Are you looking for the Best Nintendo 3DS Emulators to bring back the old Nintendo 3DS days? Well, I know for sure that you want that, and I’ve gathered the right emulator for you as well in this article you’re reading on NaijaKnowHow.
Nintendo 3DS is arguably one of the most popular gaming consoles to ever exist, with over thousands of Nintendo 3DS games out there, it’s not a bad option to try them out once again, but rather than buying a new Nintendo 3DS, you can just download an emulator instead.
We’ve seen people play PSP games on PSP Emulators like PPSSPP Gold and so on, and the same thing can be done with Nintendo 3DS emulators and that’s why you’ll get to know the Best Nintendo 3DS Emulators in this article you’re reading.
List of The Best Nintendo 3DS Emulators for Android & Windows
These Nintendo 3DS emulators are free, you can download them on your Android and Windows PC for free. Just make sure you have a source to get Nintendo 3DS games as well.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the Best Nintendo 3DS Emulators out there.
1. Citra
There’s no website you’ll go to in search of a good Nintendo 3DS emulator, you’ll always find Citra being listed as one of the top emulators for Nintendo 3DS. Well, it’s still holding that title and that means you can download Citra on your Android and Windows PC. Citra can play 99% of Nintendo 3DS games and that’s why it is always a recommended emulator for Nintendo 3DS.
Citra makes it easy to play Nintendo 3DS on Android and PC, the app has cool features, it’s very easy to use and you always download Citra anytime you. Games played on Citra are always in 3D form and that’s why it’s one of the best Nintendo 3DS emulators out there. This emulator works with most game controller, you can fast-forward games and also load and save games easily.
2. Pretendo NDS Emulator
A powerful 3D platform emulator that lets you play Nintendo DS games is Pretendo NDS Emulator. It is available for free download and lets you enjoy the features like fast emulation, full hardware support, VR headset compatibility, dual audio processing and various gamepads.
The only disadvantage of this emulator is that it might sometimes be unstable or incompatible with different games. That said, it’s undoubtedly one of the best options when considering emulating your favourite Nintendo games on your device.
3. 3DMOO Emulator
The 3DMOO emulator is one of the most popular, but it’s also one of the more complicated to set up. Using this emulator requires you to download homebrew and R4 software onto your computer before setting up firmware for your Nintendo device.
This can all be done on the official site! Once you have everything installed, all you need to do is log into your 3DMOO account and start playing games! You will be able to play any game from your home screen. 3DMOO offers players a library of over 100+ games that are free to download from their website. It’s one of the Best Nintendo 3DS Emulators and you can play hundreds of retro games including Mario Kart 64 and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.
4. NO$GBA
The NO$GBA is one of the best Nintendo 3DS emulators for computers since it’s been written by a gamer and with support from his fellows. It uses emulation technology as an engine to play games without worrying about system components and without running into problems of any kind. The NO$GBA supports a large list of ROM files and other compatible extensions, thus allowing you to put this emulator on top of your favourites.
NO$GBA is very easy to use, you can always trust this software to give you the maximum experience you need if you want to play Nintendo 3DS games and that’s why it’s one of the Best Nintendo 3DS Emulators.
5. R4 3DA Emulator
R4 3DA is one of the few emulators out there that offer both Android and pc support. With it, you can play games like Pokemon: Soul Silver, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and Monster Hunter 4 on your Android phone or tablet. On windows pc, the emulator can run games like Mario Party DS, Kirby Mass Attack 3D, and many more.
It’s also possible to store saved data locally so you don’t have to start from the beginning each time. Although the interface doesn’t look as good as other emulators, this one does its job well. One of the reasons why R4 3DA Emulator become popular is because it can play almost every Super Mario games that was released for the Nintendo 3DS Emulator.
6. DeSmuMe
DeSmume is by far one of the best emulators for running any kind of Nintendo 3DS ROMs on an Android device and Windows PCs. It has a very straightforward interface with as few options as possible, making it very easy to use and one of the best Nintendo 3DS emulators available at this time.
If you’re looking for something that will allow you to play any type of ROM on your tablet or phone then you should definitely give DeSmume a try. It’ll be worth your time and effort. DeSmume isn’t the type of emulator that’ll play high-end Nintendo 3DS games but you’ll be able to play some casual games. You’ll find the emulator having an old interface and smaller controls.
7. iDEAS Emulator
IDEAS Emulator is another windows-based emulator which also happens to work really well. The user interface may not be quite as streamlined but it’s still pretty simple and doesn’t require much fiddling around before you can get playing.
It offers high-resolution visuals and control tweaks so you can enjoy classic titles like never before. Moreover, it offers wide support for games both old and new. While there are other excellent options, iDEAS stands out as the best choice if you’re looking for a great Nintendo 3DS Emulator.
8. DraStic DS Emulator
Since DraStic has been ported to ARM processors, it is now possible to play Nintendo Switch DS games on Android devices and PC. DraStic is an open-source emulator which gives users access to multiple graphic filters, shader options, and other video settings.
This app is one of the best Nintendo DS emulators around. DraStic used to have some licensing issues which would cause them to disappear from the Google Play Store after about a day or two but these issues have apparently been fixed and you won’t have any problem downloading it so far.
9. SuperNDS Emulator
Super NDS Emulator is a very popular emulator for playing Nintendo DS and 3DS games. This is arguably one of the best you’ll find online and the emulator does make things easy. You can download it for free on the Google Play Store. It is an emulator that is based on Android OS only, it doesn’t really have many features but it is an outstanding emulator you can use.
One of the reasons why you’ll want this emulator is that it can be configured easily and it’s unlike any Nintendo 3DS emulator out there. You only need to download the Nintendo 3DS game that you want to play, and then add it to your list of games. SuperNDS Emulator does require enough RAM speed. Your Android device must have at least 4GB RAM if you want to experience a smoother gameplay experience on SuperNDS Emulator.
10. All In One Emulator
An emulator that supports over supports more than 10 different console games is All in One Emulator. This is another emulator for Android device users. This emulator supports games from consoles such as Atari, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Sega Master System, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, MAME, PSX, PSP, DOS, CPS1, CPS2, PS2, WII and 3DS.
This emulator has over 90% compatibility with all the aforementioned console games. You can customize the onscreen buttons to simplify your gameplay experience. Another feature of All in One Emulator is that it can help optimize battery life. When you’re playing a high-end Nintendo 3DS game on this emulator, your battery won’t train fast. You can also use physical controllers and it offers a save state for games. This is one of the best Nintendo 3DS emulators out there.
11. EmuBox – AlO emulator
EmuBox is another all-in-one emulator for playing most console games. If you want to run old console Roms like Nintendo 3DS games on your Android device. EmuBox is one of the few emulators you can use. It also ranks as one of the best PSX emulators for playing PlayStation 1 games on Android. This emulator was developed to handle most games perfectly, you’ll love the features it offers and how easy it is to use it. EmuBox is perfect for playing most Nintendo games and not just Nintendo 3DS games only.
One of the features of EmuBox is that you can fast-forward games easily, which can make you bypass some difficult levels. The emulator works with most game controllers and you can use your Android device touch controls. Another feature of EmuBox is the screenshot option. While playing games, you can take screenshots of your gameplay on EmuBox. The emulator is completely free and it is also tweakable for better gameplay performance.
12. Sota Emulator
Sota Emulator is one of the newest console emulators on the emulator market. It doesn’t have that large number of users yet but it’s an outstanding emulator for playing Nintendo 3DS Games. Actually, Sota Emulator can play 3 games and they are PS2 Games, Nintendo 3DS Games and PSP games. The emulator comes with features you’ll love it. Sota Emulator is even quite advanced compared to some 3DS emulators you’ll find online. It scans Roms and indexes them faster.
While using Sota Emulator to play Nintendo 3DS Games, the emulator can automatically save and restore game states. It also has a very high game compatibility rate and you can play most games without any issues. You don’t need to have any BIOS files before you can play any games on Sota Emulator. You can fast-forward games and at the same use different game controllers with this emulator. When it comes to graphics rendering, Sota Emulator optimizes graphics on Vulkan and OpenGL GPU. One of the best Nintendo 3DS emulators is Sota Emulator.
13. RetroArch
RetroArch is another free emulator for most console games. You’ll find this emulator supporting games from consoles such as Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Sega Master System, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, MAME, PSX, PSP, DOS, CPS1, CPS2, PS2, WII and 3DS. Using RetroArch does make playing retro games on Android quite easy. The emulator comes with an excellent feature and you can even use it to download games and play them directly on your Android device.
With RetroArch, you can play multiplayer Nintendo 3DS games on your Android device. The emulator has features that make it different from other emulators. You can load cheats automatically and also use them manually. It has a fast scanning system that’ll detect any game files on your device. It supports over 80+ programs and that’s why it stands as one of the best Nintendo 3DS emulators you’ll see online.
14. NDS Emulator
NDS Emulator is an emulator with the capability to play both Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS Games. This emulator is very fast when it comes to playing 3DS games and it is also very easy to configure. You only need to have the game files downloaded and ready, it’ll scan them out automatically. With NDS Emulator, you’ll find it very easy to download and play Nintendo 3DS Games on Android.
When playing games on NDS Emulator, you’ll observe that most games will play at 100% speed. NDS Emulator might not have the feature to fast-forward games but it sure does offer speed. The graphic is smooth and the touch controls are well-optimized. If you want to play casual Nintendo 3DS games on your Android device, NDS Emulator is one of the best options to use.
Conclusion
These are the Best Nintendo 3DS Emulators out there to play Nintendo 3DS games on Android and PC. Don’t forget to leave a comment below and you can also read more on some related articles that are placed below.
