Yuzu is a free and open-sourced emulator of the popular Nintendo Switch. This emulator is currently being developed by Team Citra (Yuzu). This is the same team that developed the PC version of the Yuzu emulator.
Where to find the Yuzu Emulator for Android
The Android version was announced on May 30th, 2023. This emulator can (and should) be downloaded off PlayStore. There are two versions: a free and a paid early access version. The emulator has a Creative Commons license and has zero ads.
However since most of its code was copied from the PC project, it is prone to develop bugs and glitches. That being said, I am sure that the team will iron them out over time.
System Requirements For The Yuzu Emulator
The Yuzu emulator is more of an Android port rather than a native app. As a result, it requires a lot of system resources to run properly. So do take good note of the specs below.
- SoC: Snapdragon 855, Exynos 990, Dimensity 1000+ and above.
- GPU: Adreno 640, Mali G77 MP11, Mali G77 MC9 and above
- OS: Android 10 and above
- RAM: 8 to 12 GB
For best results, go with a Snapdragon phone as they are best optimized for Nintendo Switch emulation
Update:
Yuzu Emulator has switched from using JIT compilers to NCE. This has greatly improved its performance, reduced heating and battery consumption, and increased the stability of games. So ensure that you updated your app to the latest version.
Support
This emulator supports game files in NSP, XCI, NRO, NSO, and NCA formats. While it supports touchscreen gameplay, a Bluetooth controller in my opinion is the best way to play emulated games.
How to set up the Yuzu Emulator
- Step 1: Install the Yuzu emulator
- Step 2: Create a Yuzu folder on your internal storage
- Step 3: You’ll need Prod. Keys and Title keys. This is a small file that is needed to get the emulator to run. You can dump it from a Switch you own or get it online.
- Step 4: Launch the app and follow the onscreen prompts. Choose the folder you created for the prod. keys, title keys, and emulator access for games.
- Step 5: Once the emulator is up and running, you’re going to need games. You can dump these from the ones you own, from the eShop, or wherever you like online. Just be careful not to download viruses.
- Step 6: Note that most of the time, games come compressed. You’ll have to decompress them before moving them to the Switch folder that you created.
- Step 7: If you do this right, the games should pop up on the app.
- Step 8: Bluetooth Controller automatically pair on Yuzu so that’s that. If you don’t have a controller, you can use the touchscreen.
Best Settings For Yuzu Emulator (Android)
Even if you have flagship-grade hardware, there is no guarantee that you’ll have the best experience. This is because Switch emulation is not there yet. We hope that it will anyway. So here are my best settings to ease your way through the experience.
On the home page, hit the settings icon and go to advanced settings.
- System Settings: Turn on the limit speed and set it to 100%. Turn off docked mode and leave the rest as they are.
- Graphics settings: Set accuracy to normal, resolution to normal, and VSync to FIFO (on). Next up, set Windows Adapting Filter to nearest neighbor and Anti Aliasing method to none. Set orientation to landscape, aspect ratio to 16:9 and turn off picture in picture. Turn on the disk shader cache and force max clock. Only do this if you use a Snapdragon SoC (Snapdragon 855 and above). Leave the other settings off.
- Audio settings: Set to auto and leave volume at 100%.
- Debug settings: For GPU, set API to Vulkan and turn off graphics debugging. For CPU, set CPU backend to native code execution (NCE), CPU accuracy to auto, turn off CPU debugging, and turn on fast men.
Conclusion
The Yuzu emulator is a rather resource-demanding emulator. You’ll only enjoy it if you have a phone that matches the recommended specifications. Hopefully, over time, the development team will make it easier on Android phones.
If you need a less resource-demanding Nintendo Switch Emulator for Android, you should consider checking out the Skyline Emulator. Also if you use a lower midrange phone (anything with a Dimensity 700 and below), please note that your phone would not be supported. Instead, consider using:
- the DuckStation PlayStation 1 emulator and/or
- the AetherSX2 PlayStation 2 emulator.
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