Best emulators for Android 2022

Best emulators for Android 2022 · ClassicBoy · GBA.emu · Nostalgia.NES · M64Plus FZ Emulator · My Boy! · Dolphin Emulator · DraStic DS Emulator · ePSXe ... Skiptomaincontent AndroidCentral AndroidCentral Search Subscribe USUKAustraliaCanadaIndia Nooffersfound Phones Reviews Best Accessories Apps&Software Wearables Gaming Chromebooks Tablets Streaming&TV VPN Forum AboutUs TrendingOnePlus10ProGalaxyS22Quest2Pixel6PS5Android12 Wearesupportedbyouraudience.Whenyoupurchasethroughlinksonoursite,wemayearnanaffiliatecommission.Learnmore BestAndroidEmulators2021LifestyleAlt (Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral) Jumpto: ClassicBoy GBA.emu Nostalgia.NES M64PlusFZEmulator MyBoy! DolphinEmulator DraSticDSEmulator ePSXeforAndroid PizzaBoyGBC RetroArch Archive.org RazerKishi 8BitdoSN30Pro+ SonyDualSense XboxController Playinggamesmademorethan30yearsagoonsmartphonesmorepowerfulthanthecomputersthatsentmentotheMoonissimplyincredible.That'sexactlywhat'spossiblewiththehelpofthebestemulatorsforAndroid,asyoucanfireupthoseclassicsyouplayedasachildwithouttheneedfortheoldconsoles.Takeadvantageofthebigandgorgeousdisplayswiththebesthardwareandfastestsoftwarewhileexperiencingthegoodol'rushofnostalgiaforafewhoursatatime.Evenifyoudon'thavethelatestandgreatestsmartphones,theseemulatorswillstillperformadmirably,asthegamesbeingemulatedarenotexactlythemostgraphics-intensiveever.ThesearethebestemulatorsforAndroidClassicBoyisaneasypickforthoselookingtofindthebestoverallemulatorforAndroid.Theemulatorincludessupportformanydifferentgamingplatforms,startingwiththeAtari2600VCS,andincludestheSNESandeventhePS1/PSX.JustloadupyourROMsandstartplayingaway.WhileClassicBoyfeaturesaone-size-fits-allapproach,GBA.emuisdesignedforthosewhowanttoturntheirsmartphonesintoaGameBoyAdvance.InadditiontosupportingtraditionalROMfiles,GBA.emualsomakesiteasytoloadupZIP,7Z,andRARfiles,dependingonthefileformatofyourgames.WehaveasoftspotfortheNES,sowewouldberemiss,nottomentionNostalgia.NESwhenitcomestothebestemulatorsforAndroid.Nostalgia.NESisaregularlyupdatedNESemulatorwithsupportformultiplesavestates,Bluetoothcontrollers,andprovidingafunandenjoyableexperience.1.ClassicBoyIfyou'relookingforthebestemulatorforAndroidoverall,thenyoucan'tgetmuchbetterthanClassicBoy.Thisemulatorfeaturessupportformanyplatforms,rangingfromtheAtari2600VCSallthewaytotheNintendo64andeverythinginbetween.LoadingyourROMsisaprettystraightforwardprocess,andthenyoucanjumpintowhatevergamesyouhave.Controllersupportisonboard.YoucanusejustaboutanyofyourfavoriteXboxorSonycontrollers,alongwiththelikesofMOGAand8BitDo,ifthoseareyourjam.Ifyoudon'twanttouseanexternalcontrolleratall,ClassicBoyofferson-screentouchcontrols,includingtheabilitytosetyoursettingsbetweenvideogames.Theappisfreetodownloadandisprettyfeature-rich,butthereareafewmorevaluablereasonstospringforthefullversion.IfyouplanonusingClassicBoytorunbackthroughoneofyourall-timefavoritegames,thefullversioncanautomaticallyloadthatgamesothatit'sthefirstthingyouseewhenyouopentheapp.ClassicBoymaynotbethemostaestheticallypleasingappofthebunch,butit'soneofthebestandmostrobustavailable.YoucanplaygamesfromconsolesgoingbacktotheAtari2600.Youcantakeadvantageoftouchscreenorconnectacontroller. Downloadfrom:GooglePlayStore2.GBA.emu(Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral)WithmanyoftheotheremulatorsonAndroid,you'llneedtoprovideyourownROMstostartplaying.ButGBA.emudoesthingsabitdifferentlysinceMotoCrossChallengeisincluded.Thiscangiveyouafeelforhowtheappperformsbeforedecidingwhetherit'stimetoloadupyourownlibraryofROMs.Plus,you'llbeabletocustomizetheon-screencontrolstofine-tuneeverythingtoyourliking.Inadditiontosupportingstandard.gbafiles,GBA.emualsosupportsZIP,RAR,or7Zfiles,soyouwon'thavetoextractfilesandoverloadthestorageonyourAndroidphone.Savestatesareavailable,andifyouuseVBA-M,youcantransferthosesavesfromyourPCtoGBA.emuinnotime.Plus,youcanconnectaBluetoothcontrollerandcreatecustomkeyprofiles,whichisn'tavailablewithallemulators.Finally,youcanalsousecheatcodes,givingyouaclose-to-realexperience.GBA.emuisarguablythebestemulatorforthosewhowanttoplayGBAgamesontheirsmartphones.Theappfeaturesallexpectedfeatures,includingsavestates,customizabletouchcontrols,andcontrollersupport. Buyfrom:GooglePlayStore3.Nostalgia.NESIfyou'veeverlookedintothebestemulatorsforAndroid,there'sonenamethatlikelyappearsatthetopofmanylists.Nostalgia.NESisourfavoritestandaloneNESemulator,astheappisjam-packedwithfeaturesthatyouwouldn'texpect.Thisincludesrewindinthemiddleofthegameifyoumissedsomething,alongwithsupportforBluetoothcontrollers.Youcanevengosofarastohookupyourfavoritekeyboardifyouwantto.Customizationiskinghere,asyoucanmoveallofthevirtualbuttonsaroundwhilealsoresizingthemtofityourneeds.Andifyouandafewfriendswanttojumponagametogether,youcanuse"Wi-Ficontrollermode"withsupportforuptofourplayers.Lastbutnotleast,youdon'twanttomakeitasfaraspossibleinagame,onlytobeconfusedonhowtosave.Nostalgia.NESmakesthateasy,too,andofferseightmanualsaveslotstogoalongwithanautosaveoptionforyourgame.NotonlycanyouuseNostalgia.NEStoplayyourfavoriteNESgamesonyoursmartphoneofchoice,butyouwon'thavetoworrymuchaboutanyextrafrillsoraconfusinginterface. Downloadfrom:GooglePlayStoreOthergreatoptionsThoughtheydidn'tquitemakeitintoourtopthree,herearesomeotherexcellentemulatorsforAndroidforyoutotryout.M64PlusFZEmulator(Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral)UnliketheNES,SNES,andGameBoymodels,N64emulatorsarenotnearlyasplentiful.Butthat'sjustfinewithus,thankstoM64PlusFZ,whichisperhapsoneofthemostrobustemulatorsthatwe'vecomeacross.TherearethetraditionalfeaturesavailablesuchascontrollersupportandGoogleDrivesyncing,butthedeveloperhasalsoaddedtheabilitytosaveyourgamestoanSDcard.It'scompatiblewithaslewofdevices,soyouaren'tlimitedtojustneedingthebestAndroidphonewiththebestspecs.M64PlusFZEmulatorwillalsorunjustfineonthebestcheapAndroidphones.Andthereareplentyofcustomizationoptionsandtweaksthatyoucanmakeinthesettingspanelforthisemulator.ThosewantingtorelivetheglorydaysoftheN64won'twanttolookpastM64PlusFZEmulator.Thiscanhandlejustaboutanygameyouthrowatit,regardlessofhowpowerfulyourdeviceis. Downloadfrom:GooglePlayStoreMyBoy!(Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral)MyBoy!isoneofthemorerobustemulatorsforAndroid,withmorefeaturesthanyoucanshakeastickat.Thereisafreeversionoftheemulator,butthisisreallyjustthereforyoutodeterminewhetherthefullversionisworthitforyourneeds.Truthbetold,ifyoudoalotofmobilegamingwithGBAemulators,you'regoingtowanttospringforthefullversionsimplyfortheabilitytosyncyoursavesoverGoogleDrive.BeingabletostoreyoursavestatestoDriveinsteadoftoyourdevice'sonboardstoragecancomeinextremelyhandy,especiallyifyouplanonplayingGBAgamesacrossmultipledevices.Thefullversionalsoincludessupportforenteringmultiplelinesofcheatcodes,alongwithspeedingupthegamefrom2xallthewayupto16x.Plus,youcanenablegyroscope/tiltsensoremulation,whichusesthebuilt-insensorsonyoursmartphone.Andthosewhowanttoplaysomegameswiththeirfriendswillthoroughlyenjoybeingabletosetupaserverforyourfriendtojoin.Ormaybeyou'llwanttocreateacustomscreenlayoutbasedonthetypeofgameyouareplaying.WhilethefreeversionofMyBoy!islikelysufficientformany,thefullversionisthewaytogo.FeaturingtheabilitytosaveyourgamestatestoGoogleDrive,speedupthegame,andevencreateaservertoplaywithyourfriends. Buyfrom:GooglePlayStoreDolphinEmulator(Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral)WhiletherearemanyoptionsforemulatorsthatcanplaygamesfromtheoriginalNESoreventheAtari,therearemanynewerconsolestocover.DolphinEmulatorignoresallotherconsoles,focusingonlyontheNintendoGameCubeandWii.Thebiggestofscreenswillcomeinhandy,asyou'llwantthemostscreenreal-estatepossibletohouseallofthebuttonsandcontrolsfromtheGameCubecontroller.ThedevelopersarereleasingmonthlyupdatestoDolphinEmulator,attemptingtocreateoneofthebestemulatorsforAndroiddespiteafocusononlytwoconsoles.Theonlypotentialfrustrationcomeswiththeinabilitytomovetheon-screenbuttonsaroundorevenchangethesizeofthosebuttons.Nevertheless,ifyouwanttoloadupyourfavoriteWiiorGameCubegames,Dolphinisthebestwaytogo.Ifyoudon'tcareabouthavingauniversalemulator,butwantthebestGameCubeandWiiemulator,thenDolphinisthewaytogo.Theappisstillbeingactivelyupdatedwithmonthlyupdates,andtheonlyfrustrationisthelackofcustomizationoptionsfortheonscreenbuttons. Downloadfrom:GooglePlayStoreDraSticDSEmulator(Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral)Therearesomeemulatorsavailablethatignoretheoriginalgames'resolutions,potentiallyleavingyoufeelingasthoughyourgameisnothingbutablurredmess.DraSticDStakesthisintoaccountandwillautomaticallyenhanceanddoubletheresolutionofyourgame,providingabitmoreclaritythanyoumightfindfromotheremulators.There'salsosupportforBluetoothcontrollersofallshapesandkinds,whichmakessensesincetheemulatorhasbeenaroundlongenoughtoremembertheoldXperiaPlaydays.Notonlyareyouabletocreatesavestatesforyourvariousgamesthatarestoredrightonyoursmartphone,butDraSticDSalsoallowsyoutosignintoyourGoogleDriveaccounttosavethosestatestothecloud.ThisisperfectforthosewhouseandplayNintendoDSemulatorsonmultipledevicesandwanttopickupandplayfromanywhere.Theappevenhasadatabaseofcheatcodes,soyouwon'thavetoworryaboutrememberingorlookingupacheatcodewhileinthemiddleofthegame.Ifyou'relookingforafantasticNintendoDSemulator,thencheckoutDraSticDSEmulator.TheappisonlydesignedforDSgames,butyoucanusethird-partycontrollers,saveyourgamesviaGoogleDrive,andtakeadvantageofthevastlibraryofcheatcodes. Buyfrom:GooglePlayStoreePSXeforAndroidForthosenewtoPS1emulators,youmaynothaveheardofePSXe,butthisapphasbeenaroundforyears.Originally,theappwasavailableonPCbeforebeingportedforAndroidusers.WithePSXe,youcantakeadvantageofthenormalfeatureslikemultiplesavestatesandexternalgamepadsupport.ButtheawesomethingwithePSXeisthatyoucanalsoportyoursavestatesfromyourcomputerandloadthemwiththeePSXeapponyourAndroidphone.Anotherratherniftyfeatureallowsforsplit-screenmode,forthosetimeswhereyouandafriendwanttogohead-to-headwithsomeofthegreatestPS1orPSXgames.PerhapsthebestreasontouseePSXeoveranotherPS1/PSXemulator,however,comesdowntoitsreliability.Thedevelopersclaimthisemulatoriscompatiblewithupto99%ofROMs,meaningthatyoushouldbejustfinewithpracticallyanygame.WhiletheUIitselfisabitoutdated,theappstillfunctionsjustasyouwouldexpectforoneofthebestemulatorsforAndroid.ePSXehasbeenoneofthebestemulatorsforplayingPS1orPSXgames,evenbeforeitwascoolonAndroid.TheappwasportedfromthePCandcanevenbringinsavestatesfromyourcomputertoyoursmartphone. Buyfrom:GooglePlayStorePizzaBoyGBC(Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral)It'sreallyusefultohaveanall-in-oneemulator,butsometimesyoudon'treallycareaboutextrasettingsorfeaturesgearedtowardsotherplatforms.WithPizzaBoyGBC,youcanturnjustaboutanysmartphoneintoavastlyupgradedGameBoy,withsupportforeitherGameBoyClassicorGameBoyColorROMs.Thedevelopersalsoguarantee60FPSingames,regardlessofhowoldthehardwareis,soyou'llalwaysgetsmoothgameplay.Manyemulatorsalreadyofferbuilt-inscreenshotcapabilities,butPizzaBoyGBCtakesthisastepfurtherwithitsabilitytocreateanimatedGIFsfromyourgameplay.Then,youcansavetheGIFdirectlytoyourphonebeforesendingitovertosomefriendstoshowoffyournew-oldGameBoy.PizzaBoyprovidescompletecontroloveron-screenbuttons,includingtheabilitytochangethesizeandpositionsothatyoucanavoidhandcrampsduringthoselongnostalgiasessions.Ifyou'relookingfortheperfectGameBoyemulator,PizzaBoyGBCisaboutascloseasyoucanget.Theappincludesmanyfeatureslikemultiplesavestates,theabilitytospeeduporslowdowngameplay,andmore.Plusitalsoguarantees60FPSforallofyourgames. Downloadfrom:GooglePlayStoreRetroArchInsteadofsportingbuilt-insupportforvariousgamingsystems,RetroArchdoesthingsabitdifferently.Thisemulatortreatsthosesystemsas"cores,"whichareessentiallydownloadableplug-ins,andtheregularversionofRetroArchsupportsupto50cores.There'sanotherapponthePlayStore,calledRetroArchPlus,whichallowsyoutodownloadupto127coresforevenmoreemulationoptions.Asforwhattheappoffers,RetroArchallowsyoutoremapyourbuttonsandcontrolssothatyoucangetasclosetotherealthingaspossible.WithNetPlay,youcanenjoymultiplayergameswithgreatmatchmakingcapabilities,soyoucanfindsomenewcompetitionorplayaroundwithyourfriends.Plus,sinceRetroArchisopensource,thereareregularupdatesbeingpushedtokeeptheappworkinggreatandreliably.RetroArchisanothergreatoptionforthoselookingforanall-in-oneemulatorontheirAndroidphones.Theappsupportsupto50"cores,"whichcanbeeasilydownloaded,whilethePlusversionsupportsupto127cores. Downloadfrom:GooglePlayStoreWherecanyoufindtheROMs?It'sallfineanddandyifyoufindtheperfectemulatorforyourawesomeAndroidphone,butthetruthremainsthatyoucan'tevenusethemwithoutsomegames.Whilethereareemulatorsthatincludeoneormaybetwogames,theywillgetrepetitivequickly,andtheymightnotevenbethegamesyouwanttoplay.Luckily,thereareacoupleofwaysthatyoucantakeadvantageoftomakegooduseoftheseemulators.Archive.org(Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral)Foryears,therehasbeenaback-and-forthargumentbetweenthecompaniesthatcreatedthegamesandtheuserswhopurchasedthembutwereunabletousethemonasmartphoneorcomputer.Soit'salsonotexactlyrecommendedtoperformabasicGooglesearchforROMs.However,youmaybesurprisedtofindthatthere'saratherrobustlibraryofgamesavailablefromArchive.org.TheonlycatchisthatyoushouldonlydownloadtheROMsandfilesfromgamesthatyouown.Doingotherwisecouldgetyouintosometroublewithcopyrightssincetheytechnicallyfallunderintellectualpropertylaws.AfterfindingtheROMsforthegamesyouown,youcandownloadthemdirectlyfromArchive.org,andloadthemupintoyouremulatorofchoice.Werecommendyoucreateanewfolderonyoursmartphonesothatit'seasiertolocatetheROMswhentryingtoloadthemintheemulator.Findtherightcontrollers(Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral)Whilealloftheaforementionedemulatorssupporton-screentouchcontrols,that'snotalwaysthebestwaytoexperienceclassicgames.Whetheryou'retryingtoplayaNintendoGameCubegamewithallofthevariousonscreenbuttonsorjustprefernottohaveyourfingersintheway,you'regoingtowanttopickupacontroller.ThesearesomeofthebestcontrollersthatwillworkgreatwithyourfavoriteemulatorsandotherAndroidgames.RazerKishi(Imagecredit:JenniferLocke/AndroidCentral)There'sareasonwhytheRazerKishilandsonthelistofbestAndroidcontrollers.Mobilegamingismorepopularthanever,thankstogamedevelopersbringingthelikesofCallofDutyandPUBGtooursmartphones,sowecanjoininonthefunevenifwedon'thaveaconsoleorPC.TheKishiturnsyoursmartphoneintoanAndroid-poweredNintendoSwitchandiscompatiblewithmanyofthebestAndroidgames,includingthebestemulatorsforAndroid.RazeractuallyofferstwoversionsoftheKishi—astandardversionandonewithMicrosoft'sXboxbrandingforthelaunchofProjectxCloud(XboxCloudGaming).Youdon'thavetodoanythingspecialwiththeKishiintermsofinstallationsinceyoucanjustplugyourphoneinandstartplayingawaytoyourheart'scontent.Although,youmightwanttoheadintoyourfavoriteemulatorjusttomakesurethatthekeybindingsarecorrect. RazerKishi ViewatAmazonViewatMicrosoftUSViewatBestBuy WorkswithmostsmartphonesTheRazerKishiisarguablythebestcontrollerforsmartphonessinceversionsareavailableforiOSandAndroid.JustplugyourphoneintotheUSB-Cport,fireupyouremulatorofchoice,double-checkthekeybindings,andenjoy. 8BitdoSN30Pro(Imagecredit:AndrewMyrick/AndroidCentral)Whetheryou'relookingforthebestRaspberryPiaccessoriesorjustwantaretro-lookingcontrollerforPCgaming,8BitDoisalwaysatthetopofthelist.ThecompanyhasbroughtsomeclassiccontrollersbacktolifewithmodernfunctionalitylikeBluetooth,rumble,motioncontrols,andmulti-platformcompatibility.The8BitdoSN30ProisourcurrentfavoriteduetohowcomfortableitisinhandandourownSNESnostalgia,butthetruthisthatallof8BitDo'scontrollersarefantasticoptionsforthosewhowanttotakeadvantageofemulators.Thecompanyevenoffersagamingclipthatattachestoyour8BitDocontrollersoyoucanplaceyourphoneonthemountandgamefromanywhere.Doyouhaveafewspareminutesonyourlunchbreak?Grabyour8BitDocontroller,snapyourphoneintothemount,andplayafewlevelsinyouremulatorofchoicebeforetheclockstrikesandit'stimetogetbacktowork.Thequalityandreliabilityofthesecontrollerscannotbeunderstatedenough,and8BitDoisreleasingnewversions,oratleastnewcoloroptions,onaseeminglyregularbasis. 8BitdoSN30Pro ViewatBestBuyViewatAmazon Retrocontrollerswithnewtechnology8BitDohastakenthegreatestretrocontrollersandupgradedthemwithallthefeaturesyouwantinamoderncontroller.FromBluetoothconnectivitytotheclassicD-Padandmulti-platformsupport,the8BitDoSN30Proissimplyoneofthebestcontrollersyoucanget. SonyDualSense(Imagecredit:JenniferLocke/AndroidCentral)EversincethePS5launched,Sonyhashadenormousproblemskeepingupwiththedemand.Luckily,onenewproductthathasn'tseenanystockingissuesistheall-newSonyDualSensecontrollerthatshipswiththePS5.Thankfully,youdon'thavetobuytheconsoletogetthecontroller,soyoucangraboneoftheseandconnectitwithyourAndroidphonetoenjoysomeretrogamingonanext-gencontroller.EvenwiththecompleteredesignfortheDualSense,thepairingprocessbetweenthecontrollerandyourAndroidphoneisthesameasit'salwaysbeen.Then,youcanfireupyourfavoriteemulator,double-checkthekeymapping,andstartgamingwithoneofthebestcontrollerswe'veeverseen. SonyDualSense ViewatAdoramaViewatAmazonViewatBestBuy Sony'slatestandgreatestSony'sall-newDualSenseislikeacombinationoftheXboxcontrollerandPS4DualShockcontroller.Itofferstheperfectcombinationofergonomicsandcomfortabilitywhilebeingagreatcontrollerforthosewhowanttogameontheirsmartphones. XboxController(Imagecredit:JoeMaring/AndroidCentral)WiththeXboxSeriesXandSeriesSavailable,Microsoftdecideditwastimetobringeveryoneanewcontroller.TheCoreControllerisnotanextremelydrasticupgradeoveritspredecessor,withthekeydifferencebeingtheimprovedD-Padformorefine-tunedcontrols.JustliketheDualSense,nothinghaschangedintheAndroidcompatibilitydepartment,soyoucanfireuptheSettingsapp,putyourcontrollerinpairingmode,andgeteverythingrolling.Ifyoudon'talreadyhaveanoldXbox360orXboxOnecontrollerhangingaroundthehouseorplanonusingXboxCloudGamingalongwithyouremulators,thentheCoreControllerisperfect.Microsoftwenttherouteof"ifitain'tbroke,don'tfixit"withthedesign,andit'sawelcomemindsetsincetheXboxcontroller'sdesignisalreadyafavoriteformany. XboxCoreController ViewatAmazonViewatBestBuyViewatDell Slightupgrades,samedesignMicrosoftdidn'tchangetoomuchwhenitunveiledthenewXboxCoreController,keepingafamiliarergonomicdesign.ButtheD-Padhasbeenupgraded,andthetextureonthecontrollerfeelsabitbetterthantheoldversion.Nevertheless,theCoreControllerisagreatpickforthosewhowanttofireupsomeemulators. AndrewMyrick SeniorEditor AndrewMyrickisaSeniorEditoratAndroidCentral.Heenjoyseverythingtodowithtechnology,includingtablets,smartphones,andeverythinginbetween.Perhapshisfavoritepast-timeiscollectingdifferentheadphones,eveniftheyallendupinthesamedrawer. Topics AndroidGaming AndroidCentralNewsletter GetthebestofAndroidCentralininyourinbox,everyday! ContactmewithnewsandoffersfromotherFuturebrands Receiveemailfromusonbehalfofourtrustedpartnersorsponsors ThankyouforsigninguptoAndroidCentral.Youwillreceiveaverificationemailshortly. Therewasaproblem.Pleaserefreshthepageandtryagain. 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