emulator: Kronos type: libretro cores: - kronos_libretro - yabause_libretro source: "https://github.com/FCare/Kronos" profiled_date: "2026-03-18" core_version: "v2.6.0" display_name: "Sega - Saturn/ST-V (Kronos)" systems: - sega-saturn - sega-stv notes: | Kronos is a Sega Saturn and ST-V arcade emulator forked from Yabause. The libretro repo at libretro/yabause ships the older "Yabause" core (yabause_libretro) which handles Saturn only and has no STV support. Saturn BIOS search order (Kronos): 1. {system}/kronos/saturn_bios.bin 2. {system}/saturn_bios.bin 3. {system}/sega_101.bin 4. {system}/mpr-17933.bin First file found wins. Real BIOS required, HLE is deprecated and causes issues. Multi-disc (m3u) also forces real BIOS. Saturn BIOS search order (YabaSanshiro / Yabause): 1. {system}/saturn_bios.bin 2. {system}/sega_101.bin 3. {system}/mpr-17933.bin Falls back to HLE if none found, but HLE is not recommended. ST-V BIOS (Kronos only): {system}/kronos/stvbios.zip or {system}/stvbios.zip The ZIP is a MAME-style romset containing region-specific EPROMs. Kronos picks the first matching BIOS by region, with a configurable "favorite region" core option (EU/US/JP/TW). The ZIP must contain at least one of the BIOS blobs listed below. ST-V games are detected automatically when loading a .zip file. BIOS loading: libretro.c retro_load_game() lines 1601-1727. STV blob table: ctrl/src/stv.c BiosList lines 112-136. Region enums: ctrl/include/stv.h lines 47-52. files: # ----------------------------------------------------------- # Saturn BIOS - generic (any region accepted) # ----------------------------------------------------------- - name: "saturn_bios.bin" system: sega-saturn required: true size: 524288 # 512 KB (0x80000) note: "Primary Saturn BIOS. Any region. Searched first by both cores." source_ref: "libretro.c:1619-1623 (kronos), libretro.c:1035 (yabause)" # ----------------------------------------------------------- # Saturn BIOS - Japan v1.01 # ----------------------------------------------------------- - name: "sega_101.bin" system: sega-saturn region: [japan] required: false size: 524288 md5: "85ec9ca47d8f6807718151cbcca8b964" note: "Saturn BIOS v1.01 (Japan). Fallback if saturn_bios.bin missing." source_ref: "libretro.c:1627 (kronos), libretro.c:1039 (yabause)" # ----------------------------------------------------------- # Saturn BIOS - NA/EU # ----------------------------------------------------------- - name: "mpr-17933.bin" system: sega-saturn region: [north-america, europe] required: false size: 524288 md5: "3240872c70984b6cbfda1586cab68dbe" note: "Saturn BIOS (NA/EU). Last fallback for Saturn mode." source_ref: "libretro.c:1631 (kronos), libretro.c:1043 (yabause)" # ----------------------------------------------------------- # ST-V Arcade BIOS (stvbios.zip) - Kronos only # ----------------------------------------------------------- - name: "stvbios.zip" system: sega-stv required: true note: > MAME-style ZIP containing ST-V region BIOS EPROMs. Required for ST-V arcade games. Kronos picks the best match based on game region and the stv_favorite_region core option. At least one BIOS blob must be present. Searched in kronos/ subdir first. source_ref: "libretro.c:1608-1617, ctrl/src/stv.c:112-136" # ----------------------------------------------------------- # ST-V BIOS blobs inside stvbios.zip # ----------------------------------------------------------- # Japan - name: "epr-23603.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [japan] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "f688ae60" note: "STV BIOS Japan (latest). Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:120" - name: "epr-20091.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [japan] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "59ed40f4" note: "STV BIOS Japan v1. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:121" - name: "epr-19730.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [japan] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "d0e0889d" note: "STV BIOS Japan v2. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:122" - name: "epr-17951a.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [japan] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "2672f9d8" note: "STV BIOS Japan v3. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:123" - name: "epr-17740a.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [japan] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "3e23c81f" note: "STV BIOS Japan v4. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:124" - name: "epr-17740.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [japan] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "5c5aa63d" note: "STV BIOS Japan v5. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:125" # Europe - name: "epr-17954a.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [europe] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "f7722da3" note: "STV BIOS Europe. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:126" # USA - name: "epr-17952a.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [north-america] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "d1be2adf" note: "STV BIOS USA. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:127" - name: "epr-17741a.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [north-america] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "4166c663" note: "STV BIOS USA v1. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:128" # Taiwan - name: "epr-19854.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [taiwan] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "e09d1f60" note: "STV BIOS Taiwan. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:129" - name: "epr-17953a.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [taiwan] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "a4c47570" note: "STV BIOS Taiwan v1. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:130" - name: "epr-17742a.ic8" system: sega-stv region: [taiwan] required: false size: 524288 crc32: "02daf123" note: "STV BIOS Taiwan v2. Inside stvbios.zip." source_ref: "stv.c:131" # Debug / Dev - name: "stv110.bin" system: sega-stv required: false size: 524288 crc32: "3dfeda92" note: "STV debug BIOS. Inside stvbios.zip. Not used in normal operation." source_ref: "stv.c:132" - name: "stv1061.bin" system: sega-stv required: false size: 524288 crc32: "728dbca3" note: "STV dev BIOS. Inside stvbios.zip. Not used in normal operation." source_ref: "stv.c:133" platform_details: saturn: bios_size: 524288 bios_address: "0x00000000-0x0007FFFF" hle_available: true hle_recommended: false kronos_bios_subdir: "kronos" source_ref: "sys/memory/src/memory.c:1346, libretro.c:1619-1638" stv: bios_format: "MAME-style ZIP (stvbios.zip)" blob_size: 524288 blob_load_address: "0x000000" regions: [japan, europe, north-america, taiwan] region_selection: "automatic per game, overridable via kronos_stv_favorite_region" kronos_bios_subdir: "kronos" source_ref: "ctrl/src/stv.c:112-136, ctrl/include/stv.h:47-52"