Since April 2024, Apple has allowed a new type of app in the App Store: emulators. These are, as it were, simulations of real game consoles such as the Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 1. These allow you to play games for all kinds of consoles on your iPhone. This guide goes through the most noteworthy iPhone game emulators.
Please note: to play a game on an emulator you also need the game itself. Your iPhone or iPad does not support cartridges or other physical games, so you will have to obtain the game you want to play digitally. You will soon end up in the world of illegal downloading if you do not digitize your games yourself. So the emulator itself is legal, but what you put into it may have been obtained illegally. So keep that in mind.
Delta: the nice successor to GBA4iOS
Suitable for: iPhone
Consoles: Game Boy (all models), Nintendo DS, NES, SNES, N64
We’ll start with Delta, the app that had the honor of being the first original emulator available on the iPhone. Delta is suitable for various Nintendo consoles. Years ago, GBA4iOS was already unofficially available for download on the iPhone. That emulator comes from the same developer as Delta.
With Delta you have a lot of freedom in the appearance of your emulator. There are all kinds of styles you can set – for example, what your old console from back in the day looked like. You can play with the buttons on your screen, but it also supports all kinds of modern controllers (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, etc.). In addition, Delta contains all kinds of useful features that make gaming more enjoyable. One of them is AirPlay. This way you show your game on an AirPlay screen while you operate the game with an Xbox controller, for example.
If you play a Nintendo DS game, your iPhone’s microphone also works as an input method. Currently Delta is only available for the iPhone, but there will also be a version for the iPad. At that time, the Delta Sync feature comes in handy so that your progress is preserved.
In the European Union, this app is not available in the App Store, but it is available through an app marketplace called AltStore. Downloading from AltStore costs about €1.50. In our separate tip you can read how to install an alternative app store.
Folium: the first to work with Nintendo 3DS games
Suitable for: iPhone
Consoles: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS
For the first time, a Nintendo 3DS emulator is available in the iOS App Store, which also works with Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS games. This emulator looks nice and works with MFi game controllers like the Backbone One, Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Switch Pro Controller, PS4 and PS5 controllers, and Xbox Series controllers.
Something to keep in mind: because third-party apps on iOS do not support JIT (Just In Time) compilation, performance is somewhat reduced. This is especially noticeable on older devices. If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or one of the latest iPad models, it should work fine.
Folium costs a few euros and requires an iPhone with iOS 15 or higher. No iPad or Apple TV version of the app has been released, so you’ll have to make do with the iPhone.
RetroArch: many consoles, also suitable for Apple TV
Suitable for: iPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Consoles: Atari 2600, Commodore 64, PlayStation 1, PSP, SEGA Genesis, SEGA Saturn, Game Boy (all models), Nintendo DS, NES, SNES, N64
With RetroArch you have a wide range of emulators at your disposal. Just like Delta, you can also use modern controllers to play your games. There’s no AirPlay support, but perhaps this is even better: a real Apple TV app. Plus, you can even get achievements – even if the original game from decades ago didn’t have them. RetroArch works with RetroAchievements for this.
Thanks to Netplay support you can also play online. The game must be suitable for this. So you can race against your friends in Mario Kart for the Nintendo DS just like before. Furthermore, RetroArch can also translate texts in the games with AI. Could the app also make chocolate from the Unown Pokémon…?
PPSSPP: especially for PSP games
Suitable for: iPhone, iPad
Consoles: PSP
Actually, PPSSPP is an excerpt from RetroArch, but specifically for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). If you only want to play games for this console, you can download this app. PPSSPP does not include all the useful features of RetroArch, but if you don’t need it, this can be a good alternative.
Gamma: Play PlayStation 1 games
Suitable for: iPhone, iPad
Consoles: PlayStation 1
Like PPSSPP, Gamma is suitable for one console. With Gamma you can play PlayStation 1 games on your iPhone and iPad. Progress is synced across your devices and there is support for game controllers. You also can’t forget to save, because the emulator does that automatically. Just like in Delta, you can customize the skin (the appearance) of your controller.
Provenance: many game systems, but not yet available for download
Suitable for: iPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Consoles: NES, SNES, Game Boy, Virtual Boy, Nintendo 64, SEGA systems, PlayStation, Atari systems and more
Provenance is almost an all-in-one emulator that supports many gaming systems. Many popular retro systems from Nintendo (even the Virtual Boy) are supported, as well as Sony’s PlayStation and systems from SEGA and Atari. What is also special is that Provenance is suitable for iPhone and iPad as well as the Apple TV. On the Apple TV there is support for the Top Shelf (if you place the app at the top of the home screen) and on the iPhone there is haptic feedback for the virtual buttons.
Provenance has been in development since 2016 and could already be installed on the iPhone via sideloading. The app’s lead developer said in April that an App Store variant of Provenance was being worked on, but did not provide a timetable. So it may take a while. If approved, Provenance would be the first emulator for Sony, SEGA and Atari.
Have you spotted an emulator for the iPhone, iPad or Apple TV that should not be missing from this overview? Let us know via the contact form below the article. Do you prefer to play modern games? Then Apple Arcade might be something for you. You can read more about this Apple gaming service in our separate article.
