How can we help?

Game Emulator is an iOS app for playing your own retro game files (homebrew, public-domain titles, or backups of cartridges you legally own) directly on iPhone or iPad. It supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance today, with NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and PlayStation planned.

No. Game Emulator is a tool, not a store. You bring the game files you legally own, and the app plays them. We never bundle, host, or link to copyrighted games.

The in-app browser (Library → ＋ → "Browse the web") includes curated bookmarks for sites that publish public-domain homebrew and test ROMs:

• Homebrew Hub — hundreds of public-domain GB / GBC / GBA homebrew.
• gbdev.io games — curated free games and tools.
• itch.io — indie homebrew, often free or pay-what-you-want.
• NESdev test ROMs — public-domain test programs.

You can also import backups you've created from cartridges or discs you personally own, where local law allows.

iOS 17 and later, on any iPhone or iPad with an Apple-designed CPU (A12 Bionic / arm64). The app also runs in "Designed for iPad" mode on Apple Silicon Macs.

Open the Library tab, tap ＋ in the top-right, choose Import from Files, then pick one or more ROM files. The app copies them into its own storage, deduplicates by SHA-1 hash, and registers them in your library.

Yes. On the sender device, share the ROM via AirDrop. On the receiving iPhone or iPad, choose Open in Game Emulator when prompted — the app launches, imports the file, and shows a green confirmation banner with a Play button.

Supported file extensions: .gba, .gb, .gbc, .nes, .smc / .sfc / .fig, .gen / .md / .smd, .iso / .cue / .img / .pbp / .chd, plus .zip archives.

On the device, open the Transfer tab. The app starts a tiny web server on your local Wi-Fi and shows a URL plus QR code. On a computer (or another phone) on the same network, open that URL in any browser. Drag-and-drop game files onto the page — they appear in the library instantly.

The Library's ＋ → Browse the web opens a built-in browser with bookmarks for legal homebrew sites. Tapping a download link routes the file straight into your library through the same import path Files / AirDrop use.

Open the game's detail view from the library, tap the ••• menu in the top-right, then choose Rename or Delete. Deleting also removes its save states.

Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance run with full emulation (powered by mGBA). NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and PlayStation are recognized and stored, but display a built-in test pattern instead of real gameplay until those cores are integrated.

That's the placeholder pattern shown for systems whose emulator core isn't integrated yet — currently NES, SNES, Genesis, and PlayStation. Game Boy / GBC / GBA games run normally.

No. Game Boy and Game Boy Color have a native resolution of 160 × 144 pixels (almost square). In portrait mode the image fills the full screen width but is short vertically because that's the original aspect ratio. Rotate the device to landscape, or change Settings → Display → Aspect Ratio to Stretch for a fullscreen (slightly distorted) view.

Tap the red ✕ Exit button at the top-left during gameplay. The game auto-saves on the way out. The hamburger menu (≡) at the top-right opens the quick menu for Pause, Save State, Load State, and Rewind.

Anything iOS supports natively, including:

• PlayStation DualSense (PS5) and DualShock 4 (PS4)
• Xbox Wireless Controller and Xbox Series X/S controllers
• MFi-certified controllers (Backbone One, GameSir, Razer Kishi, etc.)
• Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons and Pro Controller (iOS 16+)

Pair it through iOS Settings → Bluetooth, just like any accessory. Once connected, it shows up under Settings → External Controllers in the app, and works automatically during gameplay alongside the on-screen buttons.

Yes. Open Settings → Controls and choose the layout for your system (Two-button, Four-button, or DualShock). Drag any button in the preview to move it. You can also adjust opacity, size, and toggle haptics. Tap Reset in the toolbar to restore defaults.

A save state captures the entire emulated console at the exact moment you save — RAM, CPU registers, the lot — so you can resume right where you left off, even mid-cutscene or mid-boss. They're separate from in-game save files (which still work normally).

During gameplay, tap the ≡ menu in the top-right. The Quick Menu lets you save into a numbered slot or load any existing state. The game also auto-saves into slot 0 every time you exit, so you can always resume from where you stopped.

The free tier offers 3 manual slots per game (plus the auto-save slot). Premium unlocks unlimited slots.

Rewind is a Premium feature that captures the last 30 seconds of gameplay (configurable up to 5 minutes in Settings) and lets you step back if you take a hit or miss a jump. Available from the Quick Menu during gameplay.

• Unlimited save state slots
• Rewind (roll back the last 30 seconds)
• Advanced display shaders: CRT, Scanlines, Sharp-Bilinear
• No ads anywhere in the app

Open the paywall from Settings → Premium → Upgrade to Premium, or any Premium-locked feature. Pick Yearly, Monthly, or Lifetime, then tap the gradient subscribe button. Payment is handled by your Apple ID — no credit cards leave your device.

On the device, open the Settings app → tap your name at the top → Subscriptions → choose Game Emulator → Cancel Subscription. You can keep using Premium until the end of the current billing period.

Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account.

Open Settings → Premium in the app and tap Restore purchases. As long as you're signed into the same Apple ID, the entitlement transfers immediately.

Most often this means the ROM file is missing or unreadable. Try re-importing it. If it still fails, the file may be corrupted or encrypted (some download sources wrap files in unsupported formats). A clean homebrew file from Homebrew Hub is a good way to verify your install is healthy.

Check the silent switch on the side of your iPhone — even with volume up, the silent switch overrides games. Then check Settings → Audio → Volume in the app. If audio works for one game but not another, the issue is specific to that game's audio engine.

Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network. The first time the app opens this screen on a fresh install, iOS asks permission to discover devices on the local network — accept that prompt. If you dismissed it earlier, re-enable in iOS Settings → Game Emulator → Local Network.

Open Settings → Performance and switch the profile to Balanced or increase Frame Skip. Closing other apps in the background also helps on older devices.

Pull-to-refresh the Library tab and check the search bar — you may have a stale filter applied. Also check the Recent tab's "By System" section: the file may have been detected as a different system than expected (the auto-detection uses both file extension and ROM header bytes).

Emulators themselves are legal in most jurisdictions. What you put into them matters: only import files you have a legal right to use — homebrew, public-domain titles, or personal backups of cartridges you own where local law permits. Don't share copyrighted ROMs with anyone else.

The app does not include, distribute, or link to any copyrighted games. The in-app browser bookmarks point to homebrew and public-domain curators only.

Game files you import stay on your device. Beyond what's described in our Privacy Policy, the app does not upload your files anywhere. AdMob (used for the banner ads on the free tier) collects standard anonymous metrics — you can opt out of personalized ads via the App Tracking Transparency prompt or in iOS Settings → Privacy → Tracking.

Yes, all console and game brand names are trademarks of their respective owners. References within the app describe file formats only. Game Emulator is not affiliated with or endorsed by any console manufacturer.