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How to Save Games in Dolphin Emulator

Use a game’s own save system for regular progress in Dolphin. Save states are separate, and GameCube and Wii/vWii saves require different transfer methods.
WorldDolphin Emulator Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To save progress in Dolphin, use the game’s own save menu, checkpoint, or save point. Dolphin does not provide one universal way to save any game at any moment. If you want to resume from an exact point, use a save state as a separate emulator feature—not as a replacement for the game’s regular save.

Save progress through the game

Play and save as you would on the original GameCube or Wii: open the game’s save menu, reach a checkpoint, or use an in-game save point. The exact method depends on the game, and some games only allow saving at specific places. Dolphin’s official Ripping Games — Retrieving Game Saves guide covers retrieving and transferring existing saves; it does not specify one universal in-game save command.

Save states are different from game saves

A save state is an emulator snapshot for resuming a session from a particular point. It is distinct from the save data the game creates through its normal save system. If you need lasting game progress, make an in-game save as well. Dolphin’s available controls and labels can vary by build and platform, so check the menus or documentation for your version rather than relying on a universal shortcut.

Transfer a GameCube save between a console and Dolphin

GameCube saves use memory-card data. For a transfer from a physical GameCube, Dolphin’s guide describes using GCMM and an SD card. GCMM can extract an individual save as a .GCI file or dump a whole memory card; place an extracted save in Dolphin’s GC directory. This is a console migration process, not a requirement for ordinary saving in Dolphin.

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The guide also describes transferring Dolphin-created GameCube data back to a real memory card with GCMM and an SD card. Follow the guide’s relevant transfer instructions for the direction you need: Dolphin’s save-transfer guide.

Transfer an individual Wii or vWii save

Wii and Wii U’s vWii mode store saves differently from GameCube memory cards: Wii save data is part of the console’s internal NAND storage. To move an individual save from a Wii or vWii to Dolphin, Dolphin’s guide documents using SaveGame Manager GX on the console to copy the save to an SD card.

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For the reverse direction, Dolphin can export a Wii save in the X:privatewii[GAMEID] format. SaveGame Manager GX can then put it back into the console’s NAND. These instructions concern individual game saves; importing a complete Wii system backup is a separate procedure.

Import a whole Wii NAND backup

A Wii NAND contains more than game saves: it also houses downloaded channels and the Wii Menu. If you need to bring over the console’s whole internal storage rather than one game’s save, Dolphin’s NAND Usage Guide describes creating a BootMii NAND backup on an SD card and importing it in Dolphin. Automatic BootMii NAND import is available in Dolphin 5.0-3416 or newer; the guide gives the menu path as Tools > Import BootMii NAND Backup.

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What happens to saves in Dolphin Netplay?

Netplay has save-data modes that affect the session. Dolphin’s Netplay Guide describes three choices:

Quick Recap

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  • No persistent save: the session does not keep save data.
  • Load the host’s save without saving progress: players start with the host’s save, but progress is not written back to it.
  • Load and write the host’s save data: the session uses the host’s save and updates it during play. This setting does not overwrite clients’ local saves.

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