Do you miss those mess of pixels that we used to play in the old 8-bit consoles? If yes, then you are in the right place. In this article, we will show you the best free Android emulators for retro games that will allow you to play those old games again on your smartphone.
However, you have to make sure that the ROMs (game files) that you will use with these emulators are from games that you have already bought and that you already have.
Also read: 10 Best Android Emulators For Windows 10
10 Best Android Emulators For Retro Games
Downloading ROMs for games that do not belong to you is piracy, and we do not promote this. Hence, in this article, we will list some of the best Android emulators for playing retro games. Let’s check out.
1. My Boy!
Well, if you are a huge fan of GameBoy Advanced Games, then you will love My Boy! Emulator, for sure. This is the only Android emulator on the Play Store that supports link cable emulation with decent speed.
The emulator for Android has very high game compatibility and runs nearly add games without a problem.
2. Pizza Boy
If you are looking for a smooth, light, fast, and battery-friendly Android GBA emulator, then look no other than Pizza Boy. With Pizza Boy, you can enjoy your favorite retro games and never face problems with GBA Roms.
Even on old hardware, Pizza Boy GBA Emulator guarantees 60 frames per second on supported games. Overall, Pizza Boy is a great GBA emulator for Android.
3. ClassicBoy Gold
Well, if you are searching for an easy-to-use retro game emulator for your Android device, then ClassicBoy Gold might be the best pick for you.
Guess what? ClassicBoy Gold supports over 20 emulation cores, including PCSX-ReARMed, Beetle-PSX, VBA-M, mGBA, MelondS, and more.
4. Nostalgia.GBA
Well, Nostalgia.GBA is one of the best GBA emulators on the Google Play Store. The GBA emulator is based on mGBA, which is distributed under the terms of the MPL license.
The emulator doesn’t include game files, so you must load the games manually. The emulator provides a wide range of customization options.
Apart from that, it also has Hardware keyboard support, HID Bluetooth gamepads, and more.
5. Arcade Games Emulator
One of the easiest ways to start playing retro games on your Android device is to install an emulator that comes with pre-installed games, and the well-known Arcade Games is one of them.
This emulator features old arcade games like Double Dragon, Alien, Blade Master, and Altered Beast; all the games come pre-loaded.
Not only that, you will also find a library of additional games for Playstation, Nintendo, NES, and other platforms that you can download and play.
6. Argon
Argon is one of the most unique retro game emulators on the Google Play Store. This app lets you play games from your collection and its ever-expanding library of hundreds of classic games.
The app offers a top-tier emulator, and it supports every game written for Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari 8-Bit, Atari Lynx, ColecoVision, Intellivision, NES, GB, GBC, GBA, PICO-8, and Vectrex.
7. ClassicBoy (PS1, N64, Game Boy)
ClassicBoy is very customizable. You can adjust the advanced settings of the emulator to work well with your Android device. You can customize the user interface, such as gesture mapping and sensor sensitivity settings.
Moreover, the Classic Boy offers a good level of gameplay thanks to the controls, as all the controls were well placed in the corners of the screen, so the users could experience good gameplay.
8. Mupen64Plus FZ (N64)
If we talk about the Mupen64Plus for Nintendo64, it is an excellent emulator by itself, highlighting its library system where you can see icons of all the games.
But beyond that, there is no significant difference with the MegaN64 emulator when it comes to performance. There are some complex differences in the user interface, but it is uncertain whether they will improve the MegaN64.
If the ratings and criticisms of users on Google Play are an indication, then Mupen4Plus is as recommended by users as any other game console emulator available for Android.
9. RetroArch (GBA, NES, Sega, PS, and More)
If you want to install an emulator on your Android device, or if you used to be an enthusiastic player of many different consoles, then RetroArch is one of the best options for you. The best part is that it only installs what you need: the emulator allows you to load updates for any console or game engine you want to emulate.
This includes any game, from Atari and Commodore 64 to any model of Game Boy, PlayStation, or Nintendo. There is also the option to join online gaming sessions as well. If you grew up playing Doom and other FPS games using a keyboard instead of a console controller, it will take a while to get used to it, but not too much.
This emulator is one of the best options on this list, not for its user interface but mainly due to the flexibility of playing games on so many consoles on just your Android device.
10. PPSSPP (PSP)
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) was an incredibly popular portable gaming system launched in 2004 by Sony. The configuration and loading of ROMs are easy to manage from the settings menu. The ROM navigation window is a bit difficult initially, but you will not have trouble finding your ROM files once you get used to it.
If you are a PSP fan, let me clarify that the well-known emulator PPSSPP is the best emulator for Android and should be installed now.
So, what do you think about this? Share all your views and thoughts in the comment section below. And if you liked this article, do not forget to share this article with your friends and family.
superb article.