Retro gaming on Android has been exploding recently, thanks to higher-end gaming-focused Android devices coming to fruition, and the constant release and updates to great emulator applications coming to the PlayStore.
Many of these devices come pre-installed with a few, but typical smartphones (and some handhelds) do not, so we’re here to showcase our favourites, which we have tested over many years of reviewing these devices, so that gamers and smartphone gamers can have the very best experience on the go.
I’ve put these emulators in categories, so you can scan through and find the best emulators on Android for your specific needs. Let’s jump in with one that isn’t technically an emulator, but will cover most retro games.
The All-Rounder: RetroArch
- What does it emulate: NES, SNES, PS1, GAME BOY, PS2, Pokémon Mini, Game & Watch, Neo Geo, SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, SEGA Game Ger and more.
- Cost: FREE
- Release Date: 2010
- Downloads: 5,000,000+
Now, this is going to contradict the title slightly, because RetroArch is technically not an emulator; instead, it is a front-end for emulators that houses your cores (which perform the emulation), which allows you to use this application to play many retro games across many consoles.
It’s a super simple application that is available on the PlayStore for free, though at times the simplicity can be overwhelming with all of the menus. However, after a few days of use, it will do everything you need, without the extra design elements that usually ruin emulators' user interface.
You can download cores with the press of a button, and have a choice of many, many consoles from NES, SNES, PSP, PS1, PS2, Game & Watch, Pokémon Mini and more. Though RetroArch isn’t technically “liable” for the performance of a core, it’s the simplest and easiest way to jump into retro games on Android.
You will find that with more experience and research, there are more reliable and hyper-focused emulators on Android, and those are the ones that I want to share with you, because more often than not, they’ll offer better performance.
Nintendo-focused Emulation
MyBoy!
- What does it emulate: GAME BOY Advance
- Cost: Free or $5.99
- Release Date: 2017
- Downloads: 1,000,000+
MyBoy is one of the best Android emulators around for those of you who love playing Gameboy Advance games from Ninty’s back catalogue. It’s an easy application to understand and even easier to play ROMs due to the simplified UI.
Not only is there a free version, but it also comes with a couple of really cool features that others in the space seem to miss out on. One of those is that it has link cable capabilities, meaning you can connect to other Android smartphones that are using the MyBoy application via Bluetooth or Wifi allowing you to trade Pokémon through this thing!
And, finally, it can also use your smartphone’s Gyroscope and tilt functionalities, so games such as Kirby Tilt and Rumble for the GBC will work on it. It’s a bit pricey for the pro version, which comes with extra offerings, such as ad removal, extra save states and speed-up features.
It’s the go-to for GAME BOY Advance fans, and it works well on smartphones due to the small number of buttons filling the screen.
Mupen64Plus FZ
- What does it emulate: Nintendo 64
- Cost: Free or $4.99
- Release Date: 2001 (on Windows)
- Downloads: 10,000,000+
Ignore the odd name; Mupen64Plus FZ is the best Nintendo 64 emulator on Android. It’s one I have been using for years, and it’s the one that is the most fluid when it comes to N64 performance.
This emulator has been downloaded over 10,000,000 times. It was originally launched on Windows back in 2001 and has been continuously updated ever since, with new modern features and the ability to pair with modern smartphones, tablets and handheld consoles with ease.
It will, like many emulation apps, take some getting used to, as it offers a wide range of settings, modifications and button mappings, but give it time, have a tinker, and you’ll be enjoying Nintendo 64 games in no time.
Other emulators on the market have tried to compete with this one in the N64 space, but none have ever won. It’s well established, easy to understand, works well, has the ability to scale up for those with more powerful devices, and even comes with a Pro version for those who want online cloud backup, netplay and the removal of advertisements.
I would recommend the paid version because the ads are very intrusive in the free version. You’ll find that’s a trend in the emulation space on Android, so if you can cope with ads and waiting around now and then, no issue.
Dolphin
- What does it emulate: Gamecube and Wii
- Cost: Free
- Release Date: 2003 (on Windows)
- Downloads: 10,000,000+
The Dolphin Emulator is an old one, but it now gets frequently updated with a bunch of new features, and it takes full advantage of newer smartphones/handhelds' CPU, allowing for upscaled resolutions at silky smooth framerates.
It’s a 2-in-1 application, as not only does it emulate GameCube games well, but it can also emulate Wii games. Just make sure you have storage space on your device, as GC/Wii games can be quite large in size, depending on how many you want to emulate.
Dolphin features customizable touchscreen controls, easily mappable to physical controllers, as well as support for the GameCube controller through the Wii U adapter, and the WiiMote through the Mayflash Dolphin Bar accessory.
You can dive deeper into the settings to upscale your games, you can add cheats, save games, load games and a bunch more, all for free.
MelonDS
- What does it emulate: Nintendo DS
- Cost: Free
- Release Date: 2016
- Downloads: 1,000,000+
MelonDS is the best Nintendo DS emulator on Android as of right now. It’s been out for a good while, has had many, many bug fixes since then, and works well on smartphones in vertical mode and dual-screen handhelds.
It will require more screen real-estate than other emulators due to the dual-screen nature of the console, but MelonDS offers a couple ways around this, for example you can use one screen at a time and hotswap between them using a single button press, or you can shrink the screen sizes down so that you can see both at the same time, or even make one screen bigger than the other.
It can look a little awkward on modern-day hardware, but that’s why devices like the AYN Thor, AYANEO Pocket DS, and the MagicX Zero 40 have emerged to provide gamers with more screen real estate, especially for DS/3DS emulation.
It comes with dark/light themes, customisable controller layouts for those wanting to see the buttons on screen or hidden, it can fast forward through cutscenes, and the classic save/load states you expect.
It’s free, it’s easy to understand, it accepts your normal DS rom types and holds your hand well through the setup process. It’s worth taking a look at if you want DS emulation on your Android device.
Azahar
- What does it emulate: Nintendo 3DS
- Cost: Free
- Release Date: 2025
- Downloads: 500,000+
I’ll admit, Nintendo 3DS emulation is still up and down. Azahar, the best on the market in my opinion, will get you 80% there, but because it’s pretty new and requires constant updates and research in the space, you will undoubtedly come across issues.
For example, inconsistencies in performance, bugs, freezes and sometimes crashes. I’ve been using Azahardon my AYN Thor, a dual-screen Android handheld, and it’s been an absolute blast, but it does have growing pains. Azahar have made a few changes this year that make it easier for newcomers, such as accepting .3DS file types.
But what can I moan about? It’s free, it has satisfied me for many months now, and there’s only a handful of 3DS games that I’ve come across that straight up don’t work. I recommend downloading it and giving it a go yourself, especially for those who have a dual-screen Android handheld.
The dev team behind it deserve full credit, as it’s truly a great application if you’re open to a few bugs. It comes with all of the typical emulator stuff like upscaling and saves. I look forward to seeing this app evolve over the years.
Cemu
- What does it emulate: Nintendo Wii U
- Cost: Free
- Release Date: 2015
- Downloads: N/A
For those wanting Wii U emulation, then Cemu is your best bet. But I will mention that it's not available on the PlayStore, instead you have to sideload it by installing the .apk file individually, it’s still free!
It’s likely because there are legalities with having such a “new” console be available via emulation on the PlayStore and Google doesn’t want to be liable for it yet, so sideloading it is the only way around it.
If you know what you’re doing and finally have it downloaded it does indeed emulate Wii U games well if you have a powerful smartphone, tablet or handheld. It’s not the easiest to understand, and I only recommend it for emulation veterans who like to tinker, but it's a first glimpse of getting a new-ish console emulated on an Android device.
With it being new, every Wii U game won’t work on here, it’s still under a lot of development and modern features are still underway, so don’t go into this thinking its finished, as its not and you’ll likely come across bugs, but that said, it’s free, when it works, it works well and the team behind it are constantly tweaking it on the go.
Sony-focused Emulation
Duckstation
- What does it emulate: Sony PS1
- Cost: Free
- Release Date: 2023
- Downloads: 1,000,000+
Duckstation has been my go-to PS1 emulator on Android for a couple of years now, mainly because it’s being constantly updated every few months with new features, bug fixes and extra customisations.
It stores your saves internally, allows deep controller customisations, you can set up boxart in the menus to make your library look like yours, and most of all, performance is great on modern devices.
Its UI is a little text-heavy, I’ll admit, but that’s normal in the emulation space, making it easy to understand for newcomers and PS1 enthusiasts.
PPSSPP
- What does it emulate: Sony PSP
- Cost: Free
- Release Date: 2015
- Downloads: 100,000,000+
If you’re still searching for the best PlayStation emulators to play PSP games on the go, then PPSSPP has all of your needs covered. This is the golden wonder that all the other PSP emulators are based on and has been downloaded over 100,000,000 times.
PPSSPP still gets regular updates and is continually used as a base program for other emulators. It makes all of the titles for the PSP look crisper and sharper, too, if you’re happy to upscale this on the modern displays of today.
Because of the PSP's 16:9 screen ratio, it fits smartphones and handhelds' screens very well, alongside the use of an analogue stick on handhelds, too.
It’s well designed, easy to use, comes with all of your standard emulation features such as save, cheats, upscale, and has a great compatibility percentage with all PSP games, making it a very reliable PSP emulator for newcomers and enthusiasts. There’s a reason no other popular PSP emulators exist; this is just too damn good at what it does.
NetherSX2
- What does it emulate: Sony PlayStation 2
- Cost: Free
- Release Date: 2023
- Downloads: N/A
There’s a reason I regularly update this article, and that’s because some emulators get removed from existence just a few months after release, mainly due to infringements or developers not being able to find the time to work on them.
The PS2 emulation scene on Android is one that has this problem. An emulator by the name of AehterSX2 was the go-to (which was originally called PCSX2, but that was removed. But because the emulation community is filled with passionate nerds, it was brought back to life under a new name.
The latest PS2 emulator that I personally use is called NetherSX2, but again, it’s only available by being sideloaded via an .apk on GitHub. The PS2 emulators on Android are typically not great and are filled with lots of advertisements, so I don’t recommend them.
NetherSX2 is very reliable, has intensive development and features a wide range of simple and advanced customisations for you to tinker with. It will require a very powerful piece of hardware to emulate, but if you have that, you can explore PS2 games at 2 - 3x native resolution, which makes your favourite PS2 games look even more stunning than before.
We’re in that era of sub $100 retro handhelds being able to emulate PS2, and that is amazing to see, just 2 years ago, that wouldn't have been a thing. We’re truly in the era of epic PS2 emulation, and I'm all for it.
aPS3E
- What does it emulate: Sony PlayStation 3
- Cost: Free
- Release Date: 2025
- Downloads: 1,000,000+
aPS3E is a new emulator that’s focused on emulating PlayStation 3 games, and requires a very powerful device to do so. Even with high-end smartphones, you’ll feel the device get warm pretty quickly, and drain your battery even quicker, so I recommend using a fast Android handheld console for this one.
It won’t emulate all PS3 games either because it’s still deep in development, but the majority will work and be fine (if your device can power it).
You’ll find save/load functionalities, custom GPU drivers, Vulkan graphics acceleration, it works with numerous file formats and works with a bunch of different controller types.
It’s a great start for such a new emulator, and I'm confident that over the months and years, this will be one of the best PS3 emulators around.
SEGA-focused Emulation
Flycast
- What does it emulate: SEGA Dreamcast
- Cost: Free
- Release Date: 2023
- Downloads: 100,000+
The Dreamcast is one of my personal favourites, so Flycast is one of those emulators that I use on a weekly basis just so I can get my Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi fix.
Its UI needs a little work; it feels clunky in places, but it gets the job done once you’ve organised your ROMs, set up your box art and mapped all of your controls.
It has upscaling capabilities, load/save states, achievements, online support, cheats and more. I have yet to come across any Dreamcast games that don’t work on here; it’s super reliable, and I’ve had no need to try any other DC emulator after installing this one.
Yaba Sanshiro 2
- What does it emulate: SEGA Saturn
- Cost: Free or $5.99
- Release Date: 2021
- Downloads: 500,000+
One of the hardest retro consoles to emulate is actually SEAG Saturn, it’s software is built in such a way that developers and emulation enthusiasts struggle to replicate it, and even to this day, some emulators still can’t emulate every single game well. You can check the games this emulator works with here.
The best SEGA Saturn emulator on the market at the moment is Yaba Sanshiro 2. They have a free version with limited features and ads, or a paid version that removes ads alongside some extra features for you, Saturn nerds to enjoy.
You can save games, add box art, tweak settings, customise your controls and all of the standard features you want from an emulator.
This simply comes down to how good the developers are; they’re taking on an almighty task, one that many have failed at, and although it’s still not perfect, it’s getting constant updates, and Saturn fans are always excited for what the next update brings.
Microsoft-focused Emulation
1X BOX
- What does it emulate: Originally Xbox
- Cost: Free or $7.99
- Release Date: 2026
- Downloads: 1,000+
Many of us have been waiting for Original XBOX emulation to come to Android for some time now, and like SEGA Saturn, it’s very complicated to get working right. A team of enthusiasts created an emulator called XEMU, and it hasn’t made its way to Android… that was until someone copied/stole the code, did some work on it and made it available on Android.
So, officially, there is an Xbox emulator on Android that works, not well, but you’ll get some games running alongside upscaling capabilities, save states, and more, and it's called 1X BOX.
That said, I want to make you aware that what this developer has done is frowned upon in the space, but not technically “illegal”. The code used is open-source, so nobody can technically “steal” it. Thousands of hours of work have gone into Xemu, for then someone to take all that work, tweak it slightly and then upload it to the PlayStore… and charge for it!
To get around the legalities, the user must put the code online for free, which they have done on GitHub, so they’ve covered their butts legally.
The original developers of Xemu are disappointed, but have made everyone aware that they are working hard at bringing the original code and Xemu to Android soon.
