Best Game Console Emulators in 2026
Updated
35 game console emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
35ranked
2free plans on this page
7 Oct 2026last checked
2 of the 10 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | FlycastWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 27 | BizHawkWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 28 | NexenWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 29 | RedreamWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 30 | MednafenWindows · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 31 | EKA2L1Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 32 | SameBoyWindows · Mac · Linux · iPhone | Two bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 5.4 | |
| 33 | ShadPS4Windows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 5.4 | |
| 34 | Cxbx-ReloadedWindows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 35 | XeniaWindows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
Compare all 10 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported console systems | Desktop operating systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Flycast | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Sega Dreamcast, Naomi, Naomi 2, Atomiswave | cross-platform |
| 27 | BizHawk | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 28 | Nexen | 5.6 | No | — | — | — | 8 | — |
| 29 | Redream | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | 6 one-time | Sega Dreamcast | cross-platform |
| 30 | Mednafen | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | 17 | — |
| 31 | EKA2L1 | 5.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Symbian OS EKA1/EKA2, Nokia N-Gage, N-Gage 2.0, S60v1-S60v5, S^3, Symbian Belle | cross-platform |
| 32 | SameBoy | 5.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Game Boy (DMG), Game Boy Pocket/Light (MGB), Game Boy Color (CGB), GBC-mode Game Boy Advance/Game Boy Player (AGB), Super Game Boy (SGB), Super Game Boy 2 (SGB2) | cross-platform |
| 33 | ShadPS4 | 5.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | PlayStation 4 | cross-platform |
| 34 | Cxbx-Reloaded | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Microsoft Xbox; Sega Chihiro | windows |
| 35 | Xenia | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | Xbox 360 | cross-platform |
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