Top Pokémon emulators for iPhone, Android in 2026. Plus emulator proxy setup with MoMoProxy for online trading.
For millions of Pokémon trainers, the crackle of a Game Boy speaker and the monochrome glow of a Gen 1 battle screen are sacred memories. Today, emulation technology has matured into a reliable, high-fidelity way to experience every mainline Pokémon game—from Red & Blue to Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon—on modern hardware.
However, not all emulators are equal. iOS's walled garden, Android's fragmentation, and PC's raw power create three very different landscapes. This guide provides first-hand tested methods, expert configuration tips, and safety practices for each platform.
Apple prohibits just-in-time (JIT) compilation in third-party apps, which many emulators rely on. Consequently, no mainstream emulator exists on the official App Store. You must sideload apps—a process that requires re-signing every 7 days unless you use a paid developer account.
Delta (the successor to GBA4iOS) is the gold standard. It is free, open-source, and does not require jailbreaking.
Technical Specifications:
Step-by-Step Sideloading via AltStore (The Most Trusted Method):
Pro Tip: If you play daily, consider a paid Apple Developer account ($99/year) — this extends sideloaded app validity to 365 days and allows up to 100 registered devices.
Android is the most flexible emulation platform, but performance varies wildly. A Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 phone runs 3DS games at 4x resolution; a budget MediaTek device may struggle with DS.
| Platform | Emulator | Key Strengths | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy Advance | Pizza Boy GBA Basic | No ads, battery-efficient (uses ~15% less power than My Boy!), 60fps with frame-skipping disabled, customizable on-screen controls | Emerald / FireRed speedruns, long play sessions |
| My Boy! Lite (Free) | Link cable emulation over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Works for trading Haunter → Gengar or battling locally | Multi-device trading, completing Pokédex | |
| Pizza Boy GBA Pro (~$4.99) | Adds cheat code database, backup memory management, and shader support | Hardcore completionists | |
BIOS Files: For GBA emulation, you need the [gba_bios.bin]. Place it in the emulator's system folder (usually [/storage/emulated/0/EmulatorName/system]). Without it, some games (e.g., Ruby/Sapphire) will crash during intro sequences. Legally, you should dump this from your own GBA hardware.
Fast-Forward Mapping: Map fast-forward to a shoulder button (L2/R2). Grinding in Platinum's Victory Road becomes a 30-minute task instead of 2 hours. Most Android emulators support 2x to 8x speed.
Shader Installation: Download CRT-Royale or LCD-Grid shaders (available through RetroArch's online updater) to simulate the original pixel grid. This reduces the "over-sharp" look on modern AMOLED screens and more closely matches the original intended visuals.
Save File Migration: Android emulators typically save to [.sav] files (battery saves) and [.state] files (save states). These are cross-compatible with PC emulators like mGBA or DeSmuME—just copy the file to the corresponding folder.
PC is the gold standard for preservation and visual quality. With a mid-range GPU, you can render Pokémon X & Y at 8K internal resolution (8x the 3DS's 400x240 native output) with anti-aliasing, custom texture packs, and 60fps mods.
Why mGBA over VBA-M? mGBA achieves cycle-accuracy, meaning it mimics the original hardware's timing down to individual clock cycles. This fixes glitches that plague less accurate emulators:
Key Features:
Why MelonDS over DeSmuME? MelonDS has overtaken DeSmuME in both accuracy and features:
Setup Tips:
The official Citra project shut down in 2024, but the final stable release (Citra Nightly 2104) remains fully functional.
Visual Enhancements:
Special Features:
Pokémon Sword/Shield, Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, Legends: Arceus, and Scarlet/Violet run on Switch emulators. However:
All PC emulators support XInput (Xbox controllers) natively. For PlayStation or Switch controllers, use Steam's controller configuration or tools like DS4Windows.
Recommended mapping for DS/3DS emulation:
| Feature | iPhone (iOS) | Android | PC (Windows/Mac/Linux) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation difficulty | High (requires PC sideloading every 7 days) | Low (direct from Play Store) | Low (download and run) |
| Emulator cost | Free (Delta, iNDS) | Free options + paid premium ($5-6) | Free (open source) |
| Maximum resolution | Native screen (no scaling) | Up to 4x native (Citra MMJ) | Up to 8K (Citra) |
| Best performance | Stable 60fps on GBA/DS |
Emulators themselves are legal—they are clean-room reverse-engineered software. However, downloading ROMs of games you do not own occupies a legal gray area.
The safest approach:
What most people actually do: Download ROMs from archive.org or similar sites for games that are no longer in print. Nintendo has not sold Pokémon Emerald or HeartGold new in over a decade. While legally questionable, no individual has ever been sued solely for downloading an old Pokémon ROM.
What to avoid: Distributing ROMs, hosting ROM websites, or selling pre-loaded devices. These activities attract legal action.
Search engines are filled with fake download buttons and malware. Follow these rules:
Safe file hosts:
safe File extensions:
Red flags to avoid:
For those looking to take their emulation experience further—specifically for trading Pokémon or battling friends online using emulators like MelonDS (NDS) or Citra (3DS)—you may encounter network restrictions. Some ISPs block the custom ports these emulators use, and certain Wi-Fi networks (schools, offices, public hotspots) filter peer-to-peer traffic.
This is where an emulator proxy becomes valuable. By routing your emulator's network traffic through a proxy server, you can bypass these restrictions, reduce latency for cross-region connections, and maintain a stable connection for online trades and battles. An emulator proxy essentially masks your traffic, making it appear as standard web activity rather than peer-to-peer gaming data.
One reliable solution in this space is MoMoProxy, which offers dedicated proxy servers optimized for gaming and emulator traffic. With support for SOCKS5 and HTTP protocols, MoMoProxy integrates seamlessly with emulator network settings, providing low-latency connections and multiple geographic endpoints. Whether you're trading a Kadabra from HeartGold to Platinum across continents or just need a stable connection behind a restrictive firewall, MoMoProxy provides the infrastructure to keep your Pokémon journey uninterrupted.
For iPhone users: Set a recurring weekly calendar reminder to refresh AltStore. If you miss it, your saves are still there—just refresh, and they'll reappear.
For Android users: Disable battery optimization for your emulator (Settings → Apps → Emulator → Battery → Unrestricted). Otherwise, Android may kill the emulator when it runs in the background during long play sessions.
For PC users: Create a dedicated emulation folder structure:
1├── ROMs
2│ ├── GB
3│ ├── GBA
4│ ├── NDS
5│ └── 3DS
6├── Saves
7└── BIOS\
8
9This makes backups and migrations much easier.
Regardless of platform: Back up your save files regularly. Cloud saves (Delta), or manual folder backups (Android/PC), prevent heartbreak when you lose 80 hours of Emerald progress.
Now, go catch 'em all—on whatever device you have in your pocket, and with whatever network you're on.
Related Article:
| Nintendo DS |
| DraStic DS (Paid, ~$5.99) |
| Runs full speed on 2016-era hardware (Snapdragon 625). Features high-resolution 3D rendering (2x native DS resolution), customizable screen layout, and stylus emulation via touch or mouse |
| HeartGold/SoulSilver, Black/White 2, older phones |
| Nintendo 3DS | Citra MMJ (free fork) | The official Citra is discontinued; the MMJ (Master-MJ) fork adds resolution scaling (up to 4x 3DS resolution, meaning 1600x960 on a 400x240 game), custom shaders, and improved performance on Mali GPUs | Ultra Sun/Moon, Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, X/Y |
| All-in-One | RetroArch | Uses Libretro cores (mGBA, DeSmuME, Citra). Offers Run-Ahead technology to reduce input lag by 1-2 frames. Single interface for all generations | Unified library management, input lag reduction |
| Full speed on flagship phones |
| Unlimited (hardware-dependent) |
| Cheat support | Yes (Action Replay/GameShark) | Yes + code databases | Yes + memory editors |
| Multiplayer | None (local link unsupported) | Bluetooth/Wi-Fi link (My Boy!) | Local and online (MelonDS) |
| Save states | Yes (10 per game) | Yes | Yes (unlimited) |
