The best PSP emulators for iOS are finally here. With Apple opening the gates for emulators within the App Store, a surge of emulation is washing over Apple fans, and it’s about time. For those who may be too young to remember, Sony released a portable console in the early years of the millennium, and there is a wealth of great games on it.
So for those who want to experience Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker again or for the first time, you can now do it on iPhone. Here’s how.
1. PPSSPP
No, I didn’t mistype that, and you’re not seeing things. One of the best emulators for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Vision Pro is PPSSPP. If you’ve spent any time in the world of emulation, you probably already know that this isn’t just the best PSP emulator in the Apple ecosystem, but it’s one of the most respected emulators in the scene, period. Highly rated and highly regarded, this emulator can serve as a one-stop shop for all your PSP needs.
What I like about PPSSPP is that it has its own built-in “Homebrew Store.” So while you won’t find official titles through it, you can find a variety of legal games built by gamers, for gamers. The only downside is that it doesn’t seem to offer external controller support yet, though I may have missed this in the settings menu (feel free to yell at me if I did).
PPSSPP also has a gold version, which allows you to support the developers and makes the Home icon a really cool gold color. You should be nice and get this version, as the developers deserve the money for this great emulator.
Find PPSSPP here (gold version here). Requires iOS 12 or later. Works on iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, and Vision Pro.
2. RetroArch
RetroArch is another heavy hitter in the world of emulation, and for a good reason. Serving as a frontend for emulators, the app comes with the cores for a wide, wide list of emulators. This includes a variety of systems from prominent companies (Sony, Nintendo, etc.) but also includes some atypical selections as well. For example, you can emulate a TI-83 calculator, Commodore systems, DOS, and Quake, among others. It’s pretty ridiculous what this thing is capable of, and of course, that includes the PSP.
In addition to providing emulation for virtually every vintage console known to man (the Wonderswan, really?!), RetroArch has a lot of great features as well. This includes Made for iPhone (MFi) controller support, key mapping between systems and games, fast forward and rewind, netplay, and even more.
Also, you should donate to RetroArch. Just like PPSSPP, they put a lot of work into bringing this to iPhone, and the developers certainly deserve a beer (or bubble tea) for their troubles.
You can find RetroArch here. Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod Touch, and Vision Pro. Requires iOS/iPadOS/tvOS 14.2 or later.
3. More Coming Soon
Look, between the two choices above, I don’t think you even need to look for another emulator. Heck, RetroArch has you covered far beyond the PSP anyway. However, life’s about choices, and gamers never know when to quit. Considering Apple allowing emulators is still relatively novel, the fact that so much is already available is a testament to the developers who work on these projects.
While Android fans may be laughing at us Apple die-hards, that’s okay. Being face-deep in a game of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories hides the tears. You may also want to know how to play and use the Delta emulator on iOS.