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10 Greatest SNES Emulators for PC, Mac and Android

Despite the fact that gaming has improved leaps and bounds within the past 3 odd decades, there's nothing like the wonderful fix of nostalgia which you get from playing classic SNES games from the 90's. But due to the fact that SNES-style consoles are far out of fashion nowadays and getting your hands on a working prototype could prove to be a herculean task, enjoying games like Super Mario or Donkey Kong may end up being a hassle. To be able to play classic SNES games you're now required to use emulators and even though there are a number of options to choose from, not all of them are capable of delivering exactly the same experience that you would get from playing the sport on an old-timey console. 

Notice: While emulators themselves are legal, downloading ROMs or ISO images of matches which you intend on playing the emulator falls under the category of piracy. So, so as to prevent any legal problems, it's advisable to only play games that you own or ones that you have ripped from the CD or cartridge yourself. 

Finest SNES Emulators for PC, Mac and Android

RetroArch

Kicking off the listing is RetroArch, a great SNES emulator that includes cross platform support, enabling users to enjoy SNES games on a variety of different platforms. RetroArch is often called a front-end for emulators that conducts programs converted into dynamic libraries known as liberto cores. Essentially, the software provides a polished interface to allow the user to play a vast range of classic games, making it quite simple to use. The Nintendo emulator PC includes support for a range of different controllers plus it offers several innovative features like shaders, netplay, and rewinding.

In addition to that, RetroArch can also be capable of natively recording and streaming your gameplay to favorite streaming platforms like Twitch.tv and YouTube. This makes RetroArch the best emulator out there, since it does not restrict users to games introduced for a particular console.

Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Internet

higan

Taking the second spot is higan, yet another fantastic emulator that supports multiple consoles, such as SNES. Higan (formerly called bsnes) emulates the original hardware as accurately as possible, offering a gameplay experience that you wouldn't find with any other emulator. But due to how in which the emulation functions, higan is a rather demanding emulator and won't work well on low-end or older apparatus.

On the bright side, the emulator is effective at running every industrial SNES title ever published , making it the perfect alternative if SNES games are all that you care about. 

Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

SNES9x

Next up is SNES 9x, an simple to use emulator that does not require any substantial adjustment and allows users to immediately launch games shortly after first extraction. The emulator is capable of conducting virtually all SNES titles without any noticeable issues and it works fairly well on relatively obsolete hardware.

SNES9x is one of the finest SNES emulators out there for non invasive hardware and it delivers a fantastic selection of features, including Zoom Image Processing to get better graphics, save countries to save games in the precise spot you need them to store, fast forward to speed up games, together with a recording feature that allows you to capture .avi pictures of your gameplay.

BizHawk

If you're a fan of speedruns and want to finish a game at the fastest time possible, then you should definitely take a peek at BizHawk. The emulator has been specifically designed around the production of Tool Assisted Speedruns (TAS) and it functions equally well for casual gaming.

The emulator includes support for games released on multiple platforms, such as NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, Atari 2600, etc., meaning that you'll have the ability to enjoy far more games for this emulator, than with any other.

ZSNES

ZSNES is just another excellent Super Nintendo emulator that you can utilize to conduct hottest SNES games with relative ease. Though the emulator's development ceased back in 2007, it is still quite capable and user friendly , which explains the reason why it's still quite popular with emulation fans.

ZSNES features a decent selection of features, including filters to improve video output, save states support, and also a great recently played games list which keeps tabs on 10 of the latest games that you've played on the emulator. It is worth noting that ZSNES has a known security harness and it is feasible to get a ROM to divert you to a page and set up undesirable programs in your system, but the tap can readily be avoided by downloading ROMs from reliable sources.

OpenEmu

If you're on a Mac and are on the watch for a multi-system emulator which works nicely on your own system, then you should take a peek at OpenEMU. Development on OpenEMU began back in 2007 and it was originally just a port for its NEX/Famicom emulator Nestopia. The emulator is a lot like RetroArch, on account of the fact that it is more of a front end for a bunch of different emulators, requiring one to download extra cores to play games.

It is fairly easy to use and has a very clean UI that really matches the overall macOS aesthetic. The emulator includes a couple of different filters to improve visual output and additionally, it supports multiple input methods, so you can readily use a retro controller with your system for a far more authentic experience. Another fantastic thing about OpenEmu is the fact that it isn't too source extensive, which means that you can easily run it on elderly macOS apparatus with low end specifications.

Nestopia UE

Nestopia is a high accuracy NES emulator which is capable of playing NES games without any trouble and contains features like texture scaling and internet play. However, in its first form it is more or less dead as its programmers stopped the development back in 2008, which will be where Nestopia UE comes in. Nestopia UE (Undead Edition) is a RetroArch core emulator which you can use in case you don't want to experience the hassle of establishing RetroArch.

The emulator comes with a few cool features like game-specific customized palettes, cheat support, Famicom mic service , that make it a great alternative for emulation fans on the market. As you'd expect, Nestopia UE is fairly simple to establish and contains a user friendly interface which permits you to install and run games in no time. The emulator also comes with VSync support, but prepare to get a few input lag if you plan on using the attribute.

SNES9x EX+

In case you're looking for a fantastic SNES emulator for your own Android smartphone, then you need to definitely have a look at SNES9x EX+ — the Android interface for SNES9x. The emulator includes all the basic features you'd expect from any SNES emulator, including save/load states, onscreen controls, support for a variety of file types and game pad assistance.

Granted, the emulator looks a little old school, but since it works quite nicely there is no point whining about the UI. What's really amazing is that unlike any other SNES emulators for Android, SNES9x EX+ is completely free and ad-free without a in-app purchases. Do remember , that the emulator will work well only on devices using a chip clocked at 1GHz or longer.

NES.emu

In case SNES9x EX+'s design disturbs you, you may even have a look at NES.emu, yet another great NES emulator for Android that runs quite nicely on nearly all Android devices that have at least a 1GHz chip. The emulator contains a great deal of cool features, including backup and rescue state service, cheat support, onscreen user friendly controls, and a lot more.

On top of that, NES.emu also includes support for Bluetooth/USB gamepad and keyboard which means that you'll have the ability to join a retro style controller to your Android device and revel in an authentic NES experience on the go. The emulator also lets you play NES games from the landscape orientation, which sets it apart from SNES9x EX+, which only supports portrait orientation.

John NESS

John NESS is the successor of popular SNES emulator, John SNES. It had been pulled down from the Play Store because of copyright infringement problems. On the other hand, the developer has introduced a new emulator with support for all the old games and needless to say, the newest additions. At this moment, John Ness is among the greatest SNES emulators on Android after perhaps SNES9x EX+. The UI of the emulator is very nice and it makes the gameplay quite comfy. The developer states that the program is using the original SNES engine which means will have a great time playing the classic games having a focus on precision over performance. As for the features, you've got cheats, high quality rendering, zipped file support, customizable keys and more. And of course, the emulator also supports Bluetooth/MOGA controls which is wonderful. In general, John NESS is a competent SNES emulator on Android and you should definitely give it a go.

BSNESBSNES was among the earliest SNES emulators, but it was left after some time. At this time, there are many emulators that are based on BSNES and one of these — higan– is also on this list. The most important objective of BSNES would be to offer you a near-perfect emulation precision with good functionality. And since higan is pretty complex to work with for general users, BSNES is meant to make it easier to play with classic Nintendo games onto its emulator. There are a total of 3 releases as of now, however, the HD build appears to be the ideal one for high quality graphics rendering. Overall, if you are interested in finding an accurate SNES emulator for Windows or Linux then BSNES is the right choice.

The Mega S.N.E.S Rock RetroThe S.N.E.S Rock Retro is a comparatively new emulator, but it's rapidly gained popularity amongst the Android community. The best part about this emulator is that it is pretty fast and has wider game compatibility. Further, it's possible to play SNES games on Full HD Graphics setting which is great. There's also support for mouse, but it is limited to few selected games only. Simply put, if you are searching for a brand new SNES emulator on Android then The Mega S.N.E.S Rock Retro is the best choice.