Game Emulators

Old dedicated video game platforms from childhood can often be disproportionately expensive for what is oftentimes just a desire for a nostalgic escape from the moment. That’s where emulation comes into play. From multi-system emulation systems such as RetroArch to specialized and high performance emulators such as higan, there are many modern methods to play the games of your childhood without having to break the bank in order to get old hardware.

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  1. RetroArch icon
     291 likes

    A portable, fast, and lightweight emulator frontend supporting classic and modern gaming systems with features like real-time rewinding and shader support.

    • Game Emulator
    • FreeOpen Source
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Blackberry
    • iPad
    • F-Droid
    • Steam
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
    Main view
    Best alternatives are SteamOS iconSteamOSandDuckStation iconDuckStation135 alternatives
  2. Dolphin Emulator icon
     139 likes

    Dolphin is an emulator for two recent Nintendo video game consoles: the GameCube and the Wii. It allows PC gamers to enjoy games for these two consoles in full HD (1080p) with several enhancements: compatibility with all PC controllers, turbo speed, networked multiplayer, and...

    • Game Emulator
    • FreeOpen Source
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Dolphin Emulator screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are OpenEmu iconOpenEmuandCemu iconCemu6 alternatives
  3. PCSX2 icon
     165 likes

    PCSX2 is a PlayStation 2 emulator for Windows, Linux & Mac, started by the same team that brought you PCSX (a Sony PlayStation 1 emulator).

    PCSX2 screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are OpenEmu iconOpenEmuandAetherSX2 iconAetherSX26 alternatives
  4. DuckStation icon
     41 likes

    DuckStation is an simulator/emulator of the Sony PlayStation(TM) console, focusing on playability, speed, and long-term maintainability.

    • Game Emulator
    • FreeOpen Source
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • AppImageHub
    • Flathub
    Silent Hill
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArchandePSXe iconePSXe9 alternatives
  5. Pluvia icon
     12 likes

    A lightweight unofficial Steam client for Android with the ability to play DRM-Free games from your account and chat with friends.

    Pluvia screenshot 1
    Pluvia screenshot 2
    Best alternatives are Winlator iconWinlatorandEmuDeck iconEmuDeck5 alternatives
  6. Ryujinx icon
     31 likes

    It is a Nintendo Switch Emulator programmed in C#; unlike most emulators that are created with C++ or C. This emulator aims to offer good performance, a friendly interface, and consistent builds. Ryujinx is created by user gdkchan over at the GBAtemp forums.

    Ryujinx screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are Cemu iconCemuandSuyu iconSuyu10 alternatives
  7. PPSSPP icon
     80 likes

    PPSSPP is a PSP emulator written in C++, and translates PSP CPU instructions directly into optimized x86, x64 and ARM machine code, using JIT recompilers (dynarecs).

    • Game Emulator
    • FreeOpen Source
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Blackberry
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    • Meta Quest
    Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArchandVita3K iconVita3K9 alternatives
  8. Lemuroid icon
     31 likes

    Lemuroid is an open-source emulation project based on Libretro. It's completely free, without ads and focused on ease of use and good user experience.

    Lemuroid screenshot 1
    Lemuroid screenshot 2
    Lemuroid screenshot 3
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArchandRetrom iconRetrom25 alternatives
  9. VisualBoyAdvance icon
     156 likes

    VisualBoyAdvance (VBA) is a free software (GNU GPL) emulator targeted for the Game Boy, Super Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance handheld game consoles sold by Nintendo.

    • Game Emulator
    • FreeOpen Source
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • MorphOS
    VisualBoyAdvance screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArchandDelta Emulator iconDelta Emulator35 alternatives
  10. Snes9x icon
     145 likes

    Snes9x is a portable, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) emulator. It allows you to play most games designed for the SNES and Super Famicom Nintendo game systems on your PC.

    Snes9x screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArchandZSNES iconZSNES38 alternatives
  11. Delta Emulator icon
     26 likes

    Delta is an iOS emulator that supports multiple game systems such as NES, SNES, N64, and DS, improving upon its predecessor, GBA4iOS.

    Delta Emulator screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArch32 alternatives
  12. Project64 icon
     111 likes

    Project64 is a Nintendo 64 emulator for the Windows platform. It employs a plugin system that allows 3rd party developers to implement their own software. It is an emulator, meaning that the user has the option to run ROM files that can be extracted from a Nintendo 64 game...

    Project64 screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArchandMupen64Plus iconMupen64Plus21 alternatives
  13. ePSXe icon
     129 likes

    ePSXe (enhanced PSX emulator) is an emulator of the PlayStation video game console for x86-based PC hardware. ePSXe makes use of a plugin system to emulate GPU, SPU, and CD drive functions, similar to the model first introduced in PSEmu Pro.

    • Game Emulator
    • FreeProprietary
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    ePSXe screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArchandDuckStation iconDuckStation20 alternatives
  14. ZSNES icon
     197 likes

    ZSNES is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System emulator. Aside from emulation accuracy, many interface features first introduced in ZSNES have been adopted by other emulators. ZSNES interface features include: Smoothing and dynamic image scaling; screenshot capture; state...

    ZSNES screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArchandSnes9x iconSnes9x34 alternatives
  15. mGBA icon
     31 likes

    mGBA is an open source emulator of the Game Boy Advance. The goals are speed and accuracy.

    mGBA screenshot 1
    Best alternatives are RetroArch iconRetroArchandLemuroid iconLemuroid33 alternatives