
Nintendo is famous for creating handheld consoles and has sold millions of them. However, it hasn’t sold as many as the number of smartphones available worldwide. Interestingly, these smartphones are capable of running 3DS games.
Download the best 3DS emulators for Android
Here’s a list of all the applications that have existed for emulating the Nintendo 3DS, available in APK format or on the Google Play Store. Everything is at your fingertips. Choose one and check out its installation and configuration details:
What is the best 3DS emulator for your Android?
This is a very interesting question, especially after learning about the closure of the official Citra emulator, as Nintendo buried it and it will never rise again.
So, let’s get to the point. Citra MMJ is undoubtedly a great option for low, mid, or high-end devices due to its good speed and multiplayer support via LAN or online with VPNs. However, it unfortunately lacks Vulkan rendering, which is a downside because that API significantly boosts game performance.
| Ranges | Emulators |
|---|---|
The best 3DS emulator for a low-end smartphone is: →But what is a low-end phone? These are typically very affordable devices from past years, for example, from 2019 or earlier, or even some current models. They usually have processors that are not Snapdragon. | Citra MMJ |
| The best emulator for mid-range and high-end smartphones—and perhaps even low-end models from 2024 onward→ is one that supports Vulkan, a video rendering technology that boosts performance. For current low-end phones with Snapdragon processors, Vulkan might provide good performance. If you have a high-powered smartphone, there’s nothing more to say except to enjoy it to the fullest. | – Lime3DS – Citra Pablo – Citra oficial |
But if you have time, we always recommend trying both Citra MMJ and Lemon3DS. This way, you can see which works best for specific games and choose the best app for you.

List of 3DS Emulators



