DreamSDK is a modern, plug-and-play development environment for the Sega Dreamcast, designed for the Microsoft Windows platform.

It's a comprehensive, self-contained package that includes all the necessary software to develop freely for the Sega Dreamcast system on Microsoft Windows. It was designed primarily for beginners, but can be used by anyone interested in Sega Dreamcast development.

DreamSDK is used for the production of Sega Dreamcast games/homebrew (i.e., Dreamcast programs), even commercial ones, such as The Textorcist or Shadow Gangs. Moreover, since 2024, DreamSDK has been officially used by The Gang, the team behind DCA3, the unofficial ports of Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

By installing DreamSDK, you will have:

• A UNIX®-like shell, based on MinGW/MSYS or MinGW-w64/MSYS2.
• All necessary toolchains for the Sega Dreamcast CPU (Hitachi SuperH), the sound chip (Yamaha AICA), and of course the Win32 toolchain (for building tools for your computer).
• All required Sega Dreamcast development libraries, which include KallistiOS, KallistiOS Ports (kos-ports), and Dreamcast Tool (dc-tool/dcload).
• Additional useful tools (makedisc, etc.).

Everything is thoroughly explained in the DreamSDK documentation, which you will find included in the DreamSDK package. This documentation will be exposed online later, as the whole project homepage will be reworked in the future.

📥 Download official releases here

🗣️ Discuss here on the official Discord channel (hosted by Simulant Engine)

🪐 Visit project homepage

After installing the package on your computer, you have 2 options:

• Use the DreamSDK Shell and then use the package directly from the command-line;
• Use an IDE: currently, only Code::Blocks is officially supported.

If you're using GNU/Linux or macOS, DreamSDK is completely unnecessary. Since all the components required for Sega Dreamcast are based on GNU/Linux components, setting up a working environment for developing on Sega Dreamcast is relatively simple. Just follow the official steps outlined in the KallistiOS documentation. Therefore, DreamSDK doesn't support GNU/Linux or macOS, as it's not necessary.

If you're using the Windows Subsystem for Linux (i.e., WSL) on Windows 10+, you can avoid using DreamSDK, as you'll have a native Unix-like shell directly on your computer. However, using DreamSDK makes setting up the environment easier, as all the required toolchains and components are already compiled and ready to use. Compiling the required toolchains can take several hours (mainly with the dc-chain utility provided in the utils/dc-chain directory of the KallistiOS repository).

This repository stores all DreamSDK releases. Additionally, it contains everything needed to build DreamSDK installation packages. To learn more, read the BUILDING.md document.

As you may already know, DreamSDK is a combination of multiple software components. The main library used for Sega Dreamcast development is KallistiOS (kos). This library allows you to harness the power of the Sega Dreamcast hardware. DreamSDK is not affiliated with KallistiOS in any way, but this environment is 100% compatible with it, which means that anything you read about KallistiOS on the Internet applies to DreamSDK.

The KallistiOS library should have been compiled during DreamSDK installation, but KallistiOS Ports (kos-ports) are not compiled/installed by default. If you plan to use additional libraries such as PNG, Ogg, or Vorbis support in your program, you will need to use DreamSDK Manager to install these additional libraries. Doing so through DreamSDK Manager will expose those libraries to Code::Blocks integration as well. If for some reason you have to refresh the cache (e.g., you installed a port directly from the command-line), you can run kosports refresh from the DreamSDK Shell to force the update.

You need to learn the C/C++ programming language and the KallistiOS (KOS) API, as DreamSDK is not a Unity-like framework. You can find the KallistiOS documentation link in your Start Menu or in various location, like the excellent Dreamcast Wiki website.

To debug Sega Dreamcast programs, you can use GNU Debugger (GDB) directly from the command line (sh-elf-gdb) or, even better, use the Code::Blocks IDE integration. You will need either a Coder's Cable (Serial/RS-232) or a LAN Adapter/Broadband Adapter (HIT-300/HIT-400). Debugging through a Sega Dreamcast emulator is not supported. Read more on this topic here.

The best option is to read the DreamSDK Help documentation that is installed with DreamSDK! Additionally, if you are new to Dreamcast development, another great option is to browse Dreamcast Wiki.

If you don't want to read the full DreamSDK documentation right now, at least pay attention to the Sega Dreamcast examples that come with KallistiOS.

The examples are located in the /opt/toolchains/dc/kos/examples/dreamcast directory. Access this directory by typing cd /opt/toolchains/dc/kos/examples/dreamcast && browse in DreamSDK Shell. The corresponding directory will then open in Windows Explorer.

You can build these examples by typing the make command; however, many examples use KallistiOS Ports, so make sure to install the required ones before trying to build everything.

It is recommended to use DreamSDK with the Code::Blocks IDE as this simplifies almost everything, although it isn't mandatory.

If you need help with Sega Dreamcast programming, you can:

• Join the Discord channel for the Simulant Engine (the #dreamsdk subchannel is dedicated to DreamSDK)
• Visit the Dreamcast Wiki (useful resources)
• Visit the DCEmulation Programming forum (official KallistiOS forum)

Thanks to everyone involved in the Dreamcast scene, there are too many people to list here!