All parents and clones are combined into a single ZIP file.

As of 2025, the MAME project shows no signs of slowing. Recent updates have added support for:

When looking for a "full set," you will encounter different types. Choosing the right one saves you a lot of headache: Non-Merged (Recommended for Beginners): Each game file (

: The least space-efficient but easiest to manage individually. Every .zip file contains 100% of the data needed to run that specific version, with no dependencies on other files. 2. Essential Components Beyond ROMs

In a set, the BIOS (e.g., neogeo.zip, pgm.zip, konamigx.zip) is inside each game ZIP. You do nothing. In a split set, you must put BIOS files in the roms folder alongside the games. Without neogeo.zip , none of the 150 Neo Geo games will boot.

When hobbyists search for the phrase they are not looking for a single game. They are looking for a complete, unaltered snapshot of history—every ROM, every CHD (Compressed Hunks of Data), every BIOS file necessary to run nearly 40,000 unique arcade machines.