The best Android emulators for playing your favorite classic games [Video]

Gaming on mobile is super diverse, but sometimes you want to bust out some of the classics and game on the go. Android has a ton of emulators that let you play thousands of the best games from as far back as the 70s – here are some of our favorites.

We’re keeping it super simple and not listing out every single emulator you can use on your Android phone. Instead, just a few that we use regularly.

While emulators are legal, the distribution of copyrighted ROM files is illegal. This article does not promote or endorse the distribution of copyrighted material. Users are responsible for obtaining ROM files legally, such as by purchasing physical copies of the games or through legal digital distribution platforms.

Additionally, many emulators require BIOS files to function properly. BIOS files are essential components of the emulated console’s hardware. While BIOS files are often freely available online, it’s important to be aware that their distribution may be subject to legal restrictions. Users should research and understand the legal implications of obtaining and using BIOS files before doing so.

I have been playing lots of my favorite games with the superb Retroid Pocket 3+. This is an older Unisoc Tiger T618-powered $160 handheld Android gaming console, but it has enough power to play loads of classic mid-90s and older console titles without breaking a sweat.

It’s also tailored out of the box to play lots of games – and has been my choice of gaming handheld alongside the Steamdeck OLED for a little while now. You will have a better experience with a newer device and a paired gaming controller, as the chipset is underpowered compared to the latest flagship phone.

Playstation Portable (PSP) – PPSSPP

The PSP has so many solid games that you may never have played, and PPSSPP does a perfect job of recreating games in pixel-perfect style. Like lots of Android emulators, you can adjust the resolution output, change antialiasing settings, and clean up the experience with more controls and graphical tweaks. Games look better than the ever did on the original hardware now too. I’ve used PPSSPP on lots of phones over the years, so I’m confident it’ll run on most devices with default settings, but almost anything with a little tuning.

The “Turbo” button lets you fast-forward and speed up slow gameplay loops or cutscenes that drag. I like using it to skip through some slow menus. The UI is easy to navigate, and there are loads of ways to tweak the experience and performance. I even find it’s pretty good on battery, which is important if you want to game for a long time.

Playstation 1 (PS1) – Duckstation

Duckstation is my go-to original Playstation emulator on Android mostly because it’s pre-installed on my Retroid Pocket 3+, it also happens to be one of the best. I prefer it to ePSXe because you can upscale to 4K but at 1080p the gameplay experience is absolutely flawless. Having a powerful Android phone helps with the emulation, but you can get it running on a mid-ranger if you are happy to tinker.

It’s almost unfair that an app this good is completely free – and open-source. You can plug it into RetroArch to handle all of your PS1 gaming if you want that option, too. Be careful when tweaking the settings though, it can cause some issues but the default settings should be fine for most PS1 ROMs.

Sega Dreamcast – Redream

One of Redream’s best features is bringing many classic Dreamcast titles to a potentially wider audience. Some games need some tuning, but most will run smoothly even on lower-end hardware.

The interface is nice and clean, with many controller and hardware input options, including practically any controller you pair with your phone. I would recommend that because you can’t resize individual on-screen buttons.

Nintendo 64 – M64Plus FZ

N64 emulation still isn’t perfect for every game, but the M64Plus FZ is the best if you want to play through classic titles like Zelda Ocarina of Time or Mario 64 on your Android phone. You will get ads in the free version unless you download from Github or pay for the “Pro” version – I recommend this.

You will run into some issues with specific game ROMs. If you play at native resolution most of the biggest titles will run without a problem. There are also lots of ways to improve the experience with on-screen buttons aiding as most controllers lack some N64 gamepad options.

Nintendo DS – DraSTIC

DraSTIC is one of the few emulators built from the ground up for Android, so it’s the perfect way to play Nintendo DS titles on your smartphone. On foldable phones, this is the most epic way to experience the dual-screen experience of classic Nintendo DS games as you don’t need to switch between screen views – something you can do with a traditional slab phone so you’re not missing out.

On a “regular” phone, you can have both screens side by side so that the bottom touchscreen is emulated perfectly. I like to be able to view both screens at once, but you can set it so only the main gameplay screen is visible. Everything runs like a dream, with zero to no issues with practically any ROM.

Gameboy/Gameboy Advance – Pizza Boy A/C Pro

I highly recommend Pizza Boy A and C Pro, not because these apps do anything that other emulators cannot do in terms of performance. It’s actually the visuals because this is the best-looking emulator I have ever used for Android. It’s just 11MB, and in tandem with a few ROMs, it’ll barely take up any space on your phone or tablet.

By this point in time even scientific calculators can run Gameboy and Gameboy Advance games. I love playing my favorite Gameboy games because of the nostalgia factor when playing on a colorful console, so being able to create custom skins for portrait or landscape mode is a great bonus.

Playstation 2 (PS2) – AetherSX2/NetherSX2

The best PS2 emulator on Android is AetherSX2, but sadly it is no longer being developed and can’t be downloaded from the Google Play Store. The good news is that NetherSX2 can be sideloaded to play some of Sony’s best games.

Android phones that utilize Adreno graphics should provide the best experience, but Mali-powered chipsets will run NetherSX2 without too much issue. The only downside is that you need a 64-bit processor and a 64-bit version of Android to get NetherSX2 to work at all.

PS2 emulation is quite taxing on most phones, so to get 60fps in your favorite titles, you might need to make some adjustments. Luckily, NetherSX2 has a myriad of options to tweak and lots of guides on how to do it.

Nintendo Switch – Yuzu

I feel guilty mentioning Yuzu, because it’s technically no longer developed or available via “official” channels – although you can get the APK from sources online. This is one of the very few ways to play Switch games on your Android phone and because most modern phones are more powerful than the Tegra X1 in the Nintendo console, this can provide a much better experience with higher framerates.

If you want to play more recent titles, Yuzu is arguably one of the best emulators out there. However, it’s not without some other pitfalls. You’ll need to tweak the settings to get the “optimum” experience without some trial and error. Being able to play current triple AAA Nintendo titles on your phone will never get old, though. Make sure you have a fairly recent phone with a powerful chipset for the best experience.

What is your favorite emulator for gaming on Android?

We’ve missed a ton of good options like RetroArch or Dolphin, which are great options. These were a few of the emulators we are playing day-in-day-out. What do you play the most on your phone? Let us know down in the comments section below.