Delta has shaken the iOS world to its core over the past few weeks and while there isn’t a perfect equivalent on Android, Google’s OS is still the best place to be if you want to emulate retro games.
Notably, Google doesn’t block apps from using Just In Time (JIT) programming to play games from more demanding consoles like GameCube, Wii and more. This programming feature also allows DS emulation to run more efficiently than on iOS.
Android also allows you to download and install apps from the web, unlocking access to cool beta emulators, like Vita3K (Playstation Vita emulation). Looking around online, you’ll find an emulator for most major consoles. Some, like the PS2, might not work perfectly, but all things considered, you can do a lot with a modern Android phone.
All-in-one emulators?
There are a few all-in-one emulation apps available on Android. The most well-known is likely RetroArch. This system allows you to load in emulator ‘Cores’ that you can then run from a single app. The plus side of RetroArch is that you can get pretty much any retro console Core into it fairly easily. The downside is that the app isn’t user-friendly and has a steep learning curve compared to the other app in this category. All of that said, RetroArch is free, has an active community around it, and has the most versatility out of any emulator I’ll mention in this article.
It’s also not on the Play Store, so you’ll need to download it from its own website.
Lemuroid is on the left and RetroArch is on the right.
On the user-friendly side, the best all-in-one emulation is Lemuroid. It offers support for 25 consoles, covering most of the retro Nintendo, Sega, and Atari systems you’d want to play. This app also works with 3DS, PlayStation 1, and PSP right out of the box. Both Lemuroid and RetroArch are free to download and have no ads, which is a refreshing change from a lot of the free single-system emulators you’ll find in the Play Store.
Lemuroid itself is fairly straightforward and well organized, but it is a pain to load in cover art. It sources its photos from this game database, so if you want cover art, you need to make sure your file is named to match the art file here. First, choose the console from the list, then the ‘box art’ option, and then you should be able to find your title. I’ll note that during my testing for this story, the above method worked, but the more I added new games, the more it seemed to take away the cover art of other titles. It’s not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but annoying nonetheless.
The Sega Genesis controller layout is pretty great on Lemuroid.
It’s also worth noting that there are knockoffs of this app on the Play Store. So far, I’ve found one called FullRoid that I’d stay away from. I also mentioned it above, but stay away from fake Delta apps too.
Another option advertised in the Play Store when I search for emulators is, Emulator Pro. This all-in-one emulation app is free, but the free version is full of ads, and the subscription is insanely expensive at $5.49 per week (crazy) or $32 for a lifetime membership (less crazy, but not market competitive). While it looks clean, it’s not notably nicer than Lemuroid, and both apps seem to be running similar emulator cores and in-game interfaces anyway, so when you’re playing games they’re identical.
You can download Lemuroid on the Google Play Store.
Popular single-console emulators
Drastic (Nintendo DS)
One of my favourite emulators on Android is the DS emulator Drastic. It has a bare-bones user interface, but that just makes it really easy to jump into your games. It’s also popular enough to have a fairly dedicated skin-making community that can help it look better than the DS options in the all-in-one emulators I mentioned above.
Pizza Boy (Game Boy Advance)
Another incredibly popular emulator on Android is Pizza Boy A. It only supports GBA titles, but the free version is fully featured with features like fast forward, save states, and more. For $6.99, you can also upgrade to the Pro Tier to get a better-looking user interface, cloud saves, skins, and, crucially, multiplayer, which is something still in development for the Delta emulator on iOS.
Pizza Boy is on the Left and My Boy! is on the right.
MyOldBoy! (Game Boy Color)
Another set of emulators that also unlock the potential for Pokèmon trading is the My Boy series. This includes My Boy! for GBA, and My OldBoy! for Game Boy and Game Boy Color. However, these have terrible-looking on-screen controls, and it appears that the free versions have been removed from the store.
If you really want to play Game Boy and GBC games, I’d recommend Lemuroid from the all-in-one section, but if you Google around, you can find a way to get the MyBoy apps for free if you really want to play an old Game Boy game with virtual link cable support. If you want to play GameB oy Advance games with Link Cable support, use Pizza Boy.
Download My Boy! here and My OldBoy! here.
Muppen64 (Nintendo 64)
A demo of the Muppen64 on-screen controller design.
Moving through the Nintendo systems, the next is the N64, and on Android, the main emulator is called Muppen64. It’s actually the same emulator that Delta uses for its backend.
On Android it’s solid, but like a lot of the options from the Play Store, it’s got ads. It’s not an insane amount, but there are a few that pop up as you’re using it. You can pay $4.99 to remove them and also get cloud backups.
The other option is again Lemuroid, but I’m not the biggest fan of its on-screen N64 controller. It’s got a small joystick and the Z button is hard to hit. I’d use Lemuroid if you plan to play with a controller and Muppen if you want to use on-screen controls.
Dolphin (Wii/GameCube)
If you’re looking into emulators, you’ve likely heard Dolphin pop up a few times. It’s the most popular Wii and GameCube emulator. It can never be perfect because you need to find workarounds to use Wii motion controls on mobile, but for GameCube, it’s unbeatable. That being said, 3D games benefit more from a controller, so having something like a GameSir X2s on hand is always very handy to emulate the GameCube’s analog triggers.
Download Dolphin on Google Play.
DuckStation/PPSSPP (PlayStation 1/PSP)
I’ll admit that playing PSP games on a phone feels pretty awesome.
DuckStation is free on Android and well-regarded when it comes to PS1 emulation, but in my opinion, Lemuroid has it beat since you don’t need to download bios files to start using it. The same applies to PSP emulation. PPSSPP is a fine emulator, but if you just want to play some games with minimal hassle, Lemuroid has a better virtual controller layout.
You can download DuckStation here and PPSSPP here.
AetherSx2 (PlayStation 2)
If you want to take things as far as PlayStation 2, you can download the AetherSx2 emulator here. I haven’t used it much since I don’t have a lot of nostalgia for the PS2, but I did give it a test run and things seemed fairly smooth after the intel app setup. That said, I’ve seen some Reddit threads where people complain that it doesn’t work with all games.
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
