Apple opened the App Store to a few emulators in 2024, so Delta and Provenance now install directly. But the powerful ones — full consoles, PSP, every system in one app — are still missing or stripped down. Here are the iPhone emulators you can’t get, or can’t get fully, from the App Store, and the ones worth downloading first.
DolphiniOS — GameCube and Wii
Full-system console emulation is exactly what Apple keeps off the App Store, so you won’t find DolphiniOS there. It runs GameCube and Wii games on a modern iPhone — Mario Kart, Smash, Metroid — with save states and controller support.
PPSSPP — PSP
PSP emulation never reached the App Store in a usable form. PPSSPP is the standard, and it runs the full PSP library smoothly with save states and HD upscaling.
RetroArch — every system in one app
The App Store build of RetroArch is limited. The full version is the one you want: dozens of systems in a single app, from arcade to PlayStation, with shaders, save states and controller support.
Happy Chick — a huge retro library
Happy Chick was never on the App Store. It covers a long list of systems in one place and is one of the easiest ways to carry a whole retro library on your phone.
Already on the App Store: Delta and Provenance
For Nintendo handhelds, Delta and Provenance did make it onto the App Store. They install here too, with the upside that the install stays signed and won’t drop off your home screen.
Why they stay installed
Sideloaded emulators usually stop opening after seven days, or get revoked in a wave, and then you reinstall everything. Reliable signing changes that: install once, no 7-day expiry, no computer, no re-signing. Pick an emulator, download the IPA, tap install, and it stays.
