DOSBoxFrontends

Frontends for DOSBox

The following frontends will help you run, install and manage your DOS games. Some of them also support other emulators like ScummVM, Windows games, and console emulators. The current most popular frontends are, Boxer for MacOS X, D-Fend Reloaded for Windows, and DBGL which runs on multiple platforms.

You can also have a look at the Frontend Comparison page.

Multi Platform

• DBGL - DOSBox Game Launcher

Description: An open source frontend for DOSBox, based largely upon the proven interface of D-Fend.

Platforms: Windows, Linux, OS X

Website: http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/blankendaalr/dbgl/

• D-Box

Description: An open source frontend for DOSBOX. It tries to distinguish itself from alternatives by having "the right set of features", which means not too few, and not too many features. Includes a fancy "floppy flow" user interface.

Platforms: Windows, Linux, OS X

Website: https://code.google.com/p/dbox/

• DBoxFE

Description: DBoxFE creates and manages configuration files for DOSBox. You can create different profiles for your games, etc. Currently in beta.

Platforms: Windows, Linux

Website: http://sourceforge.net/projects/dboxfe.berlios/

• DOSBoxGui

Description: A portable DOSBox frontend. Needs Tcl/Tk, which is a free, albeit big (20MB) software compiler that you will need to assemble the program for your operating system.

Platforms: Windows, Linux

Website: http://losfinkos.googlepages.com/dosboxgui

• Dreads QuickMAME Launcher for DOS/Win32/Win64/Linux*

Description: Open source frontend for DOSBOX. Works for all DOS/WIN emulators as well as DOS PC Games by creating BAT files to start each PC game. Full docs included. Check QM.DOC under downloads. Version 4.64 is for DOS/Win95/Win98/WinME and is written in 16-bit MS QuickBasic / MASM and has source code. Version 6.x is for WinXP/Vista/Win7/Win8+ and is written in Visual Basic 2010. DOS version offers full SB-compatibility sound, VESA graphics, and mouse. All WAV files must be 22050KHz, mono or lower. 8-bit PCX files or lower supported. Windows version supports all PCX WAV files regardless of bitrate and utilizes PNG files for graphics, instead.

• Linux support provided through "Wine" package for Linux. Requires MS NET 4.0 to function for Windows/Linux.

Platforms: DOS, 32-Bit Windows, 64-bit Windows

Website: http://quickmamelauncher.net76.net/

• GR-lida

Description: An open source frontend for DOSBox, ScummVM and VDMSound. It can display games using pictureflow, which is a clone of Apples cover flow.

Platforms: Windows, Linux, OS X

Website: http://www.gr-lida.org/ (Website is in Spanish, but the program works in additional languages, including English)

Windows Only

• AmpShell

Description: The purpose of AmpShell is to make you run games in DOSBox with a simple double click. It saves the time and trouble you can have with DOS commands. Plus, it has a lot of other time-saving features.

Website: http://ampshell.tuxfamily.org/

• CBoxRun

Description: A frontend that emphasizes ease of use. It can automatically download game information and screenshots from Wikipedia, and it has a nice config file editor with help for every field. Requires .NET 3.51.

Website: http://cboxrun.wordpress.com/

• DBFrontend - DOSBoxFrontend

Description: An open source frontend with a simple interface which allows you to have thumbnails of screen shots so you can easy recognize the game you want to run.

Website: http://www.ingoknito.de/produkte/dbfrontend/

• D-Fend Reloaded - DOSBox-Frontend Reloaded

Description: An open source frontend for DOSBox, ScummVM and Windows games. The development objective for D-Fend Reloaded was (besides 100% D-Fend compability) to make the program operation more simple with respect to DosBox beginners. Simultaneously more features for administration and configuration became available.

Website: http://dfendreloaded.sourceforge.net/

• DosBlaster

Description: An open source frontend that offers a simplified view of the DOS games which can be manage easily.

Website: http://dosblasterx.sourceforge.net/

• DOSShell

Description: Applications launcher, plus convenient Explorer-like entries manager.

Website: http://www.loonies.narod.ru/dosshell.htm

• Old Games Launcher

Description: Direct Draw games launcher & Dosbox Frontend

Website: https://oldgameslauncher.codeplex.com/

• Turbo Dos Box

Description: Very simple and small (~100KB no install needed) manager for configuration. Automatically mounts drives and can change all DOSBox options via XML setup, and can right click an EXE/COM/BAT and play it through DosBox by using the default configuration profile in "Right click and play" fashion.

Website: http://www.turboirc.com/tdb

• LaunchBox

Description: LaunchBox was originally built as an attractive frontend to DOSBox, but has since expanded to support both modern PC games and emulated console platforms. DOSBox will continue to be a main focus for LaunchBox, as will emulation and PC gaming. LaunchBox aims to be the one-stop shop for gaming on your computer, for both modern and historical games.

Website: http://www.launchbox-app.com

Mac OS X Only

• Boxer

Description: Boxer makes it easy to run your favourite DOS games without editing configuration files, without typing command line parameters, without mounting folders, without learning a confusing frontend; without doing any more than clicking on a game in Finder.

Website: http://boxer.washboardabs.net/

• Petit dosbox

Description: Petit dosbox is a very easy to use interface to help you running the emulator, and will keep your last configuration for the next time you use it.

Website: http://web.jet.es/guilly/slouc/software_petitdosbox.html

Linux Only

• pyDOSBox

Description: The program is still in alpha stage but usable.

Website: http://www.panayotis.com/prog/scripts/pydosbox/index.html