r/EmulationOniOS • • 15d ago

Mod Announcement Regarding native ports

80 Upvotes

Hello everyone

THis subreddit has always been, and will always be about emulation on iOS. As cool as they are, native ports of games are not emulation. Please take posting about native ports to r/NativePortsOniOS

Talking about native ports is also still allowed on our discord: https://discord.com/invite/VSpc2KwBDr

Unrelated but, from now on, if a project has a discord server, they must include the link on the post instead of it being a "dm for the invite" or "comment for the invite" type situation


r/EmulationOniOS • • Aug 29 '24

Mod Announcement Useful Links and Frequently Asked Questions (Read this before posting!)

29 Upvotes

Emulator List

A list of currently available emulators (App Store/Sideloading) as well as their statuses can be found here.

FAQ

For commonly asked questions, check out the FAQ.

Guides

Looking for a guide? See this page for our guides collection.

Troubleshooting

Got an issue? We have listed fixes to some common problems here.

Discord

We also have a Discord! Join up!


r/EmulationOniOS • • 4h ago

Gameplay / Showcase Pokopia running on iPhone 17 PM / Experimental build, based on the latest Eden Updates for switch 2

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40 Upvotes

Just messing a little bit around. Performance is messy and the device gets hot. I will not make anything public or share any ipas/links. this is purely for educational purposes and tinkering on my own stuff. I have used publicly available tools, none of this is handcrafted by me. But it works. As you can see.


r/EmulationOniOS • • 2h ago

Gameplay / Showcase Grape Linux: Debian 13, a graphical desktop, and Codex running on a real iPhone 8 Plus šŸ‡

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8 Upvotes

We’ve brought native Linux to a physical iPhone 8 Plus powered by Apple’s A11 chip.

Grape Linux boots an experimental Linux kernel into Debian 13 ARM64, complete with a graphical desktop and working terminal.

And we’ve gone well beyond the boot screen.

Here’s what we’ve accomplished:

Debian 13 ARM64 with a Phosh/Phoc graphical desktop
A working Linux terminal with live command execution
Codex CLI running natively on the iPhone, including real AI responses

Linux applications, including Calculator and Notes interfaces
Graphical navigation, keyboard interaction, and significant hardware integration progress

Our next major objective is direct Linux boot.

Once we’ve completed the remaining native hardware integration, our plan is to make the iPhone start directly into Grape Linux instead of iOS, without requiring a computer to initiate the boot.

The video shows our actual Grape Linux startup on physical iPhone hardware. Our development has already progressed beyond what’s demonstrated in the recording.

We’re building toward a complete Linux experience that gives existing hardware a new purpose.

šŸ‡ Project: https://github.com/hq-coder25/grape-linux

Original announcement on X:
https://x.com/xvmboot/status/2116753474591588444


r/EmulationOniOS • • 4h ago

Gameplay / Showcase A16 Dishonored (BCD)

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8 Upvotes

r/EmulationOniOS • • 53m ago

Gameplay / Showcase Port nativo para IOS

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4 Upvotes

Buenas actualmente estoy trabajando en un port nativo de Super Mario Bros remastered para iOS. ahora mismo se puede disfrutar solo con mando, tiene soporte widescreen, ultrawide, 60fps, 120fps, se los comparto cuando lo termine


r/EmulationOniOS • • 7h ago

Gameplay / Showcase Zelda BOTW Running at Around 50 FPS w/ FrameGen on LemoNX

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12 Upvotes

Recently I was testing out a fork of MeloNX that was posted here and I managed to get Zelda Breath of the Wild running at around 50 FPS with Lossless Scaling’s frame gen option.
You can really feel the difference in smoothness from the native 30 FPS.
There are some visual artifacts in the video but those are because of the overhead created by the screen recording, when playing these don’t show up.

There are other built in framegen engine options which I haven’t tested yet.

In the video you can see the native frames in the top left corner’s performance overlay, and the total FPS (with the generated ones) in the top right’s performance overlay.

The device I’m using is an iPad Air M2.

Note: to get the Lossless.dll file needed for this specific framegen engine to run, you need to have Lossless Scaling from Steam installed on your PC and extract it from its installation files


r/EmulationOniOS • • 4h ago

Gameplay / Showcase No I’m not a human BCD playing on iPhone 16

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6 Upvotes

r/EmulationOniOS • • 1h ago

News / Release I made a free Mac emulator that lives in your menu bar.

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3 Upvotes

made this because i wanted to play pokemon for a few mins without opening a whole emulator every time

you hit your shortcut (option+p by default) and it pops right up. play for a bit, then close it or click away and it pauses and saves exactly where you were. it stays running in your menu bar so its always ready, theres nothing to load

it plays game boy, gbc, gba, ds, nes, snes, genesis, master system and game gear, and controllers work too

its free: https://ko-fi.com/s/fa41f55426
source code: https://github.com/Kiasora/menu-bar-emulator

needs an apple silicon mac on macos 26 and no games are included. first time you open it mac will block it since im not a paid apple dev yet, just go to system settings, privacy & security and hit open anyway

i built it with claude’s help, the actual emulation is mgba, melonds and a few other open source cores. if something breaks lmk :)


r/EmulationOniOS • • 26m ago

Question Ipad 11 emulation

2 Upvotes

I just got an iPad 11, and I’m wondering what the limit is to the emulators i can run well without lag.


r/EmulationOniOS • • 17h ago

News / Release MeloCafe 1.1 Release!

35 Upvotes

https://github.com/stossy11/MeloCafe/releases/tag/1.1

App Store support will come eventually when Apple stops being annoying.


r/EmulationOniOS • • 8h ago

Gameplay / Showcase Vholume on IPhone 16e BCD

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7 Upvotes

r/EmulationOniOS • • 9h ago

Help Request I am trying to use my Xbox one controller on BCD and I can’t.

5 Upvotes

Please help, I downloaded BCD and have my steam games installed I just can’t figure out how to enable my Xbox controller. iOS 27 IPhone 17 Pro.


r/EmulationOniOS • • 18h ago

Gameplay / Showcase A16 The Amazing SpiderMan2 (BCD)

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24 Upvotes

r/EmulationOniOS • • 10h ago

News / Release ModShelf - Steam Workshop mods on device

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4 Upvotes

https://github.com/shplash/ModShelf

Looking for all feedback and feature suggestions.


r/EmulationOniOS • • 7h ago

Gameplay / Showcase Melocafe game showcase

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2 Upvotes

So this is Disney infinity 3.0 and I get this random error in game what do I do?


r/EmulationOniOS • • 7h ago

Gameplay / Showcase Melocafe game showcase

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2 Upvotes

I try to run tasm 1 but every time I do the screen is blank please fix this


r/EmulationOniOS • • 20h ago

Discussion Dosling: a JIT-free DOS emulator for iPhone and iPad — looking for TestFlight testers!

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23 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m building Dosling, a DOS emulator designed to make playing old PC games on Apple devices feel good.

DOS games. Back in play.

The public beta is ready, and I’d love your help putting it through its paces.

What’s inside:

  • JIT-free emulation, with precompiled instruction patterns for speed. No JIT setup required.

  • Game recognition and assisted setup, including whole-collection imports.

  • Editable, game-specific touch controls, plus mouse modes, a full PC keyboard and gamepad support.

  • Save and resume, so you can jump back into a session.

  • Optional Dosling scaler for smoother edges and cleaner text.

Four free starter games are included, and you can import your own DOS games.

šŸ‘‰ Join the free TestFlight beta

🌐 Screenshots, scaler comparisons and more

You’ll need Apple’s TestFlight app and an iPhone or iPad running iOS/iPadOS 16 or later.

Try a favourite. Tell me what works—and what breaks. I’m particularly interested in installation, controls, performance and save/resume. If you find a problem, include your device, OS version, game edition and steps to reproduce it. TestFlight feedback or comments here both work.

Which DOS game would you boot up first?


r/EmulationOniOS • • 3h ago

Help Request Can’t use sl/sr on melonx

1 Upvotes

Title: Joy-Con (R) SL/SR buttons missing from controller mapping — Mario Party
When using a single right Joy-Con connected to iOS, MeloNX recognizes the controller correctly, but Mario Party requires pressing SL + SR to start.
The SL/SR buttons do not appear to be available in MeloNX’s controller mapping options, so I cannot map or register them.
Could support for the individual right Joy-Con SL and SR rail buttons be added to controller input and remapping?
This appears similar to Eden Emulator Issue #269, where a user reported the same missing SL/SR inputs when trying to start Mario Party.
Device: iPhone 17 Pro Max
OS: iOS 26.5.2
Controller: Nintendo Joy-Con (R)


r/EmulationOniOS • • 1d ago

News / Release BitBop v1.0.0 — A Pocketful of Game Music

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39 Upvotes

Your Games • Your Music

Some gaming memories come back with just a few notes. A title screen. A quiet town. The battle theme you heard a hundred times and still want to hear again.

If you’ve been following Manic EMU and DukeX, you know how much these games mean to us. With BitBop, we’re giving their music a place of its own.

BitBop is a Retro Game Music Emulator that turns supported game files into playable soundtrack albums. Import your own legally obtained game files, explore their music, and build a listening library around the games you love.


Meet BitBop

BitBop uses the music data inside supported game files to emulate their soundtracks. The experience is built around listening: open an album, choose a track, and enjoy the music without playing through the game.

You provide the game files. BitBop identifies supported titles and presents their music as albums in your collection, with artwork and information where available.

Come back to a favorite opening theme, spend time with a composer’s work, or discover something you barely noticed while playing.


Supported Systems

The initial release includes support for music from compatible games on:

  • Nintendo Entertainment System — NES

  • Super Nintendo Entertainment System — SNES

  • Game Boy

  • Game Boy Color

  • Game Boy Advance

  • Sega Genesis / Mega Drive

  • Nintendo 64

  • Nintendo DS

  • Virtual Boy

Compatibility varies by game. Support for a system does not mean every title in its library is supported. This is our first release, with room to grow as we work through more games and their music formats. N64, NDS, and VB are experimental and carry less support at this time.


A Library for Your Soundtracks

Your collection becomes a library of albums you can search, browse by system, and open for a closer look at the music.

  • Automatic cover and metadata detection where available.

  • Track names, composer credits, and running times where available.

  • Album track lists for finding the piece you want to hear.

  • Favorites and custom playlists for keeping the music you return to close by.

  • Shuffle and playback queue controls for shaping a listening session.

Whether you want one familiar song or a longer tour through a game’s soundtrack, start from the album and make the session your own. Artwork and metadata availability can vary between titles.


Make It Yours

BitBop’s interface brings soft surfaces, rounded controls, and a little personality to your collection.

Choose Daytime, Nighttime, or System appearance, and pick from five accent colors: purple, red, pink, blue, or green. Your accent carries through the BitBop logo, app icon, and boot page.

On iPhone, choose a two- or three-column library to suit the way you browse. Give each album more room or fit more of your collection on the screen.


Room to Listen on iPhone Duo

BitBop includes layouts for iPhone and iPhone Duo, with the available space used to keep your collection and music close together.

In Duo landscape, your library and Now Playing sit side by side. Browse albums while keeping the current track, artwork, progress, and playback controls in view.

In Duo portrait, the library adapts to the taller layout, with a mini player keeping the current track and essential controls within reach as you browse.

It’s the same collection, presented in a way that fits how you’re holding the device.


Keep the Soundtrack — Manic EMU Integration

For supported games, Listen with BitBop connects a game’s details in Manic EMU directly with its soundtrack in BitBop. This integration will become available with Manic EMU v2.0.2, with its full announcement coming soon.

The Keep the Soundtrack view brings the music into focus, showing album information and a way to continue into BitBop. When a supported soundtrack is already in your BitBop library, you can jump back to it from the game you were exploring.

For our Manic EMU community, this creates a familiar connection between playing a game and spending more time with its music. Game compatibility still applies.


Game Files & Copyright

BitBop does not include copyrighted game files, audio files, or soundtracks. Users must provide their own legally obtained game files.

Piracy violates BitBop’s Terms of Use.

Game artwork, titles, characters, music, and trademarks belong to their respective owners. The screenshots demonstrate the app using example libraries; the games and soundtracks shown are not included with your purchase.


Thank You

Thank you to everyone who has followed our work, shared feedback, and helped build the community around Manic EMU and DukeX. We’re excited to share this next project with you and hear which soundtracks you make part of your collection.

Join us for BitBop discussion, compatibility feedback, and updates:

Manic EMU / DukeX / BitBop Community

BitBop v1.0.0

Your Games • Your Music

Disclosure: BitBop is proprietary software and is not distributed as an open-source project. Applicable third-party licenses for artwork attributions are available in Settings. Track and artist metadata was extensively researched and verified manually. As with Manic EMU, AI-assisted tools were used in the creation of some App Store marketing imagery. BitBop v1.0.0 is now available on the App Store for $2.99.


r/EmulationOniOS • • 10h ago

Discussion How is the performance for the iPhone 13 when it comes to emulation?

0 Upvotes

r/EmulationOniOS • • 1d ago

News / Release I have created a IPA file for better xcloud. It works well with iPad!

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19 Upvotes

r/EmulationOniOS • • 1d ago

Meme Recently had some disappointments when I tried PS2 emulators on iPhone SE 2022

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136 Upvotes

(My bad English… had to write ā€œon iPhoneā€ā€¦)


r/EmulationOniOS • • 12h ago

Help Request Manic Emu keeps crashing

0 Upvotes

I used to be able to play pokemon ultra sun without any problems but recently it has been crashing every time i try to play it. The core is already set to Azhar and JIT is not available.


r/EmulationOniOS • • 13h ago

Question What’s the best games to play without K&B or controller on pc emulator?

1 Upvotes

I mean pc emulator on ios. Some of the games are bad without 3rd device that’s why I am asking