Emulators on Switch
The Switch in its two forms, portable (above) and docked (below). | |
Developer | Nintendo |
---|---|
Type | Hybrid video game console |
Generation | Eighth generation |
Release date | 2017 |
Predecessor | Wii U |
Emulated | ✓ |
Since the Nintendo Switch was hacked early in its launch, there has been a lot of interest for emulators due to the Switch's portability. These emulators will only work on Switches with CFW on them, i.e. Switch consoles susceptible to the Tegra hardware exploit. For more information and guides on how to homebrew your Switch, or if you even can, visit r/SwitchHacks.
Contents
Multi-Systems
RetroArch
Cores | Game/System list | Recommended Working? |
---|---|---|
PPSSPP | PlayStation Portable | ✓ |
PCSX ReARMed | PlayStation 1 | ✓ |
DeSmuME | DS | ✓ |
MelonDS | ||
Gambatte | GameBoy/GameBoy Color | ✓ |
Gearboy | ✓ | |
TGB Dual | ✓ | |
mGBA | GameBoy Advance | ✓ |
VBA Next | ✓ | |
FCEUmm | NES/FDS | ✓ |
Nestopia | ✓ | |
QuickNES | ✓ | |
Mesen | ||
Mupen64Plus | N64 | ✓ |
PokeMini | Pokemon Mini | ✓ |
Snes9x 2010 & Current | SNES | ✓ |
Bsnes | ||
bsnes-hd | ||
Mesen S | ||
Beetle VB | Virtual Boy | ✓ |
MAME | 2000, 2003, 2003 Plus | ✓ |
FBAlpha | Arcade | ✓ |
Neko Project II Kai | PC9801 | ✓ |
Beetle PCE FAST | PCE/PCE CD | ✓ |
Beetle PC-FX | PC-FX | ✓ |
Beetle SGX | SuperGrafx | ✓ |
Flycast | Dreamcast | ✓ |
GearSystem | MasterSystem/GameGear | ✓ |
Genesis Plus GX | MasterSystem/GameGear/MegaDrive/Genesis/CD | ✓ |
PicoDrive | MasterSystem/GameGear/MegaDrive/Genesis/CD/32X | ✓ |
Yabause | Saturn | ✓ |
4DO | 3DO | ✓ |
P-UAE | Amiga Series | ✓ |
Beetle WonderSwan [Cygne] | WonderSwan/Color | ✓ |
DOSBox | MS-DOS | ✓ |
Vecx | Vectrex | ✓ |
O2EM | Odyssey2 / Phillips Videopac+ | ✓ |
FreeIntv | Intellivision | ✓ |
fMSX | MSX | ✓ |
NeoCD | Neo Geo CD | ✓ |
Mu | Palm OS | ✓ |
EasyRPG | RPG Maker 2000/2003 | ✓ |
PX68k | Sharp X68000 | ✓ |
ScummVM | point-and-click adventure game engine | ✓ |
EightyOne | Sinclair - ZX 81 | ✓ |
Beetle Neo Geo Pocket [NGP] | Neo Geo Pocket / Color | ✓ |
Theodore | TO8D | ✓ |
FUSE | ZX Spectrum | ✓ |
Caprice32 | CPC/CPC464 | ✓ |
CrocoDS | ✓ | |
Stella | Atari 2600 | ✓ |
ProSystem | Atari 7800 | ✓ |
Beetle Handy | Atari Lynx | ✓ |
Virtual Jaguar | Atari Jaguar | ✓ |
VICE | C64 | ✓ |
MrBoom | Bomberman | ✓ |
NXEngine | Cave Story | ✓ |
OpenBOR | Open BOR Game Engine | ✓ |
PrBoom | Doom | ✓ |
Reminiscence | Flashback Game Engine | ✓ |
GW | Game & Watch | ✓ |
Cannonball | OutRun | ✓ |
TyrQuake | Quake | ✓ |
XRick | Rick Dangerous | ✓ |
OpenLara | Tomb Raider | ✓ |
Streaming
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Moonlight-NX | git | ✓ | ✓ | Mid | ~ |
Intel CPUs
Name | Latest Version | 8086*¹ | 286 | 386*² | 486*³ | Pentium*⁴ | Pentium II*⁵ | Celeron*⁶ | Pentium III*⁷ | Pentium 4*⁸ | FLOSS | Active | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UniPCemu | itch.io | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ? |
*¹8086 emulation includes the 8088 CPU. *²386 emulation includes the SX and SL. *³486 emulation includes variants. *⁴Pentium emulation includes variants. *⁵Pentium II emulation includes variants. *⁶Celeron emulation includes variants. *⁷Pentium III emulation includes variants. *⁸Pentium 4 emulation includes variants.
Nintendo
Nintendo 3DS
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citra | POC | ? | ✓ | ? | ? |
Nintendo 64
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GlideN64 | 3.0 | ? | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
NES
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
pNES (based on Nestopia) | git | ✓ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
NES - Nintendo Switch Online | Service | ✗ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
LaiNES | git | ✓ | ✗ | Mid | ✗ |
NoiES | git | ✓ | ✗ | Mid | ✗ |
NESwitch | git | ✓ | ✗ | Mid | ✗ |
SNES
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
pSNES | git | ✓ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
SNES - Nintendo Switch Online | Service | ✗ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
Gameboy / Color
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PlutoBoy | git | ✓ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
khedgb | Update 7 | ✗ | ✗ | Low | ~ |
Gameboy Advance
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
mGBA | 0.10.3git | ✓ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
VBA-Next | git | ✓ | ✗ | Mid | ~ |
gdkGBA | git | ✓ | ✗ | Low | ✗ |
Switch-gba | git | ✓ | ✗ | Low | ? |
VBA-M NX | git | ✓ | ✗ | Low | ? |
Nintendo DS
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | DSi | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
melonDS (fork of melonDS) | git | ✓ | ✓ | ~ | Mid | ~ |
NooDS | git | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | Mid | ✗ (WIP) |
DeSmuME-NX | git | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | Low | ✗ |
Game & Watch
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MADrigal Switch | 10-05-2020 | ✗ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
Atari
Atari 130 / 800 / 5200
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atari800-switch | git | ✓ | ✗ | Mid | ~ |
SEGA
Saturn
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yaba Sanshiro | 2.2.0 | ✗ | ✓ | Mid | ~ |
Dreamcast
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
reicast | Alpha | ✗ | ✗ | Mid | ~ |
Flycast | CI Buildsgit | ✓ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
Sony
Playstation
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PCSX-ReARMed | git | ✓ | ✗ | Low | ✗ |
Playstation Portable
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PPSSPP | 1.9.3+ | ✓ | ✓ | High | ✓ |
PS Vita
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vita2hos | git | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ✗ |
Arcade
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
pFBN | git | ✓ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
MAME-NX (based on MAME 0.72) | git | ✓ | ✓ | Mid | ~ |
Commodore
Amiga
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UAE4All2 | git | ✓ | ✓ | Mid | ✓ |
SNK Play more
Neo Geo Pocket / Color
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Neopop-SDL | git | ✓ | ✗ | Mid | ~ |
Chip8
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chip8-NX | git | ✓ | ✗ | Mid | ~ |
Microsoft
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Accuracy | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
DOSBox-switch | git | ✓ | ✗ | Mid | ~ |
Bochs | git | ✓ | ✗ | Low | ✗ |
Alternate Operating Systems
Name | Version | FLOSS | Active | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|
Switchroot Android | 17.1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Switchroot Linux | Various | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Lakka | 5.0 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Switchroot Android
A build of Android 10 "Q" for the Switch, based on Lineage OS 17.1. Since it shares the same Nvidia Tegra X1 system-on-chip, the build is based off the Nvidia Shield TV build of LineageOS. Its most notable feature is the ability to work both in handheld and docked mode and using the Joycons as a Bluetooth controller (though not all apps may detect them correctly). There is also another build that lets the Switch function as an Android TV box. Many emulators and Android software can run, including DraStic, Dolphin, and Citra.
Switchroot Linux
Many GNU/Linux distributions are available, including Ubuntu Bionic and Focal, Fedora, and Gentoo. With these, it is possible to run many emulators and software for GNU/Linux on these systems. Play! has had some success with playing PS2 games on Ubuntu, albeit at around 10 FPS.
Source ports
Multi game engine
Name | Version | FLOSS | Libretro Core | Active | Recommended | Supported game(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ScummVM | 2.5.1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Adventure games and RPGs (LucasArts, Sierra, Activision, Humongous & more. Over 250 games.) |
OpenBOR | git | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Pak mods |
EasyRPG | 0.8 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | RPG Maker 2000/2003 games |
Commander Genius | 2.6.3.1 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons, Commander Keen in Keen Dreams, Commander Keen in Goodbye Galaxy, Commander Keen in Aliens Ate My Babysitter |
Single game engine
Name | Version | FLOSS | Libretro Core | Active | Recommended | Supported game(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pinball | ||||||
SpaceCadetPinball | git | ✓ | ✗ | ? | ✓ | 3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet |
Platform | ||||||
Cave Story Engine 2 | Website |
✗[N 1] | ✗ | ✗[N 1] | ? | Cave Story |
NXEngine-evo | git | ? | ✗ | ✗ | ? | Cave Story |
RVM Sonic CD | git | ✓ | ✗ | ? | ? | Sonic the Hedgehog CD (2011)[N 2] |
Sonic 1 and 2 (2013) | git | ✓ | ✗ | ? | ? | Sonic the Hedgehog 1 (2013)[N 2], Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2013)[N 2] |
Sonic 3 A.I.R. (Angel Island Revisited) | Website | ✗ | ✗ | ? | ? | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles |
Sonic CD (2011) | git | ✓ | ✗ | ? | ? | Sonic the Hedgehog CD (2011)[N 2] |
RPG | ||||||
DevilutionX | git | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Diablo |
OpenMW (unofficial) | git | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ~ | The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind |
TBS | ||||||
Fheroes2 | git | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ~ | Heroes of Might and Magic II |
Sim - City-building | ||||||
Julius Augustus (gameplay changes) |
git git |
✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Caesar III |
Visual Novel | ||||||
ONScripter-jh | git | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Visual Novel
|
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 There is also an official Nintendo Switch remake called Cave Story+ with 3D graphics and the most features out of any other existing version (making it the "definitive version") that may be more recommendable depending on the user's preference. Cave Story Engine 2, or CSE2 for short, is a source port of the classic Cave Story by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya. CSE2 came with a portable version and an enhanced version of the original freeware but in November 2020, the CSE2 source port has received a DMCA cease and desist notice from Nicalis, the current IP owner of Cave Story, and the unofficial Switch port received a DMCA cease and desist as well.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Sega Forever classics version on Android or iOS can also be used.