Every gamer who has at least played classic retro games on an emulator on their Android device will tell you that there’s always something left to be desired with the free options. While some are excellent platforms, carrying advanced features similar to their paid counterparts, the gameplay that majority experience is always verging on lacklustre.
So if you’re looking for paid emulators, it’s always a good idea to read up on them first before parting with your money. Most paid ones aren’t ludicrously priced, but then again, you’d still want the best since you’ve paid for it. Here are the best emulators for Android you can buy:
NES.emu ($4)
Probably one of the best NES emulators right now, NES.emu gives its users solid gameplay across all titles, as well as saving capabilities. It supports a plethora of extensions as well, from zipped ROMs to .fds files. Of course, native .nes files are automatically identified and installed.
One of the best features of the app is its backup memory, which you can access to improve your gaming experience. It’s one of the best emulators for android with excellent device support, so a device as old as the Xperia Play can still run it without a struggle. Configurable touch screen controls are a plus, and the intuitive gamepad and keyboard support aren’t shabby either.
DrasticDS Emulator ($4.99)
If you prefer stability over anything else in your choice of an emulator, then DrasticDS is the one for you. The number of games supported by the app is second to none, and almost all of the games loaded works perfectly fine with no virtual hiccups. It’s mainly for Nintendo DS games, though.
The app supports 3D rendering for some high-end devices, which lets you play and blast the game’s resolution to at most twice the original set-up. It also fully supports add-on controllers for better gameplay while the Google Drive sync for your games makes it easier to load your saved games from anywhere.
ePSXe for Android ($3.75)
The power and beauty of this apply in its simplicity. At its core, ePSXe is a Playstation emulator. That’s it. It does not advertise itself as something else but relies instead on how easy and simplistic it is to play within the app. Similar to the PC emulator that originated it, ePSXe supports native games from PSone and PSX.
With ePSXe, expect great speed in loading installed games, excellent mic and sound sync, and optimization for tablets and phones. The split-screen mode is an excellent feature for multiplayer set-ups, and the app can support up to 4 players at once. Included hardware button mapping for external controllers, should you choose it, is more than excellent as well.
John NESS ($4.49)
One of the most straightforward emulators out there, the suite of John emulators for different gaming platforms always are a safe bet for gamers. With the NESS version, you can play SNES and NES games flawlessly, expertly rendered, and accurate as it could be. It has support for zipped files and folders as well, and cheats are available in almost every game you install on it.
Controller support is excellent, with Bluetooth and MOGA capabilities. Key and layouts are customizable, with saved games support plus previews. Dropbox is supported, but you’d need to have the accompanying John DataSync app. There’s a free trial too, for test driving—all in all, a truly excellent paid emulator.
Takeaway
With these paid emulators, you’d be sure to have a smooth gaming experience, save your games easily, and play some titles which aren’t available or aren’t supported by free ones. There’s always the argument that free emulators are as good as the paid ones, but that is beside the point. With free emulators, you sacrifice a lot and make concessions because of ads and other bloatware, but with paid ones, you’ll never have these problems at all!
