Randal N. Linden (born January 6, 1970) is a Canadian computer programmer known for his intricate work in re-implementing video game titles, as well as for creating emulators. His works include several notable video game re-implementations, approaches to emulation, code recompilation and optimization techniques, and programming practices.

Embarking on programming as a hobby in the early eighties, Linden soon moved into professional development. His early work included developing commercial video game titles and application software for the Commodore 64, Commodore 128, and Amiga. In 1989, six years into his programming activities, he created a version of Dragon's Lair for the Amiga. This was notable for being the first video game to feature full-screen animation and audio streaming from floppy disks on a home computer. Linden subsequently entered console game development, earning widespread recognition for his version of Doom for the Super NES, successfully bridging the significant gap in computing power between the Super NES and the recommended system requirements of the PC version of the video game.

Linden is also recognized for creating bleem!, a PlayStation emulator designed for Microsoft Windows, along with a Dreamcast version, bleemcast!, the latter co-written with Roderick Maher. His portfolio also includes Cyboid, a first-person shooter video game influenced by Quake II, for Android, Amazon Fire and Symbian devices. He also played a significant role at Microsoft, working on products such as the Xbox 360, Kinect, and Microsoft Band. Currently, he is employed at Limited Run Games.

Linden was first introduced to computers in the late seventies, when his school acquired a Commodore PET 4032, offering students the opportunity to schedule time with the machine for the purpose of programming education. He started programming in 1981, when, at the age of 11, he wrote his inaugural computer program in BASIC. Two years later, in 1983, him mother gave him a Commodore 64 package for his birthday, complete with a monitor and a desk. It was during that time that he wrote his first 6502 assembly program. The same year marked Linden's entry into game development, when he created a video game called Barriers for the Commodore PET, which has not been released. At that time, he noticed that the Space Invaders clone he was playing had been created by programmer Jim Butterfield, who also lived in Toronto. He sifted through a phone book, located Butterfield's contact details, and reached out to him. The conversation that ensued, with Butterfield generously answering young Linden's questions, profoundly shaped Linden's future approach and professional trajectory.

Linden's first professionally published video game was Bubbles, a clone of Centipede for the Commodore 64, released when he was 13 years old. The game was brought to market by Syntax Software, a Toronto-based startup owned by Randy Lyons. After reaching out to Lyons about publishing Bubbles and serving as a part-time programmer at Syntax Software for some time, the company agreed to publish Linden's game.

Linden also developed application software, including a database application for the Commodore 64 and 128. Initially named "Paperback Filer" and published by Digital Solutions, the software was later renamed "Pocket Filer."

In 1988, Linden created a Commodore 64 emulator for the Amiga, named "The 64 Emulator." This emulator, co-written with David Foster and published by ReadySoft, might have been the first of its kind to be commercially available. Focusing on accuracy rather than speed, it utilized interpretative emulation techniques. The emulator's design, which included support for connecting Commodore 1541, Commodore 1571, and Commodore 1581 floppy disk drives to an Amiga via a specially designed parallel port cable, enabled it to faithfully recreate the Commodore 64 system environment, facilitating the accurate execution of Commodore 64 software on the Amiga. Notably, the retail units of said parallel port cable were hand-assembled by enthusiasts in a Toronto basement. A successor of the emulator was released under the title "The 64 Emulator 2."

In 1988, Linden established Visionary Design Technologies in his mother's basement. The company's debut product was an Amiga version of the fantasy-themed video game Dragon's Lair, which set a precedent as the first video game to implement full-screen animation and audio streaming from floppy disks on a home computer.