The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) are a couple of the most sought-after retro gaming systems. When they were re-released, they flew off the shelves. These mini versions of the classic consoles from the ‘80s and ‘90s come pre-loaded with pixel-perfect games that will take you back.
They can be difficult to find in stores. However, you can easily buy one on Ebay.
These consoles only come with 21 pre-installed games. This can make the old-school gaming experience a bit limited. Here’s how to hack your SNES or NES Classic and add hundreds of games.
Once you know how to do this, you’ll be able to add games from other platforms. These include NES, Sega, Gameboy, and Atari, just to name a few.
Why SNES?
When I first saw these two gaming consoles in the store, I wanted both. I love playing games on both the SNES and the NES. I decided to hack the SNES Classic because it comes with two controllers.
The NES Classic only comes with one controller and it has limited buttons. The SNES Classic controllers, however, have extra buttons. This means you can play more games.
You can install SNES games on a hacked NES Classic, but there’s a catch. The limited buttons on the NES controller will make some games impossible to play.
At the time I’m writing this, the SNES Classic is $20 more than the NES Classic. It’s well worth the extra money, in my opinion.
You can also install retro games on a Firestick or Raspberry Pi. However, the original controllers that come with the SNES and NES Classics are fantastic. Their simple interface also makes them a big hit.
IMPORTANT: If you are trying to install unverified apps on your Firestick or Fire TV from the Amazon App Store, you will only be able to do this by side-loading. This means installing something onto the device without using the official app distribution method. I recommend using a VPN to install these apps. Click this link to learn how to install a VPN for Firestick, Fire TV, Fire TV Cube.
What Games Can Be Added in an SNES Classic Hack?
With this tutorial, you can install the following games on your SNES Classic:
- Chrono Trigger
- Donkey Kong Country 2
- Donkey Kong Country 3
- Final Fight 3
- Front Mission
- Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
- Mortal Kombat II
- NBA Jam – Tournament Edition
- NHL 96
- Pocky & Rocky
- Rock n’ Roll Racing
- Secret of Mana
- Space Megaforce
- Super Mario All-Stars
- Super Mario RPG – Legend of the Seven Stars
- Super Mario World 2
- Super Off Road
- Super Street Fighter II
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV – Turtles in Time
- Terranigma
- Tetris Attack
- Top Gear
- Top Gear 2
- Wild Guns
Plus, you can add all 30 Nintendo games found on NES Classic!
SNES Hack Requirements
Before you get started, make sure you have the following:
- A Windows computer to perform this mod. The software we use will only work with Windows. If you’re using a Mac, you can dual-boot with a program called Boot Camp.
- ROMs (games) that you want to load onto the device. You can find them with a Google search for “No Intro Rom Set”.
NOTE: I can’t link to these download locations for legal reasons.
In the video tutorial, I made a subfolder in the ROMs folder and called it “Extras for Mini”. This folder has two more folders in it: “NES Extras for Mini” and “SNES Extras for Mini”. These contain the games for each console. This makes it easier to find them when loading them onto the hacked SNES.
Video Tutorial
Watch the video below to see how it’s done.
The video includes some helpful links. You can access them below:
These consoles are also available at major tech retailers. Check out stores like Best Buy and GameStop, for example.
Hacking Your SNES Classic: A Guide to Adding More Games
This article provides a detailed walkthrough of the steps demonstrated in the video above.
Step 1
Begin by connecting your SNES Classic to your PC. Use the USB cord and plug it into an available USB slot on your computer.
NOTE: Ensure the SNES Classic is powered OFF before connecting the USB cord.
Step 2
Download the Hakchi CE Application Tool. Click here to access it. It’s located under the Modification Categories section, specifically under Hakchi Application Tool. Once downloaded, extract the tool.
Step 3
Choose the most recent version of the Hakchi CE Application Tool from the provided list. For instance, in the image below, you’ll see “Hakchi2 CE ‘Community Edition’ V3.5.2”.
The tool will download as a .zip file.
Step 4
Find the downloaded .zip file. Right-click on it. This will open a menu of options. Choose Extract All… to extract the contents of the file.
NOTE: If you don’t see the “Extract All” option, you may need a tool like 7-Zip. It’s a free application that can help you extract the files.
Step 5
Extracting the file will create a new folder. You can now delete the original .zip file. Keep the new Hakchi CE folder and your ROMs folder together.
Step 6
Open the Hakchi CE folder. Find the file with the .exe extension and right click on it. In the example below, it’s “hakchi.exe”.
NOTE: If your file explorer isn’t set to display extensions, look for the file named “hakchi”.
Step 7
From the menu that appears, select Run as administrator.
Step 8
You’ll see a welcome message from Hakchi 2. Simply click Ok to proceed.
Step 9
You’ll see another message pop up. Simply click Ok to proceed.
Step 10
Locate the Current games collection dropdown menu. From there, you’ll need to select Super NES along with your specific region. The example in the image below shows Super NES (USA) being selected.
This will then display all of the original games. These are the ones that came pre-loaded on your SNES Classic.
Step 11
Go back to the Hakchi CE main menu. Click on Kernel and then select Install / Repair.
Step 12
You’ll get a pop-up message asking “Do you want to flash the customer kernel?”. Go ahead and click Yes.
You’ll then be presented with a new set of instructions. These will guide you through the next part of the process.
Step 13
Locate the RESET button on your SNES Classic. Keep it pressed down while you also turn the power switch ON. Hold the RESET button for a few seconds before releasing it. Double-check that the POWER LED is OFF.
With these steps completed, the kernel will begin to upload to your SNES Classic.
NOTE: You might encounter a prompt to install a driver, depending on which operating system you are using. If this happens, just click the button to proceed with the driver installation.
Ensure that the device remains powered ON. Keep the cord plugged in during the entire process to avoid interruptions.
Step 14
Upon completion, a pop-up message will appear, confirming that you can now upload games. The message reads, “Done! You can upload games to your NES/SNES Mini now.” Simply click Ok to proceed.
Step 15
Please wait while the local original games cache is updated. This process may take some time.
Once the update process is finished, click Ok to continue.
You’ll notice a green button 
in the bottom left corner. This indicates a successful completion of the process. From now on, when you connect your device, this green button should appear after about 20 seconds, signaling a successful connection. It’ll pop up once the device has connected to your computer.
Also, there’s a change in how you connect your SNES to your computer. You no longer need to hold down the RESET and POWER buttons (Step 11). That was only necessary for the initial setup of a new device. Now, you can simply plug the USB drive into your computer and press the power button on the SNES to establish the connection.
Step 16
To expand your gaming options, you can install emulators. This will allow you to play games that are not originally supported by the SNES.
NOTE: You might think the Clover emulator can handle any game, and while it’s versatile, it might not run every game perfectly. This can be addressed by installing emulators specifically designed for the original Nintendo. You can also install emulators for SNES games that encounter issues with the default settings. It’s always good to have options.
To begin, navigate to the Hakchi CE main menu. From there, select Modules and then Mod Store.
Step 17
Proceed by clicking the Retroarch menu. This will open up a new set of options for you to explore.
Step 18
Start by highlighting the newest version of RetroArch, called ‘Neo’. It’s version 1.7.4a in the example image.
From there, simply click Download Module.
Step 19
Now let’s install the emulators to play your games. These are sometimes called cores.
Click on Retroarch Cores, then choose an NES emulator. You can see “Quick NES RetroArch Core” is highlighted in the image.
Step 20
Go ahead and click Download Module.
Step 21
Next, you’ll need an SNES core. We’re using “SNES9x2005 Retroarch Core” in the image below as an example.
Click Download Module to grab it.
NOTE: If you have other game systems you want to use, download their emulators now too. Each system needs its own.
Once the downloads are finished, you can close the window.
Step 22
Let’s get those modules installed. Go to Modules, then Install extra modules.
Step 23
Check the boxes next to the emulators or cores you just downloaded. When you’re done, click OK.
Step 24
Give it a moment while everything installs.
Finally, click Ok.
Step 25
To proceed, simply click on the Add more games button.
Step 26
Navigate to the folder containing your saved games. Select all the files within this folder. Then, click Open to proceed.
Take a look at the image below. It shows NES games being selected.
Please wait while the games are installed. This might take a moment
Step 27
We’re going to change the default emulator for NES games. Specifically, we’ll switch it to the “Quick NES RetroArch Core” we installed earlier. Start by highlighting all the games currently using the default emulator. Then, right-click on these highlighted games. From the menu that appears, select Select emulation core….
Step 28
A pop-up window will appear. In this window, highlight all the games. In the Core section, select “Quick NES”. Finally, click Apply to save the changes.
Step 29
To finish up, click Close.
Notice that the selected games now show the Quick NES emulator. You can see this in the command line bar.
Step 30
Now, let’s repeat Steps 23 through 24. This time, we’ll be doing it for SNES games.
Step 31
Once the new emulation is in place,
Once the core for your games is established, proceed to the New Apps section. In this section, you’ll find a list of games. Highlight all of them. Then, right-click on the highlighted files. Select Download box art for selected games from the menu that appears.
Step 32
When the download process is finished, click Ok.
The box art for each game will then be displayed. This makes identifying your games at a glance easier.
Step 33
Scroll down through the list of games until you reach the Custom Games section. Repeat Steps 31 and 32 for the games within this section. This ensures that all your custom games also have box art.
Step 34
To keep your games organized, you can arrange them into folders. You can structure your games using folders. Click Structure to begin. Then navigate to Original games in root – > Folders, split games equally. This distributes your games evenly across folders.
NOTE: You can modify the organization of your games at any time by revisiting this step. You’re not locked into your initial choice.
Step 35
Click Synchronize selected games with NES/SNES Mini. This will transfer your game selection and organization to the NES/SNES Mini.
Step 36
Allow some time for the games to synchronize. Once the process is complete, click Ok to proceed.
Step 37
Power down your SNES Classic. Disconnect the USB cord from the SNES Classic. Next, connect the USB cord to the power adapter. Connect the HDMI cable to your TV. Finally, boot up the SNES Classic on your TV.
NOTE: The green button located in the bottom left corner of the Hakchi CE window will change to red. 
. This indicates a change in the connection status.
How to Search for Your Newly Added Games
Step 1
Navigate to the folder where you’ve added your new games. You can do this by using the directional buttons on your controller. Once you’ve located the folder, highlight it. Press the A button on your controller to open it.
Step 2
The folders will then appear, holding both the newly added and the original games. The total games get split into folders equally. More installed games mean you’ll see more folders.
Step 3
Want to save your game? Just press the SELECT and down buttons together. Do this on the controller at the same time.
Step 4
To save, press the down button. Then, hit the Y button on your controller.
Step 5
To get back to your game, highlight it first. Then, hold down both the SELECT and down buttons. Lastly, click the START button on the screen.
TROYPOINT Tip: Want to get into the Retroarch settings? You can easily do this by pressing the SELECT and START buttons on your controller together.
How to Restore Your SNES Back to Its Default Settings
This SNES Classic Hack is fully reversible. You can set it back to its default settings without any issues.
Step 1
First, turn OFF your SNES Classic. Unplug the USB from the power. Then, plug that same cord into your computer.
Step 2
Turn your SNES Classic back ON. Give it 10-20 seconds to be recognized by Hakchi CE. The button in the bottom left corner of the window will turn green 
when the connection is good.
Step 3
Look at the Hakchi CE main menu. Click Kernel, then Advanced, and lastly Factory reset.
Step 4
You’ll see a pop-up message. Go ahead and click Yes.
Step 5
Just wait for it to finish. The process will complete on it’s own.
When the reset is finished, click Ok.
And that’s it. Your SNES is back to how it was when you first got it – good as new!