Fast Forward
Speed up gameplay for grinding, cutscenes, and text-heavy sections
Fast forward lets you speed up emulation — perfect for RPG grinding, slow dialogue, unskippable cutscenes, or just getting through menus quickly.
How to Use
Toggle from Pause Menu
Open the pause menu during gameplay (Menu button /
~key)Select Fast Forward
The game runs at increased speed
Open the pause menu again and toggle off to return to normal speed
Controller Shortcut
You can assign a fast forward toggle to a physical controller button:
Go to Settings → Controllers
Set a Fast Forward shortcut button
Press the assigned button during gameplay to toggle fast forward on/off without opening the pause menu
Speed
Fast forward speed varies by core and device performance:
Emulator core
Each core has its own maximum fast forward speed
Device hardware
Newer devices can sustain higher speeds
Game complexity
Simple 2D games fast forward faster than 3D games
Screen filters
Disabling filters increases maximum speed
Typical speeds:
Simple systems (NES, Game Boy, GBA): 4-8x or higher
Medium systems (SNES, Genesis, PS1): 2-4x
Complex systems (N64, PSP, Dreamcast): 1.5-3x
Heavy systems (3DS, GameCube): Limited speed increase
Fast forward runs the emulator as fast as your device can handle — there's no configurable speed cap. The actual speed depends on how much headroom your device has beyond real-time emulation.
Core Support
Most cores support fast forward:
RetroArch cores
Yes
Most systems
PPSSPP (PSP)
Yes
emuThreeDS (3DS)
Limited
Performance-dependent
Dolphin (GameCube/Wii)
Limited
Performance-dependent
Native cores
Varies
Check per-core
Tips
RPG grinding — Fast forward through random battles and level-up animations
Visual novels / text games — Speed through already-read dialogue
Unskippable cutscenes — Get past long intros and transitions
Save before fast forwarding — Create a save state first in case you need to go back
Disable filters for max speed — Turning off CRT/LCD filters frees up GPU for faster emulation
RetroAchievements Hardcore Mode disables fast forward. If you're achievement hunting in Hardcore, you'll need to play at normal speed. Switch to Softcore mode to use fast forward while still earning achievements.
Rewind
Provenance does not currently support rewind (frame-by-frame backwards playback). Use save states as an alternative — save before difficult sections and reload if needed.
See Also
In-Game Menu — All pause menu features
Performance Optimization — Get better performance for higher fast forward speeds
RetroAchievements — Hardcore mode disables fast forward
Need help? Ask on Discord.
Last updated