4 Best GBA Emulators for iOS in 2026

With modern technology, GBA emulators are now available across a variety of platforms, including iOS.

Whether you recently bought an iPhone or simply want to revisit your favorite GBA classics, Delta is one of the best options available for iOS. It’s a free emulator with an easy-to-use interface and built-in cheat support. Other great alternatives include Manic EMU and RetroArch.

Many players now prefer emulators that support games from multiple systems, making the emulators we mentioned even more appealing.

So, in this guide, we’ll cover the best GBA emulators that meet most of our criteria, including where to get them, their key features, and whether cheat codes work when used with Pokemon games.

4 Best GBA Emulators for iPhone at a glance

Before we go talking about each GBA emulator for iOS, here’s a rundown of their current prices, where to download them, the type of cheat they support, and their best uses.

How We Picked These GBA Emulators

The Game Boy Advance emulators covered in the following sections were tested and confirmed by our team to be available on the App Store this year. We ran each emulator on an actual iOS device to evaluate its features, performance, compatibility to run other systems apart from GBA, and cheat support.

Unlike other listicles you’ll find online, our rankings are based on our firsthand experience playing GBA games on each emulator. We also tested cheat codes and Pokemon ROM hacks to see how well each emulator handles them in real-world use.

Top GBA Emulators for iOS Devices

These are the GBA emulators we highly recommend if you’re looking for a reliable way to play classic Game Boy Advance games on an Apple device.

1. Delta — Best Overall

Without further ado, let’s start with our top pick: Delta. This emulator can run not only GBA games but also titles from the NES, SNES, Nintendo DS, and N64. It offers a wide range of features, but the most notable ones include controller support, save states, cheat support, and Delta Sync, which lets you carry your game progress from one iOS device to another.

Delta is made by Riley Testut, the same person who developed GBA4iOS, making Delta its direct successor. The best thing about Delta? You can download it for free anytime, without any ads to annoy you as you play.

See the screenshot below to see the cheat I tested for the game Pokemon Ultra Shiny Gold Sigma with the Walk through walls cheat enabled.

2. Manic EMU

Taking pride in its smooth performance, Manic EMU is another GBA emulator for iOS that can also mimic the capabilities of other systems, including the 3DS, NDS, N64, and GBC.

If you check our cheat pages for some 3DS Pokemon games, you’ll notice that several readers use Manic EMU. However, it’s also an excellent option for running GBA games. Since it’s open source, other developers can also create forks that potentially improve upon the original version.

Manic EMU also features a dedicated cheat code editor and an auto-detect code type feature, making it easier to test cheats without having to manually configure each code.

3. RetroArch — Best for Advanced Users

Here’s a polished version that keeps your original structure and tone while making it smoother and more natural:

If you’ve used emulators across different devices, it’s hard not to be familiar with RetroArch, as it’s available on almost every major platform. You can use it on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices.

Despite its flexibility, RetroArch is best suited for players who have used it before or are willing to spend some time learning how to set it up. Unlike the other two emulators on this list, RetroArch has a more complicated interface that can easily overwhelm beginners.

However, once you master its features, you’ll gain access to a much more extensive library of games, provided you know which cores to install.

4. Lucky Emulator — Simple, But Read the Fine Print

If you want to stick to GBA games and aren’t interested in playing titles from other systems, Lucky Emulator is worth considering. It only supports GBA and NDS games and offers the basic features you’d expect from an emulator, including save states, controller support, and fast-forward options.

Keep in mind that Lucky Emulator requires a subscription, and its App Store listing doesn’t mention cheat support.

The app has also received complaints from users who allegedly lost their progress after failing to maintain their subscription.

Still, our tests found that its simple interface and well-rounded performance make it a commendable emulator to try on iOS.

Also read: 4 Best GBA Emulators for Android

Can You Use Pokemon Cheats on an iOS Emulator?

Yes. You can use Pokemon cheats on iOS-compatible emulators, but the process may vary on the emulator and the type of code you are using.

We got three types of cheat formats when it comes to GBA Pokemon games: GameShark, CodeBreaker, and Action Replay. Not every emulator handles these formats in the same way, so selecting the correct cheat type is important when inserting codes into a game.

For the mainline GBA games, you can use our cheat guides for Pokemon FireRed, Pokemon Emerald, Pokemon Ruby, and Pokemon LeafGreen.

ROM hacks are a little different. CFRU-based hacks such as Pokemon Radical Red can remap species IDs and other game data, which means standard FireRed codes may not work correctly. The same case can happen with Pokemon Emerald expansion hacks if you used standard Emerald codes on them.

So, if you are playing Pokemon Radical Red or Pokemon Unbound, use cheats made specifically for that ROM hack instead of assuming a code from the original game will work.

You also need to patch a ROM hack before loading it into an iOS emulator. Our guide on how to play Pokemon ROM hacks on iOS with Delta walks through that process.

Always check the cheat type before activating a code. We follow our cheat policy when testing and publishing codes.

Best GBA Emulator for iOS — FAQ

Have you decided which GBA emulator to install?

Choosing the best GBA emulator that works for iOS is actually dependent on a player’s preference. But Delta Emulator is the clear winner in terms of features, performance, and ease of use. Plus, it has support for cheat codes, making it a great choice for GBA emulation on iOS devices.

Hey, you know what? Whatever emulator that you decided to choose. The fun, excitement, and thrill will never stop once you have started playing your favorite vintage game.

Download the emulator now and start making memories with the best games out there!