diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d93773a455..db09baba85 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ config.log
 /retroarch
 /retroarch.cfg
 /retroarch.exe
+/retroarch_debug.exe
 /config.h
 /config.mk
 /tools/retroarch-joyconfig
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 160cffd948..d6c80fc2cd 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -131,7 +131,11 @@ endif
 
 retroarch: $(RARCH_OBJ)
 	@$(if $(Q), $(shell echo echo LD $@),)
-	$(Q)$(LINK) -o $@ $(RARCH_OBJ) $(LIBS) $(LDFLAGS) $(LIBRARY_DIRS)
+ifeq ($(DEBUG), 1)
+		$(Q)$(LINK) -o $@_debug $(RARCH_OBJ) $(LIBS) $(LDFLAGS) $(LIBRARY_DIRS)
+else	
+		$(Q)$(LINK) -o $@ $(RARCH_OBJ) $(LIBS) $(LDFLAGS) $(LIBRARY_DIRS)
+endif
 
 $(OBJDIR)/%.o: %.c config.h config.mk
 	@mkdir -p $(dir $@)