An open-source Nintendo Switch emulator that runs in the browser.

Voland is built on Ballistic, a custom ARM64 JIT recompiler that targets WebAssembly, x86_64, and ARM64. The combination — a JIT recompiler with a fast WASM backend, integrated with a Switch emulator runtime — makes browser-based Switch emulation possible without native installation.

Switch 1 is the initial target. Switch 2 support will come once the console is moddable.

• Ballistic — Custom ARM64 JIT recompiler. Targets WebAssembly (the primary backend for Voland), x86_64, and ARM64. Architecturally agnostic; useful to anyone building an emulator or dynamic recompiler for ARM64 code.
• Voland — The Switch emulator runtime. Integrates Ballistic with HLE service implementations, kernel emulation, graphics translation, and the rest of the emulator stack. Built for the browser as the primary deployment target.

Pre-alpha. There are no playable games yet. Foundation work is in progress, Ballistic's IR layer, the WebAssembly backend, the runtime integration. Expect a long road before anything is end-user-usable.

If you're looking to play Switch games today, use Ryujinx, Suyu, or another mature Switch emulator. Voland's eventual value is browser deployment, not faster compatibility, that part takes time to build.

If you're interested in:

• JIT recompiler internals and ARM64-to-WASM translation
• WebAssembly as a serious target for performance-critical emulation
• The technical challenges of running console emulators in browsers (sandboxing, memory model, JIT compilation latency, audio/graphics integration)
• Compiler design (custom SSA-based IR, structured control flow, tiered compilation)
• Open-source emulator engineering with strict review standards

The full architecture is documented in DESIGN.md, 23 sections covering the C core, the platform layers, the threading model, storage decisions, JIT integration, and a realistic phase plan. Read that before deciding whether the project is worth your time. The technical work is documented thoroughly. Design docs and architectural decisions are visible in the repos.

Strict but specific review process. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening PRs. Atomic commits, sign-off required, no force-pushes to main.

• Discussions (github.com/voland-emu/.github/discussions) — project-wide topics, governance, RFCs, and meta-questions
• Issues — bugs and feature requests go to the relevant repo's issue tracker

Voland is named for Völundr (also Wayland the Smith in Anglo-Saxon tradition) — the legendary craftsman of Germanic and Norse mythology, master of the forge. The metaphor fits a JIT compiler that builds native machine code from raw foreign instructions.

(Yes, also the Bulgakov reference. We're aware.)