3DS Emulator: Download Nintendo 3DS Emulator for PC, Android, iOS & Mac

3DS Emulator

A 3DS Emulator also known as 3DS emu, is a closed source which can be used as an emulator for Windows. It is capable of emulating the 3DS games of Nintendo just like the Android emulator on Windows/Mac with minimal errors and bugs.

With constant up gradation of versions, some emulators work better than the first launched versions and therefore, these bugs can further be fixed on a constant basis for better functionality. A thing to notice about the 3DS Emulators is that they all don’t work with all of the platforms like the Mac, Wii console or the Linux at the same time.

What’s in 3DS Emulator?

  1. Compact Flash/FAT emulator.
  2. Synchronous mode of SPU to stream audio and video.

Most of the 3DS Emulators come with their settings for the maximum performance of the emulator. These settings vary from one game to another depending on the requirements, data and the graphics of the game. In case if you think that a particular game is not going well with some settings, you can adjust them for a higher performance to gain around +20 FPS. The same goes with XBox 360 Emulator & SNES as well!

Download 3DS Emulator on PC

Based on the customized settings, each game can be played in different resolutions i.e; up to 720P> Before diving into the gameplay, you should also check few  other things like the listed requirements of the system to use a particular emulator just to make sure that it is compatible with your windows to avoid further issues. In case if you’re facing many game crashes in between, it is recommended to either re-install the emulator or restart it for a much better performance. Also for some games, you should keep a check on the “Disable Fog” option which is under the settings.

Features of 3DS Emulator

Usually, the 3DS Emulators come with many exclusive features, but it won’t be as neat as using the 3dS console. Some of the best features include:

  1. Game Save: While using the 3DS Emulator, one can save a game and reload it to play after taking a break time.
  2. Anti-Aliasing: There’s another feature called the aliasing filtering which makes the game look realistic and in case if your device has a very high configuration graphic card, you’re going in for a roller coaster ride.
  3. Resolution: There are varying resolutions from which you can choose to play the game on the full screen which varies till 720P.
  4. Network: The audio of the game is as good as the console and therefore by using a headphone or speakers, you can have a live experience in an acoustic environment.

Nintendo 3DS Emulator Console

The Nintendo 3DS is a game console manufactured by Nintendo which is capable of playing the 3D effects without using any additional accessories like the 3D glasses. Nintendo has first announced the console in 2010 and then unveiled it in the same year succeeding the Nintendo DS [Dual Source] featuring compatibility with many of the DSi and DS games. Standing out against the Sony, it is a hardcore competition for the PlayStation Vita.

However, this particular console powered by the Nintendo has many other features apart from the augmented reality including the 3D cameras allowing users to download the games and play them just the way they did it on the older consoles. The Nintendo 3DS is loaded with default apps with an online store known as Nintendo eShop, a Social Network known as Miiverse, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Swapnote et.al.


Download Nintendo 3DS Emulator and use 3DS ROMs now!
That being said, it is not entirely possible for everyone to get hold of the Nintendo 3DS console. Therefore, to make it possible for the users to play the Nintendo 3DS console games on other devices like the Android, Windows, Mac or any other software; the Nintendo 3DS emulator has been developed. The Nintendo 3DS emulator makes it possible for the users to extract the 3DS games and turn them compatible to be played on various other platforms.

Top 5 Nintendo 3DS Emulators

There are many games like the Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, Fire Emblem Fates, Legend of Zelda that can be played on other devices. Therefore, to make it possible for people who don’t like playing on the handheld devices or people who don’t get the chance to, here’s a list of top 5 Nintendo 3DS Emulators. With any one of these Nintendo 3DS Emulators installed on your PC, you can play any 3DS game without hassles.

#1. Citra 3DS Emulator

Being the top of the existing Nintendo 3DS Emulators, Citra is extremely user-friendly allowing you to play games on the Windows, Mac OSX and Linux. It is a DS emulator open source that is compatible with all the Windows versions.

#2. DeSmuME

Again a free Nintendo 3DS Emulator, it only works on Windows. It is basically the first emulator that allows to run many commercial games. Go to its official site to know its exclusive features before downloading it.

#3. NeonDS

A “Windows only” platform, it runs many commercial games and is fairly compatible with minimal errors. The interface and the navigation are simple and easy which is why you’ll prefer using it.

#4. No$GBA

A Nintendo DS Lite/DS Advance Emulator, it also works for the GameBoy games. It is only used for the XP and Vista version of Windows and basically it is only free until a trial period. For up gradation, you can buy it by spending $2.50 and get hold of all of its features.

#5. iDeaS

An Open GL source Nintendo 3DS Emulator which is designed for Windows, it can run many commercial games like the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Super Mario 64 et.al. If you are a hardcore game lover, this emulator is the best fit for you.

That being said, go through the elaborate features of each console and decide which of the above 5 Nintendo 3DS emulators is best suited for you and if you have to spend some bucks, go for them as they would only benefit you further for a long period.

Play Nintendo 3DS Games by installing 3DS Emulator on PC

How to Download 3DS Emulator PC

A work-in-progress, Nintendo 3DS Emulator, Citra Emulator can emulate a wide variety of commercial games and homebrew software. It can ostensibly extract and play many games including the Pokemon X and Y. However, not all games can be loaded, and some of them show the black screen and some games will just show the screen, freeze and then crash.

If you’re using a device with graphic glitches, the games will run very slowly. While there are few other alternatives, Citra Emulator is compatible with OSX, Linux and also all the 64 bit versions of the Windows.

Requirements:

Citra is not very fast yet to run the commercial games and therefore the only hard requirement of Citra Emulator is to own a graphics chip with OpenGL 3.2 compatibility and an i5/i7 processor for higher performance.

Step by Step Process for Citra Emulator Download:

  1. Right now, Citra is still working on the bugs and errors and therefore there is only one stable version available to download.
  2. You can either download it from the official site. However, go through the developer’s information, the guide and also the TODO list before download the RAR file.
  3. After downloading the .rar file, open it to extract the data by double-clicking on it. From the extracted file, open the .exe file to setup.
  4. You will be asked to install the 3DS emulator download. Proceed further by clicking “Next”, accepting the add-ons and plugins, terms and conditions in case if the installer couldn’t find them.
  5. The installer downloads all the required files automatically and will then make a shortcut of the Citra Emulator on your desktop.
  6. Once you’re done with the download, install the Bios by downloading it from here and following the instructions.
  7. After making sure that you have both the 3DS Emulator and Bios on your PC, install the game. Click on it, and open and navigate to the .3DS ROM to launch the game.

Download 3DS Emulator for Android

As the name says, the 3DS Emulator Android is used to bring the Nintendo 3DS games on the Android device. Some of the compatible games include Super Smash Bro, Mario Kart 7, Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, Fire Emblem Awakening, Pokemon Omega Ruby, The Legend of Zelda: Mask 3D, Anime Crossing: New Leaf, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate et.al.

Recommended: Android Emulators for Windows PC

By using a 3DS Emulator Android, you can bring the data with you from the 3DS console and transfer important files. You play all the old school Nintendo Dsi titles, Nintendo DS games and new releases on your Android device using the multiplayer feature by sitting in the same place.

  1. Initially, download the Nintendo 3DS Emulator Android from here (NDS4Android) on your mobile device.
  2. Go to the notification bar, access the downloaded file and click on it to install it.
  3. After installing, tap on the icon to run the 3DS Emulator Android. The emulator is free, and it doesn’t have any shady server conditional requirements.
  4. Play your favorite game by downloading 3DS Emulator on your Android device soon after.

Download 3DS Emulator for Mac

There are many other 3DS Emulators that can be used for Mac apart from Citra Emulator that allow you to play all the 3D games on it. This software is user-friendly and is the nearest source through which you can enter the new gaming world. The best part is that the 3DS Emulator Mac doesn’t involve any confusing installation procedure. All you need to do is follow few simple steps to download the emulation software.

  1. Initially, download the uncompressed .rar or .zip file of 3DS Emulator setup. Extract it to get the setups files.
  2. Locate the 3DS Emulator .exe file and click on it to start the installation by double-clicking on it.
  3. Follow the instructions and wait till the installation is done which includes downloading of add-ons and plugins if there are any.
  4. Once the installation is done, you will find the shortcut of the 3DS Emulator Mac on the desktop. Click on it to launch the game.
  5. Once you’ve launched the game, load the game ROM and play the game you love without any obstructions using the full screen.

Also See: Android Emulator for Mac

Install 3DS Emulator on iOS Devices

Worried if the Nintendo 3DS Emulator download will jailbreak your iOS? Not anymore. For those game lovers who want to download the 3DS Emulator iOS badly, all you need is to have an iOS 9.0 and more.

Must Check: What’s Special in GBA4iOS

  1. Open Safari browser on your iPhone, iPad or iPod and open this URL to download the file from here. You can also try downloading other 3DS Emulator iOS files if you know any.
  2. After downloading the file, install the file by clicking on the install button. Go back to the Home and wait for the app to be downloaded.
  3. Once the 3DS Emulator is downloaded, go to “General>Profiles” or “Device Management.” Find the app that reads “Guangdong” and click on the “Trust” option twice.
  4. Now, run the 3DS Emulator on your device and start downloading the games to play them on your iOS device.

How to Download 3DS ROMS?

3DS ROMs are nothing but the game data files where the data is encrypted in the form of media and images. One has to download these 3DS ROM files to load the game if at all they are using a 3DS Emulator. For example, if you want to play Pokemon X and Y, you have to get hold of Pokemon X and Y ROM to play the game without any errors. However, from a legal perspective, it depends on how you’re getting hold on the ROMS.

If you want the commercial games, they are viable and therefore it is not so easy to download the 3DS ROMs. Other than, these ROM files are in the form of compressed folders which you should extract and then load the ROM file from the Emulator interface while playing the game.  As the 3DS Emulators’ way of running the game is very different from the real 3DS console or the Gameboy consoles; it is important to download the ROM file for each game you want to play, specifically.

The 3DS ROMS Download is easy and it doesn’t take much effort to find the appropriate file. That being said, get hold of the 3DS Emulator version you want based on the device you’re using. Some of the other alternative 3DS Emulators include TronDS, 3Dmoo, e3DSx, 3Dse et.al. Download the necessary ROMS for the game you want to play on the same device and load them into the game using the “Load ROM” option to get all the data required for the game and play it without any chaos.

Conclusion of 3DS Emulators for PC, Mac, Android & iOS

So this how you can download 3DS emulator on your Windows PC/laptop, Mac books, Android and iOS devices respectively! So what are you waiting for? Download your favorite Nintendo 3DS emulator now! If you have any doubts regarding the download process and installation process, approach us in the comment section so that we can get back to you with adequate guidance.

Harshil Patel
Harshil Patel

Harshil is a tech enthusiast with the zeal of changing the way people look at technology. He is often found testing out new gadgets when he's free!

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