Best Games

The best Amstrad CPC games for handheld emulation, from Gryzor to Prince of Persia. The colorful British 8-bit micro, tuned for portable play.

The best Apple II games for handheld emulation, from Prince of Persia to Oregon Trail. The computer that shaped early gaming, tuned for portable play.

The 25 best arcade games to play on a handheld, from CPS1 and CPS2 fighters to run-and-gun classics. Coin-op perfection tuned for short sessions on the go.

The best Atari 2600 games for handheld emulation, from Pitfall! to River Raid. The console that started it all, tuned for quick sessions on the go.

The best Atari Jaguar games for handheld emulation, from Tempest 2000 to Rayman. Atari's ambitious final console, tuned for portable play.

The best Atari ST games for handheld emulation, from Dungeon Master to Speedball 2. The 16-bit rival to the Amiga, tuned for portable play.

The best ColecoVision and Intellivision games for handheld emulation, from Donkey Kong to Astrosmash. The great rivals of the Atari 2600 era.

The best MS-DOS games for handheld emulation through DOSBox, from Doom to Monkey Island. Classic PC gaming that fits in your pocket.

The best Sega NAOMI arcade games for handheld emulation, from Marvel vs. Capcom 2 to Ikaruga. Dreamcast-era coin-op power that runs great through Flycast.

The best NEC PC-88 games for handheld emulation, from the original Ys to Hydlide. The Japanese computer where the action RPG grew up.

The best PC-98 games for handheld emulation, from the original Touhou to Princess Maker. Japan's iconic computer, tuned for portable play.

The best PC Engine CD and TurboGrafx-CD games for handheld emulation, from Rondo of Blood to Ys. CD-quality classics that shine on a small screen.

The best Sega 32X games for handheld emulation, from Knuckles' Chaotix to Virtua Fighter. Sega's short-lived add-on, tuned for portable play.

The best Virtual Boy games for handheld emulation, from Virtual Boy Wario Land to Red Alarm. Nintendo's red-and-black oddity, tuned for portable play.

The best 3DO games for handheld emulation. 15 3DO classics that shine on a modern screen, from Gex to Return Fire, on the ambitious CD console that time forgot.

The best Commodore Amiga games for handheld emulation. 22 Amiga classics that shine on a small screen, from Turrican to Another World, tuned for portable play.

The best Atari Lynx games for handheld emulation. 15 Lynx classics that shine on a modern screen, from California Games to Chip's Challenge, on the color handheld ahead of its time.

The best Commodore 64 games for handheld emulation. 22 C64 classics that shine on a small screen, from Turrican to The Last Ninja, with picks tuned for portable play.

The best MSX games for handheld emulation. 20 MSX classics that shine on a small screen, from Metal Gear to Nemesis, with the origins of some famous franchises.

The best WonderSwan and Neo Geo Pocket Color games for handheld emulation. 18 cult classics from two overlooked handhelds, from SNK fighters to Final Fantasy remakes.

The best Sharp X68000 games for handheld emulation. 16 X68000 classics that shine on a modern screen, from arcade-perfect ports to Castlevania's origins.

The best ZX Spectrum games for handheld emulation. 20 Speccy classics that shine on a small screen, from Manic Miner to Rebelstar, tuned for portable play.

The PS3 and Xbox 360 games that benefit most from emulator framerate and resolution patches, which emulator to use, and the hardware you need to run them.

The Xbox 360 games that run well in Xenia and suit handheld play, with performance tier notes for the ROG Ally X, Legion Go S, and Steam Deck.

Each Evercade cartridge bundles several licensed classics. Here are the best cartridges to start with, from arcade powerhouses to deep console sets.

The best Nintendo 3DS games to play through emulation on a modern handheld, from Fire Emblem Awakening to A Link Between Worlds, plus device notes.

The best Game Boy and Game Boy Color games for handheld emulation. 25 portable classics that feel right at home, from Pokemon to Link’s Awakening.

The best Sega Genesis games for handheld emulation. 25 Mega Drive classics that look and sound great on a small screen, from Sonic to Streets of Rage 2.

The best Sega Master System and Game Gear games for handheld emulation. 20 overlooked 8-bit Sega classics, from Phantasy Star to Sonic, that run on any device.

The best Neo Geo games for handheld emulation. 20 SNK classics from fighters to run-and-guns, plus the BIOS tip every Neo Geo setup needs to get right.

The best NES games for handheld emulation. 30 Nintendo classics that run perfectly on any retro handheld, from Super Mario Bros. 3 to Mega Man 2.

The best Sega Saturn games for handheld emulation. 20 classics worth playing, from Nights into Dreams to Panzer Dragoon Saga, plus device notes.

The best Sega CD games worth playing on a handheld, from Sonic CD to Lunar, with notes on what holds up and what to skip from the full-motion-video era.

The best TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine games for handheld emulation. 20 hidden gems and shmup classics from a underrated console, plus the CD BIOS tip you need.

The best PlayStation Vita games to play through Vita3K on a powerful handheld, with notes on compatibility, touch controls, and the hardware you need.

The best Wii games to play through Dolphin on a powerful handheld, with notes on motion controls, performance, and which games translate cleanly to a gamepad.

The GameCube games that run well on handheld emulators and suit portable play. Tested on Retroid Pocket 6, Steam Deck, and AYN Thor with Dolphin performance notes.

The PS2 games that actually run well on retro handhelds in 2026. Tested on Retroid Pocket 5, Retroid Pocket 6, and Steam Deck — with performance notes for each.

The best PlayStation Portable games that run flawlessly on retro handhelds. Curated for short sessions, optimized performance, and handheld-friendly controls.

The best Sega Dreamcast games to play on your retro handheld. Curated for emulation compatibility, visual quality on small screens, and session-friendly design.

The best Nintendo 64 games to play on your retro handheld. Curated for emulation compatibility, session length, and how well they work on a small screen.

30 Nintendo DS games that shine on modern emulation hardware. Curated for save states, fast-forward, and upscaled dual-screen play.

The best Super Nintendo games for handheld emulation. 30 SNES classics that shine on a small screen, from Chrono Trigger to A Link to the Past.

The 25 best Game Boy Advance games for handheld emulation — ideal for any retro device, designed for short sessions, and still gorgeous on a small screen.

These 30 PlayStation classics run flawlessly on handheld emulators and are perfect for short gaming sessions.