Final Fantasy VII–IX, Metal Gear Solid, Chrono Cross and many other PS1 classics span two to four discs, and the disc change is where ePSXe sessions go wrong. The good news: the correct flow is simple, and v2.0.18 even shipped a targeted fix for Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions’ disc change.
The correct swap procedure (Windows)
- Wait for the game’s own “please insert disc 2” prompt (or the save point at the disc boundary — most RPGs let you save first; do that).
- Press Esc to return to the ePSXe window without closing the emulator.
- Use File > Change Disc and point it at the next disc’s image (ISO, BIN/CUE or CHD).
- Return to the game and confirm the prompt. The game should continue from the same session — your memory card save is the safety net if anything goes wrong.
Rules that prevent 90% of swap failures
- Same game, same region, same rip set. A disc 2 from a different release or region may have a different game ID and be rejected. Rip all discs from your own set (see ripping guide) and keep them in one folder.
- Never swap from a save state made mid-prompt unless you must. States capture the exact machine state; swapping discs around a state can confuse the game. Prefer the memory-card save at the boundary, then swap in a live session.
- Do not reset. Resetting and booting disc 2 cold works only for games that offer a disc-2 start via a memory card save — which most do at boundaries, but the in-session swap is the intended path.
Android disc swaps
The Android app handles disc changes through its own menu while the game runs; the 2.0.18 Android update fixed changedisc behaviour for several games, and the current 2.0.19 series is the one to be on — update in Google Play if swaps fail. Keep every disc image in the same folder the app can access (scoped storage), or the file picker simply won’t see disc 2.
Game-specific notes
Metal Gear Solid’s Special Missions disc-swap was specifically patched in Windows v2.0.18 — if you are still on 2.0.5, update before troubleshooting further. Valkyrie Profile and several other swap-sensitive titles are covered in our game-specific fixes. If a swap fails repeatedly with a verified same-set rip, loading the boundary memory-card save on disc 2 directly is the fallback that works for most RPGs.