There are not a huge amount of options when it comes to Atari 7800 emulation, which is why we recommend RetroArch and the Prosystem core as the best Atari 7800 emulators for ease of access.
What Is The Best Atari 7800 Emulator For PC, Mac & Linux?
The best Atari 7800 emulator for PC, Mac & Linux uses the Prosystem core in RetroArch. Sure, it may not have as many tweaks/features as a dedicated emulator such as A7800 or the dedicated app of Prosystem, but it’s certainly the most accessible way to get playing Atari 7800 games on your PC.
The Prosystem core in RetroArch makes is super easy to just download some Atari 7800 ROMs and load them directly in Prosystem. The RetroArch site details all of the Prosystem core features.
There is no set-up involved, everything works out of the box. Simply download the Prosystem core in RetroArch and load up the game ROM.
Other Atari 7800 Emulators
Here are some other Atari 7800 emulators to try if you don’t fancy using RetroArch:-
A7800 – Available for PC, Linux & Mac
A7800 is a development fork of the Atari 7800 software for MAME. It has received plenty of updates and is considered one of the best Atari 7800 emulators.
ProSystem – Available for PC, Linux & Mac
ProSystem is a long-established Atari 7800 emulator with no development has taken place since 2008. However, it is still a solid emulator and worth a try if you’re looking for something quick and easy to test Atari 7800 games on.
EMU7800 – Available for PC only
EMU7800 started life in 2003 and receives small updates to this day so it remains compatible with newer versions of Windows. Another popular choice with Atari 7800 emulator fans.
BizHawk – Available for PC only
BizHawk is a multi-platform emulator which focuses on emulation core accuracy and is popular with people who like to record game footage for speed runs and completion videos. Atari 7800 emulation in BizHawk comes courtesy of the ‘A7800Hawk’ core.
What Is The Best Atari 7800 Emulator For Android?
The Prosystem Core on RetroArch is the best Atari 7800 for Android devices. Why? Well, just purely because there are not really many options on Android currently available and the main reason being is that RetroArch is great on Android!
Playing Atari 7800 games on your Android device is a breeze with RetroArch. Simply download the Prosystem core within RetroArch, then load your Atari 7800 ROM. Simple as that!
The Atari 7800 was Atari’s response to Nintendo’s NES console and an attempt to claw back the market they once dominated. Of course, they ultimately failed, but it is interesting to look back at the quality of the Atari 7800 vs. the NES.
Atari didn’t stop there though, beyond the Atari 7800 they launched their heavy-duty handheld the Atari Lynx and of course their last attempt at a console, the Atari Jaguar.
In typical fashion, the less popular consoles tend to be more popular now than they did when launched, so why not try some of these latter-day Atari consoles yourself with the best Atari Lynx emulator and the best Atari Jaguar emulator.
Looking for an emulator that isn’t for an Atari system? Check out our comprehensive emulator guide to find recommendations for many more retro systems.
A lifelong avid gamer and computing enthusiast, Matt has decades of experience in the field, so producing retro orientated content for How To Retro comes is second nature to him. Now over 40 years old, Matt now even considers himself retro, but fortunately, nobody has developed a Matt emulator (not yet at least!).