When the C64 was launched by Commodore in 1982 it immediately set the standard for 8-bit home computers. Its low cost, superior graphics, high quality sound and a massive 64 KB of RAM positioned it as the winner in the home computer wars, knocking out competitors from the likes of Atari, Texas Instruments, Sinclair, Apple and IBM.

Selling over 30 million units and introducing a whole generation to computers and programming, the C64 shook up the video games industry and sparked cultural phenomena such as computer music and the demoscene. In recent years the C64 has enjoyed a spectacular revival manifesting itself once again as a retrocomputing platform. To allow you to experience and relive the wonders of this unique computer, Cloanto, developers of Commodore/Amiga software since the 1980s, has introduced C64 Forever, the official CBM 8-bit preservation, emulation and support package. C64 Forever embodies an intuitive player interface, backed by a built-in database containing more than 5,000 C64 game entries. Support for the innovative RP9 format allows for advanced title authoring, preservation and easy cross-platform playback. C64 Forever shares the same RetroPlatform family player, database and content management components as the very successful Amiga Forever series. As such, it also embodies decades of experience and refinements and a tradition of innovation and long-term continuity and support. Compared to other solutions for different systems, C64 Forever stands out for features which include the following: Smooth setup: it only takes a few mouse clicks to install and run (no additional downloads required) Intuitive, simple and refined user interface, in which player, content, database and search are seamlessly integrated (not just a "front end" that launches an external emulator) An accurate onscreen keyboard is available for each emulated computer model, with custom mapping and shortcut options General and title-specific game controller personalization, including support for Xbox, X-Arcade and I-PAC controllers, and custom keyboard layouts Virtual mouse allows editing cursor to be repositioned with a click on all 8-bit models Support for the innovative RP9 format (one click to play, one file per title, no need to zip or unzip games or manage multiple disk images, etc.) Create and edit your own titles, then run them anywhere and any time (RP9 files are self-contained, no database required) Superior RP9 Title Editor blends advanced configuration options with professional content authoring features Rather than requiring deep technical knowledge in order to avoid non-functioning configurations, the configuration editor was designed to exclude "impossible" scenarios to begin with Support and recognition of other popular disk, tape, cartridge and save state formats, with options to identify uncataloged similar variants (not a simple "checksum" approach) Built-in RetroPlatform Library database featuring thousands of titles, with online updates Automatic, Unicode-aware conversion between host (PC) keyboard, clipboard, and guest (emulation) character set If you know how to use Amiga Forever you are instantly familiar with C64 Forever, and vice versa Integration with social networks (Discord, Facebook, etc.) for "Now Playing" updates, manual posts and screenshot uploads Built-in search-as-you-type for installed content and custom one-click internet search for games and demoscene productions Official emulation solution with legal CBM system ROMs Tested on the latest versions of Windows (both x86 and x64) System Requirements Operating system: Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and equivalent Windows Server editions Architecture: either x86 or x64 CPU: 750 MHz (1 GHz or more recommended) RAM: 512 MB (1 GB or more recommended) Hard disk: 200 MB free Video: high color or true color Sound: optional DirectX: 9.0 or higher (uses Direct3D 9 and Direct3D Acceleration) Dark mode requires Windows 11, or Windows 10 version 1809 or higher