Emulators on 3DS

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Nintendo 3DS
3ds.png
Developer Nintendo
Type Handheld game console
Generation Eighth generation
Release date 2011
Discontinued 2020
Predecessor Nintendo DS
Emulated
For software that emulates the 3DS, see Nintendo 3DS emulators.

Because of the homebrewing scene the 3DS has had, you can install a variety of emulators. Currently, the New 3DS is capable of running much faster than the older models, making it a much more ideal platform for emulation, but despite this there are still some emulators that have issues regardless. For more information on how to homebrew your 3DS, visit 3ds.hacks.guide.

Multi-Systems[edit]

RetroArch[edit]

There are official 3DS ports:

Available cores (as of Retroarch 1.19.1)
Core Game/System Recommended?
(New 3DS)
Recommended?
(Old 3DS)
Notes
2048 2048
CrocoDS Amstrad - CPC TBD ~15fps o3ds
Caprice32 Amstrad - CPC/GX4000 TBD ~18fps o3ds
Anarch Anarch TBD ~10fps o3ds
FinalBurn Alpha 2012 CPS-1 Arcade
FinalBurn Alpha 2012 CPS-2
FinalBurn Alpha 2012 CPS-3 ~ ~35fps/~50fps, most games are too slow to run even on New 3DS, though JoJo runs almost full speed
FinalBurn Alpha 2012 Neo Geo ~ ~40fps/~50fps. A few games are unable to be loaded due to memory constraints
FinalBurn Alpha 2012
  • Uses FBA v0.2.97.30 ROM sets
  • Main core (fbalpha2012_libretro) does not work, but platform-specific cores run at full speed
FinalBurn Neo ~ TBD Some games may crash your 3DS when using it.(Example: Metal Slug X).
MAME 2000 TBD TBD
MAME 2003 TBD TBD
MAME 2003-Plus TBD TBD
Ardens Arduboy TBD TBD
Arduous TBD ~ ~15fps o3ds
Stella 2014 Atari - 2600 ~ ~60fps n3ds, 43fps o3ds. Resorting to DS(i) mode, a well performing choice is StellaDS, which is included into TWiLightMenu++.
a5200 Atari - 5200 ~60fps
Atari800 ~ ~60fps n3ds, 40fps o3ds so you might consider other options like the a5200 core or the atari800-3ds standalone emulator, which reachs fullspeed in o3ds. Resorting to DS(i) mode, a well performing choice is A7800DS, which is included into TWiLightMenu++.
ProSystem Atari - 7800 ~ ~60fps, 25fps o3ds
Handy Atari - Lynx ~ ~50fps o3ds, a bit slow and choppy audio. You'd better use handy3ds standalone emulator.
Beetle Cygne Bandai - WonderSwan / Color ~ ~30-50fps o3ds. Resorting to DS(i) mode, a well performing choice is NitroSwan, which is included into TWiLightMenu++.
NXEngine Cave Story
JAXE CHIP-8/S-CHIP/XO-CHIP
GearColeco Coleco - ColecoVision TBD ~ ~40fps o3ds. Resorting to DS(i) mode, a generally better performing choice is ColecoDS, which is included into TWiLightMenu++.
VICE x128 Commodore - C128 TBD ~5fps o3ds
Frodo Commodore - C64 TBD ~ ~20fps o3ds
VICE x64 fast TBD ~15fps o3ds. old3ds users may prefer the standalone vice3ds which has better performance and a clean UI
VICE x64sc accurate TBD ~3fps o3ds
VICE xscpu64 Commodore - C64 SuperCPU TBD TBD
VICE xcbm5x0 Commodore - CBM-II 5x0 TBD TBD
VICE xcbm2 Commodore - CBM-II 6x0/7x0 TBD TBD
VICE xpet Commodore - PET TBD TBD
VICE xplus4 Commodore - Plus/4 TBD TBD
VICE xvic Commodore - VIC-20 TBD TBD
PrBoom Doom TBD ~ unstable framerate on o3ds with many slowdowns
DOSBox-SVN DOS TBD TBD
bk Elektronika - BK-0010/BK-0011(M) TBD TBD
FreeChaF Fairchild ChannelF
Game Music Emu Game Music Emu TBD TBD
VecX GCE - Vectrex ~55fps n3ds, 14fps o3ds
Gong Gong
GW Handheld Electronic ~ ~58fps n3ds, 30fps o3ds
SquirrelJME Java ME TBD TBD
Jump 'n Bump Jump 'n Bump
LowRes NX LowRes NX ~50-55fps o3ds, mostly playable
Lutro Lua Engine
minivmac Mac II TBD ~10fps o3ds
O2EM Magnavox - Odyssey ² / Phillips Videopac+ ~ ~60fps n3ds, 50fps o3ds (playable)
FreeIntv Mattel - Intellivision some sporadic slowdowns in o3ds but playable
fMSX Microsoft - MSX TBD TBD
MicroW8 MicroW8 TBD TBD
Bomberman Mr. Boom ~ ~45-60 FPS o3ds, minor slowdowns
blueMSX MSX/SVI/ColecoVision/SG-1000 TBD TBD
Beetle PCE fast NEC - PC Engine / CD ~ Old 3ds 30-40 FPS, use standalone temperpce_3ds instead
QUASI88 NEC - PC-8000 / PC-8800 series TBD TBD
Neko Project II Kai (猫Project II改) NEC - PC-98 ~ TBD Neko Project II Kai requires you to use it's own emulation menu, requiring you to use the "Joy2Mouse" function or the c-stick. These menus are extremely small given the 3DS's screen size, but allow you to run games. Some games will have slowdown, such as the Touhou games. You may prefer to use the standalone NP2 for 3DS, as it uses the touch screen for enlarged menus, keyboard support, and allows you to use both screens.
Neko Project II TBD ~15fps old3ds
DoubleCherryGB Nintendo - Game Boy / Color ~ based on TGBDual so nearly equal performance
Gambatte Old 3ds users may prefer one of the several standalone emulators for GB/GBC. A few resource-intensive GBC games run well only in the DSi (not 3DS) build of GameYob, which is included into TWiLightMenu++.
Gearboy TBD too slow in old3ds even for GB
TGB Dual ~ ~60fps new3ds, unstable GBC framerate in old3ds
mGBA Nintendo - Game Boy Advance acceptable with Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, but some games are slow to use, even on New 3DS, at present. Currently no support for tilt controls (Yoshi's Tilt n' Tumble, Warioware Twisted.
gpSP ~30-60 FPS o3ds with dynarec, some games are playable, but VC injection, mGBA, or open_agb_firm are better choices
FCEUmm Nintendo - NES / Famicom Old 3ds 10-20 FPS
Nestopia UE ~55-60 FPS
QuickNES old3ds users may prefer the standalone virtuanes_3ds which may perform better depending on the game.
PokeMini Nintendo - Pokemon Mini
Snes9x 2002 (PocketSNES) Nintendo - SNES / SFC less compatible than CATSFC, but faster, so can actually run many special chip games at full speed. old3ds users may prefer the continuation of the standalone snes9x_3ds which has better performance, and new 3DS users may also prefer it for SuperFX Chips/Mode 7 games.
Snes9x 2005 (CATSFC) ~55-60 FPS on standard games, ~50 FPS on Super FX games. A bit slower than Snes9x 2002.
Snes9x 2005+ (CATSFC Plus) Same as Snes9x 2005 but with better sound, at the cost of a few FPS, has more accurate audio, slower
Snes9x 2010 (Snes9x Next) Most accurate but slowest SNES core (~40 FPS),too slow to use even on New 3DS at present
Beetle VB Nintendo - Virtual Boy ~ ~25-30 FPS n3ds, 7 FPS o3ds. The Red-Viper standalone emulator has much better performance.
Mu Palm OS TBD TBD
Retro8 Pico-8 simple games run fullspeed on o3ds. You might prefer the standalone fake-08 emulator which has better compatibility
PocketCDG PocketCDG
TyrQuake Quake TBD ~ slowdowns everywhere on o3ds even using the. minimal internal resolution, but somewhat playable
vitaQuake 2 Quake II TBD TBD
vitaQuake 2 Rogue Quake II - Ground Zero TBD TBD
vitaQuake 2 Xatrix Quake II - The Reckoning TBD TBD
vitaQuake 2 Zaero Quake II - Zaero TBD TBD
XRick Rick Dangerous
ScummVM ScummVM TBD TBD
SMS Plus GX Sega - MS/GG TBD ~ 50-60 fps o3ds with noticeable slowdowns
Genesis Plus GX Wide Sega - MS/GG/MD/CD TBD TBD
Genesis Plus GX Redbook audio hangs when suspending or pausing RetroArch
PicoDrive Sega - MS/GG/MD/CD/32X ~ 2D games run full speed, 3D games run about 30 FPS or less. old3ds users may prefer the standalone picodrive_3ds which has better performance.
Gearsystem Sega - MS/GG/SG-1000 TBD ~15fps o3ds
X Millennium Sharp X1 TBD TBD
EightyOne (81) Sinclair - ZX 81 TBD ~ ~15fps o3ds
FUSE Sinclair - ZX Spectrum ~60fps. You may prefer the standalone zxds (the 3ds build) which has a way better interface.
NeoCD SNK - Neo Geo CD TBD TBD
Beetle NeoPop SNK - Neo Geo Pocket / Color ~ Old 3ds 20-30 FPS, Use Race! Instead
Race TBD TBD
PCSX ReARMed Sony - PlayStation Can go up to ~50-60 FPS n3ds at standard resolution, 20fps o3ds. Later games can have unplayable slowdowns (Gran Turismo 2).
Super Bros. War Super Bros. War TBD TBD
Numero Texas Instruments TI-83 TBD TBD
Opera The 3DO Company - 3DO ~8fps (Technically works but is unplayably slow)
The Powder Toy The Powder Toy ~5fps o3ds, large slowdowns on n3ds, excessively large resolution for the 3DS's screen.
Theodore Thomson - MO/TO
TIC-80 TIC-80 TBD ~ ~35fps o3ds
Uzem Uzebox TBD ~10fps o3ds
VaporSpec VaporSpec
WASM-4 WASM-4 TBD ~ mixed results for o3ds, from too fast to painfully slow and crashes
Potator Watara - Supervision
ECWolf Wolfestein 3D TBD ~ ~15fps o3ds but playable

Using current exploits, the New 3DS is capable of running many of these cores at or nearly at full speed on most games. The older 3DS is less powerful but can still run some cores at full speed, like 2048, Gambatte, QuickNES, NXEngine, and PicoDrive. Opposed to normal use of RetroArch, these are all self-contained emulators, albeit sharing the same automatic configuration. Screenshot-taking is broken. Upon exiting RetroArch 3DS, press the Start button. If you use retroarch via homebrew launcher, in 3dsx format, please notice that some cores crash upon opening without further action. The loaded core, crashing or not, is saved into sd:/retroarch/retroarch-salamander.cfg file which is where retroarch remembers the core to be first loaded. Therefore, if you mistakenly load a problematic crashing core, you won't be able to launch ReteroArch successfully again until you manually delete that file from the sdcard. Alternatively, you can make set it the readonly attribute, while it's still working. Currently, RetroArch has no support for the 3DS's Gyro controls.

RetroArch (unofficial)[edit]

Unofficial 3DS builds

New3DS performance
Core Game/System Working? Old 3ds Notes
Virtual Jaguar Atari Jaguar ~10fps (Technically works but is unplayably slow)
Yabause Sega Saturn ~5fps (Technically works but is unplayably slow)

Ultimate 3DS emupack[edit]

Name Latest version License Recommended
Ultimate 3DS emupack git MIT (Permissive)
Supported Emulators
  • Nintendo 64 : DaedalusX64 0.2
  • SNES : Snes9X 1.30
  • NES : VirtuaNES 1.02
  • TurboGrafx/PC Engine : TemperPCE 1.02
  • MasterSystem/MegaDrive/Sega CD/32x : PicoDrive 0.94
  • CHIP-8 : CHIP-3DS
  • Atari 2600 : z26 3DS
  • GB/GBC : GameYob 1.0.8
  • GBA : mGBA 0.8.4

Apple[edit]

Macintosh and Mac II[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Mini vMac 3DS git Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft)

Mini vMAC 3DS: emulates Macintosh Plus and other early variants, like 128K, 512K, 512Ke, SE, Classic, and SE FDHD. Includes experimental and very slow support for Macintosh II.

Atari inc.[edit]

Atari 2600[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Z26 3DS 2.0git Low GPLv2 (Copyleft) ~

Atari 5200 / 800[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Atari800 3DS 0.3.10 cia Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft)

Atari Lynx[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Handy 3DS 1.1bgit Mid zlib License (Permissive)

Commodore[edit]

Commodore 64 / 128[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Bread Box 1/06/16 Low-Mid Proprietary ~
VICE3DS git Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft)
VICE3DS-C128 0.1 Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) (New3DS)

Commodore Amiga[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
UAE3DS git Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) ~ ~
UAE3DSsng git Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) ~ ?

GCE[edit]

Vectrex[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Vex3DS (based on vecx) 0.4git Mid ? ~

Microsoft[edit]

DOS[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
3DOS 1.0 Low ?
DOSBox-3DS 0.0.3 Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) ?
3DOS
  • 3DOS - Based on 8086tiny. Can only emulate 8086 CPUs.

MSX[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
fMSX3DS 1.41 Mid MIT (Permissive) ?

NEC[edit]

PCE / CD / SuperGrafx[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
TemperPCE for 3DS git Mid ? (New3DS)

PC9801[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
NP2/21 3DS 0.1.3 Mid ? ~

Nintendo[edit]

Amiibo[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Wumiibo git Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft)
Wumiibo
  • Wumiibo - Emulates Amiibo functionality on the 3DS without needing an NFC reader or using tags. You can even use your own Amiibo data, after it's been decrypted, or a generic AmiiboID which are freely available and explains how to get them on the project page.

DS[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Recommended
DeSmuME git Low GPLv2 (Copyleft)
Flashcart N/A High Proprietary
TWiLight Menu++ git Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft)
DeSmuME
  • DeSmuME - an experimental port of DeSmuME that has since been abandoned, it wasn't very compatible.
Flashcart
  • Flashcart - not an emulator, but a card you can buy that allows playing DS games from an SD card. Commonly referred to as an "R4", however that is just one brand name of many.
TWiLight Menu++
  • TWiLight Menu++ - Not technically an "emulator", rather it's a frontend for a separate program, nds-bootstrap, which allows for an NDS ROM to be loaded from an SD card. The program is originally designed for the DSi, however it's able to work on the 3DS by utilizing the virtual DSi (aka the TWL_FIRM or "DS Mode") that the 3DS has for backwards-compatibility. Compatibility isn't the same as using a flashcart, however it's still pretty high with only a few games having issues or triggering anti-piracy protections (newer versions now come with AP patches for most games and will patch them if needed at launch). It also comes pre-bundled with a variety of emulators used on the DS and a work-in-progress GBA hypervisor, GBARunner2, that works to some degree.

Includes a bunch of popular emulators, and can be found in The list includes:

  • A5200DS - (Atari 5200)
  • A7800DS - (Atari 7800 ProSystem)
  • A8DS - (Atari800XL/XEGS)
  • AmEDS - (Amstrad CPC)
  • ColecoDS - (ColecoVision)
  • CrocoDC - (Amstrad CPC)
  • GameYob - (GB/GBC)
  • GBARunner2 - (GBA)
  • jEnesisDS - (Sega Megadrive/Genesis)
  • nesDS - (NES)
  • NGPDS - (Neo Geo Pocket)
  • Nintellivision - (Intellivision)
  • NitroGrafx - (PC-Engine)
  • NitroSwan - (WonderSwan)
  • PicoDriveTWL - (Genesis/Megadrive)
  • PokeMini - (Pokémon Mini)
  • S8DS - (GG/MS/SG-1000)
  • SNEmulDS - (SNES)
  • StellaDS - (Atari 2600)

DSiWare[edit]

Because the firmware that the 3DS uses for backwards-compatibility is actually the same as the DSi, it's possible to inject DSiWare as an installable .cia file.

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Recommended
DSiWare Conversion Script Script Mid ? ~
FBI 2.6.1 Native MIT (Permissive)
GodMode9 git Native GPLv3 (Copyleft)
TWiLight Menu++ git High GPLv3 (Copyleft)
DSiWare Conversion Script
  • This script can be used to convert .bin files from your DSi's SD card to .nds which can then be used to convert into .cia. These scripts will ONLY work for DSiWare, NOT NDS GAMES.
FBI
  • Able to install .cia files from the SD card.
GodMode9
  • Since version 2.0.0 can install DSiWare in both .nds and .cia formats, 3ds.hacks.guide has more information on how to update to the latest version if needed.
TWiLight Menu++
  • Since v20.0.0 (nds-bootstrap v0.39.0) DSiWare have been supported.
  • DSiWare are run natively, however they're patched to run from and save to the SD card rather than internal NAND which works around the 40 title limit, but occasionally causes bugs resulting in slightly less than perfect compatibility currently.
  • Has an in-game menu (accessible in DSiWare since v24.0.0) that allows for taking screenshots and viewing RAM.

Game Boy / Color[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Cinoop git2015 Mid ?
GameYob 3DS 1.0.8 Mid MIT (Permissive)
GnuBoy 3DS git Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft)
mGBA git Mid MPL 2.0 (Copyleft) (New3DS. Old3ds runs well GB but may be slow at GBC)
PlutoBoy git Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft) (New3DS)
GameYob
  • GameYob - forked from a popular emulator used on the DS. Emulates the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. The original DS version is actually more polished than the 3DS port, so some of the more hardware pushing games won't work as well as the DS port.

Game Boy Advance[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
CitrAGB (based on gpSP) 1.0git Low GPLv2 (Copyleft)
GBARunner2 git Mid ? ~
GBARunner3 git N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
mGBA git Mid MPL 2.0 (Copyleft) (New3DS is ok except for only a few resource-intensive titles. Old3ds is too slow anyways)
GBARunner2
  • GBARunner2 - a GBA hypervisor made for the DS(i), can only be ran through TWiLight Menu++ and is included by default with the program (see below). Compatiblity can be a hit-or-miss but isn't that bad.


Native firmware[edit]

The 3DS does include native firmware for a GBA mode which was mainly used to run ambassador releases instead of having to develop an emulator for them. Because it's technically running a "virtual" GBA, it can't provide features that are normally available on other emulators, such as savestates, screen filtering, or sleep mode, however it does have high compatibility with the exception of cartridges with special hardware, for example, WarioWare Twisted, which has a gyroscope built in. If you're using an old 3DS/2DS, this is the best option to play GBA games. There are two ways to take advantage of this firmware:

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
New Super Ultimate Injector (NSUI) Beta 27 Native Proprietary
open_agb_firm git Native GPLv3 (Copyleft)
NSUI
  • New Super Ultimate Injector - There are other programs that can do injections, but this one is nice as it can do other Virtual Console injections and some forwarders for emulators. The only problem is each ROM must be injected and installed individually, including the save files, which makes the number of titles that can be installed restricted to the max the 3DS title limit (300 titles, not including pre-installed system titles).
Open agb firm
  • open_agb_firm (Name not finalized) - A custom FIRM payload that takes advantage of the built-in GBA firmware, it's still in early development but has an alpha build available. The major advantages of oaf compared to VC injection is that it performs faster and there aren't any issues with the sound, it utilizes the native hardware (even with VC injection there are issues with the sound, ex.: "Fire Emblem"). It can load the ROM through the SD card instead of having to convert and install them, but needs to be launched on boot instead of being able to use the 3DS HOME Menu (there's ways to make a forwarder for in on the HOME menu, but requires additional setup to get it to work). One major issue is there's a chance that it may not detect the correct save format or will corrupt the existing save file so make sure to backup your saves beforehand (they are currently trying fix it by having a better database for save detection, if you're interested you can help).
    • To install, simply put the .firm file in the /luma/payloads/ folder, hold START and power on to load up the chainloader to launch it. There's no way of exiting out once the program starts, so you will need to turn it off and redo the step to load it if you wanted to change games.

Game & Watch[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Game & Watch 3DS V1 Low-Mid Proprietary ~

This is an early core build. GW is already included in the latest retroarch builds, use it instead.

NES[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
3DNES git0.2 Low-Mid ?
FCEUmm3DS 2015/05/07 Low GPLv2 (Copyleft)
VirtuaNES for 3DS git Mid ? ~ (New3DS)

Nintendo 64[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
DaedalusX64 3DS gitupdated fork Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) ~ ~
DaedalusX64
  • DaedalusX64 3DS - The Nintendo 64 has always been known to be a hard system to emulate, which is why many were skeptical about how feasible it would be to have an emulator for the system on the 3DS. While still in early development, it has shown a lot of improvements thanks to using a dynamic recompiler, with some games running at a playable state. Versions before v1.0 also supported using stereoscopic 3D (at the cost of slower performance), which isn't a feature a lot of emulators have.

Pokémon Mini[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
PokeMini 3DS git Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft)

SNES[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
blargSNES 1.4git Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft) ~
Snes9x for 3DS git Mid Non-commercial (New3DS)
Snes9x for 3DS Stable Version 1.30 Mid Non-commercial (New3DS)
blargSNES
  • blargSNES - It works well, but lacks compatibility for games that require enhancement chips (SA1, SuperFX, etc.)
SNES9x for 3DS
  • Snes9x for 3DS - based on snes9x 1.43. Runs a good majority of games well, even on old 3DS/2DS's. It's recommended to use a New 3DS if you want to run games that uses the SuperFX or SA-1 chip
  • If bugs occur, it is recommended to go back to version 1.30 from the bubble2k16 developer

Virtual Boy[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
r3Ddragon git Low Custom[1] Non-commercial
MIT
~ (slow)
Red Viper 0.9.6 Mid Custom[1] Non-commercial
MIT
?
r3Ddragon
  • r3Ddragon - It's kind of surprising that Nintendo never released a Virtual Console for the Virtual Boy on the 3DS, especially given how small the library of games were for the system and how both utilize 3D effects and cause eyestrain. What makes this emulator stand out is the fact that it's able to display the graphics in 3D the way it was intended, something that is almost impossible to do on other platforms; unfortunately, compatibility is low and requires a New 3DS to run. Development has since halted and no longer maintained. The original developer, mrdanielps, now recommends Red Viper on the github repository.
Red Viper
  • Red Viper - A fork of the old r3Ddragon with improved graphics engine and dynarec. It reaches fullspeed with minor glitches even on old 3DS systems on many games, with the ability to change the normal red colour of the Virtual Boy to a wide variety of others, and adjust the depth of the 3D effect.

Virtual Console Injection[edit]

Some have tried injecting alternate ROMs in the available Virtual Console releases (MD, GG, NES, GBA Ambassador, GBC, Japanese emulated SFC compilations) with varying degrees of success. The emulators used for Virtual Console are not as accurate as other emulators so compatibility isn't perfect (the only exception is GBA since it runs it natively, not emulation), Sega systems in particular have high compatibility however.
There's an easy tool that will convert and inject any supported ROM file as its associated VC application called New Super Ultimate Injector. It's an all in one tool and can even remotely install the injection provided your 3DS is connected to the same network. It's currently in beta, but it's still really useful.

SEGA[edit]

Name Latest version MD/Gen SMS/GG 32X CD Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
3DSSMS 0.3 Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) ~
PicoDrive for 3DS git Mid MAME license (Non-commercial) (New3DS)

Sinclair[edit]

ZX Spectrum[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
3DS Spectrum 0.1 Low-Mid Proprietary ~
ZXDS 3DS 2.2.2 Mid Proprietary

SNK Playmore[edit]

Neo Geo Pocket / Color[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
NeoPop 3DS 0.2git Low GPLv2 (Copyleft)
NeoPop-SDL 3DS git0.4 Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) (New3DS)

Sony[edit]

PlayStation[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Recommended
3DStation N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
CTRX git0.9 Alpha Low Beerware (Permissive)
PCSX-ReARMed (RetroArch) Nightly Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft) (New 3ds)
PCSX-ReARMed
  • PCSX-ReARMed (RetroArch) - Thanks to the work of many developers, it is now possible to have full speed 60 FPS emulation for a majority of games and support for .CHD compression formats. Generally, 2D games will perform better than 3D, however you can get some better performance by tweaking the settings if necessary. The nightly builds have seen major improvements since the initial release and can even play some of the more demanding games at full speed (See here for some tips), so it's better to use that until the next stable release.
    • NOTE: This emulator is mainly targeted for the New 3DS models, so don't expect the old 3DS models to run well, if at all.

Uzebox[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Cuzebox 3DS 0.0.1 Low GPLv3 (Copyleft) ~

Wenquxing[edit]

CC800 Simulator[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Sim800CTR git Low ? ? ?

Game engines[edit]

Name Latest Version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended Supported game(s)
ScummVM 3DS 2.8.0 High GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? Adventure point and click games, ex. LucasArt games
OpenBOR 3DS git Mid BSD-3-Clause (Permissive) Beats of Rage and other beat'em up games in .pak format
MegaZeux 2.93b Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? Caverns of Zeus and other zzt-like ascii games
CtrµLua 3DS 1.0 Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft) ? ~ LUA Engine
LÖVE Potion 3DS git Mid MIT (Permissive) ? ~
Lua Player Plus 3DS git Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft) ? ~
CPyMO v1.1.9 Mid AGPLv3 (Copyleft) ? ? PyMO Visual Novel / AVG Game Engine
EasyRPG 3DS 0.8 High GPLv3 (Copyleft) ? RPG Maker 2000, 2003 and EasyRPG games
RPG Maker git Low GPLv3 (Copyleft) ?
OpenLara git Mid BSD-2-Clause (Permissive) ? ~ Tomb Raider 1–4

Source ports[edit]

Name Latest Version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended Old 3DS Supported games
Action
C-Dogs3DS git Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? Cyberdogs
Minicraft - 3DS Homebrew Edition
(original)
git Low ? ? Minicraft
Minicraft3DS
(fork based on The Multiplayer Update)
git Low ? ? ? ? Minicraft
Minicraft3DS - The Multiplayer Update
(fork based on the original)
git Low ? ? ? ? Minicraft
Action-Adventure
ZeldaOLB git ? ? ? ? ? The Legend of Zelda: Oni-Link Begins
ZeldaROTH git ? ? ? ? ? The Legend of Zelda: Return of the Hylian
Zelda3T git ? ? ? ? ? The Legend of Zelda: Time to Triumph
FPS
ctrDoom2D git Low GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? ? ? Doom 2D
ctrHexenII git Low GPLv3 (Copyleft) ? ? ? Hexen II
ctrQuake git ? GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? Quake
ctrWolfen git Low GPLv3 (Copyleft) ? ? ? Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny
DXX-3DS git Low Custom (Copyleft) ? [N 1] ? Descent, Descent II
EDuke3D git Mid GPLv2
BUILD SOURCE CODE LICENSE
? ? Duke Nukem 3D
JFShadowWarrior git Mid GPLv2
BUILD SOURCE CODE LICENSE
? ? Shadow Warrior[N 2]
PrBoom 3DS git ? GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? ? ? Doom I–II, Final Doom
PrBoom3DS git Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? ? Doom I–II, Final Doom
Quake2CTR git Mid GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? ? Quake II
Wolf4SDL-3DS git Mid Non-commercial
GPLv2
? ? Wolfenstein 3D
Horror
FNaF 1 3DS -old/obsolete-
FNaF 1 3DS -remastered-[N 3]
0.2.3
0.3.1-pre1
Mid Proprietary ? Five Nights at Freddy's
FNaF 2 3DS[N 3] beta 1.0 Low Proprietary ? ~ Five Nights at Freddy's 2
FNaF 3 3DS[N 3] beta 0.1.3 Low Proprietary ? ? Five Nights at Freddy's 3
FNaF 4 3DS[N 3] beta 0.3 ? Proprietary ? ~ ? Five Nights at Freddy's 4
Pinball
SpaceCadetPinball git Mid-High MIT (Permissive) ~ 3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet
Platform
Abbaye Des Morts 3DS git ? GPLv3 (Copyleft) ? ? ? L'Abbaye Des Mort
Amphetamine git ? ? ? ? ? Amphetamine
Cave Story Engine 2 git
archive
? Proprietary[2] [N 4] ~[N 5] [N 4] ? Cave Story
ccleste git Mid ? ? Celeste Classic
OpenJazz 3DS git ? GPLv2 (Copyleft) ~ ? Jazz Jackrabbit
MazeOfGalious-3DS git ? GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? ? ? The Maze of Galious remake
OpenTitus 3DS git Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft) ? Titus the Fox/Moktar
Sonic 1 and 2 3DS git Mid Non-commercial ~ Sonic the Hedgehog 1 (2013)[N 6], Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2013)[N 6]
Sonic CD 2011 3DS git Mid Non-commercial ~ (HW) Sonic the Hedgehog CD (2011)[N 6]
Sonic CD 2011 3DS Redux git Mid Non-commercial Sonic the Hedgehog CD (2011)[N 6]
Sonic Mania 3DS git Mid Non-commercial ~[N 7] [N 8] Sonic Mania (Encore DLC optional but the user must compile the port to access it)
Super Mario 64 Port gitfix Mid ? ~[N 9] Super Mario 64
Puzzle
Hex-a-Hop git ? GPLv2 (Copyleft) ? ? ? Hex-a-Hop
OpenSupaplex git Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft) ? ? Supaplex
RPG
DevilutionX git Mid Unlicense (Public domain) ? ~[N 10] Diablo, Diablo: Hellfire
Meritous git ? GPLv3 (Copyleft) ? ? ? Meritous
RSC-C git ? AGPLv3 (Copyleft) ~[N 5] [N 11] ? RSC Preservation (OpenRSC)
Sandbox
RE3 3DS wip Low ? ? ~[N 12] Grand Theft Auto III
Visual novel
DDLC-LOVE git Mid GPLv3 (Copyleft) ~[N 5] Doki Doki Literature Club!
  1. Controls are unstable, causing the player to uncontrollably bank to the right after moving.
  2. Versions of Shadow Warrior supported for JFShadowWarrior include: Shadow Warrior Registered Version 1.2 (MS-DOS), Shadow Warrior Shareware Version (MS-DOS), Shadow Warrior Classic (GOG.com, Steam), and Shadow Warrior Classic Redux (GOG.com, Steam, Humble).
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Five Nights at Freddy's 1 3DS -remastered- is an updated version of Five Nights at Freddy 1's 3DS by the same developer FreDev, also known as BumboDEV and BaseDEV. The developer also attempted Nintendo 3DS ports of Five Nights at Freddy's 2, 3, and 4 but development stopped after the developer lost the source code for Five Nights at Freddy's 2 and would have to reverse engineer it again.[1] Those ports were only in a state of demonstration and were not fully playable, having incomplete A.I., gameplay, and missing screens. Download links to the latest versions can be found on the old Discord server.
  4. 4.0 4.1 There is also an official Nintendo 3DS remake called Cave Story 3D with 3D graphics and more gameplay features 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.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Audio for these games does not output in Citra, but other than that, it is playable.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Sega Forever classics version on Android or iOS can also be used. For Sonic CD 2011 3DS Redux, it is recommended to use a mobile port's data.rsdk as the Steam version will have graphical issues in some levels. Also, if upgrading to the 2023 Redux port of Sonic CD from the old 2021 port, delete settings.ini from the SonicCD folder as both 3DS ports share the same SonicCD folder but their settings.ini file are not compatible with each other that may cause major issues with the other version.
  7. As of v1.0, the Sonic Mania 3DS port has long load times booting up the game and transitioning between screens but other than that, it's playable at a good frame rate on a New Nintendo 3DS. The audio is slightly delayed but not too bad. There are some frame drops during the giant ring special stages but it's arguably bearable.
  8. Old Nintendo 3DS is planned to be supported for Sonic Mania 3DS in a future update.
  9. New Nintendo 3DS/2DS is highly recommended to use any of the Super Mario 64 3DS ports (sm64ex-alo, sm64-minimap, etc.) and can use 800px but even then, using certain graphical settings such as No Drawing Distance when building a custom version can greatly reduce frame rate even on a New Nintendo 3DS/2DS. On older Nintendo 3DS/2DS models, use the 400px version.
  10. The Asian translations of Diablo on DevilutionX 3DS are not recommended on older Nintendo 3DS/2DS models as they can crash due to not having enough memory to hold all the symbols in memory.
  11. The RSC Preservation 3DS port of OpenRSC (a RuneScape Classic private server) has frame rate issues when Interlace Mode is off. Toggling Interlace Mode on by pressing SELECT restores the frame rate.
  12. While RE3 3DS is playable and only playable on New Nintendo 3DS/2DS, it will also suffer frame rate drops and graphical glitches but it is still playable depending on the user's frame tolerance.
SM64 3DS port
  • SM64 3DS Port - Thanks to the decompilation project, you can now enjoy SM64 on the 3DS with *analog* support and native rendering (compared to the official DS port). Works pretty much at full speed on the New 3DS, the original model apparently has some slow downs but still playable. You can either build it yourself, or try finding pre-compiled build online (there are multiple versions, you can find some here but it's no longer up-to-date or a more up-to-date version with 3D support here).

Fantasy Computers[edit]

CHIP-8[edit]

Name Latest version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Chip-3DS 1.0 Mid ? ~
Chip8-2DS 1.0 Mid ? ~
chip8-3ds 1.0 Mid ? ~
Chip8-CTRU 2014 Mid ?
octochip-8 git Mid ? ~ ~

Pico-8[edit]

Name Latest Version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
Fake-08 git3DS-pico-8 Mid MIT (Permissive)

TIC-80[edit]

Name Latest Version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
TIC-80 git Mid MIT (Permissive)

UXN/Varvara[edit]

Name Latest Version Accuracy License Active Citra Recommended
uxnds-3DS 0.5.2 Mid MIT (Permissive)

See also[edit]

Emulators on consoles
Nintendo.png
Consoles: NESSNESN64GameCubeWiiWii USwitch
Handhelds: GB(C)GBAPokémon miniDS3DS
Sega.png
Master SystemMega Drive/GenesisSaturnDreamcast
Other consoles
IntellivisionChannel FColecoVisionPC Engine3DO
Sony.png
Consoles: PS1PS2PS3PS4
Handhelds: PSPVita
Icon Xbox.png
XboxXbox 360Xbox One/Series X|S
Other handhelds
P/ECEWonderSwanCaanooGCW ZeroGizmondo
DidjLynxZodiacGP32GP2XGP2X Wiz
  1. 1.0 1.1 Reality Boy is code is licensed under a Custom Non-commercial license