How to Play Pokémon Emerald on iOS & Android

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Whether you want to relive your childhood memories or experience the Hoenn region for the very first time, modern mobile emulators make playing Pokémon Emerald easier than ever. In this guide, we will walk you through setting up the best free GBA emulators on both iOS and Android.

iOS Setup Guide Using Delta Emulator

For years, emulation on iPhone required complicated side-loading or jailbreaking. Thanks to changes in App Store guidelines, the absolute best GBA emulator is now officially available directly on the App Store for free.

1 Download Delta Emulator: Open the iOS App Store and search for Delta - Game Emulator. It is completely free, open-source, and has zero advertisements.
2 Obtain the ROM file: You will need a Pokémon Emerald GBA ROM file (ending in .gba). To stay legal, you should dump this ROM from your own physical game cartridge using a cartridge dumper.
3 Transfer the ROM to your iPhone: Save the .gba file into your iCloud Drive, Google Drive, or transfer it to your device using AirDrop or email.
4 Import into Delta: Open the Delta App, tap the "+" icon in the top right corner, select "Files", navigate to where you saved the ROM file, and tap it to import.
5 Start Playing: The game artwork will automatically populate. Simply tap the game icon to boot up Pokémon Emerald!

Delta Emulator Features

Delta supports Skins (giving you retro Game Boy Advance button skins on screen), Cheat Codes, Save States, and seamless Cloud Syncing (via Dropbox or Google Drive) so you never lose your save data even if you switch iPhones.

Android Setup Guide Using Lemuroid or My Boy!

Android has a rich history of emulation. While there are paid options, there are stellar, high-performance free emulators available directly on the Google Play Store.

1 Download an Emulator: Go to the Google Play Store and download either Lemuroid (completely free, open-source, no ads, very simple) or My Boy! Free (highly optimized classic).
2 Organize Your ROM: Create a folder on your Android storage named "RetroGames" and place your legally obtained Pokémon Emerald .gba file inside it.
3 Load the Game: Open Lemuroid or My Boy!, grant it directory permissions to read the folder you created, and scan for games. The emulator will automatically detect Pokémon Emerald.
4 Configure Controls: Customize the on-screen D-pad layout to your comfort, or pair any Bluetooth controller (like an Xbox/PS5 controller) for a console-like experience.

Pro Tip: Controller Support

For the ultimate setup, you can clip your phone into a mobile controller like the Backbone One or Razer Kishi. Both Delta and Android emulators instantly map these controllers out of the box!