How to play emulators on Android phones

Want to know how to use emulators to play your favourite older games? Android users can delve into a realm of nostalgia by playing classic games from consoles like the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo on their devices.

By using third-party emulators, you can also revive cherished childhood gaming experiences right on your mobile phone. In this guide, we'll take you through how to play emulators on Android phones.

By the way, you might be interested in our guide on how to change default Apps in Android. Also, make sure to check out the best apps for Android.

How to use emulators to play games on Android phones

First things first, you'll need to download an emulator to play games on your Android phone. Open up the Google Play Store and look for emulators with high ratings and plenty of downloads. Some examples are John GBA, MyGBA, or John SNES, but you'll need to find one that's available in your region.

Next, you'll need Game ROMs, which serve as saved game files compatible with emulators. Using your device's browser, search for ROMs specific to your chosen emulator for the game that you want to play, such as "GBA ROMs" for a Game Boy Advance emulator. Once you download them, these ROMs are typically stored in the Downloads folder on your device.

For the proper functioning of the emulator, you'll need to find a BIOS file. The process is similar as you'll need to look for the emulator's BIOS, for example, "GBA Bios" for a Game Boy Advance emulator, on your device's browser.

Now that you have everything downloaded to your device, it's finally time to launch your emulator. You can do this by navigating to the app menu or locating the emulator app icon on your home screen, and tapping to launch the emulator.

Upon opening the emulator, you'll be prompted to select a BIOS file. Use the file navigator within the emulator to locate and load the downloaded BIOS file from the Downloads folder.

After the BIOS is done loading, the emulator will prompt you to choose a game. Navigate through the file explorer to find the downloaded ROM of the game you wish to play, and tap on the game to initiate it within the emulator.

As you're playing a game meant for a different device, the controls might be a bit wonky at first. So, you should configure the controls by navigating to the "Controls" section within the emulator. Most emulators automatically display on-screen controls, including direction arrows, A and B buttons, Start, Pause, and more.

And that's it! You can return to the main screen and begin playing your game. Isn't it amazing that this vintage game still functions seamlessly on a modern platform like your phone? Revisiting an older game on an Android device is indeed a nostalgic journey, and we hope you have fun trying out and playing different games with the help of emulators.

That's all for our guide on how to play emulators on Android phones. If you're interested in more Android guides, here's how to check battery health on Android. Is your device running slow and feeling laggy? Feel free to check out how to clear cache in an Android Phone