Affiliate disclosure: This guide contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
The Atari Lynx was a technical marvel that lost the handheld war. It had a color backlit screen and hardware scaling years before its rivals, but poor battery life and a small library held it back. That library, though, has real gems, and it plays beautifully on a modern handheld where the battery problem no longer exists. Emulation is very light, so any device runs the Lynx perfectly. Our Atari emulation guide covers the setup alongside the 2600 and 7800.
We frame all of this around games you already own and want to preserve.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Arcade Ports and Showpieces
California Games (Lynx) — The Lynx pack-in and one of its best games. A collection of extreme-sports minigames, perfect for short sessions.
Blue Lightning (Lynx) — A scaling after-burner-style flight shooter that showed off the hardware. Fast and impressive for a handheld of its era.
Klax (Lynx) — The tile-matching puzzle classic in an excellent portable version. Ideal pick-up-and-play.
Gauntlet: The Third Encounter (Lynx) — A unique take on the dungeon-crawler with new classes. A solid co-op-flavored action game.
Rampage (Lynx) — Smash the city as a giant monster. Simple, silly, and great in short bursts.
Xybots (Lynx) — A pseudo-3D maze shooter port. An unusual and atmospheric arcade conversion.
Action and Platformers
Shadow of the Beast (Lynx) — A surprisingly strong port of the Amiga showpiece. Moody and technically impressive.
Ninja Gaiden (Lynx) — A capable version of the arcade brawler. Fast, tough action for quick sessions.
Toki (Lynx) — A colorful arcade platformer port. Charming and playable.
Zarlor Mercenary (Lynx) — A vertical shooter with co-op support. One of the better original Lynx titles.
Puzzle and Deep Cuts
Chip's Challenge (Lynx) — The original home of the beloved tile-based puzzle game. Hundreds of clever levels, perfect for the go.
Todd's Adventures in Slime World (Lynx) — An exploratory action game with a great co-op mode. A cult Lynx favorite.
Roadblasters (Lynx) — A combat-driving arcade port. Fast, replayable, and fun in bursts.
Warbirds (Lynx) — A World War I dogfighting game, notable for its multiplayer. Ambitious for a handheld of the time.
Ms. Pac-Man (Lynx) — A faithful, colorful port of the arcade classic. Endlessly replayable.
A Note on the Lynx and Emulation
The Lynx's original weakness was battery drain from its backlit screen. On a modern handheld that is a non-issue, so this is arguably the best way to experience the system now. The Handy and Mednafen cores in RetroArch both run the Lynx flawlessly. One quirk to know: some Lynx games were designed to be played with the console rotated, including Klax, Gauntlet: The Third Encounter, and Raiden, so an emulator with easy screen-rotation support is handy for them.
Best Handhelds for Atari Lynx Emulation
The Lynx asks nothing of modern hardware, so any comfortable device works. A sharp screen shows off its early color graphics nicely.
The
is a comfortable, affordable pick that runs the Lynx with ease. On the tightest budget, the handles it perfectly. For games that want a rotated screen, an Android handheld like the makes rotation and control mapping easy.Related Guides
- Atari Emulation on Handhelds — Lynx, 2600, and 7800 setup
- Best WonderSwan and Neo Geo Pocket Games — more overlooked handheld libraries
- Best Puzzle Games for Handhelds — for Chip's Challenge and Klax fans
- Best Pick-Up-and-Play Games for Handhelds — short-session favorites
Related reading
GuideGuideGuide