Perhaps you don’t think of your Chromebook as much of a gaming machine because of its limited specs, but still, it is a very good one for retro gaming. But what are the best emulators you can use for it? Let’s find out about the joy of emulating on a Chromebook.
What are the best emulators for Chromebook?
Eclipse
If you are not looking forward to being on the hunt for games from your childhood or navigating shady sites or, more realistically, you are not allowed to install apps on your Chromebook, then Eclipse is the answer. It is a web-based emulator that covers most consoles and should guarantee a pretty painless experience throughout.
Not only is it free, but it can emulate consoles as varied as Game Boy Advance, the NES, and Super Nintendo. Unfortunately, while there are no issues with touch and keyboard controls, gamepads are a little more difficult to set up as you’ll have to configure each of them manually, which can take a bit of time.
But trying it out for yourself might be the best, so head to the Eclipse website and see if this emulator works for you.
Retro Arch
This is an emulator that pops up on a lot of different lists, and for good reason. It is not really an emulator per se but a frontend that allows you to download different cores, which you can use to emulate basically everything. This means that with one app, you are able to run NES games, Gamecube games, and even quite more obscure home computers such as the Apple II.
On the other hand, as a jack of all trades, this means that a bit of fiddling and setup is required. While Retro Arch has its separate options as a frontend, each core also comes with its own particular set of options and emulation settings that you might have to fiddle with to get a particular game running.
If you are not particularly computer savvy, don’t want to spend too much time setting up stuff, or are interested in only emulating a couple of systems at best, then Retro Arch might not be the perfect one for you.
Wine
If you are looking to run any Windows app on your Chromebook, then Wine is the answer you are looking for. It has been in development even before Windows 95 came out, so you know this emulator has a good pedigree.
It requires Linux compatibility on your machine, but once that is done, you can discover an entirely new world of apps ready for you to run. If you have ever dreamed of running Microsoft Office on your Chromebook, Wine allows you to do just that.
Unlike similar solutions such as QEMU, this is a more lightweight solution that requires a bit less fiddling to get it to work. Running games might be a little bit more of a difficult proposition for Wine, but you can run some early classics as long as you don’t try to push the 3D graphics too far.
PPSSPP
Looking to get that quick fix of 2006 on-the-go gaming? Then look no further than PPSSPP, a quite well-made Sony PSP emulator. It includes several compelling emulator features, such as save/load states and fast-forward, and has open-source code. It is also a free emulator that, while a premium version is available, still allows you to try it out with no limitations.
Even though it only emulates PSP games, PPSSPP is stable, has a great emulator experience, and allows you to use a controller. While you might find some issues with more advanced games, such as God of War: Ghost of Sparta, most other titles should work smoothly with no hiccups.
John GBAC
As far as gaming on the go is concerned, the Nintendo Game Boy Advance is still one of the best consoles ever, thanks to its incredible games, but what about the Game Boy Color? If you are looking to emulate both handhelds, then this free emulator will do the trick.
It combines both previously discontinued John GBA and John GBC emulators, so if you want to make sure the emulator works on future updates, this is the one you will want to install on your Chromebook.
This is a free emulator that is supported by ads. While it would be nice to have the option to pay to disable the in-game ads, they are tolerable, as long as you avoid exiting and going back to the emulator again and again.
Dolphin
Perhaps you don’t want to go too far back with your emulation, instead visiting the era of the Nintendo GameCube and Wii. Then Dolphin will be the one for you, as it recreates both Nintendo consoles on your Chromebook since it supports both Android and Linux environments. Dolphin Emulator plays Wii and GameCube games using a simple and easy-to-use UI.
Naturally, since these are newer games that you are emulating, the experience might vary depending on your Chromebook model. Go ahead and try them out for yourself to see how your favorite game runs. For example, while a classic like Wii Sports runs with no issues, others, such as Killer 7, might have a few more problems. Exactly like RetroArch, Dolphin supports controllers, keyboards, and touch controls.
Snes9X EX+
Want to get a taste of that sweet 16-bit experience? We present Snes9x EX+, a version of the classic Snes9X emulator made for Android that has all the features you would need. Not only that, but it runs basically everything ever made for the Super Nintendo, from Chrono Trigger to Yoshi’s Island, smooth as butter.
Along with all the usual features you can think of, such as save/load states, fast forwarding, different aspect ratios, controller support, keyboard compatibility, and touch controls, the emulator also has no problems running patched ROMs, so you can enjoy hacks or translated games from Japan. Last but not least, it works great with cheat codes.
M64Plus FZ
Are you a fan of early 3D environments? Want to bring back those Super Mario 64 skills? The M64Plus FZ emulator should be the one for you. This emulator includes many useful features such as save states and fast forwarding, and even unique ones such as local multiplayer, which can come quite in handy for a quick Mario Kart 64 match. But, unfortunately, there’s a bit of a catch.
Overall, Nintendo 64 games can be quite fiddly to emulate; you might find issues with clipping, slowdowns, or garbled 3D graphics. So, since, in this case, you can try out the app for free, just see if your favorite N64 games run without issues.
The paid version is just $3.99, which is not much, but its main feature is adding support for network multiplayer, so it is not a mandatory upgrade.
Nes.emu
With a UI pretty similar to the Snes9x emulator, it can be easy to think this looks quite a bit outdated. But don’t let that discourage you, since NES.emu is one of the best emulators if you are looking to properly bring back the fun 8-bit times of the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Not only will it allow you to fast forward, but it also supports save states and can even run Famicom games,. In case you’re inclined to try them out, it also has no problems with Bluetooth controllers. But if you don’t have a gamepad, just set up your keyboard. There is one catch, though: this emulator will set you back $3.99, but it’s a fine price to pay as it will be the only NES emulator you’ll ever need.
DraStic DS Emulator
You might be a fan of the Game Boy Advance, but what about its unique dual-screen touch controls successor? The Nintendo DS still lives on in many gamers’ memories, and thanks to DraStic, you can go back to those happy times even on your Chromebook.
It supports gamepads with no issues, but you can also configure an on-screen keyboard and double the 3D graphical resolution if your Chromebook is powerful enough. It’s like playing your very own remastered DS game!
Thanks to save states and a lot of customization options, DraStic is one of the best emulators for the Nintendo DS and the best way to bring back hours of fun with games such as Castlevania Portrait of Ruin and Mario Kart DS.
