A multi-platform Atari 2600 Emulator.
Publisher’s description
What is Stella?
Stella by The Stella Team is open-source Windows software in the virtualisation category. It is written in C. Besides Windows, it is available for Linux.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (Inno Setup) and Portable installers for 64-bit Windows. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 7.0, released on January 2, 2025. The version history goes back to February 9, 2024: 2 releases, all linked to the official files. The last update is more than a year old.
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (stella-emu/stella) has 770 stars. Similar programs include Sandboxie, Oracle VirtualBox and Vagrant.
Project description on GitHub: “A multi-platform Atari 2600 Emulator”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Also runs on Linux
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- No update for more than a year
In short: Stella is an open-source virtualisation tool for 64-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is Stella safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
20E6A165A2533EEAC9DBE13D31A2DA233B8B60DD29880EDFFE5ADE5FFC298F65· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the stella-emu/stella repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No dangerous workflows10
- Restricted token permissions10
- Actively maintained10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared10
- Pinned dependencies6
- Code review1
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Fuzzing0
- Signed releases0
- Branch protection0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 2 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0Latest | January 2, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit ZIP |
| 6.7.1 | February 9, 2024 | — | 32-bit ZIP32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit ZIP64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id TheStellaTeam.Stella -eStella-7.0c-x64.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
flatpak install flathub io.github.stella_emu.StellaInformation
- Publisher
- The Stella Team
- Category
- Virtualisation
- Licence
- GPL-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/stella-emu/stella
- Written in
- C
- Content rating
- All ages
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (Inno Setup), Portable
- Other platforms
- Linux
- Version
- 7.0
- Released
- January 2, 2025
- Added to the catalogue
- February 9, 2024
- Versions listed
- 2
- GitHub stars
- 770
- GitHub forks
- 148
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- TheStellaTeam.Stella
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to Stella
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Frequently asked questions
Is Stella free?
Yes. Stella is open-source software under the GPL-2.0 licence.
Is Stella safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Stella with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Stella be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Stella run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Stella?
The versions page lists all 2 versions with links to their official installer files, back to February 9, 2024.
What are alternatives to Stella?
Sandboxie, Oracle VirtualBox, Vagrant, QEMU and Multipass. The alternatives page compares them.
