SNES Emulators

The SNES had one heck of an act to follow with the NES being its predecessor, but it more than delivered, with not only a continuation of Nintendo classic franchises such as Mario, Zelda & Metroid but also many top third-party games such as Street Fighter 2, which is precisely why I suspect you are here, to find the right SNES emulator so you can play these classics once again!

The SNES has benefited from decades of emulator development which has culminated in some clear standout SNES emulators which we can recommend for you today.

SNES emulator For PC, Mac & Linux

Bsnes is my go to SNES emulator for PC, Mac and Linux.

It’s a close call though between this and Higan, essentially at the core they are the same emulator from the same developer. Bsnes is focused on being more feature-rich and easy to use, whereas Higan is aiming for emulation accuracy, which is the preference for absolute purists and competitive gamers.

Bsnes Features Include:-

• The ‘hd’ version offers HD Mode 7, Widescreen
• The ‘mt’ version Offers Pixel Perfect Integer Scaling
• Gamepad, Mouse & Super Scope Emulation
• Aspect Correction
• Filters (Scanlines, RF, Composite, etc)
• Shaders (CRT Glow Effects, etc)
• Colour Adjustments
• Audio Adjustments
• Full Controller Mapping
• Emulator Hotkey Configuration
• Frame Skip
• Rewind Function
• Run-Ahead Mode Up To 4 Frames
• CPU Overclocking
• Video, Audio & Input Driver Options

There are several development forks of Bsnes, we recommend either the ‘hd’ or ‘mt’ forks, both are excellent, but are focusing on different areas. For example, bsnes-hd has added HD video features, whereas the ‘mt fork has implemented pixel-perfect integer scaling. Bsnes-classic aims to take improvements made to the Higan emulator and add them to bsnes.

Check them all out and see which one you prefer.

SNES Emulator For Android

Snes9x EX+ is a superb SNES emulator for Android.

It has been around for years and is one of the earlier examples of a great SNES emulator on Android, so it has benefitted from loads of development and user feedback since it first launched.

Whilst its interface is basic, Snes9x EX+ absolutely gives you everything you need to enjoy all the SNES classics you can think of. It also works on pretty much any Android device, so pretty much anybody can enjoy the experience.

Snes9x EX+ Features Include:-

• Save States
• Screenshots
• Cheats
• Fast Forward Emulation
• Gamepad, Mouse & Super Scope Emulation
• 5-Player Adapter Emulation
• NTSC / PAL Video Options
• SuperFX Overclock Settings
• Skip Frames
• Filters & Shaders (Scaling, CRT / Scanline Effects)
• Audio Settings
• GUI Settings

SNES RetroArch Core

Snes9x is considered the best SNES RetroArch Core for all-round performance and compatibility.

Whilst it is not the latest SNES RetroArch Core, Snes9x does everything you could ever want and does it all to a very high standard and is considered the fastest core available in terms of performance.

Be sure to download the Snes9x – Current Core to benefit from all the latest additions and improvements.

Snes9x – Current Core Features Include:-

• Auto Detect Game Region (NTSC/PAL)
• Aspect Ratio Settings
• Hi-Res Blending
• NTSC Filter – Mimics NTSC TV Signal
• Light Gun (Super Scope) Emulation
• Multi-Mouse Emulation
• SuperFX Overclocking
• Toggle Graphics Layers & Effects
• Toggle Sound Channels
• Save States
• Rewind/Pause Emulation
• Netplay
• RetroAchivements
• RetroArch Cheats
• Control Configuration

Other Recommended SNES Emulators

Matt James

As a retro gaming & retro computing enthusiast, I enjoy sharing help guides and about retro gaming in general, when I have the spare time to do so!