Nintendo Switch is one of the best handheld consoles of its generation. As a portable device, it competes with PlayStation and Xbox in popularity and sales. In some parts of the world, however, taxes, import fees, and availability make it difficult to buy the Switch console.
In this case, the Nintendo Switch emulator is the way to go. With this emulator, you can play Nintendo Switch games on PC and Android. Playing with a keyboard and mouse seems to be a better alternative to dealing with Switch Joy-Con drift problems.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Below are the best Nintendo Switch emulators currently available. There are many emulators on the Internet, and you probably know which are the best.
Best Nintendo Switch Emulator For PC
Yuzu Emulator
Yuzu Emulator is another popular Nintendo Switch emulator for PC. It is made by the developer Citra, who also has a popular Nintendo 3DS emulator. With Yuzu, you can play switch games with excellent performance rates.
It can be difficult to use it for first-time users, but once you get the hang of it, look at some tutorials like this. The popularity of Yuzu emulators has meant that their use is based on other emulators on this list. It is available for Windows and Linux and has the fewest errors. They are listed below so you can check the compatibility of your favorite games.
The main factor is that it supports heavy AAA Nintendo games with high compatibility. This means that you can play games like Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: BOTW. It also supports AMD and Nvidia graphics cards. It is also possible to play games in 4K resolution with a proper PC setup.
Pros
- Best performance
- Free and Open source
- Large library of games
- Stable
- Consistent updates
Cons
- Hard to setup
- Framerate issues in high-end games or low spec PC
- Limited controller support
- Texture and rendering inconsistencies in some games (rare)
Ryujinx
RyujinX is a popular switch emulator known for being easy to use. It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. In terms of performance, it is the second-best option, behind Yuzu.
With the right hardware, all major Nintendo Switch games can run at 60 FPS. This is a good option for beginners who do not want the technical setup, but a simple and easy-to-use interface. There are more than 1,000 games available, but only about half of them run smoothly. It is also the best (and only) option for Mac users.
Pros
- Easy to setup
- User friendly interface
- Inbuilt resolution scaling
Cons
- Performance lacking in some titles
- Slow at startup for new users
Cemu Emulator
It is not a Switch emulator, but it can run games from GameCube, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch. It was one of the first emulators that could run Switch games with great consistency. Developers are constantly updating this emulator to add new features and performance improvements.
It has many advanced features such as graphics packs that allow you to play with mods for rendering quality, resolution, anti-aliasing, shading, and other settings. You can play most games at 1080p and 60fps. You also have the option to modify the starting settings of the games to make the experience even more enjoyable. Check out our detailed instructions for the Nintendo DS emulator for PC.
Pros
- Advanced features
- Can run both WiiU and Switch Games
- Mods
- Graphic packs
Cons
- Complicated setup
- Controller configuration is complicated
- Only some major Switch games are supporte
Read more: 8 Best Nintendo DS Emulators For PC To Play Pokemon Games
Best Nintendo Switch Emulator For Android
Some software is also capable of running Switch games on your high-end Android phones. However, be warned they are a bit sketchy as most mobile APKs are.
Android Nintendo Switch Emulator
The software is able to run Switch games on your high-end Android phone. Be warned, however, that it’s slightly sketchier than mobile APKs. This sketchy little emulator appeared last year and is now able to run all Nintendo Switch games. As you would expect from a mobile emulator, it does not work with all notable games. These games are Pokemon Sword and Shield, Super Mario Odyssey, Legend of Zelda: Link Awakening and Pokemon Let us Go.
It supports 81 playable titles, but 73 of them crash while playing. You can also use a Nintendo-style controller to play video games with this emulator. The disadvantage is that it violates the Open Software License of MIt by using code from the Yuzu emulator. If you want to know the name of the emulator for some reason, you can watch the video above for more context.
Pros
- Runs Pokemon titles smoothly
- Available on Android
Cons
- Sketchy origins
- Game crashes
- Security concerns
- Close source
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 855/855+/865/865+ flagship SoCs needed for stable performance.
Skyline emulator
The Skyline emulator is a work-in-progress open-source emulator for Nintendo Switch. It was built from scratch to be developed specifically for Android. At the time of writing, there is not much to say about it, as it is still in development. Look out for it in the future. At the moment you can download it from GitHub and try it out.