Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install blastem with Homebrew, apt, Nix

Fast and accurate Genesis emulator. Version 0.6.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-18.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install blastem

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install blastem

Debian stable package indexes · blastem · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#blastem

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/bl/blastem/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Fast and accurate Genesis emulator

Commands and aliases

  • blastem

history

Project history and usage

BlastEm is a Sega Genesis/Mega Drive emulator packaged as a native command-line and GUI-capable emulator. Its niche is fast, accurate emulation with enough low-level tooling to appeal to both players and homebrew/debugging users.

Project history

The official site presents BlastEm as a fast and accurate Genesis emulator. The upstream README for the 0.6.x series documents both a GUI menu and command-line use, plus configuration, lock-on support, VDP debugging views, oscilloscope visualization, screenshots, video recording, and VGM logging.

Adoption history

BlastEm's package adoption is modest but broad for an emulator: the input package facts list Homebrew, Debian, Nix, and Ubuntu. That pattern fits emulator tooling that is useful on desktops and in reproducible retro-development setups, even without the mass visibility of larger emulator suites.

How it is used

Users can launch BlastEm with no ROM to enter the menu, pass a ROM path on the command line, or use command-line options for operations that are not exposed through the GUI. Configuration is read from `~/.config/blastem/blastem.cfg` on Unix-like systems.

Why package nerds care

The interesting packaging angle is that BlastEm is not just a game launcher. It ships as a small native emulator with debug-oriented features, making it useful for retro-game development and validation where command-line launch and stable config paths matter.

Timeline

  • Pre-0.4.1: BlastEm used Unix-style config and save-file locations on Windows.
  • 0.6.x: README documents GUI menu access, command-line operation, lock-on support, and debugging/video/VGM features.

Related projects

  • Related projects include other Genesis/Mega Drive emulators, Sega CD emulation tooling, VGM logging tools, and retro-development workflows for testing ROMs.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 2 platform targets.
  • Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
  • Build metadata lists 4 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix
~/.config/blastem/blastem.cfg
Windows
%localappdata%\blastem\blastem.cfg

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
blastemcliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.6.2
manager updated2026-06-18
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://www.retrodev.com/blastem/

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:blastem
Version0.6.2
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/blastem
Homepagehttps://www.retrodev.com/blastem/
Repositoryhttps://www.retrodev.com/repos/blastem
Upstream docshttps://www.retrodev.com/blastem
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://www.retrodev.com/repos/blastem/archive/v0.6.2.tar.gz
Last updated2026-06-18T02:28:55-04:00
Pulseupdated
Dependenciesglew, sdl2-compat
Build dependenciesimagemagick, pillow, pkgconf, python@3.14
Bottleavailable (on sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Nameblastem
Version Scheme0
Revision3
Head VersionHEAD
Requirements
  • arch
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedyes
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • head
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

blastem 0.6.3.4-3

Fast and accurate Genesis emulator

https://www.retrodev.com/blastem

sudo apt install blastem
  • Section: games
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 5 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Blastem
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: blastem from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

blastem

nix profile install nixpkgs#blastem
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Blastem
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/bl/blastem/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

blastem 0.6.3.4-1build1

Fast and accurate Genesis emulator

https://www.retrodev.com/blastem

sudo apt install blastem
  • Section: universe/games
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 5 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Blastem
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: blastem from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • glewRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • sdl2-compatRuntime dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • imagemagickBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • pkgconfBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.
  • python@3.14Build dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • mednafenShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulation, emulator, games, retro-gaming.
  • nestopia-ueShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulation, emulator, games, retro-gaming.
  • dosbox-stagingShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulation, emulator, games.
  • dosbox-xShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulation, emulator, games.
  • fceuxShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulation, emulator, games.
  • huexpressShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emulation, emulator, games.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment