# Folium — Multi-system emulation

> High-performance multi-system emulator for retro console and handheld games. (iPhone/iPad app by Jarrod Norwell.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/folium/id6498623389 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Jarrod Norwell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1449237747)
- Category: Entertainment
- Price: $2.99 (on sale, was $4.99)
- Rating: 2.40/5 from 834 App Store ratings · 1,355 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 67 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2024-05-31
- Data updated: 2026-09-02
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/folium/id6498623389/reviews.md

## What is Folium?

Folium is a beautifully designed, high performing multi-system emulator that allows you to play video games from retro consoles and handhelds

-- NOTE --
Folium does not provide any games or system files, these must be provided by the user

Emulation may be slow on older devices depending on the console or handheld emulated
-- NOTE --

Supported Consoles
- ColecoVision
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color
- Game Boy Advance
- Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS
- Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi
- Nintendo Entertainment System
- SEGA Genesis, Mega Drive
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System
- PlayStation 1

Supported Controllers
- Backbone One
- Nintendo Switch Joy-Con
- Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
- PlayStation DualShock 4
- PlayStation 5 DualSense
- Xbox Series S
- Xbox Series X

Folium is in no way affiliated with Nintendo. "Nintendo" and all associated game console and handheld names and game controller names are registered trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd

Folium is in no way affiliated with Sony. "PlayStation" and all associated game controller names are registered trademarks of Sony Group Corporation

Folium is in no way affiliated with SEGA. "SEGA" and all associated game console and handheld names are registered trademarks of SEGA Group Corporation

## Key features

- Multi-system emulation
- Play retro console games
- Play handheld games
- Supports numerous controllers
- High performance design

## Chart rankings

- #7 in Top Paid · Entertainment (US App Store)

## What do users think of Folium?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 🚀 Runs well on newer devices
- 👍 Potential for 3DS emulation on iOS
- 💡 Allows playing 3DS games on the go

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Overheats and drains battery quickly
- 👎 Laggy and poor performance on some games
- 🤔 Lacking in customization and settings options

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Games freezing or crashing during cutscenes
- Keyboard input issues causing games to freeze
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
- Compatibility problems with certain 3DS games

**Most requested features**

- Add save state and load state functionality
- Improve controller support and customization
- Optimize performance and reduce stuttering
- Provide more detailed settings and configuration options
- Implement iPad support and optimization

## Recent user reviews (10 of 1,355)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/folium/id6498623389/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Older devices won’t work

*2026-07-23, version 1.38*

Unless you have the hottest new phone or tablet give this a miss - iPhone 12 Pro can’t handle this app unfortunately 😞

### 1/5 — Not good

*2026-07-12, version 1.38*

Love the UI, but it’s a pain to play games on. Don’t waste the time or money on this app!

### 1/5 — No jit support on ios 26

*2026-07-11, version 1.38*

Game keeps crashing due to jit not working on iOS 26. I wasted my money just to not play any games.

### 3/5 — Fix the bugs

*2026-06-26, version 1.38*

When I’m playing Mario party star rush the controls are going the wrong way. Can you fix it also fix Tomodachi life and the Mii maker the screen doesn’t allow me to click anything. When I try saving my state it freezes again.

### 1/5 — Lettuce leaf- because it sucks

*2026-06-16, version 1.38*

I would pick 100 emulators and waste the money on the console over going back to folium, will not hold up to processing any 3ds game

### 1/5 — Not Optimal

*2026-06-09, version 1.38*

Please, please, please save your money!! It doesn’t work that well, instead, I recommend you download ManicEmu, I regret paying for this.

### 1/5 — Not allowed to add games

*2026-05-12, version 1.38*

This 3ds app doesn’t let you allow games

### 1/5 — 闪退 闪退

*2026-05-12*

什么垃圾软件，还有脸上架，还收费，开发者进厂打螺丝去多好

### 3/5 — 无法横屏

*2026-05-07*

进入游戏无法横屏

### 1/5 — Beautiful but crashy

*2026-04-26, version 1.38*

Yeah it’s a good looking app, but if you want a DS or 3DS emulator, look elsewhere. It’s a crashy unplayable mess. Even on an M4 iPad Pro, DS audio is choppy and does not play at full speed unlike other emulators. 3DS becomes unresponsive, controllers stop working and it crashes. 

It might look good but things like choosing a firmware file need some rethink. There is no feedback if the file is correct, there is no display of while file you are choosing when the file view appears, and after you choose a firmware file the entry disappears from the menu.

## Frequently asked questions about Folium

### What is Folium?

Folium is a multi-system emulator designed for playing video games from various retro consoles and handhelds. It offers a high-performance emulation experience with a beautifully designed interface.

### What games can I play with Folium?

Folium supports emulation for a wide range of systems including ColecoVision, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, NES, SEGA Genesis, SNES, and PlayStation 1. However, the app does not provide any game files; users must supply their own.

### Does Folium cost money?

Based on the provided information, Folium is available for free and does not have in-app purchases or advertisements.

### What controllers are compatible with Folium?

Folium supports a variety of popular controllers, including the Backbone One, Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro Controller, PlayStation DualShock 4 and DualSense, and Xbox Series S/X controllers.

### Can I play any game on my old phone?

Emulation performance can vary depending on the device and the specific console or handheld being emulated. Older or less powerful devices may experience slower emulation speeds, especially for more demanding systems.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.38 — 2026-03-18

Changed
- Updated Azahar for Cytrus to the latest available version on GitHub

Fixed
- an issue where input via the on-screen buttons and external gamepads would not work in Cytrus
- an issue where audio was handled unnecessarily in Grape causing minor static

Removed
- SDL3 audio output from Cytrus until its fully functional, replaced with CoreAudio as of now

### 1.37 — 2026-03-12

Added
- the ability to export 3DS save states for use with other applications
- support for ColecoVision with an experimental new keypad layout
- support for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection enabling online multiplayer with custom servers

Changed
- the ABXY buttons on Cytrus to correlate with the ABXY of the 3DS
- Grape emulation screen to use the new Liquid Glass layout

Fixed
- an issue where save states from old versions of Folium would not work in Cytrus on newer versions of the app
- an issue where the thumbstick was above the buttons on Cytrus causing broken input

Miscellaneous
- updated MoltenVK to the latest version available

### 1.36 — 2025-12-19

# Added
- multiplayer chat to Cytrus
  - currently only available on iOS and iPadOS 26
- SEGA Genesis and Mega Drive support via the new Plum core
- significantly improved PlayStation 1 support via the new Mandarine core
- additional information to each core which can be viewed via the ⓘ button
- full iOS 16 support back in response to a plethora of user requests

# Changed
- to the latest Azahar core available on GitHub
- all emulation controllers bar Cytrus and Grape to the new redesign
- Library, Onboarding and What's New to use the same controller

# Fixed
- several iPad layout issues when emulating with Cytrus and Grape
- game controller support for all emulation controllers bar Cytrus and Grape
  - this will require testing, PS5 game controller does work from my testing
  - Plum does not support game controllers yet due to the weird 3/6 button layout

# Removed
- Lychee in favour of the new Mandarine core
  - the Lychee folder will automatically be renamed to Mandarine upon initial launch
- Motion & Fitness onboarding step to hopefully fix macOS support

### 1.34 — 2025-10-28

Added
- thumbsticks back to Cytrus on iOS and iPadOS 26 with an all-new Liquid Glass design
- multiplayer back to Cytrus on iOS and iPadOS 26 (chat is currently missing)

Changed
- the layout of several buttons with Cytrus and Grape on iOS and iPadOS 26 improving the overall layout and reducing the number of buttons on-screen
- the layout of Cytrus and Grape on iOS and iPadOS 26 to separate the screens, mimicking real devices
- multiplayer with Cytrus, rewriting the code to improve function handling and interface for user experience

Fixed
- all cameras with Cytrus significantly improving clarity and improving capture performance
- an issue with Cytrus improving the 5:3 and 4:3 aspect ratio screens
- an issue where save states for Cytrus would cause the app to crash when outdated
- an issue with Onboarding and What's New on iPad

Miscellaneous
- rewrote a large portion of Cytrus' bridging code in Swift 6 improving clarity and reducing the amount of code
- updated several dependencies and fixed a bunch of warnings related to C++2b

### 1.33 — 2025-10-17

Added
- a new issue screen that displays per-core issues
- support for SDMC and NAND application for the Cytrus core

Changed
- how games are loaded to remove potential duplicates or invalid game files

## Apps similar to Folium

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [iGBA: GBA & GBC Retro Emulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/igba-gba-and-gbc-retro-emulator/id6482993626) | 4.4 (2,667) | Free | Entertainment |
| [Lucky Emulator – GBA & DS](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lucky-emulator-gba-and-ds/id6504077594) | 4.7 (13,220) | Free | Entertainment |
| [Emulator QBOY - 3DS PS2 GBA DS](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emulator-qboy-3ds-ps2-gba-ds/id6744356066) | 4.4 (119) | Free | Entertainment |
| [PP EMU - 3DS PSP Game Emulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pp-emu-3ds-psp-game-emulator/id6753177858) | 4.4 (421) | Free | Entertainment |
| [Game Emulator - RetroHub](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/game-emulator-retrohub/id6499185185) | 4.5 (630) | Free | Entertainment |
| [Game Emulator - RePlay](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/game-emulator-replay/id6502828239) | 4.7 (1,061) | Free | Entertainment |

## More apps by Jarrod Norwell

- [ColourCam](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/colourcam/id6745690307)
- [Fuely](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fuely/id6753147277)
- [Keyr](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/keyr/id6755037755)
- [Lavvy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lavvy/id6758861444)
- [Vion](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vion/id6770823399)

All apps by Jarrod Norwell: https://appshunter.io/developer/1449237747

## Related topics

[folium](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/folium) · [folium 3ds](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/folium-3ds) · [folium emulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/folium-emulator) · [citra](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/citra) · [limon emulator](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/limon-emulator) · [3ds emulators](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/3ds-emulators)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-02.*