This article is dedicated to gamers across the globe. Alright. All gamers must have been hearing something or the other about emulators doing a fantastic job, right? Absolutely yes. In this piece of writing, we intend to feed you everything about Nintendo 3Ds emulators for Android and PC Windows.
Enjoy the ride.
In the world of gaming, an emulator is a console that enables your machine to imitate the hardware of the video game console and play all its games on the emulating platform. Now speaking of the best 3ds emulator or Nintendo 3DS, it’s a flagship product of Nintendo that seen the light in 2011.
In fact, much of its success came nearly after a year, thanks to its continuous developments.
The USP of the Nintendo 3DS emulator has to be its ability in facilitating gamers to duplicate the graphical system of the machine they are playing by using a software application that enables any Android device or PC to play Nintendo games.
That said, using Nintendo 3DS emulators is a cakewalk and is free of cost. You just have to download and install the software application on your Android or PC and get full control over the plethora of Nintendo 3DS games and the icing on the cake – you don’t require an actual gaming console of Nintendo. How cool!
Table of Contents
5 Nintendo 3DS emulators for PC
1. CITRA
Introduced in 2014, CITRA has conquered gamers’ hearts with its high performance and heavy graphics speed. Thus far, the best Nintendo 3DS emulator PC, Citra 3ds emulator is easy to install and emulate not just one windows operating system but also works smoothly on MAC and LINUX.
CITRA emulator can be installed only on a 64-bit operating system that is equipped with at least Open GL 3.3 graphics chip.
If you are certain about working with 3rd party controllers make sure you configure via GUI.
Features
- Open-source software emulator
- User-friendly interface
- Stunning display graphics – 60fps with a resolution of 400×200
- Supports local wifi
- Compatible with 3rd party controllers
2. R4 3DS EMULATOR
Another best ds emulator for pc which, is Built on similar lines as CycloDS iEvolution or R4i 3DS, R4 3DS stands out for its impressive design. In its native version, the R4 3DS emulator is restricted to support new Nintendo ds games because it’s compatible with only DS mode.
As per the developers, the next version of the R4 3DS emulator is being designed to support all the latest versions of 3DS games. While for testers and developers R4 3DS is a playground to build and test games without actually buying a DS console.
You must be wondering why an “insert cartridge” pop up message is thrown on the screen when the game is launched, it’s just for effect. Begin playing by opening the game file.
Features
- Impressive design and high performance guaranteed
- Testing and reviewing games for developers and testers
- Typically works as flash memory or flash card
3. DeSmuME
It is an open-source Nintendo 3DS Emulator, DeSmuME can be downloaded for free and is compatible with Windows, MAC, LINUX, Wii and AmigaOS 4. Much of its popularity came from its compatibility with a 32-bit operating system.
And the developers are always rolled up their sleeves to come up with continuous upgrades – bug fixes, improved graphics, and enhanced user experience. It comes with a manual – describing best practices of how to use the software.
Features
- Open-source software
- Compatible with Windows, MAC, LINUX, Wii and AmigaOS 4
- Supports 32-bit operating systems
- Adjustable NDS display screen
- Multiple display windows
- Game replays and saves stated
- Microphone enabled
4. NeonDS
Download the most efficient emulator NeonDS from Softonic to enjoy a free Nintendo 3DS emulator platform. The best feature of NeonDS has to be its lightweight on the hardware part, unlike another heavy 3ds emulator for pc.
It will not disappoint you, thanks to its scintillating design. However, you don’t find regular updates for which you have to compromise on minor bugs.
Features
- Open-source – freeware
- The application is very light – consumes less memory onboard
- Available on Softonic
5. iDEAS
With iDEAS, gamers can live a king-size life for the kind of options it offers. For example, the dual-screen processing mode enables gamers to use the emulator on multiple screens.
When it comes to performance, it does what it does – top-notch performance. Kudos to its developers for continuously fixing the bugs and adding more features in every update. As of now, the graphics are on the lower side.
However, regular updates improve quality.
Features
- Multiple screen processing
- More DS games to be incorporated
- Splendid performance
5 Nintendo 3DS emulators for Android Smartphones
1. NDS Boy
If you have an android device with more than or equal to 2GB RAM, then grab NDS Boy to have the best experience with Nintendo 3DS emulators. Although the NDS Boy 3ds emulator for android is a rookie, yet its performance has grabbed many eyeballs for its compatibility with .nds, .zip, .rar, and .7z gaming files.
The sparkling feature of keeping your stats frozen so that you don’t have to start from scratch if your game gets crashed.
Features
- Adjustable display settings and buttons
- Saves and loads states
- Supports many gaming files
- Quicksave, quick load and autosave functionalities are incorporated
2. Retro Arch
Not just Nintendo 3DS gaming system, Retro Arch also supports play station and others. Thanks to its interface Libretro is built on OpenGL. For those newbies out there, this 3ds android emulator one is not your top pick as it is complex because of cross-platform abilities.
Features
- Works on iOS too
- Edit controls, enter and load cheats, scan directories
- Multi-language support
- Extremely powerful interface
3. Pretendo NDS Emulator
Download pretendo NDS Emulator apk from 3rd party websites to enjoy the original Nintendo-like experience, thanks to its virtual control mechanism. Pretendo NDS allows gamers to open gaming files in .rom, .ds, .rar and .zip formats.
Features
- Autosaves games, disable sounds and graphics
- Virtual control to resemble true Nintendo Experience
- Supports multiple file formats
4. Drastic 3DS Emulator
Thus far, the most reliable Nintendo 3DS emulator android out in the market, the Drastic DS emulator is a feast to gamers.
On the other hand, it’s not available for free on Google Play Store, you got to pay to use it.
Features
- Screen personalization
- Add-on controller support
- Enhanced 3-D graphics
- Saves states and fast-forwarding
5. Nds4doird
The name speaks a lot. Nds4droid is truly a bliss for gamers. It’s an open-source emulator that has been doing noises for all the right reasons. Much like the other 3ds emulator apk, you can enhance the gaming experience by disabling the sounds and skipping frames.
Features
- OUYA console support
- Supports various game formats
- Saves states/audio
Final Words
Now that you have known the best Nintendo 3DS emulator for PC android in the market for PC and Android, choose the one that fits best for your needs.
Additional Resources:-
Android Emulators for PC
Best iOS Emulators for Windows PC
Xbox 360 Emulator for PC