Commodore emulation packages Amiga Forever 11 and C64 Forever 11 released

A few days before the Commodore Amiga's 40th birthday, Cloanto updates Amiga Forever 11 and C64 Forever 11 – Those software packages that emulate Commodore's legendary 8-bit and 16-bit home computer systems on Windows computers.

As usual, version 11 comes pre-installed with various systems, games and demos from Commodore's home computers. You don't need much prior knowledge of emulation or knowledge of the systems – You can start individual games or operating systems immediately with just one click.

The whole thing is completely legal and without any warez hassle, as Cloanto has licenses for the Amiga and C64 ROMs as well as for the installed software. If you want to add more games, you only need the respective game files in the appropriate file format such as adf or as a Whdload installation. Advanced users can configure the systems individually using emulator substructures such as WINUAE for the Amiga. WINUAE was recently released in version 6.0.

As Cloanto writes in its announcement, a central new feature is extensive support for virtual printers, so that print results can be saved in a file or sent to the connected PC printer. Depending on the system, it is possible to observe in real time how printing was carried out at the time. Cloanto has also developed new virtual printers (EpsonQ, MPS 803 and CBM 8026), which emulate the characteristics of printers of that time, as well as new Postscript and PDF functions –. People who miss the old dot matrix printers in particular are likely to get their money's worth.

The packages also include greater support for mobile devices without keyboards, for example via multi-touch gestures and an extended virtual keyboard. Wider support for gaming controllers is also included.

Amiga Forever 11 in three variants

Amiga Forever 11 is available in three versions: The Value Edition for 20 Euros offers Kickstart ROMs as well as 1.1 and 1.3 including the respective Workbench GUI, which is sufficient for most Amiga 500 games. Over 25 games and more than 50 demos are pre-installed.

The Plus Edition offers considerably more options for 40 euros: In addition to the 1.3 ROMs of Amiga 1000/500, the whole range of Amiga systems is represented here: Installations as well as ROMs of later systems such as Amiga 2000, 3000, or Amiga 600 and CDTV are pre-installed.

The AGA Amigas with VGA-like 256-color graphics such as the CD32 CD console, Amiga 1200 and Amiga 4000 are also included, the latter also in the particularly fast PPC version. Over 50 games and more than 100 demos are installed in the Plus version.

The Amiga Explorer provides virtual communication between the PC and the Amiga via various options such as TCP/IP or the serial port. An additional gallery with additional historical information about the Amiga is also included. In contrast to the Value Edition, the Plus version can also be burned as a DVD via the ISO file supplied and installed from such a DVD.

The Premium Edition of Amiga Forever 11 for 60 euros is physical from the outset: it is supplied on three DVDs and offers additional videos about Amiga history alongside the features of the Plus Edition. However, anyone ordering the Premium version online from Cloanto does not have to wait for the package to be delivered: After purchase, the download version will also be made available.

Owners of previous versions can upgrade their versions at a discount – Cloanto states that owners of the lifetime upgrade in general and buyers of Amiga Forever 10 or C64 Forever 10 who purchased the program on or after March 1, 2025 will even receive a free upgrade to the latest version.

C64 Forever 11 as Express Edition free of charge

C64 Forever 11 is offered free of charge in a functionally limited Express Edition, as well as in Plus Editions: As a pure download, the suite costs just under 17 euros, and with an additional boxed version 34 euros. In addition to the Commodore 64, other 8-bit systems from the manufacturer are also emulated. These include PET 2001, CBM 3032, CBM 4032, CBM 8032, VC 20, CBM 610, C16, Commodore Plus/4 and C128, all including ROMs.

The Plus version also includes support for multiple windows, full-screen mode, a practical disk changer and extended printing functions. Cloanto claims to have over 200 games and demos pre-installed. The same applies here: With files in emulator format, you can add your own game favorites from back then to the collection in no time at all. If you decide to buy the Amiga and C64 editions together, Cloanto will give you a 20 percent discount on C64 Forever from the Plus versions.

In general, both programs are closely interlinked: if both emulator suites are installed, both systems appear in the respective overviews. They are fairly modest in terms of system requirements: they run from Windows Vista and newer, and support Windows 10 to 25H2 as well as Windows 11 with special functions such as a dark mode.

As with all emulators, the faster the computer, the smoother the emulation – The practical functionality of being able to start several systems at the same time can make older systems sweat. During an initial hands-on, this was most noticeable in the halting game music on an old Intel quad-core. But that didn't detract from the nostalgia. Even on a six-year-old gaming notebook with Intel's six-core Core-i7 9750H, even demanding scene demos no longer stuttered. The same applies to the Amiga 4000 emulation (without PPC) with the modified Workbench 45.3 user interface.

(mawi)