The iOS is a walled garden, and beautiful as it is, it is not the best platform for emulation. It is a shame though, given how powerful and efficient iOS hardware is nowadays. There has been a recent development that Apple will allow third-party stores and sideloading on their devices without all the inconvenience that is pervasive in the emulation scene on the iPhone as of this writing.
Below are the top emulators that work on your iPhone through simple methods like loading games on your browser to complex ways like using the AltStore or Cydia Impactor.
1. Game Play Color (Game Boy / Game Boy Color)
Game Play Color is a Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator. It has a clever workaround to Apple’s devices’ limited, walled garden strategy. Most emulators require a Mac to build an Xcode project. Then you’ll need an iOS developer certificate to run it on iOS.
With Game Play Color, you don’t need any of those difficulties. It simply requires Safari to run because it is a Progressive Web App (PWA). Regrettably, it also requires a Google Drive account to save your ROMs. Given that you are an Apple customer or any person who values their privacy, you may have privacy concerns with this strategy. Nonetheless, it performs admirably for what it is.
Pros
- Does not require jailbreak or sideloading
Cons
- Requires Google Drive
2. Javatari (Atari 2600)
The Atari 2600 is not the most demanding video game console hardware to emulate hence Javatari was able to run it off on a browser on your iPhone.
Javatari is compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Safari on desktop computers, as well as iOS and Android apps. If you opt to play on your smartphone or tablet, the touch controls can be adjusted and even provide haptic feedback. Javatari can also be installed as a WebApp and used offline on a desktop or mobile device. Adjustable speed, savestates, and screen capture are all standard emulator capabilities. Advanced features such as a debugger and multiplayer via Netplay! is also an option.
Pros
- Accurate
- In active development
- Lots of features including multiplayer
- Can be used as WebApp
Cons
- Only for Atari 2600
Open on your browser (All Platforms)
The emulators below require you to either jailbreak your device or use the AltStore or use certificates or join the Apple Developer Program. These are all risky maneuvers, may break your device, and/or on top of everything else, is expensive as you either have to pony up some fees or have a Macbook / Mac. Installing these emulators devices below is not recommended, oh, at all.
3. Retroarch (All Emulator Cores)
Retroarch is not an emulator in the traditional sense. It serves as a front-end program for running emulators. It emulates games on ports of these standalone programs. The advantage of using Retroarch as an emulation program for your iOS device is it covers all your emulation needs due to the sheer amount of cores it has. This means you will only have to use install one “emulator”.
It has been reported that most of the cores are working, but the entire experience is a PITA. From “refreshing” the unapproved app every week to having big and small issues. These issues will not necessarily be fixed immediately since there are no dedicated Retroarch developers for Apple mobile devices.
Retroarch’s settings and customizations are excellent. The UI may be modified to fit the size of the screen, whether you play on a small screen like a smartphone or a large screen like a TV. It may be exhausting to look for those options, but they do exist. Due to the aspect ratio (and, honestly, the amazing display quality) of these Apple devices, some emulated games look perfect, like Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS family of devices on the iPad. On the iPhone though, due to its non-4:3 aspect ratio, they do not look that good compared to iPads.
Retroarch’s remarkable feature is how it decreases input lag. This is especially vital if you are playing in an untested and unmaintained environment for Retroarch. Most games require input precision hence, the need to compensate for this lag, without resorting to plugins and hacks, is very much appreciated, Depending on the game, you can fiddle with the VSync, Hard GPU sync, and Runahead options.
Pros
- Highly configurable
- Miraculous input lag reduction
- Available in a surprisingly broad range of gaming hardware including the PSP and the 3DS
Cons
- Not beginner friendly
- Menu digging
Download from the Official Website (All Platforms)
4. Delta (NES, SNES, N64, GBC, GBA, DS)
Delta is similar to Retroarch in way that it is a frontend application that employs the cores as emulators and it does use the same cores as that of Retroarch like Gambatte and Genesis Plus GX. This emulator can run the older Nintendo systems namely the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Nintendo 64, the Game Boy / Game Boy Color, and the Nintendo DS. This emulator is being developed by the person who also made AltStore.
While most of the systems have decent performance and compatibility, the Nintendo DS emulation is not great. It also looks like the development of this emulator has stagnated.
Pros
- Good compatibility across different systems
Cons
- Stagnated development
- DS emulation is a struggle
Follow the Instructions from GitHub
5. Provenance (Atari, Sega, SNK, Sony, Nintendo Systems)
Provenance is the same way as Retroarch that it uses ports of standalone emulators to emulate systems. This multi-system emulator can emulate Atari systems like the Atari 2600 and the Atari Lynx with Stella and Mednafen, respectively, as their base emulator.
Pros
- Multi-system
Cons
- Installing methods is complex
Follow the Instructions from the Official Website
6. DolphiniOS (GameCube, Wii)
DolphiniOS is the unofficial iOS port of the GameCube / Wii Emulator. It will not have parity with the actual Dolphin emulator but at least it brings its stability and capability to your iPhone.
Pros
- Emulates Wii and GameCube games
Cons
- Complex instructions for installation