Install hatari with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• atari-convert-dir
• atari-hd-image
• gst2ascii
• hatari
• hatari-prg-args
• hatari_profile
• hmsa
• zip2st

Project history

The official About page describes Hatari as an Atari ST/STE/TT/Falcon emulator and explains the design goal: emulate ST hardware closely enough to run old ST games and demos. It also notes support for STE hardware, TT and Falcon hardware such as Videl and DSP 56001, hard-disk images, host-directory mounting, joystick emulation, and the need for a TOS image or EmuTOS.

Hatari's release history shows steady expansion from ST/STE emulation toward more accurate TT and Falcon behavior. Entries for the 1.x and 2.x lines repeatedly mention CPU core work, WinUAE-derived CPU updates for Falcon accuracy, TT video, DSP, MMU, FPU, Videl, SCSI, SCC, MIDI, sound, debugger, profiler, and demo/game compatibility fixes.

The project's hosting history also reflects older open-source infrastructure. The news page records a move from BerliOS to tuxfamily.org in 2011, a source repository switch from Mercurial to Git in 2019, and a move to Framagit and the hatari-emu.org site in 2025.

Adoption history

Hatari adoption sits in the retro-computing and demo-scene ecosystem. Users install it to run Atari ST software, inspect old programs, test demos and games, use a built-in debugger, and develop or debug software for ST-family machines without relying on original hardware.

The official site notes packages and binaries are not available for all architectures, which helps explain the role of OS package managers. Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Nix, and MacPorts entries make Hatari available through familiar update channels while still pointing users to TOS/EmuTOS requirements and project documentation.

The emulator's compatibility story is cumulative. Release notes repeatedly name fixed demos, games, and programs, which is how emulators earn adoption in preservation communities: each hardware edge case can unlock a specific title or production.

How it is used

Typical use is graphical or command-line: run hatari with a TOS or EmuTOS image, select an Atari machine profile, mount disk images or host directories, configure video/sound/input, and launch Atari software. Companion tools in the package help convert directories, create hard-disk images, inspect GST symbols, profile code, and manage disk-image formats.

Hatari is also a developer tool. The debugger manual describes a built-in debugging interface for analyzing code running in the emulated machine, and the release notes emphasize debugger and profiler improvements alongside end-user emulation fixes.

Why package nerds care

Hatari is interesting to package maintainers because it bridges old machine ROM requirements with modern SDL-based distribution. The package can ship the emulator and tools, but users still need a legal TOS image or EmuTOS replacement, so documentation and runtime expectations matter.

It is also a reminder that emulator packages are living compatibility databases. Seemingly obscure changelog entries about DMA sound, MFP timers, SCSI request handling, Videl refresh rates, MMU bus errors, and Falcon DSP behavior can be the difference between a demo working or failing.

For Homebrew specifically, Hatari is a desktop-style retro package that also installs command-line helper utilities, so it sits between games, preservation, development, and media tooling.

Timeline

• 2001: Hatari v0.01 was created, according to the project's twentieth-birthday news post.
• 2011: The project announced a move from BerliOS to tuxfamily.org and a Mercurial repository.
• 2012: The 1.6.x releases emphasized Falcon DSP/CPU/MMU/FPU and debugger improvements.
• 2015: Version 1.9.0 included a major CPU update for Falcon emulation based on WinUAE CPU work and added TT-RAM support.
• 2016: Version 2.0.0 added SDL2 support and a single CPU core path for ST, STE, TT, and Falcon.
• 2019: The source repository switched from Mercurial to Git.
• 2025: The project moved to Framagit and the hatari-emu.org site; version 2.6.0 continued machine, debugger, video, serial, SCSI, and compatibility work.

Related projects

• EmuTOS is the free TOS replacement recommended by Hatari when users cannot supply an Atari TOS image.
• SDL is the portability layer Hatari uses for supported host systems.
• WinUAE CPU work influenced Hatari's more accurate Falcon CPU emulation.
• Atari ST, STE, TT, Falcon, GEMDOS, TOS, Videl, YM2149, DSP 56001, SCSI, and SCC hardware/software concepts recur throughout Hatari documentation and releases.

Sources

• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/hatari
• https://framagit.org/hatari/hatari
• https://www.hatari-emu.org/
• https://www.hatari-emu.org/doc/debugger.html
• https://www.hatari-emu.org/doc/emutos.txt
• https://www.hatari-emu.org/docs.html
• https://www.hatari-emu.org/news.html