Best NES Emulators for Android phones and tablets

What would you play first? Bomberman, Super Mario Bros, Contra?

Updated on: October 9, 2022 – 1 new emulator added

– 1 new emulator added

Anyone who sheds a tear or two at the mere mention of NES games should definitely go through this list of the best NES emulators for Android and crank the nostalgia through the roof after downloading them!

The Nintendo Entertainment System, is an 8-bit, cartridge-based home video game console, released by Nintendo almost 40 years ago, in the distant 1983. Known in Japan as the Family Computer or Famicom, it became one of the best-selling consoles of all time, with total sales close to 62 million.

In total, 704 known licensed games were released for the console, with the final release being Lion King (PAL exclusive) in 1995. Among these, 75 games sold over a million copies (at least) worldwide.

When we are talking about ‘systems’ that left their mark in gaming history, the NES is absolutely near on the top of that list.

Best selling NES games and hits

Some of the best-selling NES games include titles that shaped gaming for years to come. “Super Mario Bros” defined the side-scroller genre and “The Legend of Zelda” established the genre of action-adventure games. If you have ever heard of the genre “Metroidvania”, which originates from the NES games Metroid and Castlevania. Now, if you are a gamer, chances are that you’ve heard about Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and Mega Man once or twice. But the list goes on and on. So many legendary games, we can’t name them all.

What if you want to play some of these games now? Well, unless you own NES and the cartridge of your favorite game(s), you are going to need an emulator and the ROM files. But for people who are not familiar with those terms, “emulator”, “ROM”, let’s clarify some things first.

Android NES Emulators? How do they work?

ROM? Why do I need that?

To put it as simply as possible, whenever you read or hear the term ROM (Read-Only Memory), think of game files. That’s what it is essentially, the game files that an original cartridge contains. But since we can’t really use a cartridge on our mobile device, we need the ROM files. Once you have them, you load them up on the emulator of your choice and you can enjoy your favorite game. That simple.

The emulator is an application that “emulates” or “imitates” another system. Running an emulator on your Android device will allow you to “run” software developed in that system. But that’s all an emulator is. If you want to play games, you are going to need a ROM.To put it as simply as possible, whenever you read or hear the term ROM (Read-Only Memory), think of game files. That’s what it is essentially, the game files that an original cartridge contains. But since we can’t really use a cartridge on our mobile device, we need the ROM files. Once you have them, you load them up on the emulator of your choice and you can enjoy your favorite game. That simple.

The list of best NES emulators for Android devices

Many many years ago, Pasofami was the first emulator for NES. Soon after, iNES followed. Nowadays? Way too many to name them all. That’s why, in this article, we will take a look at the best available NES emulators for Android devices.
Original article by Mihail Katsoris, updated by Pocket Gamer staff.

Many many years ago, Pasofami was the first emulator for NES. Soon after, iNES followed. Nowadays? Way too many to name them all. That’s why, in this article, we will take a look at the best available NES emulators for Android devices. Original article by Mihail Katsoris, updated by Pocket Gamer staff.

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