Best N64 Emulators for Android phones and tablets
We will take a look at the best N64 emulators for Android devices and if the nostalgia doesn't hit you, please ask yourself if you are even a human.
The Nintendo 64 is a fifth-generation home video game console and was Nintendo’s answer to the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn consoles, and the successor of the SNES system. Released back in 1996, the Nintendo 64 was the last major home game console to use cartridges as its primary storage unit, until Nintendo Switch.
With over 30 million unit sales worldwide and many more games sold, the Nintendo 64 is one of the most recognizable video game consoles of all time.
It's hard to pick the best N64 emulator
N64 emulator for Android is an app that will allow you to run software designed for the Nintendo 64 home game console. There are multiple such apps out there, but keep in mind that none of these apps include games. In order to play any game, on any emulator, you are going to need the ROM files of that game.
Now that we've covered the basics, it's time to get on with our list of the best Nintendo 64 emulators for Android devices! Let's get right into it.
1
Lemuroid
An open-source all-in-one emulator (not just N64), Lemuroid was released on Jan 21st, 2020 and it’s still getting updates to this day. The app is totally free on Google Play Store and it offers quick save/load support, ROM scanning, gamepad support, cloud save sync, fast forward and local multiplayer. It supports a lot of other systems too, not just N64, so there is a good reason it's the first one we are mentioning. Free and versatile, what else can you ask for?
Lemuroid on Google Play Store
2
RetroArch
I wouldn’t recommend RetroArch to a novice user. With that being said, if you can manage to set it up (after doing some online searching), it offers some of the best free emulators out there for multiple systems. When it comes to Nintendo 64, RetroArch includes two emulators, Mupen64Plus-Next GLES2 and GLES3. There’s a large community and forums around the net that can answer any questions that you might have. It is probably the most powerful emulator on the market, with a plethora of options, but as we have already stated - it's not meant for everyone and takes some time to pick up most of it.
RetroArch on Google Play Store
3
Super64 Plus
Super 64 Plus is a Nintendo 64 emulator For Android that supports Android 5.0+ devices. The emulator is also suitable for Android 11. Autosave, save and load state, resize and edit layout. It was released back in 2019 but to this day the developers will answer your comments/questions on the Google Play Store. Oh and the best part? It’s free, doesn't have any ads, and controls are fully customisable. Takes around a minute to install it and start poking around with it. Simple and free.
Super64 Plus on Google Play Store
4
Mupen64Plus FZ - Project64
A bit different N64 emulator, for the pure fact that it has a bunch of built-in games. There's an option to support local ROMs as well, but if you're looking for the simplest solution, this would be it. Besides emulating the N64, there's an option to emulate the Super Nintendo and NES. You'll be able to save and load your current state now, as the developer has added this option recently.
The only downside that we found is ads, but those can be removed by paying $5, so it's not a big deal. The developer is still actively updating it, so we might expect new features in the future.
Mupen64Plus FZ - Project64 on Google Play Store
5
Legendary games on Nintendo N64
In terms of game sales, a total of 393 titles (a few were exclusively available in Japan) were released and among them, some have achieved legendary status. Games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, GoldenEye 007, Donkey Kong 64 and Pokemon Stadium are some of the most well-known titles to the gamers of that generation. Of course, we can’t forget Super Mario 64, the best-selling Nintendo 64 game with more than 11 million copies.
These days, as the Nintendo 64 keeps getting older, retro gamers and collectors are struggling to get their hands on those old cartridges. Games such as Harvest Moon, Bomberman, Super Bowling, and Conker’s Bad Fur Day, can go for hundreds of dollars on eBay. A copy of ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut was sold for over $14.000 in February of 2020! Madness.
Another interesting fact is that the console established a large “speed-running” community that remains strong to this day for the most part with over 40% of Nintendo 64 games having speed runs.
- Maybe you are also interested in PlayStation emulators and Game Boy emulators?
