The best console emulators (NES, SNES, Genesis, and more) in 2024

Have you ever wanted to play some of the video games you grew up with? There’s nothing like taking a trip down memory lane with our 8-bit heroes of yesteryear, but not everyone has a classic console hanging around to re-experience these titles with. Fortunately, we live in a world of console emulators, which means you won’t have to spend precious weekend time trying to find a PS2 or SNES at that indie game store that’s 25 miles away.

Legally, console emulation isn’t exactly black and white. Because of these challenges, some of these tools may not work consistently. That being said, RetoArch is a tried and true emulator for most classic consoles. There are also several standalone emulators we’d like to recommend, so we compiled all our findings and emulation expertise into this best-of guide.

One to rule them all: RetroArch

In the past, emulation was, more often than not, something of a juggling act. To play games that appeared on different consoles, you had to install and configure multiple programs — one for each console you wished to emulate. That could be a headache. These days, things have become streamlined and easier overall, thanks to a program known as RetroArch.

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RetroArch is a program that acts as a hub for all your emulation needs. With it, you can download and install various emulation “cores” to the system, organize your ROMs and game files, and configure your experience through a single front end that makes emulation a breeze … once it’s set up. RetroArch’s open-ended flexibility gives the user a ton of control with which to customize and fine-tune their emulation experience, and for the most part, it’s easy to use.

From the download directory on the RetroArch, select your operating system and download the appropriate compressed files. Extract it into an empty