Best Game Gear Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: MAME is ranked #1 of 30 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of RetroArch and Manic EMU. The best-ranked option with a free plan is RetroArch. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Manic EMU at $0.42/mo.
Game Gear emulators let you run games on supported platforms, with listed capabilities that can matter for play, development, or recording. Compared on Game Gear debugger and Master System support, the entries also cover save states, shader support, and recording tools. MAME, RetroArch, and MasterGear are among the options to compare with the platform you plan to use. Source availability may matter if you want to inspect or work with the software, while supported platforms help you check compatibility. Free-plan availability and paid-from details add cost context. Consider which features you need for your games and setup rather than treating every capability as essential.
30 game gear emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 MAME Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.9Free
- 2 RetroArch iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.9Free
- 3 Manic EMU iPhone only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.8$0.42/mo Supported platforms: iOS
- 4 MasterGear Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.8Free Supported platforms: Windows, Linux, Android
- 5 Provenance iPhone only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.8$3.33/mo
- 6 Retropa iPhone only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.8Free Supported platforms: iPhone, iPad, MacSave states: Yes
- 7 Virtual Jaguar iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.8Free Supported platforms: Android, Linux
- 8 Lemuroid Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.7Free Save states: Yes
- 9 NostalgiaLite Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.4 Supported platforms: AndroidSave states: Yes
- 10 Gearlynx iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.3 Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD, RetroArch, Android, iOS, tvOS, webOS, Emscripten and other Libretro targets
- 11 Jam Pad Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.6
- 12 Genesis Plus GX No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4Free Supported platforms: Windows; GameCube; Wii; RetroArch-based platformsSave states: Yes
- 13 MEKA No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4Free Supported platforms: Windows, GNU/Linux, macOSSave states: YesGame Gear debugger: Yes
- 14 ares No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free
- 15 BlastEm No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free
- 16 Dega No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported platforms: Windows, *NIX
- 17 Emulicious No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free
- 18 Hemulator No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Save states: Yes
- 19 higan No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported platforms: Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, FreeBSD
- 20 OpenEmu No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free
- 21 PicoDrive No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported platforms: windows, linuxSave states: Yes
- 22 jgenesis No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8
- 23 Mednafen No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8
- 24 pico-smsplus No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8 Supported platforms: Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico W, Pico 2, Pico 2 W, Adafruit Feather RP2040 with DVI, Adafruit Fruit Jam, Adafruit Metro RP2350, Pimoroni Pico Plus 2, Waveshare RP2040/RP2350 boards, Murmulator M1/M2Save states: Yes
- 25 BizHawk No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | Save states |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAME | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | RetroArch | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 3 | Manic EMU | 7.8 | Free plan | $0.42/mo | — | — | iOS | — |
| 4 | MasterGear | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, Linux, Android | — |
| 5 | Provenance | 7.8 | Free plan | $3.33/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 6 | Retropa | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Yes |
| 7 | Virtual Jaguar | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Android, Linux | — |
| 8 | Lemuroid | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 9 | NostalgiaLite | 7.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Android | Yes |
| 10 | Gearlynx | 7.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD, RetroArch, Android, iOS, tvOS, webOS, Emscripten and other Libretro targets | — |
| 11 | Jam Pad | 6.6 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 12 | Genesis Plus GX | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows; GameCube; Wii; RetroArch-based platforms | Yes |
| 13 | MEKA | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, GNU/Linux, macOS | Yes |
| 14 | ares | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | BlastEm | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | Dega | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, *NIX | — |
| 17 | Emulicious | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 18 | Hemulator | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 19 | higan | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, FreeBSD | — |
| 20 | OpenEmu | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 21 | PicoDrive | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | windows, linux | Yes |
| 22 | jgenesis | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 23 | Mednafen | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | pico-smsplus | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico W, Pico 2, Pico 2 W, Adafruit Feather RP2040 with DVI, Adafruit Fruit Jam, Adafruit Metro RP2350, Pimoroni Pico Plus 2, Waveshare RP2040/RP2350 boards, Murmulator M1/M2 | Yes |
| 25 | BizHawk | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which game gear emulator is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
MAME is ranked #1 of 30 with a score of 7.9. RetroArch is second and Manic EMU third.
How many of these have a free plan?
18 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Manic EMU has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.42/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation.