Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to EmulatorJS

Embed playable retro games on any website instantly

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes.

1. 1
   Nostalgist.js – Run emulators of retro consoles, within web browsers▲124

   Nostalgist.js is a JavaScript library that allows you to run emulators of retro consoles within web browsers.

   2023 · nostalgist.js.org · its alternatives →

2. 2
   c64js▲100

   A commodore 64 emulator

   2016 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   My x86 emulator written in JavaScript▲765

   Run KolibriOS, Linux or Windows 98 in your browser

   2013 · copy.sh · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Afterplay▲113

   We just launched the Afterplay Store. It lets you buy new retro games and start playing instantly in your browser, with no installs or setup. Here’s a quick demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoChUbaspbI We’re launching with publishers like Mega Cat Studios and Incube8, with more to come. The goal is to make retro games as easy to access as modern ones. Would love any feedback.

   2023 · afterplay.io · its alternatives →

5. 5
   No Setup Needed Play NES, SNES, Sega, Atari Games Directly in Browser▲15

   Tired of the hassle of setting up classic NES, SNES, Sega, Arcade, and Atari games on modern systems? I have built something way simpler - browser based emulation. Key Features: Instant Play: No downloads or complex configurations required. Extensive Library: Explore iconic titles like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, and Street Fighter II. Seamless Emulation: Enjoy smooth gameplay powered by advanced browser technology. Cloud Saves: Never lose your progress again with cloud saving. Let me know your thoughts/suggestions and help bring back the glory…

   2024 · weplayretro.games · its alternatives →

6. 6IM
   I made a web game called Almost Pong▲1,135

   Hi HN! I made many small web games in the past with Unity or Phaser. But this time I wanted to make something completely on my own. So I coded a basic game framework in plain JavaScript, and used it to make Almost Pong. This was a really fun project that taught me a lot about JavaScript, and I plan to make more minimalist games with this framework. Interesting fact: Almost Pong doesn't load any assets, all sprites and sounds are generated with code. Happy to answer questions, and please let me know if you have any feedback on the game. Thanks!

   2022 · lessmilk.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   RetroTick – Run classic Windows EXEs in the browser▲195

   RetroTick parses PE/NE/MZ binaries, emulates an x86 CPU, and stubs enough Win32/Win16/DOS APIs to run classics like FreeCell, Minesweeper, Solitaire and QBasic, entirely in the browser. Built with Preact + Vite + TypeScript. Demo: https://retrotick.com GitHub: https://github.com/lqs/retrotick

   Feb 2026 · retrotick.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   NES Party – Online Multiplayer NES Emulator Using WebRTC▲237

   Play classic 8-bit retro games online with friends! Free multiplayer emulator in your browser. No downloads required.

   2018 · nes.party · its alternatives →

9. 9GJ
   GBA.js, a Game Boy Advance emulator written in JavaScript▲76

   2012 · jpfau.github.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    An NES emulator written in Rust▲125

    NES emulator written in Rust. Contribute to pcwalton/sprocketnes development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2013 · github.com · its alternatives →

11. 11IM
    I made a retro game archive for Polish games▲216

    Hi, As a 8-bit C64 game coder in eaarly 90ties and currently mostly FE-focused dev, decided to give a go to a simple retro game archive. This is purely fun project - so i decided to post it to HN, mayne it'll resonate :)

    2023 · polishpixels.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    An Open Retro RPG Game Maker in Python▲215

    Retro RPG Game Maker. Contribute to ericoporto/fgmk development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    OpenEmu▲185

    🎮Retro video game emulation for OS X

    2015 · openemu.org · its alternatives →

14. 14GB
    Game Bub – open-source FPGA retro emulation handheld▲274

    Hey HN, Over the past ~1.5 years, I built an open-source FPGA retro emulation handheld that can play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. To my knowledge, there isn't an existing open-source FPGA emulator that can play physical cartridges like this. One of my main goals was to do all of the pieces myself, and be able to understand every component of it, so I designed my own PCB, wrote the firmware, wrote a Game Boy and Game Boy Advance emulator for the FPGA (using the Chisel HDL), and designed a 3D-printed case. I detailed the design and development process in the…

    2025 · eli.lipsitz.net · its alternatives →

15. 15EB
    Emulator-Backed Remakes, a new way to make classic game remakes▲87

    2014 · gabrielgambetta.com · its alternatives →

16. 16OS
    Open Source emulator in Javascript that runs Linux▲65

    2012 · ubercomp.com · its alternatives →

17. 17IA
    Implement a retro game in JavaScript with MakeCode Arcade style sprites▲32

    2020 · codeguppy.com · its alternatives →

18. 188B
    8-Bit NES Emulator as Progressive Web App▲17

    2021 · pwa-nes.vercel.app · its alternatives →

19. 19
    RomM – An open-source, self-hosted ROM manager and player▲238

    RomM is a self-hosted app that allows you to manage your retro game files (ROMs) and play them in the browser. Think of it as Plex or Jellyfin for your ROM library: it automatically fetches metadata, artwork, and game information from online metadata sources to transform your folders into a browsable collection. You can play games directly in the browser for consoles like the N64, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 1, using the integrated web emulator (https://emulatorjs.org/). Members of the community have released integrations for Playnite (Windows), muOS…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Ghidra Plays Mario▲207

    I've been exploring new ways of testing Ghidra processor modules. In this repo, I was able to emulate NES ROMs in Ghidra to test its 6502 specification, which resulted in finding and fixing some bugs. Context: Ghidra is used for reverse engineering binary executables, complementing the usual disassembly view with function decompilation. Each supported architecture has a SLEIGH specification, which provides semantics for parsing and emulating instructions, not unlike the dispatch handlers you would find in interpreters written for console emulators. Emulator devs have long had extensive test…

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Retro BASIC▲69

    Emulate BASIC programs in your browser

    2016 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Simple Gameboy Emulator▲82

    Contribute to sacert/Gameboy development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Homegames. An open-source game platform I've been making for 8 years▲229

    I'm making a platform for simple open source games you can play anywhere. Games are all just JavaScript classes and you can read the source of every game on the platform. I started working on initial "games" (mostly rendering tests) in 2018 and eventually built all of the platform stuff around it to make it easy to share games. There's also an in-browser editor available for you to make and publish games all from the browser. Would love some feedback on the games and studio features as well as the platform overall. All of the code is available at https://github.com/homegamesio

    Jul 2026 · homegames.io · its alternatives →

24. 24
    A Game Boy emulator in C++▲37

    :tv: An (almost) fully featured Game Boy emulator. - Dooskington/GameLad

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

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