Before you import
Use homebrew files supplied by their creators, public-domain software, or personal backups you are legally entitled to make in your jurisdiction. Owning a cabinet or cartridge does not automatically make every online copy lawful.
Pages for historical commercial games are documentation, not download mirrors.
1. Keep an untouched source folder
Create a folder such as Games/Originals and keep your verified source files there. Make a separate Games/Playfolder for files you rename or organize.
2. Check the Alpha format
The first public build accepts uncompressed .ch8 and.c8 programs up to 3,584 bytes. It does not run ZIP, MAME, FBNeo, NES, Game Boy, GBA, Genesis, or BIOS files. Those systems are roadmap items, not hidden Alpha features.
3. Select the folder in Android
In ArcadeShelf Player, choose Import local .CH8. Android's system file picker opens. Select one file. The app does not request access to a folder or to the rest of your storage.
4. Match the correct system
A file extension does not prove compatibility or permission. Confirm that the creator identifies the program as CHIP-8 software. Files for other systems will be rejected or fail to execute.
5. Verify before troubleshooting
Compare the filename, file size, and—when supplied—the SHA-256 hash against the creator's release notes. A mismatch often explains a failed boot more reliably than changing random emulator settings.
What ArcadeShelf stores
The Alpha keeps the selected ROM bytes in process memory only. It stores no account, cloud library, filename index, control profile, or save state, and it declares no Android network permission.