emulator for android phones are apps that can enable you to play those great titles from the past that are no longer available in the game shop (or online, anywhere), without having to own one of those old consoles, by the way, they are almost impossible to find in a store.
So in this article, I will be listing out 10 of the best android emulators for android phones for the most popular retro consoles that will make you Nostalgic.
Nintendo Classic Mini- EmuBox
EmuBox is an emulator for Android phones which will allow you play retro games by using online emulators. EmuBox has a game search which is quite easy to make use of, WebRTC multiplayer, achievements, statistics, cloud storage, a friendlist, and much more important settings you will surely appreciate.
Although EmuBox is an All-in-one emulator for Android phones, it works best when played as a NES/Nintendo Classis Mini console. It can also b played on your PC through emubox.net. it is present on the playstore.
Playstation Portable- PPSSPP
PPSSPP is the most popular, and the best Playstation Portable emulator for android phones that i have come across on the web. it was developed by Henrik Rydgård and its available on playstore.
PPSSPP is built to work on really low-performance phones, but that doesn’t mean you won’t experience some lags. you have the save and load state. you can fast forward. it has its own virtual controllers which can be customised i.e you chose where you want them to be. you can also plug in hardware controllers if you like.
There is an alternative called PPSSPP gold by the same creator but it is a paid version which has low popularity compared to the free version.
SEGA Genesis- Retroarch
Retroarch is an emulator for android which is a frontend for emulating multiple game consoles, i.e an All-in-one emulator, but we recommend it for emulating the SEGA Genesis.
You download the SEGA Genesis core from the official website for Retroarch and the core acts as the emulator. it has pretty much all you ask for from a SEGA Genesis game console. save and load states, hardware controller support, cheatcodes and more.
Just like the the PPSSPP gold, we have Retroarch plus, which isn’t a paid version and has better and more cores support (up to 127 cores)
Playstation 1- ePSXe
ePSXe is an emulator for android phones which emulates the Playstation 1 excellently. ePSXe makes use of plugins which are apps used to emulate GPU, SPU, and CD drive functions. it can support up to four players simultaneously, it has virtual controllers, as well as hardware button mapping, if you decide to use a physical Bluetooth or USB controller.
ePSXe doesn’t include game though. All games to be played must be downloaded by the player from external sources.
Playstation 2- AetherSX2
AetherSX2 is an emulator for android phones which will emulate the Playstation 2, though you need your own BIOS to play games, just like the Playstation 1. AetherSX2 uses OpenGL, Vulkan, and software rendering and can render games in 1080p resolution.
There are other alternatives to this like openEMU and PCSX2, and the all-in-one emulators but most of them don’t have complete Playstation 2 support. this is ,without doubt, the best of them.
SEGA Dreamcast- Reicast
Reicast is open-source Sega Dreamcast emulator for android phones, a popular one at that . It has all the features regular emulator would have and it has good game support, and support for physical controllers. all games tested worked fine on this app,but i don’t think all games would work here, and it also depends on the type of device you are using to play.
A well-refined alternative Reicact would be Dreamcast, so you can also it try out if your favorite game doesn’t work well on Reicast.
Nintendo Game Boy- John GBAC
John GBAC is the best emulator for android phones which Game Boy fans would like. The emulator does a good job at emulating all the versions of the popular game console, i.e Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. It has virtual and hardware controller support, save states, fast forward, slow motion, cheat codes, and more. You can even backup your games to the cloud with a Dropbox plugin separately.
Nintendo 3DS- Citra
Citra Emulator and MegaZ 3DS are a Nintendo 3DS emulators for android phones, but i am choosing the Citra because its slightly better, and it’s basically the same thing with MegaZ 3DS as they both use the same open-source codes, but its worth mentioning.
Citra emulator is a has the save and load state, support for physical controllers, upscalable resolution, and its very good with games so i recommend this one for you.
Wii-Dolphin Emulator
Dolphin emulator virtually has no competitor when it comes to emulating the Wii on android phones. even those All-in-one emulators use a dolphin core when emulating the Wii.
Dolphin emulator has a good, clean interface, save and load state, support for on-screen/irtual controller, and physical controllers. most games also work well on the emulator, though i tested it with a mid-range device, so i don’t really know its full capabilities.
All-round emulator- ClassicBoy Pro
When it comes to All-in-one emulators for android phones, we have the Retroarch as i have mentioned earlier, we also have lemuroid, but ClassicBoy Pro is my choice, as it is much more easier to use.
most core have been integrated into the app but some have to be downloaded. It has the save and load state, virtual and physical controller support. If you want, you can try out the other ones I’ve mentioned, but i strongly recommend this one
Thats it, so folks, enjoy your retro gaming. Is there any other better alternative that you know of that wasn’t mentioned here? tell me in the comment section so i can have a look at it.
