Emulators reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 221 Reddit reviews across 38 subreddits and 65 posts to rank the best Emulators brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/EmulationOnAndroid, r/emulators, r/OdinHandheld, r/macgaming, r/EmulationOnPC. Top-rated brands include RetroArch (4.1/5), Drastic (4.6/5), Dolphin (4.5/5).
Stats
Reviews221
Subreddits38
Posts65
Brands81
Products31
221 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
RetroArch
4.1
(22)
"RetroArch is the best option to centralize everything."
"RetroArch, Dolphin, Duckstation, Flycast, MGBA, CEMU, RPCS3"
"RetroArch has several emulators on it."
"RetroArch"
"Use retroarch + retroflow 🔥"
"My emulators are: Retroarch, Duckstation, Aether w/ NetherSX2 patch, Dolphin."
"I'd learn how to use retroarch."
"Retroarch (NES, SNES, n64, GB, GBC, GBA other classics)..."
"Your just going to have to get retroarch, its the best at runn8jg these systems on the ps4..."
"Retroarch plays 3ds games decently."
#2
Drastic
4.6
(14)
"Drastic if you're on android"
"Drastic for DS."
"Nds - drastic"
"I use drastic and it hasn't failed me yet."
"It's the best atm rn."
"There is only one good one I found, and it's drastic, but it's paid"
"Drastic is awesome for NDS"
"Drastic."
"3ds: citra
Ds: DraStic
Gba GBA.emu"
"DraStic or MelonDS."
#3
Dolphin
4.5
(13)
"Dolphin for Wii emulation has the greatest collection of games and compatibility"
"Go Dolphin on the playstore. Simple and works wonders"
"Dolphin (gamecube, wii)"
"Dolphin. its wii and gamecube."
"Dolphin is incredible, and you can get surprisingly high resolution and frame rate on an M1."
"Gamecube/Wii - Dolphin."
"Dolphin - Gamecube & Wii."
"Dolphin."
"Well I always go Dolphin for it but it's the GameCube version so no voices selection for your character."
"I used a lot of Dolphin, PPSSPP , Redream , PCSX2 lately."
#4
Citra
4.3
(10)
"3DS: Citra."
"Citra 🗣️."
"Try out Citra for 3ds if you're new to emulation."
"Citra, Citra MMJ."
"Citra/CitraMMJ definitely worked better for me than azahar."
"Citra (3ds)"
"3ds - citra"
"Citra"
"Like the other person said citra you can still download it"
"Anything runs smoothly except citra forks(3ds) that at high scaling may lag a little."
#5
PPSSPP
4.3
(10)
"PPSSPP is probably the best one for Android"
"PPSSPP for PSP"
"PSP: PPSSPP."
"PPSSPP for PSP."
"PPSSPP - PSP."
"PPSSPP."
"Ppsspp (psp)"
"PPSSPP (idk)"
"I use PPSSPP. Characters are incomplete tho plus the story mode is short."
"For ps2 ppss22"
#6
Delta
4.5
(8)
"I’m using Delta and it works great"
"Delta"
"Delta if you are outside EU"
"Delta for App emulator"
"Delta emulator"
"Tried the delta emulator?"
"Delta is working great for me. RetroArch is also nice with tons of cores (steep learning curve though)."
"Delta is good but the fast forward option only go to 1.5x."
#7
PCSX2
4.4
(7)
"I have tried all of these, and PCSX2 is the best emulation for me in my opinion."
"PCSX2, no doubt"
"Pcsx2 are some of the best."
"Pcsx2 (ps2)"
"Try the PS2 version on PCSX2 and you can run games off the disc using PCSX2 if your pc has a disc drive."
"Been using pcsx2 for my MacBook air and so far it works well"
"I love this emulator and pcsx 2."
#8
Lemuroid
4.1
(7)
"Use lemuroid for all 2d systems and also PSP, N64, NDS and 3ds, almost no setup required."
"NES, SNES, GB, GBC, GBA, SEGA: Lemuroid..."
"Lemuroid has a ton of emulators built into one and no ads."
"Lemuroid is most systems and plays well can be downloaded from play store"
"Lemuroid is a good option"
"Lemuroid"
"Lemuroid has a fair few built-in"
#9
AetherSX2
4.5
(6)
"Aethersx2 or Nethersx2 for Sony PS2"
"Also AetherSX2 for PS2."
"Aethersx2."
"PS2 - aethersx2 or nethersx2 (not in play store)"
"Aethersx2 is basically a fork/port of pcsx2."
"Aethersx2 is pcsx2."
#10
Duckstation
4.6
(5)
"You can use the standalones: MelonDS, SNES9x EX+, DuckStation and MD.emu."
"For PS1 duckstation is the best emulator."
"Duckstation for PS1"
"Duckstation (ps1)"
"PSX I use duckstation and that's been very solid."
#11
RPCS3
4.2
(5)
"Rpcs3, it's amazing"
"To save a click: RPCS3, CEMU, Simple64, ShadPS4, PCSX2, BigPEmu, Vita3K."
"It requires a decent CPU, and you have to follow a guide to apply some fixes."
"The emulator has improved a lot since then."
"I use rpcsx it claims it a ps3 emuator when it not but has lots of console to emulate including ps2"
#12
Winlator
4.0
(5)
"Winlator for windows pc."
"Winlator, BlueStacks"
"Winlator & RPCS3 PS3 Emulator"
"You can easily play switch games and even some pc games using winlator"
"It's not great if it's your first approach to emulation but you can play a lot of cool games there!"
#13
Bluestacks
3.8
(5)
"Bluestacks is the staple one. Supports 3 OSes, Android 7, Android 9, and Android 11."
"BlueStacks, MuMu or LDPlayer."
"Bluestacks emulates android."
"I decided to start using bluestacks emulator to play in higher FPS and I like it a lot."
"I use Bluestacks. It's not perfect but works for me."
#14
mGBA
4.5
(4)
"It's my go to emulator for anything Gameboy GB GBC GBA"
"MGBA is usually considered the best choice for GBA emulation."
"MGBA better for me"
"Mgba and melon ds"
#15
Yuzu
4.5
(4)
"Switch- Yuzu."
"Switch: Yuzu."
"Yuzu, Citron, sudachi (switch)"
"Yuzu and Ryujinx still work fine."
#16
MAME
3.8
(4)
"MAME for arcade"
"There are two sources you need for emulators: MAME."
"These Hasbro games can be played using a MAME core in RetroArch emulator."
"Using MAME like someone else said!"
#17
Visual Boy Advance
4.7
(3)
"On pc, Vba, desmume, citra"
"I have been using Visual Boy Advance for 20 years now... Still solid!"
"Visual Boy Advance was for years the best choice before being surpassed by mGBA."
#18
Xemu
4.7
(3)
"I love xemu"
"Xemu is the answer"
"I've been using Xemu with good success."
#19
Redream
4.7
(3)
"Redream or Flycast for Sega Dreamcast"
"Redream."
"Redream is great for dreamcast."
#20
DuckStation
4.3
(3)
"Yes, duckststion, pcsx2 and ppsspp are some of the best."
"PS1 - Duckstation."
"Duckstation for PS1."
#21
MelonDS
4.3
(3)
"You can use the standalones: MelonDS, SNES9x EX+, DuckStation and MD.emu."
"Melon ds (ds)"
"MelonDS"
#22
Ryujinx
3.7
(3)
"Ryujinx (Switch)"
"Ryujinx rpcs2 rpcs3."
"Ryujinx (switch) that sometimes can lag but is overall pretty playable."
#23
FlyCast
5.0
(2)
"Redream or Flycast for Sega Dreamcast"
"I’ve had the best luck with FlyCast."
#24
NetherSX2
5.0
(2)
"Aethersx2 or Nethersx2 for Sony PS2"
"NetherSX2 is peak PS2 on android."
#25
Lime3DS
4.5
(2)
"Citra MMJ or Lime3DS for Nintendo 3DS"
"Lime3DS would also be good."
#26
Pizza Boy
4.5
(2)
"Try Pizza boy emulators and Drastic is awesome for NDS"
"GBA: Pizza Boy.
DS: DraStic or Melon DS.
3DS: no idea."
#27
Retrobat
4.5
(2)
"RETROBAT was the easiest to set up for me anyway"
"I use Retrobat on my Windows 11 pc and it works fairly well."
#28
Retroid Pocket 4 Pro
4.5
(2)
"Personally, I really love my Retroid Pocket 4 Pro."
"As someone already suggested, the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro."
#29
LDPlayer
4.5
(2)
"LD player is my favorite. Came here to recommend it"
"Ldplayer 9 is what I use."
#30
Vita3K
4.5
(2)
"Vita3k for PS Vita."
"Vita3k (psvita)"
#31
Sudachi
4.5
(2)
"I use Sudachi to emulate the Switch and it works perfectly fine."
"I like and enjoy my games with sudachi and dolphin, no compliant"
#32
Nethersx2
4.5
(2)
"What you really want to do is get your hands on Nethersx2."
"PS2 - Nethersx2."
#33
SNES9x
4.5
(2)
"You can use the standalones: MelonDS, SNES9x EX+, DuckStation and MD.emu."
"SNES: SNEX9x unless Mario or Metroid widescreen."
#34
Citra MMJ
4.5
(2)
"Citra MMJ or Lime3DS for Nintendo 3DS"
"3DS - Citra MMJ."
#35
DeSmuME
4.5
(2)
"Just started playing a while ago, i'm using deSmuME emulator, and it works perfectly."
"For n64=Deadalus."
#36
Backbone
4.0
(2)
"You could get a Backbone and an old iPhone X or above."
"Might as well just buy a "backbone" controller for it."
#37
Waydroid
3.5
(2)
"Waydroid works well."
"Waydroid is a good way to get android programs running on linux."
#38
RetroPie
5.0
(1)
"Check retropie amazing docs."
#39
PPSSPP Gold
5.0
(1)
"PSP - PPSSPP Gold."
#40
Dolphin MMJR 2
5.0
(1)
"GameCube: Dolphin MMJR 2."
#41
ShadPS4
5.0
(1)
"ShadPS4 is capable of running games on the Deck (someone even ran Bloodborne on it)"
#42
Emudeck
5.0
(1)
"Emudeck will set you up with all the emulators you need"
#43
Steam Deck
5.0
(1)
"Steam deck works great"
#44
MD.emu
5.0
(1)
"You can use the standalones: MelonDS, SNES9x EX+, DuckStation and MD.emu."
#45
Provenance
5.0
(1)
"Provenance myf. It’s on the AppStore"
#46
PS2
5.0
(1)
"The Best PS2 Emulator (ps2_emu its name)"
#47
SameBoy
5.0
(1)
"I’m a fan of SameBoy personally. Really straightforward, looks perfect and has easy to load up preferences for filters (GB/GB Color/Super GB) and is free."
#48
ES-DE
5.0
(1)
"ES-DE plays well with all emulators I’ve thrown at it so far and it’s fairly customizable."
#49
Kega Fusion
5.0
(1)
"Ah, the SEGA 'Kega Fusion' emulator... I think it's the best and it still works great on the newest Windows!"
#50
Morpheouscast
4.0
(1)
"Morpheouscast works best for my Dreamcast game."
#51
Dreamm
4.0
(1)
"Dreamm for LucasArts games up to the late 90s."
#52
Redfinger
4.0
(1)
"I found a new android simulator, Redfinger."
#53
MiSTer
4.0
(1)
"MiSTer"
#54
Nox Player
4.0
(1)
"I normally follow [this guide] for setting up any Android device for emulation."
#55
Infuse
4.0
(1)
"I'd add the Infuse emulator for Zeebo games."
#56
NetherAX2
4.0
(1)
"PS2: NetherAX2."
#57
Nether
4.0
(1)
"Nether for PS2."
#58
NesterJ
4.0
(1)
"For nes=NesterJ."
#59
Mupen64Plus
4.0
(1)
"Nintendo 64 - Muppen64 Plus."
#60
M64PlusFZ
4.0
(1)
"M64PlusFZ for N64."
#61
Melon
4.0
(1)
"Melon - DS."
#62
TouchHLE
4.0
(1)
"TouchHLE would make it easier to set up per-game controls."
#63
Ares
4.0
(1)
"I'd pick Ares."
#64
Genesis Plus GX
4.0
(1)
"Genesis Plus GX is most people's go to."
#65
Romstation
4.0
(1)
"Give a look to Romstation, an app with everything in"
#66
Emu4vita
4.0
(1)
"Use Emu4vita for a easy all in on solution"
#67
Drastic DS
4.0
(1)
"Drastic DS is good on android phones, it's worth the couple bucks"
#68
Anbernic RG351V
4.0
(1)
"I have the RG351V and RG556. both are great."
#69
Anbernic RG556
4.0
(1)
"The 556 is Android based so its really easy to use."
#70
OpenEmu
4.0
(1)
"I used to use openemu, had all emulators in one place"
#71
Mumuplayer
4.0
(1)
"I suggest mumuplayer since it perform better (if you have good pc)"
#72
GBA.emu
4.0
(1)
"GBA.emu is pretty solid imo."
#73
GBA Runner 2
4.0
(1)
"But still a solid and really good GBA solution for slot1 flashcards."
#74
GBA Runner 3
4.0
(1)
"There is also GBARunner3, which is meant to work preferably with Twilight Menu++."
#75
Vimm's Lair
4.0
(1)
"Vimm's Lair is pretty good for getting both the emulators and the games."
#76
Mumu
4.0
(1)
"I use Mumu and haven't had any problems."
#77
Picodrive
4.0
(1)
"Picodrive is the fastest sega emulator for arm boards."
#78
Homer's RIN
4.0
(1)
"For GB and GBC, I use Homer’s RIN v1.32"
#79
Folium
4.0
(1)
"Folium, on the App Store it's paid, but it's free to sideload it."
#80
matsu
3.0
(1)
"Matsu emulator, its not comparable to retroarch but it's a hassle free multi emulator."
#81
Skyline
2.0
(1)
"Switch - everything sucks but Skyline ig?"
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