight program, you are going to face the initial issues of downloading Dreamcast BIOS separately.
I got really impressed with the fact that Makaron supports even the earlier versions of Windows too and that too with great efficiency. However, the last update of this program came in 2010 so it does not support the later games and hence you would have to get a bit disappointed here.
Apart from Dreamcast it works for Naomi console too and has a high compatibility rate for running commercial games as well as game demos of both the gaming consoles.
Compatible with:
7. Dreamer
Website: https://dreamer.jaleco.com/
Dreamer was released in late 2000 and it is a Spanish emulator which was claimed to be the first Dreamcast emulator for PC to run commercial games on it. However, no updated came after the release and in the current times Dreamer can only play some demo games and some of the commercial games of the past.
The downloadable file size of Dreamer accounts in KBs and hence it is a lightweight program so you would have to install the Dreamcast BIOS separately for it.
Dreamer does not acquire much space in the system and rather than US, it was more downloaded in Germany in surrounding areas. It is available only in English language and works on Windows 98 version only which is kind of a big drawback in the current scenario.
To be true, Dreamer is not at par with other best Dreamcast emulator but I don’t think there is anything harm in giving it a try at all. The current version of this program is 0.02b and the last update came in 2011.
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8. DreamEMU
Website: http://www.dreamemu.net/
DreamEMU is a very basic Sega DreamCast emulator in this list. It is not that advanced and can only play demos and some homebrew games only. Because of not getting stable updates, this emulator got discontinued and hence it is not compatible for playing commercial games.
However, you can still download it from its official website for Windows platform. It is completely free to download and also quite straightforward in approach.
DreamEMU is quite a lightweight program and hence it requires you to install the BIOS files separately. It was released in 2003 and hence it shows lesser compatibility with the recent versions of Windows. In fact, there is not so much written about this emulator too.
Cannot be called a perfect option for the list of best Dreamcast emulator but if you want to play basic games then I think it might help you well in such cases. However, the bugs problem is going to be regular so make sure you are using a good antivirus with it.
Compatible with:
9. Redream
Website: https://redream.io/
Redream is a very new addition in the category of best Dreamcast emulator but in a very short span of time it has progressed a lot. In fact, people have started to compare it with Reicast as it is quite better in terms of mechanism and features and also quite sorted too.
Redream is available for various operating systems and this is probably the only emulator right now which supports gaming in HD and 1080p resolution.
In fact, Redream is a perfect example for Dreamcast emulator windows 10 too. Talking about the games supported then it can run more than 500 games on its platform with great speed and accuracy. To name a few these are 4 Wheel Thunder, Airforce Delta, Chaos Field, Fast Striker and many others.
However, Redream is a very heavy emulator and hence accompanies the Dreamcast BIOS with it too. It also eliminates the installation process too and you just need to download it and extract it to run. You just need to add games from its library and you are good to go then.
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10. Lxdream
Website: http://www.lxdream.org/news/
Although it has been quite some time since the official release of Lxdream but it is still under a heavy development mode and yet to release some of the important features. However, it can be a decent choice to consider while picking the best Dreamcast emulator especially as it is one of those few programs supporting Linux and Mac operating systems.
Lxdream is totally free to download but because of being in under-development mode it offers some demos and like 100 games only.
To name a few, you can play games like Time Stalkers, Virtual Fighter 3tb, Suzuki Alstare and many others. Lxdream is an open source and extremely light weight program and hence it does not support any built-in Dreamcast BIOS and requires the users to install it separately.
It might not be that advanced as compared to other emulators but for playing simple games I think this can be a great choice as it does not acquire much space of your system at all and also quite easy to install and configure too.
Compatible with:
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Conclusion
While looking for the best Dreamcast emulator I found out that there are pretty less choices available for the users. However, am sure the ones listed above are enough for you to access your favorite Dreamcast console-based games.
There are some amazing Dreamcast based games like Crazy Taxi 2, Virtua Tennis, Code Veronica etc. which are very much popular and unfortunately not available on other platforms too. Each of these emulators has different list of games packages built-in in them so am sure you are going to be really entertained now.
