Dolphin emulator getting official Flatpak build

In a post to Github, Dolphin developer OatmealDome had this to say about the lack of an official Dolphin Flatpak: “For the past 8 years, the Dolphin project has chosen not to create any official builds for Linux, instead opting to relegate that task to the distributions.” However, the team reports noticing a significant increase in the demand for a Flatpak version of Dolphin. With an influx of beginner Linux users coming from the Steam Deck, it is wise for the team to recognize the importance of offering an easy way for users to install the popular emulator with a Flatpak Package.

For those unfamiliar with Flatpak, it is a package management system for Linux that simplifies installing and removing apps from your system. Users of the Steam Deck utilize Flatpak when installing apps from the “Discover Software Center.” Moreover, the adoption of Flatpak for the Dolphin emulator will ensure that the software can run on a host of other Linux distributions. Additionally, the use of Flatpak will bring quality-of-life improvements such as increased security and automatic updates.

Currently, the community version of Dolphin is the latest version on Flathub and carries the “unverified” tag, which could cause some concern for new users. Thankfully, the Dolphin Emulator team is undertaking the complex task of transferring ownership, merging the two distributions, and hosting their own repository. Once complete, users can easily install the Dolphin emulator confidently and be one step closer to enjoying Gamecube and Wii emulation.