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Playing emulated retro games on Android just got a whole lot harder
August 24, 2025
One of the oldest and most popular emulator websites,EmuParadise, has removed all ROM download links from its site. The move comes after a spate of legal action targeting similar sites by game publishing powerhouseNintendoand will inevitably have a huge knock-on effect on the use ofemulator appson Android phones and tablets.
In anannouncement post(viaKotaku), the site’s founder, MasJ, explained that continuing to offer downloads for video game ROM files could lead to “potentially disastrous consequences,” citing the changing legal landscape for the decision to remove thousands of download links. He went on to say:
Rather the close down completely, the site, which has been online for 18 years, will continue to host listings for countless retro games and will focus on the community side of the website, and its database of emulators.
As for the legal action noted in the post, it’s likely that MasJ is referencing a suitfiled by Nintendoagainst two other ROM-hosting websites, LoveROMS and LevoRETRO. The Japanese publisher is suing for up to $2 million for every trademark infringement and $150,000 for each copyrighted Nintendo game on the sites.
The decision has been met with sadness and anger from retro game fans, including notable video game historians who have noted that ROM sites have, up until now, played a crucial role in cataloging and archiving games that may otherwise have been unavailable to new players or lost entirely.
Video Game History Foundation founder Frank Cifaldi addressed the situation in aTwitter threadin which he argued that “pirates are the only ones keeping these games alive” in light of the “abysmal job the video game industry has done keeping its games available.”
With many of the most popular ROM sites shutting down over fears of legal action, Android users who regularly use emulators may soon find it much harder to find retro games to play on the go.
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