Game emulators have arrived on the App Store after Apple relaxes rules

Just a week after Apple changed its guidelines, game emulators are now available on the iOS App Store.

According to AppleInsider, emulators such as Emu 64 XL for the Commodore 64 and iGBA for the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color have arrived on the App Store. iPhone and iPad users can download these. Both emulators are free to download and have no in-app purchases.

Last week, Apple changed its App Store policy to say that “retro game console emulator apps can offer game downloads.” Apple users have been frustrated for years by not being able to download widely available retro game emulators for Android. The tech giant previously banned emulators from its App Store and has been accused of anti-competitive relationships with third-party developers. Emulators are a bit murky legally, since the developer doesn’t own the game. Companies like Nintendo own games.

However, Apple was recently fined billions of euros in Europe and is facing an antitrust lawsuit from the US Department of Justice. This means Apple’s policy change was likely an attempt to pre-empt legal issues. Recently, Apple also allowed third-party video game streaming apps such as his Xbox and Nvidia. This is a welcome change for gamers frustrated by clunky workarounds due to its strict policies.

Emu 64 XL is designed for iPad, but also works with iPhone and Mac with iOS 11 and macOS 11 or later. The emulator iGBA also works on iPhones, iPads (iOS 12 and iPadOS 12 and later), and M1 Macs.