Remember DraStic, the Nintendo DS emulator that once dominated the Android app market during the 2010s? With newer Nintendo consoles and emulators taking the spotlight, it’s easy to forget the once-popular emulator that helped make playing our favorite NDS games on mobile phones a reality.
Released in August 2013, this 13-year-old emulator, created by a developer known as Exophase, sadly and unexpectedly disappeared from Google Play in 2025, leading to many speculations as to what really happened.
For retro gamers who have recently returned to playing NDS games, this is definitely bad news, especially for those who have grown accustomed to DraStic’s interface. There is currently no official channel where you can download the app, meaning your only option is to look for it on external sites that host app repositories.
But don’t worry, this article will shed some light on the current state of DraStic and clear up some of the discussions surrounding the emulator. We’ll also cover a few alternatives you can use to get back to playing NDS games, including classics like Pokemon Platinum.
What Happened to DraStic DS Emulator
This section will fully disclose all confirmed and verified events leading to the app leaving Google Play in February 2025.
The Full Timeline
Since DraStic was originally developed on a Linux desktop, the emulator initially targeted the Pandora handheld. Its developer, Exophase, already had experience with emulation before working on DraStic, having previously developed gpSP, a Game Boy Advance emulator for the PlayStation Portable.
After spending the early months of 2013 testing out the waters with the Linux-based Pandora, Exophase finally released DraStic’s Android port in August 2013. In just a couple of weeks after its launch, DraStic found itself in 2nd place of the most popular paid apps in the Play Store and 8th spot in the overall most popular paid apps.
2013 was the era where the Nintendo 3DS was at its peak, and its predecessor, Nintendo DS, was way past its prime. For gamers who couldn’t afford Nintendo’s handheld consoles, DraStic arrived at the perfect time, as mobile gaming was also making significant strides in hardware and performance.
Taking advantage of the situation, Exophase continued to maintain and release updates for DraStic throughout the years, usually doing most of the heavy lifting themself. Most DraStic updates focus on fixing bugs and adding new features inspired by the ones present in the open-source DeSmuME project.
After Google required all apps on its Play Store platform to support phones with 64-bit systems in 2019, Exophase quickly adapted to the change by releasing a 64-bit-friendly version of DraStic later that year. Exophase also revealed that DraStic will eventually become open source to allow other developers to further improve its features.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Exophase’s plans to make DraStic open source. The emulation community found renewed hope a few years later when, in 2024, DraStic became available for free on the Google Play Store. Many saw the move as a possible sign that the developer was preparing to take the emulator open source.
Why It Was Removed — Nintendo Didn’t Do It
A year after DraStic became a free app, Exophase voluntarily removed it from the Play Store in February 2025. Contrary to popular belief, Nintendo had nothing to do with it despite the company going after emulator developers, like the team behind the Switch emulator, Yuzu, in March 2024.
With DraStic no longer available on the Play Store, retro gamers who still want to use it are left with two options: look for its last available build on external sites or switch to another NDS emulator. Among the alternatives, melonDS is one of the most popular choices.
Was the Source Code Ever Released?
Exophase’s plan to make DraStic open source has yet to come to fruition. Since Exophase is the only person who can make that decision and has never publicly confirmed that the plan has been cancelled, the emulator remains in a sort of limbo. For now, there is no clear indication of whether its source code will ever be released.
The source code could ultimately determine DraStic’s future. Without it, other developers cannot create forks or continue improving the emulator independently.
If Exophase is no longer actively working on updates, DraStic could eventually face compatibility and performance issues as newer Android devices and operating system versions are released.
Is DraStic Still Safe to Use in 2026?
For gamers using low-end phones in 2026, DraStic remains a solid option for playing NDS games. Some of our members here at PokeCoders still have DraStic installed on our phones, and so far, the emulator continues to work well on our end.
If You Already Have It Installed
If you already have the last version of DraStic (v2.6.0.4a) installed on your phone, there’s no immediate need to switch to another NDS emulator, especially if you’re already familiar with its settings and features.
You can simply open the app and continue using it as you normally would. Just make sure you’re using ROM files that you have dumped from games you legally own.
Why Downloading the APK Is Risky
As mentioned earlier, DraStic is now only available as an APK from various third-party Android app repositories. The problem is that some of these sites may distribute modified or malicious files containing spyware, viruses, or other forms of malware. Installing a compromised APK could put your personal data, social media and financial accounts, and even your phone itself at risk.
We at PokeCoders strongly advise against using these sites to download DraStic. Instead, we recommend choosing a reputable alternative NDS emulator, as doing so avoids the security risks associated with downloading potentially compromised DraStic APK files from unofficial sources.
What About the Community “Revived” Builds?
Although DraStic’s official source code has never been released, that hasn’t stopped developers from creating unofficial projects based on Exophase’s emulator.
Several community-revived builds are available online, but they cannot technically be considered forks. Instead, these projects are typically created through reverse engineering, decompilation, or APK modification rather than by building directly from DraStic’s original source code.
Do DraStic Cheat Codes Still Work?
The last version of DraStic still featured its built-in cheat function, supporting a wide range of games. This remains one of the emulator’s most desirable features, as it allows players to activate cheats directly within the app instead of having to search for codes online.
If you use DraStic’s built-in cheat features today, they should still work, at least for now. However, with Exophase no longer releasing updates, users may eventually encounter compatibility issues as newer phones and Android versions are released. Over time, the emulator could become less reliable on modern devices if it remains unoptimized.
Best DraStic Alternatives for Pokemon Cheats
When it comes to playing Pokemon games, modern emulation for the NDS has caught up with time, and retro Trainers can choose from a wide variety of emulators other than DraStic. The most well-known DS emulators for cheating and Pokemon gameplay are the following.
melonDS
Look through Reddit threads about the best alternatives to DraStic, and you’ll likely find someone recommending melonDS. It’s available not only on Android but also on Windows, Mac, and Linux, making it a versatile option for NDS emulation across different platforms.
Unlike DraStic, melonDS remains an actively developed open-source project. While its latest stable releases, version 1.1 for desktop and 2.0.1 for Android, were released in November 2025 and May 2024, respectively, its official website and development repository remain active. This gives us plenty of reason to believe that we haven’t heard the last from the melonDS team.
melonDS supports DS and DSi modes, OpenGL renderer for better visuals, and wireless multiplayer features. It also supports cheats, although you’ll have to import them yourself.
RetroArch
RetroArch is more than just an NDS emulator. It is a multi-system emulation platform that supports a wide variety of classic gaming consoles, making it another flexible option, specifically for retro gamers who want to play games from different systems on a single app.
Since RetroArch utilizes cores from melonDS, you are free to skip this app if you only want to play NDS games and you already installed melonDS.
You can cheat your way in the Pokemon League in RetroArch in various ways, including downloading cheat files or manually entering cheat codes.
Lemuroid
Lemuroid also succeeded in one area where DraStic fell short: releasing its source code. As a free and open-source emulator, Lemuroid focuses on accessibility and simplicity, making it an appealing NDS emulator for users who want a straightforward experience. It also uses cores from projects such as DeSmuME and melonDS to handle emulation.
The downside is that Lemuroid does not have built-in cheat support. If you choose Lemuroid, you’ll have to stick with the vanilla experience.
| Features | melonDS | DraStic | RetroArch | Lemuroid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheat code support | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Cheat database built in | No (Requires importing a separate database file | Yes | Varies by core | No |
| Availability | Play Store | Delisted | Play Store | Play Store |
| Cost | Free | Free (was $4.99) | Free | Free |
| Still updated | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Modern phones | Older phones | Multi-system | Old and modern phones |
How to Set Up Cheats on melonDS
Enabling cheats on melonDS is quite easy as long as you follow these instructions:
Step 1: Download an XML database for melonDS cheats. The most popular one is the file made by DeadSkullzJr. Just open his download page and look for an XML document.
Step 2: Open melonDS and import the XML file. From the list of ROMs, click on the three dots at the top right corner of your screen, then select “Settings,” then “Cheats.” Click “Import Cheats” and select the XML file. Wait for the app to load all the cheats from the XML file.
Step 3: Open a game and access the “Cheats” list from the Pause menu. You should see the available cheats organized into folders, which you can enable by checking their respective boxes. You can also manually add new cheats using codes available for your chosen game here on PokeCoders:
Can You Move Your DraStic Save Files to melonDS?
Yes, you can carry over your saved progress from DraStic to melonDS. To do this, you’ll need to locate your DraStic save files and convert the relevant file before importing it into melonDS.
First, open DraStic’s main folder and look for the backup folder. This folder contains various .dsv files, which are the save files for the games you’ve played on the emulator.
Copy the .dsv file for the game you want to transfer and paste it into the same folder as your ROM. For example, if you want to transfer your Pokemon Platinum save, copy Pokemon Platinum.dsv and place it in the same folder as Pokemon Platinum.nds.
Then, rename the save file extension from .dsv to .sav. It’s also important to ensure that the new .sav file has the exact same name as the ROM you use for the game; otherwise, it won’t work.
Next, open melonDS and go to its settings. Under Save Files, make sure the Save next to ROM file option is enabled. This tells melonDS to look for the .sav file in the same folder as your ROM.
Once everything is set up, launch the game in melonDS. You should be able to continue from your previous in-game save. Keep in mind that this transfers your regular in-game save, not a DraStic save state.
Which Pokemon DS Games Run Best on Each Emulator?
melonDS
Runs the full Pokemon DS library well, including Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, SoulSilver, and the Black/White games. However, some of the known issues that users may encounter are broken microphone support (usually used for Chatot’s Chatter move), some audio crackling in HG/SS, and a few graphical glitches that are mostly fixable by enabling the Software renderer.
RetroArch
Runs the same library via its melonDS cores, with built-in cheat file support. Generally solid, though it is less optimized than standalone melonDS for demanding scenes.
Lemuroid
Runs all the same games reliably on Android but has no built-in cheat code support, making it the weakest pick for Trainers specifically after Pokemon cheats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DraStic gone for good?
No. Although it has been months since we last heard from Exophase, there has been no official statement confirming that DraStic’s development has been abandoned.
For now, all we can do is wait and see whether Exophase eventually releases the source code. If that happens, other developers could potentially take over the project and continue its development, even if Exophase no longer wants to work on the emulator.
Does melonDS support Action Replay codes?
Yes, you can use Action Replay codes for melonDS. The XML file we shared above actually contains Action Replay codes.
Is melonDS better than DraStic?
In terms of development, melonDS has the upper hand because it remains actively developed and maintained. While DraStic may be more familiar to many players, melonDS is better positioned to keep up with newer devices and operating system updates, which could eventually give it an advantage in compatibility and performance.
Is there a DraStic version for iOS?
Exophase only developed DraStic for Linux’s Pandora handheld and Android. The app never became available for iOS devices.
Will DraStic ever come back?
Hopefully, yes, but it’s best not to get our hopes up. The only person who can answer this question is Exophase, as he ultimately holds the key to DraStic’s future.
Final Thoughts
It is indeed disappointing to see what happened to DraStic, especially since it was one of the original names in DS emulation and at one point rivaled the reputation of DeSmuME.
Exophase’s plan to release the emulator’s source code still gives the community some hope that new developers could eventually take over and help improve DraStic. Until that happens, however, other NDS emulators like melonDS will likely have to fill the gap left by this once-iconic app.
If you want more codes beyond the XML file provided by DeadSkullzJr, you can browse the PokeCoders site for a large database of Pokemon game cheat lists, compiled by our team with the help of our community.
If you have any new information or updates regarding Exophase and DraStic, feel free to share them in the comments section below. After verifying the information, we’ll update this page accordingly and credit you for bringing it to our attention.
