Easiest console to emulate through Android/Best kinds of games for touch controls

[HTBandicoot]

Since getting my galaxy, it seems Android has more console specific emulators than Apple does. However, sometimes an emulator wants the rom in a certain format, like ps2 games for example. Or you need additional config files, etc. So I wonder if it would be easier to try some of the same games on Dolphin or for a different console emulator.

Basically, which console or handheld is the easiest to emulate through Android? Basically I download, extract, and it plays perfectly.

Also, different question, what kind of games are still fun and enjoyable through touch controls?


Ill play my consoles mostly, but I just thought of something where I can try things here and there that I see in the Repo.

 

[moonbits]

Basically, which console or handheld is the easiest to emulate through Android? Basically I download, extract, and it plays perfectly.

Dolphin

what kind of games are still fun and enjoyable through touch controls?

None

 

[Nelson2001]

For me they would be Robert Broglia's emulators that are intuitive and not so complex to use although the only downside is that many of them are paid except for the Snes9X EX+ emulator which is the only free emulator but it is possible to download the rest of the emulators on other APK websites, but hey.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

The DraStic DS emulator has since gone freeware and it does a fantastic job of translating DS games to a phone's touchscreen. It can also load games both zipped and extracted.

 

[RageBurner]

As Waffles said, most DS games use touch based controls in some capacity.

 

[Fateman 2006]

gba, gbc, gb, ds, SNES, nes work very good.
ps1 and psp, work good too with some games having problems.
ps2 games are based on the type of device, their mostly considered the real test of your hardware, if it can run 1 or 2 ps2 games than it can run GameCube games and Xbox games.

 

[Varyag]

From personal experience, I hate using touchscreen controls for anything that requires even the minor amount of precision and timing. So I'll only really emulate turn based games, I've played a lot of Pokemon and Fire Emblem on my phones. Emulating games that were originally on handhelds also gives you a better "stop and go" experience with things such as generous pausing or convenient saves (or you just save state everything)

 

[Tanner]

For me they would be Robert Broglia's emulators that are intuitive and not so complex to use although the only downside is that many of them are paid except for the Snes9X EX+ emulator which is the only free emulator but it is possible to download the rest of the emulators on other APK websites, but hey.

you can get all his emulators from his github. theyre not under releases as usual on git but in the readme textbox with download buttons. no need for shady apk sites. just get it from the source. i even bought some of his emus a few years back but since then i degoogled my phone completly so i dont have and want access to the playstore anymore.

GitHub - Rakashazi/emu-ex-plus-alpha: Multi-platform computer & game console emulation system including supporting code (EmuFramework) and core engine (Imagine)

Multi-platform computer & game console emulation system including supporting code (EmuFramework) and core engine (Imagine) - Rakashazi/emu-ex-plus-alpha

github.com

 

[Nelson2001]

you can get all his emulators from his github. theyre not under releases as usual on git but in the readme textbox with download buttons. no need for shady apk sites. just get it from the source. i even bought some of his emus a few years back but since then i degoogled my phone completly so i dont have and want access to the playstore anymore.

GitHub - Rakashazi/emu-ex-plus-alpha: Multi-platform computer & game console emulation system including supporting code (EmuFramework) and core engine (Imagine)

Multi-platform computer & game console emulation system including supporting code (EmuFramework) and core engine (Imagine) - Rakashazi/emu-ex-plus-alpha

github.com

Thank you for the Fact and Contribution Friend.

 

[Tanner]

also:

Android Emulation Starter Guide

Last updated: 13APR2025 (see Changelog for details) The Android operating system is found everywhere — on phones, tablets, retro handheld devices, media streaming devices, and even some TVs. …

retrogamecorps.com

probably the best starting point if new to emulation on android. i'm typing all this inside my vr headset in bed btw. haha. annoying af. anyway, best regards. need to hangout more here

 

[job32]

Lemuroid is great, it covers a lot of the earlier consoles or handhelds (You don't even have to extract the games). It stuggles with the heavier DS games but Drastic works perfectly for them.

 

[WestleyWolf]

As far as I know consoles up to I think the GameCube (Dolphin) can do just fine although Controlling them can sometimes become difficult through touch controls depending on layout. personally i prefer using an actual controller but they should be enjoyable given its layout, you might have trouble with PS1 on Duckstation since it has the extra Shoulder buttons. ones with lesser buttons like say the GBA or Dreamcast (FlyCast) are no problem.

 

[Scotty]

From my several years of experience, I would say that for the most part NES, GB/GBC, PC Engine, Genesis, Master System, and Game Gear games work PERFECTLY without any need for a Bluetooth/External controller. This is especially noticeable for puzzle games, shoot 'em ups, platformers without a dedicated "run" button, or any game that rarely makes you do weird button combinations.

The SNES, GBA, and PS1 are... a bit of a different story. Most RPGs, platformers, puzzle games, and basically anything that rarely asks you to press the shoulder/trigger buttons work fine with touch controls. But if you want to play a fighting game like Street Fighter 2, or a shooter that maps strafing to the shoulder buttons, it's a nightmare. Even Mario games can feel awkward with touch controls.

I've only dabbled with DS emulation a bit, but Pokemon Gen 4 is a great recommendation for anyone with Drastic. You almost never need to use the "L & R" buttons for anything and the touch screen is just used to navigate menus.

 

[NeonKnights]

In my opinion fighting games on MAME (SF2 Turbo etc.), as you can customize the touch button layout to your liking.

 

[flamming_python]

Plenty of games

- Point & click games through ScummVM
- Lightgun games (I know that Beetle Saturn through Retroarch and at least one of the PS1 emulators in Retroarch support emulating the lightgun through touching the screen)
- Turn-based games (TBSs, tactical RPGs, management sims, some types of puzzlers and RPGs) as someone here said; you can use Magic Dosbox/Winlator for the PC games, or Drastic for the NDS titles, and perhaps some emulators support emulating mouse peripherals that existed for the PS1, PS2, Saturn, etc... through the touchscreen too. But even if not then on-screen controls will do fine too.
- There are NDS games of other genres that just use touch-controls for input; Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks, Kirby Mass Attack, Yoshi Touch & Go, Meteos, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, etc... look for a list of touch-screen only NDS games, you'll find them
- Old-school dungeon crawlers if you're into them, the 1st person ones such as Eye of the Beholder or Lands of Lore. They're ideal for the touchscreen as they usually have an on-screen movement pad and all game interaction is done by mouse, which can be emulated through touch screen touches on Magic Dosbox or ScummVM (only the stand-alone version of ScummVM mind you, not the one in Retroarch)
- Pinball games for any system, just use the control overlay and tap the on-screen buttons to move your flippers; nothing else is required
- Visual novels; enuff said

 

[E0N]

which console or handheld is the easiest to emulate through Android?

GB, GBC, GBA, NES, SNES, PS1, PSP, NDS, 3DS. Most of them supports .zip format so you don't even have to extract anything. Just download and play.

what kind of games are still fun and enjoyable through touch controls?

NDS and 3DS games. Ace Attorney and Professor Layton games are fully playable on just touch controls. There's also Inazuma Eleven, Ghost Trick, Hotel Dusk, Last Window, Another Code, 999 and the NDS Zelda games. These are all fully playable without needing external controllers.

 

[Roy U. OmOm]

PPSSPP was made with android in mind. It's the best emulator avaliable. It's also open source.
PSP also has large quantity of turn-based games and visual novels which do not required real-time input. Puzzle games can too serve a similar role.
Examples being:

• SD Gundam Overworld
• Danganronpa
• Echoshift

 

[Morgana Veil]

Nintendo game and watch

 

[Nelson2001]

Nintendo game and watch

It's a good idea but only MAME can emulate That handheld console.

 

[LightningLegs]

8 and 16-bit era JRPGs work fine with touchscreen controls in my experience. I did a full playthrough of Breath of Fire 2 on my smudgephone back in the day with no issues.

 

[MariaDelRosario]

PCE Engine is super light to emulate.
Regarding games... RPGs all the way.

If you don't like the PCEngine, GBA is a nice choice, light to emulate on a potato and has A LOT of RPGs.

 

[job32]

Plenty of games

- Point & click games through ScummVM
- Lightgun games (I know that Beetle Saturn through Retroarch and at least one of the PS1 emulators in Retroarch support emulating the lightgun through touching the screen)
- Turn-based games (TBSs, tactical RPGs, management sims, some types of puzzlers and RPGs) as someone here said; you can use Magic Dosbox/Winlator for the PC games, or Drastic for the NDS titles, and perhaps some emulators support emulating mouse peripherals that existed for the PS1, PS2, Saturn, etc... through the touchscreen too. But even if not then on-screen controls will do fine too.
- There are NDS games of other genres that just use touch-controls for input; Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks, Kirby Mass Attack, Yoshi Touch & Go, Meteos, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, etc... look for a list of touch-screen only NDS games, you'll find them
- Old-school dungeon crawlers if you're into them, the 1st person ones such as Eye of the Beholder or Lands of Lore. They're ideal for the touchscreen as they usually have an on-screen movement pad and all game interaction is done by mouse, which can be emulated through touch screen touches on Magic Dosbox or ScummVM (only the stand-alone version of ScummVM mind you, not the one in Retroarch)
- Pinball games for any system, just use the control overlay and tap the on-screen buttons to move your flippers; nothing else is required
- Visual novels; enuff said

Yeah, remember playing Lands of Lore on my old PC and not finishing it, even though I really enjoyed it. Would you recommend Scummvm or Dosbox to play it on Android?

 

[flamming_python]

Yeah, remember playing Lands of Lore on my old PC and not finishing it, even though I really enjoyed it. Would you recommend Scummvm or Dosbox to play it on Android?

I haven't actually tried Lands of Lore on my tablet, other than very briefly on ScummVM. But I have played through a lot of Eye of the Beholder on ScummVM, which works perfectly there. I'd say go for ScummVM if the game is supported there. If not then Magic Dosbox is a very competent alternative, but it just takes a lot longer to set up and doesn't always have some of the bugfixes that ScummVM offers for the games that it supports