Strato
What it is
Strato is an open-source experimental emulator project for ARMv8 Android devices that aims to emulate a Nintendo Switch system. Its approach uses an ARM Compatibility Layer and System Emulation, but the project says it remains in development and is not ready for public release. Strato began after Skyline was discontinued in May 2023, with the stated aim of continuing that work and addressing its issues, performance, and compatibility. Development has included changes to texture management, synchronization, queries, MSAA rendering, and the blit engine, intended to improve rendering accuracy. A texture variant system improved compatibility with Mali GPUs, and firmware importing was added for games using firmware assets. A February 2024 progress report described ongoing work to enable 32-bit games. The shader compiler is a fork of yuzu's compiler with changes for mobile GPU emulation. The project names Lynx and TheASV as developers, with additional contributors, and licenses its source under GNU General Public License v3.0 or later.
For and against
For
- Open-source under GNU GPL v3.0 or later.
- Development includes work on rendering accuracy.
- Texture variants improved Mali GPU compatibility.
- Firmware importing was added for games using firmware assets.
Against
- Not ready for public release.
- Work to support 32-bit games was still ongoing in February 2024.
The verdict
Strato is a development project rather than a publicly released emulator. Its documented progress covers graphics, firmware importing, and ongoing work toward 32-bit game support.
Who it suits
It is for people interested in following experimental Switch emulation development on ARMv8 Android devices. The project also invites contributors through its Discord and Contributing Guide.
On the record
- 32-bit games
- The February 2024 progress report says core emulator components had been modified to work with JIT and were ready to run 32-bit games.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Contributions
- The team encourages contributions and directs interested contributors to its Discord and Contributing Guide.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Design
- Strato was designed to provide an accurate, performant, and user-friendly emulation experience through an ARM Compatibility Layer and System Emulation.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Developers
- The project is developed by Lynx and TheASV, who are full-time students and work on the emulator in their free time.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Development status
- The About page says Strato is in development and is not yet ready for public release.strato-emu.github.io · read 4 Oct 2026
- Firmware support
- The 2023 recap says Strato added support for importing firmware, which the team expected to increase compatibility with games that use firmware assets.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Graphics backend
- The project says its shader compiler is a fork of yuzu's shader compiler with Strato-specific changes for mobile GPU emulation.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Graphics technology
- The February 2024 progress report describes Strato's use of Vulkan image objects and fences in its graphics work.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Graphics work
- The 2023 recap says the team worked on a texture manager rewrite, including texture synchronization and changes that improved rendering accuracy.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- License
- The GitHub repository says Strato is licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0 or later.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Mali GPU compatibility
- The project says its texture variant system improved compatibility with Mali GPUs.strato-emu.github.io · read 4 Oct 2026
- Origins
- Strato was created after Skyline was discontinued in May 2023 to continue that project's work and address its issues, performance, and compatibility.strato-emu.github.io · read 4 Oct 2026
- Product
- Strato is an open-source, experimental emulator for ARMv8 Android devices that emulates the functionality of a Nintendo Switch system.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Project history
- The project was created after the Skyline emulator was discontinued in May 2023, to continue its work and improve its issues, performance, and compatibility.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Strato is an open source, experimental emulator for ARMv8 Android devices that emulates a Nintendo Switch system.strato-emu.github.io · read 4 Oct 2026
- Release status
- The About page says Strato is in development and is not yet ready for public release.strato-emu.github.io · read 8 Oct 2026
- Rendering work
- A 2023 recap describes texture management, synchronization, query, MSAA rendering, and blit-engine work intended to improve rendering accuracy.strato-emu.github.io · read 4 Oct 2026
- Support and contact
- The repository directs users with questions and those following development to the Strato Discord server.github.com · read 4 Oct 2026
