VIDEO

WHAT IS IT?

Eden is a Nintendo Switch emulator. It’s stable and easy to use, and most games I’ve tried have been at least playable. It runs on Windows, Linux, macOS and Android, and the Linux version covers the Steam Deck and other SteamOS devices too.

The goal of this guide is to get one game running with working controls. After that, we’ll set up a folder layout that keeps your updates, DLC and mods tidy, and look at how to fix games that need a bit of extra help.

DOWNLOADING EDEN

Head over to the official Eden downloads page. There are two channels: Stable builds are tested more thoroughly, whilst Nightly builds are usually updated daily and can include unfinished features. Some users have reported better performance on Nightly, but your mileage may vary.

On Windows, install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable first, because Eden won’t launch without it. Extract the ZIP into its own folder and run eden.exe. If SmartScreen stops it, click More info, then Run anyway.

On Linux, download the AppImage, make it executable and open it. On SteamOS, do the setup in Desktop Mode. You can add Eden to Steam as a non-Steam game for Gaming Mode afterward.

On Mac, open the DMG and drag Eden into Applications. You may need to allow it under System Settings > Privacy & Security the first time you open it.

On Android, choose the Standard APK. That’s the recommended build for most devices. The Legacy APK is only for much older chips, such as the Snapdragon 865 and earlier.

Android users can also grab Eden through Obtainium, an app that installs and updates other apps straight from their official sources. The easiest way is the RJNY Obtainium Emulation Pack, which includes Eden. Download the pack’s JSON file from its latest release, then in Obtainium head to Import/Export > Obtainium Import and select it. Obtainium will then keep Eden up to date for you.

YOU WILL NEED

  • Your prod.keys file
  • Switch firmware
  • Your games, as NSP or XCI files

Eden needs keys to decrypt your games, and some games need firmware to boot. Neither is included with the emulator, so you’ll need to dump them from your own Switch. Dump both from the same console at the same time so they match.

INSTALLING YOUR KEYS AND FIRMWARE

On desktop, Eden will warn you about missing keys the first time you open it. Click OK, then head to Tools > Install Decryption Keys and select your prod.keys file. Next, go to Tools > Install Firmware and choose From Folder or From ZIP, depending on how your firmware is stored.

On Android, use Install prod.keys and Install firmware during Eden’s first-run setup. Android needs the firmware as a ZIP, so don’t extract it first.

ORGANISING YOUR GAMES, UPDATES AND DLC

I lay out my Switch games the same way as RomM, a self-hosted game library manager. Each game gets its own folder. The base game sits at the root of that folder, with subfolders for its DLC, updates and mods:

switch/
├─ Super Mario Odyssey/
│  ├─ Super Mario Odyssey.nsp
│  ├─ dlc/
│  ├─ mod/
│  └─ update/
└─ The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening/
   ├─ The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening.xci
   └─ update/

RomM recognises dlc, update and mod, along with a few others like patch and translation. You don’t need RomM to use this layout, but if you ever do set it up, your library’s already in the shape it expects.

Adding your games folder

On desktop, double-click the empty game list and choose your switch folder. On Android, tap Add Games and select the same folder, granting Eden access when asked.

Loading updates and DLC with External Content

Eden’s External Content setting loads updates and DLC straight from your folders, so you don’t need to install copies of them into Eden. It searches every subfolder and picks up NSP, NSZ, XCI and XCZ files, which means it’ll find everything in your update and dlc folders.

On desktop, head into Emulation > Configure > General and add your switch folder under External Content. On Android, open Game folders in the settings and add the same folder as External Content.

To check it’s working, look at the Add-Ons column in Eden’s game list on desktop. On Android, long-press a game and open Add-ons. Your update and DLC should both be listed, and you can toggle them on or off from there.

Installing mods

External Content only loads game files, so mods need one extra step. Keep the original download in the game’s mod folder so you know where it came from, then install a copy into Eden.

On desktop, right-click the game and choose Open Mod Data Location. Put each mod in its own subfolder in there. On Android, long-press the game, open Add-ons and select the mod’s folder. Eden expects that folder to contain a romfs, exefs or cheats folder, so pick the level above those rather than one of them.

MAPPING YOUR CONTROLLER

On desktop, head into Emulation > Configure > Input. Set Player 1 to a Pro Controller and choose your controller as the input device. On Android, open the controller settings for Player 1.

I keep the buttons where they are on a real Switch, regardless of the letters printed on the controller:

Switch button Position on your controller
A East, the right face button
B South, the bottom face button
X North, the top face button
Y West, the left face button

Map L and R to your shoulder buttons, ZL and ZR to your triggers, and Plus and Minus to Start and Select. The sticks and D-pad map to their equivalents, including the stick clicks.

GRAPHICS SETTINGS

Use Vulkan if your device supports it. On desktop, head into Emulation > Configure > Graphics and set API to Vulkan. Android only supports Vulkan, so there’s nothing to change there.

Leave Resolution at 1X (720p handheld, 1080p docked) for your first game. Once it’s running, you can raise it if your device has the headroom.

Console Mode switches between Docked and Handheld. Docked runs games at the higher docked resolution, which is harder work for your device, so Handheld is the one to try if a game is struggling.

TURNIP DRIVERS ON ANDROID

Turnip is an open-source Vulkan driver for the Adreno GPUs in Qualcomm Snapdragon chips. Eden can use it in place of the driver your device shipped with. If your device has a different GPU, such as a Mali, Eden will tell you custom drivers aren’t supported and you can skip this section.

I recommend Mr Purple’s Turnip drivers. Use the latest release and download its ZIP. Don’t extract it.

In Eden, open GPU driver manager, install the ZIP you downloaded and select it. When a new release comes out, install it the same way.

If a game starts misbehaving after a driver change, switch back to the system driver to check whether the driver’s the cause.

EDEN DUO ON THE AYN THOR

Eden Duo is a fork of Eden for dual-screen Android handhelds, and it’s my preferred version of Eden on the AYN Thor. The game runs on the top screen, whilst the bottom screen shows a touch “companion” for supported games, with things like maps, menus and status screens.

Grab the latest EdenDuo APK from the project’s Releases page. It needs Android 13 or newer and a device with a second screen. Eden Duo installs alongside regular Eden with its own separate data, so you’ll need to install your keys and firmware and add your games folder again.

You can download companions directly inside Eden Duo, so there’s no need to go hunting for files. If you’ve already got a companion as a .dsmod.zip file, you can install it yourself instead. Long-press the game, open Add-ons and tap Install. Choose Dual screen mods as the content type, tap OK and select the file.

BOOTING YOUR FIRST GAME

Open your game from the list and check that the buttons, sticks and triggers respond correctly.

Expect some stutter the first time a game shows new effects. Eden builds shaders as it needs them and keeps them in a cache, so the same scenes should run smoother next time.

Save using the game’s own save system, close the game and reopen it to check your progress loads.

PER-GAME SETTINGS AND FIXES

Some games need different settings, or a mod, to run properly. Per-game settings only apply to that one game, so you can fix it without changing anything else.

On desktop, right-click the game and choose Configure Game. On Android, long-press the game and open Per-game settings.

GPU Mode is a good one to know. Most games render fine on Fast, but some need Accurate. On Android, you can also choose a different GPU driver for a single game here.

Some fixes come as mods. Install them using the steps in Installing mods, then make sure they’re ticked in the Add-Ons tab of Configure Game on desktop, or under Add-ons on Android.

For an example of a game-specific fix, I’ve got a video on fixing Link’s Awakening in Eden on the AYN Thor.