Yuzu Emulator was one of the most popular Nintendo Switch Emulators out there because of its wide range of compatibility with Switch games. It allowed gamers to play Switch games on other platforms such as Windows, Android smartphones and Linux without owning a Switch console.
It had a vast community of developers on GitHub ready to answer questions and fix bugs or issues as they came in. Various forks were made of the original source code but they were still later taken down by DMCA requests.
However, due to legal issues and being taken to court by Nintendo in February 2024, it was ordered to be taken down and current development be stopped! It still holds its crown, but for whatever reason you want to try an alternative to Yuzu, this page will help you.
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5 Best Yuzu Emulator Alternatives for Android and PC
Suyu Emulator (Sue-You)
Right after Yuzu was taken down Suyu was born, it ironically sounds like Sue-you. This project aimed to provide all the exact same features that Yuzu provides. The difference was making it legal whereas Yuzu was breaking the law.
Where Suyu stands out is that it does not generate the Prod and Title keys for you, you have to bring your own which is what you should do. Suyu provides almost identical features however it is written in C++ and the authors are promising portability hence why it is the top alternative to Yuzu in our list.
Ryujinx Emulator
Ryujinx is another open-source Nintendo Switch emulator however, it isn’t built from code borrowed from Yuzu. It is built from scratch completely and is focused on people who just love to emulate and not tinker with configurations, files, or mods. However, it can go into that depth too when needed. Hence why It is a great alternative to
The Ryujinx emulator had a team of 8 developers working in the free time they had to keep this project alive. This emulator was too taken down earlier this month after the author was contacted by Nintendo lawyers.
EggNS (Switch Emulator for Android)
Developed by NXTeam studios, EggNS is a Switch Emulator that works specifically on Android smartphones. EggNS also supports wireless controllers when emulating Switch games on your phone.
What you will have to keep in mind is that this Switch emulator does not work on any Android phone. You need to have a high-specification smartphone, e.g. running Snapdragon 855, 865, or 6 to 8 GB of RAM for games to work smoothly. This emulator only requires you to provide the NSP and XCI ROM files and you can start playing your favorite games on the go.
Torzu (Yuzu Fork)
Forks are the same code base but edited to include modifications from other authors that do not merge into the original repository.
Torzu is a popular fork of Yuzu, technically it was the same code and only required to be built manually instead of being given in a set and finish exe, apk, or dmg file.
Just like Suyu, Torzu is also built in C++ however the original repository was hosted on the Tor Network to try and evade the DMCA laws somehow. It was taken down later by Nintendo.
Cemu (Part Nintendo Switch Emulator)
Cemu is originally a Wii U emulator that only plays Wii U ported games for Switch. We know it’s a little confusing. It is only available for Windows 10/11 and not for other platforms including Android or Mac. Cemu offers a consistence experience in much higher frame rates around the 60 fps region along with Full HD resolution.
The latest version is 2.2 and was released on September 8, 2024. This shows that the developers are still very active and contributing to this project, fixing bugs and adding new features.
Are Yuzu Alternatives that good?
In summary, most of them are yes. Some are just clones with new clothing, plain and simple. However, as we go into detail below you will see that they are all good in their own ways. These are based on categories such as interface, compatibility with games, support for mods and stability.
There are authors working out of pure passion to keep such projects alive, and most importantly all of them are free to download. You can donate if you want and are feeling generous to keep the emulation scene advancing, however it is not mandatory.
Useful pages from our wiki:
- Building Yuzu From Source Code for PC
- Building Yuzu From Source Code for Android
- Building Yuzu from Source Code for macOS
- Building Yuzu from Source Code for Linux
Disclaimer: The emulators mentioned above have been taken down by their authors with the exception of Cemu. There are various reasons including DMCA takedown and copyright issues.
Final Remarks
Yuzu is still the best Nintendo Switch Emulator out on the web. You just can’t beat the compatibility it offers with thousands of games, works on multiple platforms and has a gigantic developer community behind it. However, worthy Yuzu alternatives still exist and Ryujinx, Cemu and EggNS are why that is true.