PyBoy

Install PyBoy on Windows

Install a current 64-bit release of Python 3. The Python installer includes the py launcher used below.

In PowerShell, create and activate a virtual environment, then install PyBoy from PyPI:

py -3 -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
python -m pip install --upgrade pip
python -m pip install pyboy

If PowerShell does not allow activation scripts, install using the virtual environment’s Python directly:

.\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install pyboy

To launch PyBoy without activating the environment, run .\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pyboy path\to\rom.gb.

Build from source

Install the Visual Studio Build Tools and select Desktop development with C++ in the installer. From the root of a PyBoy source checkout, use the virtual environment created above. If you skipped the PyPI installation, create and activate one with:

py -3 -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

Install the project requirements and build the Cython extension in place:

python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python setup.py build_ext --inplace

Building the custom ROMs also requires RGBDS and a make-compatible environment. To install the source checkout as a package, run python -m pip install . from the repository root. When testing an installed package, work from outside the source tree so Python does not import the uncompiled local package.

Windows Subsystem for Linux

From PowerShell, install an Ubuntu distribution with wsl --install. Then follow the Linux installation instructions. For GUI and audio support under WSL, install the required system libraries if they are missing:

sudo apt install libgl1 libpulse0

WSL 1 requires a separately configured X server for graphical output. The DISPLAY value and OpenGL settings depend on the X server and WSL network configuration; consult the X server’s setup instructions. To build from source inside WSL, follow the source-build section of the Linux guide.

To launch PyBoy and learn the keyboard controls, see Running PyBoy.