Glossary

A version of a game built to run directly on Android, on your phone's own processor. No emulator, no translation layer in between. That's the one thing every game on DroidPorts has in common.

Native ports usually run cooler and last longer on a charge than the other ways of getting old games onto a phone.

An emulator is a program that pretends to be the original console, so the original game can run on it unchanged. It's a great way to play, but your phone does a lot of extra work to keep up the act.

Emulated games aren't listed here. If a project mostly runs the original game code inside an emulator, we leave it out, even when it comes as an Android app.

Non-Native Guide

Apps like Winlator run Windows PC games on Android by translating them on the fly: the PC processor code, the Windows calls and the graphics, all while you play. Plenty of games work this way. But it costs a lot of speed and battery, and setup can take a while.

Since those games aren't native, they aren't in the index.

Non-Native Guide

Fans rebuild a game's source code by studying the original program, until the code compiles back into the exact same game. Once that code exists, porting it to Android is a regular programming job.

The code doesn't include the art, music or levels. So you supply those from your own copy of the game.

All decompilations

A tool reads a game's original machine code and translates all of it into native code ahead of time, before you ever hit play. That's where the name AOT comes from. An emulator does that translating while the game runs, so a recompiled game usually asks a lot less of your phone.

It's a newer approach, and many of these projects are still in alpha.

All static recompilations

A port built from the game's real source code, often released by the studio years after launch. Doom and Quake are the famous examples.

The code runs the game, but the levels, art and sound usually still come from your own copy.

All source ports

A brand new engine, written from scratch, that reads an old game's original data files. Think of a new record player built for your old vinyl. Same music, modern machine.

You'll need the data files from your own copy of the game.

All engine recreations

A game that fans made themselves, usually as a love letter to a series. Most are free downloads with everything included.

All fangames

An official Android release from the publisher or a licensed studio, sold on Google Play. We list these because lots of folks go hunting for a fan port without knowing an official one already exists.

All official ports

The port runs well on Android and can be played through. Small bugs can still turn up, so check the game page for notes.

You can play it, but there are known problems, like graphics bugs, a crash in certain spots or a missing feature.

Early, but moving. It runs, and updates come often, but expect rough edges. Ports whose builds we haven't been able to check also get this badge.

Work is underway, but it isn't ready for most people to play yet. Keep an eye on the project if you're waiting for it.

Everything comes in the download. Install it and play.

The port needs data from your own copy of the original game, like a backup of your cartridge or disc. The port supplies the code and your copy supplies the art, music and levels. Each game page explains which files and how to get them.

The port needs files from the PC version of the game, bought on Steam, GOG or disc. You copy them over to your phone once. Game pages link the store editions that work.

You buy the game itself, usually on Google Play, and there's nothing else to set up.

The file Android apps come in. Ports that aren't on Google Play ship as an APK on the developer's release page, and Android will ask you to allow installs from your browser or file manager the first time.

Only grab APKs from the developer's own page, never from mirrors or re-uploads.

The kind of processor almost every Android device made in the last several years uses. Many ports only ship a 64-bit build, and some newer phones can't run 32-bit apps at all. So "ARM64 only" on a game page is rarely a problem on a modern device.

Short for system on a chip: the processor, graphics and more, all on one chip. Snapdragon, Dimensity, Exynos and Tensor are the big names. It's the biggest factor in how well a game runs, which is why game pages list a recommended SoC.

How DroidPorts groups chips by speed, from slowest to fastest: Low-end, Entry level, Mid-range, High (2019 to 2022 flagships) and Top (2023 and newer flagships). The My device picker and the device pages use it to guess whether a game will run on yours.

Devices

The graphics part of the chip. Snapdragon chips use Adreno. Most MediaTek chips use Mali, and so do Google's Tensor chips up to the Pixel 9. Newer Exynos chips use Xclipse. It matters here because some ports run best with Turnip, and Turnip only works on Adreno.

A free, open source graphics driver for Adreno GPUs, made by the Mesa project. For a lot of ports it runs faster or with fewer glitches than the driver your phone came with. Some ports come with it built in, and others let you load it yourself.

Games marked "Turnip recommended" run best with it. Mali and Xclipse GPUs can't use Turnip, though many of those games still run on them.

The two ways a game talks to your phone's graphics chip. OpenGL ES is the older one and works almost everywhere. Vulkan is newer and often faster. Many ports offer both, so if one gives you trouble, try the other.

Most ports work with Bluetooth or USB controllers, like Xbox or PlayStation pads. Android treats them as standard input devices (HID), so there's usually nothing to install. Game pages say whether a controller is required or just nice to have.

Lets your phone act as the host for USB gear, so you can plug in a controller, keyboard or mouse through the USB-C port. Sometimes you'll need a small adapter.

An Android device built for games, with controls on the device itself. Think AYN Odin 2 or Retroid Pocket. A lot of the testing on this site happens on these.

Devices