⚠️ Use an adblocker like uBlock Origin before visiting any of the linked sites.
⚠️ First and foremost, stay away from The Pirate Bay. Reason: malware-filled shithole. Read the section at the bottom for more info.
Check the FAQ page for some frequently-asked game-related questions
EMPRESS releases to 1337x
The sites described below as having Scene releases will contain releases from the Scene groups CODEX, CPY, SKIDROW, HOODLUM, RELOADED, SiMPLEX, DARKSiDERS, PLAZA, etc. What is "The Scene"?
The sites labeled REPACKS are for releases that have been repacked from the original (pirated) release (whether it is a Scene, P2P, or GOG release). The intent of a repack is to provide one-click, pre-cracked installations as well as smaller filesizes, and in many cases, also provide DLCs included in the installation as an All-In-One package. Not to be confused with The Scene's definition of REPACK
To check if a game has been cracked by the Scene, jump to the Scene Tracer section on the Megathread's Tools page. For a general overview of Scene game releases: https://predb.ovh/?q=%40cat%20games
Cracked game downloads will always have a readme *.txt
or *.nfo
file containing instructions. If you need further assistance, visit /r/CrackSupport
For more news of game releases (Scene as well as P2P), visit /r/CrackWatch. For more subreddits, such as Console hacking, ROM piracy, etc, visit the Related Subreddits page
Download Managers
These are useful for DDL sites. Download managers such as these are meant to help to speed up downloads, typically by increasing the number of connections to the server or attempting to split the download into chunks. They are also especially handy when grabbing multiple links at once, which is typical with DDL sites, where they'll split up large downloads into multiple small
.rar
parts, as well as bypassing captchas and eliminating the risks of clicking on the wrong download button on various file hosts. They also help with resuming paused or timed out downloads which your browser may not be able to do in some cases.
JDownloader2 - Download manager that supports downloading from a variety of file-hosts. Supports downloading video from many websites.
Internet Download Manager (IDM) - Paid download manager that supports downloading from a variety of file-hosts. Supports downloading video from many websites. Use the free trial, then when the trial is nearing its end, simply reset the trial with this. Alternative method here.
XTREME download manager - Another very nice download manager
pyLoad - Lightweight download manager written in python. Managed through a WEB UI.
aria2 - Commandline-based download utility.
Steam Tools
Steam Content Packager - Tool for cleaning steam files. Packages your Steam game files whilst removing identifying information for the purpose of sharing them to cs.rin.ru's Steam Content Sharing subforum
Goldberg Emulator - Steam Emulator. Crack your own Steam game or the clean Steam files shared on cs.rin.ru's Steam Content Sharing subforum
SmartSteamEmu - Steam Emulator. Crack your own Steam games or the clean Steam files shared on cs.rin.ru's Steam Content Sharing subforum
GreenLuma 2020 - Steam Emulator
CreamAPI - Unlock all DLCs on legit Steam games
Auto-CreamAPI - Automatically install and set up CreamAPI for Steam games
Steamless - Removes SteamStub DRM from Steam game executables if they contain it. To be used in conjunction with a Steam emulator if the emulator alone is not enough to crack the game
More tools at cs.rin.ru's Releases subforum
Game Launchers
Playnite - Universal game launcher for Windows
GOG Galaxy - Universal game launcher for Windows/MacOS
Lutris - Universal game launcher for linux
rarbg.to - Scene releases. GOG games. No need to worry if it re-directs you to another proxy, it's just load balancing.
1337x.to - Well-moderated torrent site. Scene and GOG games are reposted here, as well as repacks from several popular repack groups, such as FitGirl, ElAmigos, Darck, R.G. Mechanics, Xatab, DODI, etc
rustorka.com - Popular Russian torrent tracker and board for games. Scene releases, Steam / GOG / Origin rips. Offers ROMs as well.
rutor.info - Game repacks site
gnarly-repacks.site - Console/Emulator-based game repacks
[Repacks] xatab-repack.com - Pre-cracked games
[Repacks] fitgirl-repacks.site - Popular website for highly compressed game repacks -- games can take several hours to install. Recommended if you have very slow or data-capped internet.
[Repacks] dodi-repacks.site - Pre-cracked games
[Repacks] kaoskrew.org - Pre-cracked games
[Repacks] rg-mechanics.org - Mirrors RG Mechanics' repacks. Their home location is the tapochek.net forums (closed forums). Their repacks are also posted to rutor.
cs.rin.ru / Steam Underground - Dedicated game piracy forum. Check their FAQ to get the best usage out of the site. Best parts are the discussion and the different types of tools especially the multiplayer ones. Game links aren't always provided (especially for scene releases; they recommend some external sites in their FAQ) but when they are, they are on free file hosting services like zippyshare so that's another plus. Also includes early access games. You can request clean steam files as a means of getting the latest update for non-DRMed games (excludes SteamStub DRM, which can be removed).
forum.torrminatorr.com - GOG, scene, P2P, repacked games, and GNU/Linux games
myabandonware.com - Old / retro / "abandoned" games
scnlog.me - Scene releases. Offers Linux and Mac scene releases.
gload.cc - Scene releases. German site. Reposts ElAmigos repacks (multi-language repacks) and GOG games
rlsbb.ru > PC Games - Scene releases
gog-games.com - Untouched GOG games. No cracks needed
steamunlocked.net - Pre-installed games (not repacks). Games are entirely downloadable via a single download link rather than several small-sized parts which is typically the case for DDL sites.
gnarly-repacks.site - Console/emulator-based game repacks
[Private] forums.snahp.it - One of the best private DDL forums. Used to be public. Links are provided on free file hosts
[Repacks] kaoskrew.org - Pre-cracked games
[Repacks] fitgirl-repacks.site - DDL links are only valid for new releases since they die off quickly. Popular website for highly compressed game repacks -- games can take several hours to install. Recommended if you have very slow or data-capped internet.
[Repacks] masquerade.site - Pre-cracked games
[Repacks] dodi-repacks.site - Pre-cracked games
[Repacks] kapitalsin.com - Pre-cracked games
[Repacks] elamigos-games.com - Pre-cracked games
[Repacks] blackboxrepack.com - Pre-cracked games
[Repacks] cpgrepacks.site - Pre-cracked games
[Mac] rlsbb.ru > Mac Games - Scene releases
[Mac] nxmac.com - Mac games
[Mac] web.archive.org/-/macgames-download.com - Web archive of the now-defunct macgames-download
Emulators allow you to play console games on the PC. You can find resources for ROMs (copies of the games) in the next section below. Check the Emulation Gametechwiki for an expanded list of emulators.
⚠️ There are currently no existing Xbox One emulators. Check this wiki page for any future developments.
Emulator Files at Gametechwiki - BIOS files, menu files, etc
mGBA - Game Boy Advance emulator
Dolphin - GameCube & Wii emulator
DeSmuME - Nintendo DS emulator
Citra - 3DS emulator
Cemu - Wii U emulator
yuzu - Switch emulator
ryujinx - Switch emulator
Xenia - Xbox 360 emulator
PPSSPP - PSP Portable emulator
PCSX2 - PS2 emulator
RPCS3 - PS3 emulator
Orbital - PS4 emulator
Visit emulation.gametechwiki.com for extra resources for ROMs (eg. emulator files/BIOS files, etc)
Jump to Related & Alternative Subreddits to view Console oriented subs and ROM-sharing subs
/r/Roms - Has a ROMs megathread and allows requests for specific game titles
ByAlvro's ROM collection - Super large archive of ROMs
the-eye.eu - Large ROM collection for various platforms
squid-proxy.xyz - Large ROM collection for various platforms
Vimm's Lair - Large ROM collection for various platforms
emulator.games - Large ROM collection for various platforms
emuparadise.me - Large ROM collection for a large list of different platforms. Use this script to reinstate the download links
romhustler.org - Large ROM collection for various platforms
romulation.net - Large ROM collection for various platforms
romnation.net - Large ROM collection for various platforms
pleasuredome.org.uk - Large retro ROM collection
gamulator.com - Retro ROM collection
gamesmega.net - PS Vita, PS4, Switch, 3DS, PSP,
ziperto.com - PS2, PSP, PS VITA, 3DS, Switch, GBA, GAMECUBE, NDS, N64, SNES, WII, WII U
CDRomance - Formally NicoBlog. PS1, PS2, PSP, Gamecube, DS, GBA, etc
romstorage.com - PS Vita, 3DS, Switch, Gameboy, Gameboy Colors, Nintendo 64, NES, SNES, etc
gload.cc - PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
gamestorrents.nu - Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, PS2, WII, PSP, NDS
nxbrew.com - Switch Games: NSPs, XCIs, Homebrews, & CFWs
switch-xci.xyz - Switch NSPs and XCIs
pcgamingwiki.com - Solutions wiki for many issues that arise with PC games
online-fix.me - Multiplayer/Steamworks game fixes
thetrove.is - Archival resource containing tabletop gaming / RPGs
gamecopyworld.com - PC Game Trainers, Cheats, No-CD / No-DVD PlayFixes and Patches, standalone cracks, etc
gameburnworld.com - Cheats, Patches, Game Fixes, Trainers, No-CD Patches, etc
megagames.com - Game Trainers, Cheats, Mods, Fixes, etc
Gazellegames.net (GGn) - Best source for games for enthusiasts. Carries games from basically any console. Can be joined through RED
PixelCove - Another pretty great source of games for the enthusiast crowd.
TorrentLeech - One of the largest general private trackers
alpharatio.cc - A general private tracker focused on scene releases. Inferior in content compared to other general trackers like IPT, TL, FL etc but has a very strong request section. Great for requests for which personalised trackers don't exist or aren't good enough. Can be joined through MAM and RED during AR's global invites period, keep an eye out
Filelist - One of the largest general private trackers. Romanian tracker, but media content will typically include dual language audio (English and Romanian).
IPTorrents - The largest general private tracker
Untrusted sites, release groups & repackers
The Pirate Bay / TPB - Do not use the pirate bay or any of its mirrors to download games/software. High malware risk, even from skulled users
Kickass Torrents / KAT - Kat went down in 2016. Don't rely on any supposed mirrors floating around.
BBRepacks - BlackBox Repacks impersonator. Malware in the Doom Eternal repack posted on TPB and 1337x
Qoob / Seyter - Qoob is the name that Seyter switched to after having been caught adding a bitcoin miner to his JC3 repack. More info on Qoob
CorePack - Malware in a long list of their releases. Some background. Their official statement
Ocean Of Games - Malware risk and past history of coin miners included in their installers
NosTEAM - Shitty blog site with shoddy ads. Torrent downloads are handled by an intermediary ~3 MiB executable file: the epitome of shady behavior.
igg-games.com / pcgamestorrents.com / gamestorrent.co - These are not recommended on this subreddit as trusted sites for various reasons, but the main reasons why igg-games is not recommended is due to their history of shady behavior, such as including their own form of DRM into their .dll files, another one (some extra background info), and overall dickish behavior by the owner/admins.
Any website using the name of a Scene group (such as CODEX, CPY, SKIDROW, HOODLUM, RELOADED, SiMPLEX, DARKSiDERS, PLAZA, etc.). Scene groups do not have public websites. If you find a site using the name of a scene group, they are impersonators. Beware of these sites as they tend to package their releases with malware (3 notable exceptions are skidrowreloaded.com, skidrowrepacks.com, and skidrowcodex.net, which are fine to use, though they are still impostor sites). What is "The Scene"?
Any site you find on Google by searching for "free game downloads", "cracked games", etc. Google de-lists piracy websites from its search results, which means that fake / impostor / malware-spreading sites will float to the top of the search results.
Any "cracked games" site or download you find on Youtube
Any aggregator site like snowfl or DHT crawler like btdb, btdig, etc. Not because the sites intend to infect you with malware, but because their intent is to aggregate as many publicly available torrents as possible into one place. This can include torrents that have been posted to TPB or otherwise spread publicly via the DHT network. You should only grab games from sites that take a personal hand in adding content (excludes sites that auto-post scene releases, in which case they would need to be vetted to make sure that their posts are real scene releases) rather than automatically aggregating from hundreds of unknown sites.