The best retro Nintendo emulator is free in Apple’s App Store

It’s been a turbulent few weeks for emulators in Apple’s App Store, but that’s all about the change with the release of the highly-rated Delta emulator.

Delta is a fully-featured emulator that’s technically been out for years, but now it’s available directly in Apple’s App Store. It offers save states, supports cheats, controllers, and supports ROMS from several vintage Nintendo platforms, including the following: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo (SNES), GameBoy, GameBoy Colour and Advance, Nintendo DS and even the Nintendo 64.

Delta started its life as the well-regarded GBA4iOS emulator that launched in 2014. It was never an official iOS app, but it was easy enough to install on iPhones that I remember nearly everyone in my high school playing Pokémon on it for a few weeks. This was great, but short-lived as Apple quickly closed various loopholes that made the emulator easy to download.

 

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However, that didn’t stop developer Riley Testut from continuing to work on the app, and over the years, GBA4iOS became Delta and gained support for N64 and DS games. However, until now, to install the app you needed to use a roundabout method involving the AltStore. This is relatively easy if you know what you’re doing, but it’s still a significant hurdle that blocked the app from mass adoption.

Then in 2024, Apple finally shifted its Guidelines surrounding iOS emulators, and now you can get Delta for free directly from the App Store. If you live in the EU, the app is also available on the ‘AltStore PAL,‘ one of the first real alternatives to the App Store in that region.

Overall, I’ve been a fan of Testut’s emulator work for years and it’s great that anyone can now download the hit app and experience the magic of older Nintendo games on the go.

You can download Delta here.

Source: Riley Testut