iDroidDS
iDroidDS, also known as nds4droid, is a free, open-source Nintendo DS emulator for Android smartphones.
What iDroidDS is
iDroidDS, also known as nds4droid, is a free, open-source Nintendo DS emulator for Android smartphones. It uses DeSmuME 0.9.11 and supports save states, cheats, and five screen layouts: Both, Main, Touch, Portrait, and Landscape. The project supports armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a, x86, and x86_64 processors, and requires Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or newer. Its README says devices with more than 512 MB of RAM and Android 5.0 or later should be able to run it, although performance depends on the device and the game. The README also says the app has no advertisements and welcomes contributions. This is not the official nds4droid repository, and the project warns that its state is unstable. Issues can be reported through GitHub, but reports about devices below Android 5.0 or malfunctioning ROMs will be closed. Dropbox save syncing and renderer work are listed as future tasks. The software is licensed under the GNU General Public License and comes without warranty.
Good
- Free and open source
- No advertisements, according to the README
- Save states and cheat support
- Five screen layout options
- Supports four processor architectures
Watch out
- Requires Android 5.0 or newer
- Project warns that it is unstable
- Performance varies by device and game
- Provided without warranty
Who it suits
It suits Android users looking for a free, open-source Nintendo DS emulator with save states, cheats, and adjustable screen layouts. Check the Android requirement and stability warning before relying on it.
Verdict
iDroidDS offers core emulator features at no charge, including save states, cheats, and multiple screen layouts. Its Android requirement and explicit stability warning are important considerations.
Plans and prices
From iDroidDS's own pricing page, checked 5 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free · ad-free · open-source |
The facts
Each one read from iDroidDS's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Ads
- The README says nds4droid has no advertisements.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Emulation core
- The project uses DeSmuME 0.9.11 as its core.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Issue exclusions
- The README says issues about devices below Android 5.0 or ROMs not operating correctly will be closed.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Issue support
- Users are asked to report issues through GitHub issue tickets.checked 5 Oct 2026
- License and warranty
- The README says nds4droid is licensed under the GNU General Public License and provided as-is without warranty.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Open source
- The project is free and open-source, and anyone can contribute.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Performance
- Performance varies with device hardware and the game being emulated.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Processor architectures
- It supports armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a, x86, and x86_64.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Project stability
- The repository warns that it is not the official nds4droid repository and that nothing here is stable.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- iDroidDS (nds4droid) is a Nintendo DS emulator for Android smartphones.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Rendering
- The to-do list says the project plans to improve its OpenGL ES 2.0 renderer and get the OpenGL ES 3.0 renderer working.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Save syncing
- Dropbox support for syncing save files appears on the project to-do list.checked 5 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Android requirement
- This version requires Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or newer.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Device memory
- The README says devices with over 512 MB of RAM and Android 5.0 or above should be able to run the emulator.checked 5 Oct 2026
