Android Video Game Emulators

Last updated March 14, 2024

About emulation on Android

Nearly every video game emulator for Android is very easy to use. The UI and user flows are standard with all of them. It’s not necessary for me to put together tutorials for each one. If you’re accustomed to using emulators on Windows, then you will feel right at home on Android.

However, things do get a little tricky when you want to do more than just play your favorite games. In this tutorial, I will walk you through important points pertaining to video game emulation on Android.

Which emulators to use?

In the Google Play Store, there are many video game emulators. Searching for, say, a Super Nintendo emulator brings up at least ten of them. Most of the emulators have ads or require you to pay. I want to save you the trouble of navigating this mess by presenting you with the list below of the best emulators.

As you see above, the majority of the top emulators are free. ePSXe (PS1) is worth paying for if you don't like DuckStation (a free PS1 emulator). ePSXe goes for around $4 US. If you like standalone emulators and you don't like RetroArch, the “.emu” series of emulators are an excellent, high quality option (they go for $3-5 US). The .emu emulators are intuitive, feature-rich, and small in size.

Single-system vs. multi-system emulators

Android offers many emulators dedicated to a single video game system, but it also has a few emulators that support multiple video game systems. Which one should you use? Well, I recommend using both. Specifically, the multi-system emulator I recommend is RetroArch.

For example, if the SNES emulator isn't performing to your liking, RetroArch gives you the option of multiple cores (multiple emulators) to choose from for each system. But RetroArch is not very user-friendly, so the single-system emulators are better in that regard. Try both and see which one you like the best.

One area where RetroArch beats single-system emulators is with tablets and Play Store supported Chromebooks. Single-system emulators are designed for smartphones; they don't fare well on a large screen. RetroArch is designed for everything, so that'll be your go-to emulator on those devices.

Multi-system: RetroArch vs. ClassicBoy

ClassicBoy is a rising competitor to RetroArch. It's a simpler multi-system emulator with a nice, visual design. By default, it comes with support for PlayStation 1, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, NES, Genesis, Sega CD, Game Gear, Master System, and arcade games. Additionally, it has a plugins section where you can download support for additional systems such as Nintendo DS, Saturn, NeoGeo Pocket Color, Wonderswan Color, and PC Engine/CD.

ClassicBoy is a free emulator that doesn't have ads. However, there's a catch. It does have 'ads' in the sense that it teases you with support for SNES and other systems, but enabling support for those systems requires payment. This isn't so bad, considering the large number of systems it supports for free. For SNES, you could just use Snes9x EX+ (which is free) and avoid paying for SNES support with ClassicBoy.

RetroArch is still my top recommendation. But yet, if you find RetroArch intimidating, ClassicBoy would be a better alternative for you with its friendlier, more visually appealing design.

PlayStation 1: ePSXe vs. DuckStation

DuckStation is a relatively new and promising PlayStation 1 emulator. In this guide I keep recommending ePSXe, but what about DuckStation? Firstly, DuckStation is 100% free (ePSXe costs around $4 US). Its emulation quality is excellent - it's possibly better than ePSXe. Swapping CDs (ISOs) is just as easy as with ePSXe. I recommend enabling the PGXP corrections to correct texturing and jittery animation . One drawback with DuckStation is that it's not Chromebook-friendly. At the time I'm writing this, they even removed DuckStation from being available for Chromebooks altogether, for some reason.

But yet, ePSXe still has a better interface; it's easier and friendlier to use. It's Chromebook-friendly. ePSXe does require some setup . ePSXe and DuckStation are both good emulators with their pros and cons. It's up to you to decide which emulator would be better for your needs.

Sega CD & PCE-CD: Important notes

There are a few different types of formats that people have prepared ripped Sega CD/Mega CD and TurboGrafx-CD/PC Engine CD games as. They consist of one or more BIN files (the game's data), audio tracks, and a CUE sheet. The CUE sheet is a simple text file with a programmatic list of the audio tracks. ROM websites deliver games in one of four formats:

1. A CHD (Recommended): As of the early 2020s, this is the new popular format being distributed from sites. Unlike all the formats listed below, a CHD is a single file. A CHD game would simply be something like “Lunar - Eternal Blue (USA).chd”.
2. A binary BIN/CUE (Recommended): As of the early 2020s, this is another new format being distributed from sites. It looks like this when you open it. All files are BIN files. When you look at the CUE sheet , the BIN files are organized as the audio tracks.
3. A standard BIN/CUE: This is how video game ISOs (for any CD-based system) are normally ripped as. It looks like this when you open it. When you look at the CUE sheet , the audio tracks are listed even though there are no actual audio files present.
4. An ISO/MP3: This used to be the most popular format for most of the 2000s and 2010s when the Internet was slower. Converting the audio tracks to MP3 significantly reduced the file size of Sega CD/TurboGrafx-CD games. It looks like this when you open it.
5. An ISO/WAV: This is an ISO/MP3 with the audio tracks converted to WAV .

I need to point out that not all of the above formats are compatible with emulators on Android. ISO/MP3 is not supported at all. ISO/WAV will load, but the CD audio may run fast as if in fast forward. BIN/CUE ('binary' or 'standard') are the formats that are 100% supported.

With a properly prepared ISO, the next steps are easy. All you do is copy over the proper BIOS and configure it with the emulator you're using. Every emulator does it a little differently. It might require you to place the BIOS in the emulator's root folder. Or it might require you to configure the BIOS in the settings. When the BIOS is properly configured, all you do to play your game is load its CUE sheet as if it were a ROM.

Teasing PlayStation 2, GameCube, etc.

Browsing through my recommended Android emulators, you're going to see Dolphin which supports GameCube and Wii. You'll see emulators for PlayStation 2, Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast. If you poke around the Play Store, you'll even find emulators for PlayStation 3. Don't get excited - they probably won't work! The Play Store is teasing us.

The modern smartphone is fast, but it's not that fast. These emulators are intended for high-end Android devices. For the rest of us, the highest our average Android devices will support is PlayStation 1 and N64; maybe even PSP if we're lucky.

Extracting ISOs in 7Z or RAR

ROM websites like to distribute their large CD-based games in 7Z or RAR. They must be extracted to use them with emulators. Here are on directions on how to do so:

1. First, you're going need an app that can extract 7Z files. I recommend ZArchiver (it's free).
   • Side note: ISOs are less commonly delivered in ZIP and RAR. Either way, ZArchiver supports extracting them.
2. Open ZArchiver. You need to decide where you're going to house your ISOs. It doesn't matter where you put them. Some people keep them in the Downloads folder. What I like to do is create a folder called “ROMs” and inside that folder create folders for “PlayStation 1”, “Super Nintendo”, etc. In ZArchiver, to create a new folder tap the then . Proceed to the next step when you're ready.
3. Return to your device's main root directory (the default screen when you open ZArchiver). Select Download. Once inside, long press your ISO and select Cut.
4. Navigate to the folder where you want your ISOs to be. Select the clipboard icon to paste the ISO there. Tap on the file (not a long press) and select Extract here. Depending on the size of the file, it may take 10-20 seconds or two minutes to finish extracting.
5. Depending on how the ROM site setup the 7Z archive, it will either: (1) extract the ISO files here, or (2) extract the ISO files into a new folder with the name of the game. Either way should be fine and not impact how the emulator you're going to use loads ISOs.
6. Lastly, we don't need the 7Z file anymore so you can delete it. Long press it and select Delete. Also, if you don't foresee yourself extracting more 7Z files in the future, you can go ahead and uninstall ZArchiver (long press its app icon and select Uninstall).

Transferring saves from Windows emulators

This is a popular topic. Many of us are already long-time users of emulators. So, naturally, we want to continue our gameplay from Windows emulators to our Android device(s). My FantasyAnime.com also offers periodical game saves for many popular classic RPGs.

Can saves be transferred? Yes! Sort of. Not every video game system is covered.

• PlayStation 1 saves: If you plan on using Android's ePSXe (which I hope you are), transferring your memory card from ePSXe on Windows is a simple copy & paste. Go into ePSXe's “memcards” folder and drag over “epsxe000.mcr”.
• Super Nintendo saves: Android's Snes9x EX+ accepts both save states & internal save RAM files from Snes9x on Windows! Let's say your save state is “finalfantasy6.000”. Rename it to “finalfantasy6.0A.frz” for it to work on Snes9x EX+. The internal saved RAM files (i.e. “finalfantasy6.srm”) don't need to be renamed - simply copy & paste them over.
• Game Boy/Game Boy Color/Game Boy Advance saves: Internal saved RAM files (i.e. “finalfantasy6.sav”) from Visual Boy Advance on Windows will work on RetroArch. Simply copy & paste them over to the “saves” sub folder in RetroArch's root folder.
• Genesis, Sega CD, 32X, Game Gear, Nintendo 64 saves: These cannot be transferred :(

Downloading large games... disappear?

Android can be wonky when you try to download a large ROM or ISO. ‘Large’ meaning around 1 GB in size and higher. It may take a couple tries because sometimes the file disappears as soon as you're prompted that it finished downloading. Or maybe Android will hiccup and suddenly halt the download. These issues are especially prone to happen if you’re nearing your max capacity of space on your device.

Instead of wireless downloading, I recommend a wired transfer by connecting your Android device to a computer. You won't encounter problems transferring large ROMs and ISOs that way.

Cheating

Every video game emulator supports cheats. Snes9x EX+ supports Game Genie cheats. ePSXe, DraStic DS, and RetroArch even auto-download cheat files!

Setting up a Bluetooth gamepad

Setting up a Bluetooth gamepad is quick and easy. First of all, make sure the gamepad's specifications specifically state that it's supported by Android. If you're looking for a Bluetooth gamepad, I have several good ones pointed out in my Gamepads article.

Notes about a gamepad on Chromebooks

Chromebooks (what's a Chromebook?) have limited support for gamepads with video game emulators from the Play Store. I can only tell you what I know of this subject from my own experience. I don't have a pile of gamepads to test with all the popular Android video game emulators.

I've been using the 8Bitdo gamepads, which is the most popular brand for retro style Bluetooth gamepads. My first generation 8Bitdo gamepads (I have the NES and SNES controller) haven't worked on any of my Chromebooks. However, I got the 8Bitdo SN30 (released in 2017) and found that it works on my Chromebook. It worked fine with Snes9X, the .emu emulators, ePSXe, Mupen64Plus, and RetroArch. And later I purchased the 8Bitdo SN30 Pro+ (released in 2019), which works great on Chromebooks. In 2021, they released a newer model of this controller: the 8Bitdo Pro 2.

So maybe only gamepads from 2017 and newer will work on Chromebooks? Or maybe only certain gamepads will work where the developer specifically programmed support for Chromebook Android apps? I can't say for sure.

Emulation with Android set-top boxes

The most convenient option for emulation is to use an Android set-top box. The best model is the Nvidia Shield TV Pro. Like with using a Chromebook, you're blessed with full access to Android's video game emulators.

The Nvidia Shield TV Pro goes for $200 US. The official gamepad is sold separately, but you don't need to get it because any other Bluetooth Android gamepad is supported (8BitDo's are the best).

Setting everything up on a Shield TV is the same way you'd set up emulators on an Android phone or tablet. Simply go into the Shield TV's app store and download the video game emulators you want. All of the popular video game emulators in the Play Store are present in the Shield TV's app store. All of the menus and emulators can be navigated with your Bluetooth gamepad. The “X-plore” app is recommended for moving roms around; it can extract zip files too.

The Shield TV Pro is a beast with its Tegra X1 processor. Not only can it handle up to PlayStation 1, N64, and PSP, but it can handle them with high-resolution 3D. Thanks to the Yaba Sanshiro emulator, Shield TV can even handle Sega Saturn emulation (Saturn emulation has a reputation for being CPU-heavy). And don't forget about RetroArch - install that and you'll have over 40 video game systems under one roof.

The drawback is with capacity. There's only 16 GB of space, which doesn't hold a lot of ROMs. You can, however, connect an external harddrive for extra storage. Even just a small $20 128 GB flash drive is enough to hold hundreds, possibly thousands of ROMs.

There's a cheaper Shield TV dongle (the pill) that goes for around $150 US. While it's not as good as the Pro, it's still a worthwhile option if you need something cheaper. But, it's 32-bit, while the Pro is 64-bit (further down, I will explain how this impacts emulation).

Need something even cheaper? Amazon's Fire TV Cube is another good Android set-top box. It's about half the price as the Shield TV, and as a result, is a bit slower. It gets the job done, though. It can handle up to PlayStation 1 and N64. Like the Shield TV, it supports any Bluetooth Android gamepad. In the Amazon app store you'd need RetroArch, “Downloader” (to download roms), and “X-plore” (to move them). Amazon often gives the Fire TV Cube a nice discount on Prime days and holidays.

Amazon offers Fire TV Sticks as low as $25 US. That sounds great, but I wouldn't expect them to handle more than 16-bit era systems. Their latest stick, the Fire TV 4K Max, is a nice upgrade with hardware that falls in the middle when compared to the Fire TV Cube. Although I'm unsure if that's enough to handle PS1/N64 emulation.

Here's a rundown on these Android TV devices:

Whichever box or stick you might select, it's extremely beneficial to wrap your head around RetroArch. Once you get comfortable with that emulator and know how to set everything up, you'd be able to emulate any video game system with ease.

The non-Pro Shield TV (the pill) and every Amazon TV device are all 32-bit. That means you're limited to using 32-bit RetroArch, not 64-bit RetroArch (called “RetroArch Plus”). This gives you less options for cores (a 'core' is an emulator within a multi-system emulator). That doesn't mean 32-bit RetroArch is a poor emulator. It still supports 40+ video game systems. For example, if 64-bit RetroArch offers 15 cores for Super Nintendo, 32-bit RetroArch only offers a few. Those few SNES cores still emulate SNES perfectly. Unless you're an emulation purist, you're not missing out on anything important.

The Dig front-end

The Dig emulator front-end is a really handy app! Let's say you already set up all of your emulators and ROMs on your Android device. It might be a bit tedious having to fuss through a collection of emulators and look for the ROM you want to play every single time. Dig optimizes your emulation experience by consolidating all of your games and emulators into a single, fun graphical interface!

Upon opening Dig for the first time, what it does is scan your Android device to collect the emulators you currently have installed and builds a database with all of your ROMs. Then Dig presents you with a graphical interface showing the box art for each one of your ROMs. Selecting a game takes you to a helpful profile with information about it. Pressing 'Play' immediately loads the game in your installed emulator. It's awesome!

Dig is especially helpful with RetroArch since it lacks an intuitive interface. Dig is also valuable for Chromebooks since RetroArch's interface isn't Chromebook friendly.

Using ROM hacks

I have a detailed tutorial on patching ROMs. In my patching tutorial, I explain how you can auto patch or manually patch games with a ROM hack's patch. I recommend reading my patching tutorial before you continue reading here. The language here might be confusing if you don't.

As far as I know, no Android emulator supports auto-patching. These are your options for using ROM hacks:

1. I think the fastest & easiest way to use a ROM hack is to look for a pre-patched ROM. That saves you loads of trouble.
2. If you can't find a pre-patched ROM, then try patching the ROM on your computer. Upon a successful patching, transfer it over to your Android device. I recommend using Dropbox or Google Drive for the transfer.
3. If you can’t find a pre-patched ROM and patching on your computer isn’t an option, then you can try patching the ROM directly on your Android device. I have directions in my patching tutorial.

Don't forget--the #1 website for ROM hacks and English translations is RomHacking.net!

Finding games

In my links page, I have some good links to sites where you can download ROMs and ISOs for classic video game systems.

Finding games for PS2/PS3/PSP/GameCube/Wii and beyond is trickier due to how large games are. These games are typically not available in ROM sites readily found on Google. However, Archive.org is a superb site where you can find these games for download. Navigating that site isn't easy. It's easier to search Google with such phrases as “archive.org playstation 2”. I offer some more help with that in this image .

Another way you can try to find large/newer games is through Reddit. The best way to find them is by searching Google with such phrases as “reddit download playstation 2”.

Emulator tutorials

While this site primarily covers Windows emulators, I have created several (detailed) tutorials for Android emulators.

• RetroArch - This is the most popular multi-system emulator. While it may not be as user-friendly as competing emulators, it's 100% free and supports emulating ALL classic gaming systems.
• DuckStation - This is a top emulator for PlayStation 1. ePSXe for Android is a close competitor, but DuckStation is 100% free.
• MAME4droid - This is a top emulator for arcade emulation. Arcade emulation can be confusing. This tutorial takes the time to explain everything for beginners.