Terms of Service

Last updated: June 2025

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using CRT Play (“the Platform”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

2. The Platform

CRT Play is a community-driven platform that hosts open-source homebrew retro games. All games are original creations or open-source projects shared with permission from their respective authors. The Platform is provided free of charge and operates on a “as is” basis.

3. Game Content & Licensing

Each game hosted on CRT Play is distributed under its own open-source license. We only accept games that are:

  • Original creations — Developed and submitted by the rights holder.
  • Open-source licensed — Under one of the following permissive licenses: MIT, GNU GPL (v2/v3), zlib, Apache 2.0, BSD, CC0, or CC-BY 4.0.
  • Submitted with permission — Explicit authorization from the developer or copyright holder is required.

We do NOT host: Commercial ROMs, pirated software, unauthorized copies of copyrighted games, Nintendo ROMs, or any content that violates intellectual property law.

Each game's license is noted on its detail page. You are responsible for complying with each game's individual license terms when downloading, modifying, or redistributing game files.

4. Prohibited Activities

You agree not to:

  • Commercial Resale of ROMs — Selling, licensing, or distributing any game files from CRT Play for commercial gain is strictly prohibited unless explicitly permitted by the game's license.
  • Abuse of Embed Feature — If you embed CRT Play games on your site via iframe, you must not modify, monetize, or misrepresent the embedded content.
  • Attempt to Disrupt the Platform — Hacking, DDoS, scraping, injecting malicious code, or any activity that compromises the Platform's integrity.
  • Upload Unauthorized Content — Submitting games or materials that you do not own or have permission to share.
  • Illegal Use — Using the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of applicable local, national, or international laws.

5. Iframe Embedding Policy

CRT Play provides an embed feature allowing you to include game iframes on your own website. By using this feature, you agree to:

  • Keep the embed attribution (“Powered by CRT Play”) intact.
  • Not modify or alter the iframe source or its content.
  • Not use the embed for any commercial purpose without prior written consent.
  • Not place embeds on websites that host or promote illegal content.

CRT Play reserves the right to block iframe embedding from any domain at our sole discretion.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

  • Games are provided by third-party developers. CRT Play does not guarantee their accuracy, functionality, or safety.
  • Emulator Risks — NES and other emulators run entirely in your browser. While we take care to ensure stability, we are not responsible for browser crashes, data loss, or device performance issues caused by running emulator software.
  • CRT Play does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, CRT Play, its operators, and contributors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Platform. You assume full responsibility for your use of the Platform.

8. DMCA & Copyright

CRT Play respects intellectual property rights. If you believe content on our Platform infringes your copyright, please submit a DMCA notice via our DMCA page. We respond to valid notices within 24 hours.

9. User-Generated Content & Submissions

By submitting a game or content to CRT Play, you represent and warrant that:

  • You own the content or have the necessary rights to submit it.
  • Your content is licensed under an open-source license that permits redistribution and public display.
  • Your content does not violate any third-party rights.

CRT Play reserves the right to remove any submitted content at its discretion, including but not limited to content that violates these Terms or applicable law.

10. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States and the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved in the courts of San Francisco County, California.

11. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated date. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

12. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us.