Best NES Emulators for Android phones and tablets
What would you play first? Bomberman, Super Mario Bros, Contra?
Updated by Ivan Spasojevic on March 14, 2024 - New emulator added
Anyone who sheds a tear or two at the mere mention of NES games should definitely go through this list of the best NES emulators for Android and crank the nostalgia through the roof after downloading them!
The Nintendo Entertainment System, is an 8-bit, cartridge-based home video game console, released by Nintendo almost 40 years ago, in the distant 1983. Known in Japan as the Family Computer or Famicom, it became one of the best-selling consoles of all time, with total sales close to 62 million.
In total, 704 known licensed games were released for the console, with the final release being Lion King (PAL exclusive) in 1995. Among these, 75 games sold over a million copies (at least) worldwide.
When talking about ‘systems’ that left their mark on gaming history, the NES is near the top of that list.
The list of best NES emulators for Android devices
Many many years ago, Pasofami was the first emulator for NES. Soon after, iNES followed. Nowadays? Way too many to name them all. That’s why, in this article, we will take a look at the best available NES emulators for Android devices.Nostalgia.NES (NES Emulator)
Nostalgia.NES is easily one of (if not THE) best NES emulators for Android out there. It has pretty much everything that you can ask for. Customizable layout ( can adjust size and position of the controls), save and load game states that can be shared via Bluetooth, mail, or other apps. Also, there is a rewind option and Wi-Fi controller mode that supports up to 4 players. Nostalgia.NES was released back in 2013 and was last updated in 2023. The lite version of this Android NES emulator is free, but it can be upgraded to the PRO version to get rid of the ads.
Download Nostalgia.NESRetroArch
We have included RetroArch in other various emulators lists in the past and for a good reason. RetroArch isn’t exactly an emulator though. It’s something like an emulator hub that supports multiple emulators for different systems. Not recommended for beginner users, but if you are a more advanced user who knows what to do, then you should give this one a try. When it comes to NES, RetroArch offers Nestopia UE and FCEUmm cores. Highly customizable and free.
Download RetroArchMultiness GP (multiplayer retro 8 bits emulator)
A free Android NES emulator based on Nestopia core, which is probably the best NES core. A very interesting feature of Multiness is that the user can join online public servers (created by other users) or simply invite friends through social media for some multiplay gaming. Not only that, but it also gives users the ability to use voice chat and text during multiplayer. It offers editable virtual controls, custom cheat codes and a turbo button option.
Download Multiness GPLemuroid
Lemuroid is an open-source emulator that's very different from anything else on this list. It is based on Libretro, and it supports 23 different game systems. It's an all-in-one emulator that you can use for whatever retro system you'd like to start and play on. Another important bit is that it's completely free to play without nasty ads that will ruin your playing experience.
As for technical bits, it supports local multiplay, and it has controller support on top of it, so you can play with friends or family members. Lemuroid has other quality-of-life improvements like save and load and complete cloud save synchronisation.
Download LemuroidSuper8Plus
Super8Plus is another Android NES emulator that looks a lot like Nostalgia.NES. Its interface is simple but it offers pretty much everything that you want in an emulator. Fully customizable layout (size and position), adjustable game screen layout and rewind option. It’s totally free but the ads can be annoying at times. You can’t set your ROM path manually, but the auto-scan works with no problems.
Download Super8PlusNES.emu
NES.emu emulator provides support for all kinds of Bluetooth devices and gamepads, as well as support for Wii Mote. Besides this, the emulator perfectly works with zip archives and can take screenshots. Also, you can adjust the sound and video or turn off the sound or change the sample rate. There is a setting to display the image in vertical or horizontal orientation. Also, there is an autoload of the last save.
Download NES.emuNES Emulator FAQ
Android NES Emulators? How do they work?
The emulator is an application that “emulates” or “imitates” another system. Running an emulator on your Android device will allow you to “run” software developed in that system. But that’s all an emulator is. If you want to play games, you are going to need a ROM.ROM? Why do I need that?
To put it as simply as possible, whenever you read or hear the term ROM (Read-Only Memory), think of game files. That’s what it is essentially, the game files that an original cartridge contains. But since we can’t really use a cartridge on our mobile device, we need the ROM files. Once you have them, you load them up on the emulator of your choice and you can enjoy your favorite game. That simple.
Best selling NES games and hits
Some of the best-selling NES games include titles that shaped gaming for years to come. “Super Mario Bros” defined the side-scroller genre and “The Legend of Zelda” established the genre of action-adventure games. If you have ever heard of the genre “Metroidvania”, which originates from the NES games Metroid and Castlevania. Now, if you are a gamer, chances are that you’ve heard about Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and Mega Man once or twice. But the list goes on and on. So many legendary games, that we can’t name them all.What if you want to play some of these games now? Well, unless you own an NES and the cartridge of your favorite game(s), you are going to need an emulator and the ROM files.
