Nick Fernandez / Android Authority
Update (0:24 AM EST, February 20, 2025): The aPS3e PS3 emulator made headlines this week as the first functional PS3 emulator on Android. Unfortunately, the app and developer have seemingly disappeared.
The project GitHub page and developer Aenu’s account have both disappeared, now offering a 404 error screen. This comes after reports that this new emulator actually used code from the open-source RPCS3 emulator. Furthermore, the developer was asking for $2,000 to release the source code. You can check out the full rundown here.
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
Original article (5:53 AM EST, February 17, 2025): While there has been a flurry of improvements for PS3 emulation via RPCS3, Android users have largely been left in the dust. The developer has explicitly said it won’t make an Android version, so the only way to emulate PS3 on Android was via a workaround like the Winlator tool. But now, there’s a new, native PS3 emulator on the block called aPS3e.
But first, a disclaimer: It’s not immediately clear who developed it or where it comes from, which should raise some red flags. If you plan on downloading and testing this, do so at your own risk. We only know it’s from a Chinese developer who goes by Aenu, who “missed the nine-year compulsory education, is unemployed, and now lives a life of idleness in the countryside” (via Google Translate).
After this post was originally published, it emerged that the project was based on the open-source RPCS3 emulator and Termux app. Unfortunately, the developer was asking for $2,000 to release the source code, which is a bad look. It would also be very unethical to make this project closed-source when large parts of it consist of open-source code.
The app comes from a Chinese developer, but we don’t know much else.
For now, the app is very barebones, with a simple menu listing your library of games. Compatibility is also very limited, with none of the games Android Authority tested on newer flagship phones managing to boot. That said, other users on Reddit have managed to launch lightweight games like Terraria and Limbo, although performance lags behind RPCS3 on Winlator. The L3 and R3 buttons are also handwritten, for some reason. Unfortunately, it doesn’t support controllers just yet.
More comprehensive testing by Android Authority after this article’s publication revealed that lightweight games like Rayman Origins and 3D Dot Game Heroes ran smoothly on the Nubia REDMAGIC 10 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The emulator supports games in PKG and ISO formats, but the former requires users to move the accompanying .rap file into the exdata folder in aps3e/config/dev_hdd0/home/000000001 (via Reddit user ghouleye). Once you boot the game, it will take a while to install, and some games may never get past this point.
The app requires Android 7 or higher and Vulkan support, and you’ll need to supply your own ROMs and firmware. The emulator is available on the developer’s GitHub page.
Regardless of where this ends up, seeing PS3 emulation on Android move forward after being stuck for years is great. Most developers are working on two-layer emulation solutions via Windows or Linux containers, which is far more demanding than a native app like aPS3e. For now though, it’s best considered a work in progress. At worst, it’s on par with sketchy yet technically functional emulators like DamonPS2 and EggNS for Nintendo Switch.