Best SNES Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: Virtual Jaguar is ranked #1 of 31 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of RetroArch and bsnes. The best-ranked option with a free plan is RetroArch. The lowest first paid tier on this page is LearnWell Languages at $6.99/mo.
SNES emulators let you play games from the Super Nintendo era on supported platforms, with different options for formats and additional features. Compare emulation format and platform support, then weigh cheat support, shader support and rewind. RetroAchievements and online multiplayer may be relevant to how you play, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing round out the comparison. Virtual Jaguar, RetroArch and bsnes are among the entries, along with higan and Snes9x. Check compatibility with your setup, then focus on the features you value.
31 SNES emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
SNES Emulators, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 12 of the 25 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 Virtual JaguarFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 2 RetroArchFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 3 bsnesFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 4 higanFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 5 NiN10Free plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 6 BizHawkFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 7 SNES EmulatorFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 8 Snes9xFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 9 aresFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 10 deltaFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 11 LemuroidFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 12 OpenEmuFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 13 SnesFox
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 14 LearnWell LanguagesPaid from $6.99/mo
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 15 Mednafen
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 16 bsnes
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 17 Lynx.emu
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 18 rust-wasm-snes
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 19 jgenesis
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 20 Manic EMU
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 21 nSide Balanced
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 22 Vortex Universal Emulator
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 bsnes-plus
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 24 DOSBox Wii
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 25 GameChat
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which SNES emulator is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
Virtual Jaguar is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 7.5. RetroArch is second and bsnes third.
How many of these have a free plan?
12 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, LearnWell Languages has the lowest first paid tier we found: $6.99/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.