5 Best SNES Emulator Android Apps 2024

Looking for the best SNES emulator Android apps? Super Nintendo emulator has come a long way over the years and these days, it runs fantastically on Android phones and tablets. It makes reliving those classic SNES games just an app away. In this article, we’ll be guiding you through finding the right emulator to use for some awesome retro gaming on your Android device.

These are the 5 best Android emulation apps you can get, all with various game compatibility and features.

Short Summary

• Uncover the 5 best SNES emulators for Android.
• Taking your retro gaming emulation up a notch with custom controller support, adjustable controls, and improved resolution and graphics.
• Great ready to play SNES games like Super Mario World, Yoshi’s Island, and many more.

What Are The Best SNES Emulator Android Apps?

Let’s dive into each emulator individually and discuss each one’s features.

1. Snes9x EX+

• Price: Free app
• Platform: Android
• Downloads: 10M+
• Ratings: 4.3/5 ⭐ from over 110K reviews

The Snes9x EX+ emulator is an Android port of the famous Snes9x emulator which is regarded as the best SNES emulator for PC. The Snes9x emulator is already one of the most popular SNES emulators and this Android version lets you use it on mobile Android devices with nearly zero hiccups.

It features custom wireless controller support and has nearly just as many customization options as the original emulator on PC. It can be used without an external controller if you prefer to just use the onscreen touch controls, however you really can’t beat using a physical controller to play classic retro games.

The app is compatible with several file formats, including .smc files for ROMs. You can also use cheat codes in the .cht format.

Just like the PC version of Snes9x, the EX+ Android version works very well with most of your favorite old school SNES games. Game compatibility and performance wise, Snes9x EX+ takes the #1 spot on our list for a reason. Not only is it free, but it delivers everything you’d expect from an Android SNES emulator and is the best option out there.

2. John NESS

• Price: Free, but littered with ads and contains in app purchases
• Platform: Android
• Downloads: 500K+
• Ratings: 3.8/5 ⭐ from over 9K reviews

John NESS, otherwise known as John SNES, is another emulator app that plays SNES games. It has both free and paid versions available. It should be noted that the free version is absolutely littered with ads and you can expect to be annoyed by these pesky things just about every time you go to do something in the app. If you take a look at the reviews for John NESS, one of the number one complaints are the ads.

While it’s not necessarily a deal breaker, the overbearing advertisements definitely do sour the user experience and detract from an otherwise good SNES Android emulator app.

John NESS has features like being able to use Game Genie cheat codes, customizable keys, and Bluetooth controller support. You can also search for game ROM files on SD cards and internal storage, SNES ROMs can be used in a ZIP file format, save and load states are here, you can customize the layout, and can fast forward and slow down gameplay and cutscenes.

3. RetroArch

• Price: Completely free
• Platform: Android and tons more
• Downloads: 5M+
• Ratings: 3.9/5 ⭐ from over 44K reviews

RetroArch is an emulation frontend that can play tons of ROMs from various different gaming systems, including the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. To run each different system, you’ll need to install the associated system’s core. RetroArch’s SNES core is the Snes9x – the same core that you’ll find in the #1 Android app on this list, Snes9x EX+.

While RetroArch can be a bit daunting to get used to at first with a somewhat steep learning curve, it has some very cool features like customizable controls, cheat code, save/load states, Netplay, and tons more.

RetroArch is free, has zero annoying intrusive ads, can scan files and directories for ROMs, allows you to view database information for each game added to your collection, has built in input remapping, multi language support, and even allows you to take screenshots of your gameplay.

4. EmuBox

• Price: Free
• Platform: Android
• Downloads: 1M+
• Ratings: 4.1/5 ⭐ from over 23K reviews

EmuBox is another Android emulator with support for multiple different consoles. Not only does it support SNES games, but you can even play PS1 games on it too. Its listing on the Play Store mentions that it’s the only multi system emulator to offer material design which is a nice added touch.

It features save and load states, supports up to 20 save slots for each game ROM file, allows for fast forwarding gameplay, supports external controllers including Bluetooth, and has tons of customization options for optimizing your gameplay and experience.

Keep in mind that EmuBox is free, but it does have ads.

5. SuperRetro16

• Price: Free, has ads and in app purchases
• Platform: Android
• Downloads: 5M+
• Ratings: 2.3/5 ⭐ from over 48K reviews

SuperRetro16 ended up last on this list because it has a ton of cool features including multiplayer options using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but it should be mentioned that based on a lot of the app’s reviews it seems that a recent update to the app has resulted in many users being extremely disappointed with it.

It seems that the developer has made some changes and now no longer has any free save slots – these much be bought with the in app purchases. Having an emulator without the ability to save is pretty much a deal breaker unless you plan on beating all of your SNES games in a single session.

Negatives aside, if you don’t mind forking out a little bit of cash with in app purchases, this emulator does have a ton of cool features to mention. It can auto detect games on your phone and generates cover art for them, has an attractive user interface (possibly the best one from any app available), supports Chromecast streams and native Android TV, cloud syncing support for play across devices.

Its list of features goes on with support for thousands of popular cheat codes, supports Bluetooth controllers, has added visual effect options like CRT TV simulation, an advanced layout editor, has game walkthroughs and guides, turbo button mode, supports compressed ROM file formats, and multiplayer support using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Enhancing Your SNES Gaming Experience

To get the most out of your SNES games on Android, you should not only look for an emulator that has great features, but also one that supports custom external controllers, preferably Bluetooth controllers. While customizable onscreen controls let you personalize buttons and their layout according to your preference, you just can’t beat retro gaming with an actual physical controller in your hands.

Some SNES Android emulators do provide adjustable size and layout options for their onscreen controls which is a nice added touch.

Legal Considerations for SNES Emulation

When it comes to SNES emulators for Android, they are legal to use and download in most areas of the world. If they weren’t it’s fair to say that Google wouldn’t likely allow these SNES emulator apps to stay on the Google Play Store. That being said, legality of ROMs (the files that contain the games) are a whole other story entirely.

It’s always recommended that you dump your SNES game ROM files from physical SNES cartridges that you actually own instead of downloading ROMs from the internet. The reason for this is that dumping your ROMs from your actual games is legal, however downloading game ROMs online is not. Many gamers don’t necessarily follow this general rule and it is usually seen as a bit of a gray area. We don’t condone piracy here and always recommend you look into the legality of emulation and laws surrounding ROMs for where you’re located.

How to Get Started with SNES Emulators

Setting up an SNES emulator app on your Android device couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is pick an SNES emulator from our list above, click button to download it on Google Play, and then download the app. It really is that simple because after downloading, as long as you have your SNES ROM files ready to go, you should be ready to play.

You can always further customize your emulator app to suit your playstyle and connect a Bluetooth controller for improved controls.

Best SNES Games to Play on Android

The SNES was home to many classic Nintendo games such as Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario Kart, Yoshi’s Island, Kirby’s Dream Course, and Street Fighter II. The benefit of emulating these games these days are that emulators can upscale games to improve their graphics while still managing to maintain that retro charm you’re nostalgic for.

There are so many hidden gems on the SNES. One game that comes to mind that is often overlooked but is an absolute classic is Plok. It’s similar to Rayman in terms of character design, but the music in the game is phenomenal and the gameplay is top notch.

Summary

Android users have a few different SNES emulation options to choose from that you can choose from. From Snes9x EX+ to SuperRetro16, we’ve covered all of the best options currently on the Google Play Store that are available to download. Take some time to check out the ones that stand out and have features you’re looking for.

Make sure that whatever option you select has controller support or at the very least allows for customizable onscreen controls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I play SNES on Android?

You can very easily play your favorite SNES games on Android! There are numerous different Android SNES emulators available these days and in this article we’ve shared the top 5 best ones available. Be sure to check out each one to see the features that it has and why it may be the right choice for you!

What is the recommended SNES emulator for Android?

Our top pick has to be the Snes9x EX+. Like we mentioned above, it’s an Android port of the highly popular and well regarded SNES9x SNES emulator for PC. It has fantastic game support, runs very well across most Android devices, has tons of customization options, no ads, and is just a great emulator overall. It does exactly what you expect it to and while it may not have the best looking user interface, it isn’t bloated down with additional useless junk.

Are SNES emulators for Android legal?

While it’s generally always a good idea to check the laws regarding emulation for where you live, typically speaking, yes SNES emulation on Android is legal in most places. If Android emulation wasn’t legal, you can guarantee that all of the emulator apps that are on the Google Play Store would be removed in a split second. Google wouldn’t risk keeping them up and facing legal repercussions otherwise.

It’s not the emulators themselves that are the issue so long as they don’t actually contain any copyrighted material like game ROMs in them. It’s the ROM files themselves that are the gray area because often, gamers will just illegally download these files from the internet instead of dumping the game ROMs from physical cartridges that they actually own.

Wondering how to setup an SNES emulator for your Raspberry Pi? Be sure to check out our RetroPie SNES setup guide.