The Best SNES Emulator for PSP (PlayStation Portable) in 2022

The SNES is one of the older consoles that people still show much love. If you want to play games released on this system on your current device, it’s possible. The problem is SNES emulators vary in their platform support.

If your device is based on Android or Windows, consider yourself lucky because there are quite a lot of emulators that support both. But if it’s a PSP, it’s rather difficult to find SNES emulators made for the console. But in case you want to prepare the PSP to run an emulator, you’ll need to install custom firmware.

The PSP has the specs to run games from older consoles, including the SNES. It’s not much of an issue given that the PSP is built for playing 3D games. It has other great capabilities, like playing music and videos. To run an emulator, apart from custom firmware you will also need the emulator and ROMs.

Many emulators are made by individual programmers in their spare time, so don’t expect all to offer top-notch quality. In the meantime, ROMs are available online. However, you need to understand that playing games you haven’t bought on an emulator is considered as copyright infringement.

In other words, it is not legal regardless of the repercussions. That’s why we won’t recommend doing it at all. If you still want to proceed, do it at your own risk. Back to emulators, the best SNES emulators for PSP are hard to come by, but we will share some created for other platforms.

The PSP isn’t the only popular device that inspires people to create emulators. Platforms like Windows and Android are also highly popular, so finding emulators for them is relatively easier.

Best SNES Emulators for PSP in 2022

1. SNES9xTYL

>>Download SNES9xTYL Here<<

It’s one of the few SNES emulators available for the PSP. You can get it from the official site. Just type in the name of the app on Google, you should be able to see the link on top searches. Once you’ve downloaded the file, click twice to unzip. Next, open the folder, and right click on the s9xTYLmecm and copy.

By the way, the installation requires a Windows PC. Get yourself a USB cable. Plug it in the correct slot and connect your PSP to the computer. Once you see the ‘system’ tab showing up on the screen, click on that and then select USB connection. The next important step is to locate the PSP’s root directory and open it on ‘My Computer’. It should be named memory stick or something along those lines.

There should be a ‘PSP’ folder there. Double click on the ‘game’ directory. This is where the emulator should be pasted onto. Double click on it to open. If you have the ROMs ready, they should be included in the s9xTYLmecm directory. That’s the end of it. Now to play, you must eject the console from the computer first.

Restart the device, and look through the menu. You should see SNES9xTYL on the list. Although the installation sounds easy, to acquire games legally is what matters especially because emulation sits in somewhat a gray area. The best solution to this is by playing games on an official console. A new version of this console was just released a few years ago under the name of Super NES Classic Edition. You can get that to play favorite SNES games legally.

2. RetroArch

>>Download RetroArch Here<<

RetroArch has been included in the previous list, but it makes it to this list once again. It’s not really surprising because this emulator is versatile. It can support various platforms, including the SNES.

Besides, it’s one of the emulators that people recommend due to its quality. It also has a lot of awesome features. In addition to gameplay recording, it allows the user to stream the recorded footage on different streaming platforms.

When it comes to interface, RetroArch is quite intuitive. Even if you’re new to this, it won’t take long until you figure out the whole thing and where the menus are located.

3. ZSNES

Some of the SNES emulators we review today aren’t specifically created for PSP except for the first one. This one is available for download for PC. The emulator has been around for a long time, first launched in 1997. Of course it needed a lot of improvements back then. But as time goes by, it has proven to be a reliable emulator.

>>Download ZSNES Here<<

In fact, many people put it ahead of other emulators in terms of performance. What people like the most about it is the ease of use. The well-rounded features that come with it is another thing that makes it stand out. It has a range of features that you will need to boost your gaming experience.

That being said, it’s not known for having extra security, so please be vigilant before installing this emulator. Read a lot of information upon downloading it from any site. Some users have complained about how it redirected them to suspicious websites. This can probably be solved by downloading it from a trustworthy source.

4. BizHawk

SNES emulators vary greatly in features and speed. Some are noticeably faster than others. What this emulator proudly offers to users is a blistering speed. If this has always been your primary concern, BizHawk is a perfect emulator to embark on your adventure in the emulation world.

>>Download BizHawk Here<<

Even if emulators aren’t a novelty to you, you might have not tried it because there are a lot of choices out there. In case you haven’t had an experience with this emulator, go download and test out the incredible speed yourself. Aside from SNES, it can also play games from the original NES, Atari 2600, and Sega Genesis.

5. Higan

It was previously known as BSNES. One of its strongest points is the ability to maintain gameplay like it does on the original console. However, it has a fair share of issues, such as a lack of option to select and exit games especially when a controller is attached to it. When it comes to accuracy, the emulator does it right.

The author has done everything to make sure every game would run smoothly with a high level of accuracy. But to have that convenience, you must provide high spec hardware to run it. A good amount of RAM is important and a decent processor will also be great.

>>Download Higan Here<<

Don’t be too confident if your system is a bit on the lower end because it can cause technical issues, so be prepared prior to installation. If you want it to run as expected, learn about the system requirements.

6. OpenEmu

SNES emulators are quite varied, but those made for the PSP are limited in number. This is especially great for Mac. So if you’re a Mac user, this would be perfect for the device. It’s reminiscent of RetroArch in a number of ways.

>>Download OpenEmu Here<<

Some extra cores are necessary to run games as they should. There are a few things that will impress you at the first try, like simple interface and ease of use. Besides, this emulator doesn’t require the most demanding specs. For the performance, it doesn’t drain resources.

FAQs – Emulator for SNES                                               

How to install an emulator on my PSP?

Each emulator has its way of installation. First of all, you need to find the right emulator compatible with your PSP. Download the file, unzip, and then connect the PSP to a computer.

Copy the files necessary to complete the setup. You usually have to copy certain emulator files onto the PSP’s memory stick.

Can PSP play ROMs?

Yes, but it’s better to install games through UMDs. This is the right way of loading games onto the device. Installing custom firmware is often chosen for games not originally meant for the device.

Games from old consoles, for instance, aren’t compatible with the PSP by default. However, there are some tweaks that can be done for it to run such games.

What types of games does the PSP play?

This console has the resources to play different types of games, including those released on GBA and SNES.

All you need is the right emulator because emulators are made for different platforms. If one isn’t compatible, then it won’t work.

Final Thoughts

There comes a time when one wants to relive childhood memories with his favorite retro games. There’s no doubt that the PSP is an excellent device with a large catalogue of games, but that would be amazing if we can play retro games on it. Thanks to emulation, this is now possible to do.

Let’s say you want to play SNES games, all you have to do is look for the best SNES emulator for PSP. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. While there are quite a lot of SNES emulators, many aren’t developed for this console. The good news is you can still find one or two that we’ve included in this review.

Retro games have had an upswing in interest recently as evidenced by the release of NES and SNES Classic Edition. It says a lot about the interest people still has in classic games despite the consoles they were released on are decades old.