Pokémon GO vs ArcEmu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pokémon GO
Explore your real world to discover and catch creatures. Train your companions, battle in gyms, and team up with others for epic raids. Your adventure begins as you move through your environment.
- Explore and discover creatures
- Catch creatures to complete Pokédex
- Journey with Buddy Pokémon
- Compete in Gym battles
- Team up for Raid Battles
- Augmented reality gameplay
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Join Trainers across the globe who are discovering Pokémon as they explore the world around them. Pokémon GO is the global gaming sensation that has been downloaded over 1 billion times and named “Best Mobile Game” by the Game Developers Choice Awards and “Best App of the Year” by TechCrunch. _______________ UNCOVER THE WORLD OF POKÉMON: Explore and discover Pokémon wherever you are! CATCH more Pokémon to complete your Pokédex! JOURNEY alongside your Buddy Pokémon to help make your Pokémon stronger and earn rewards! COMPETE in epic Gym battles and... TEAM UP and UNITE with other Trainers to catch powerful Pokémon during Raid Battles! It’s time to get moving—your real-life adventures await! Let’s GO! _______________ With the player’s permission, Adventure Sync uses the Health app to enable the player to earn walking distance when the app is closed. Notes: - This app is free-to-play and offers in-game purchases. It is optimized for smartphones, not tablets. - It is recommended to play while connected to a network in order to obtain accurate location information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for devices without GPS capabilities or devices that are connected only to Wi-Fi networks. - Compatibility information may be changed at any time. - Information current as of July 11, 2019. - Compatible with iPhone® 5s / SE / 6 / 6s / 6 Plus / 6s Plus / 7 / 7 Plus / 8 / 8 Plus / X devices with iOS Version 9 or later installed. - Not compatible with 5th generation iPod Touch devices or iPhone 5c or earlier iPhone devices. - Please visit PokemonGO.com for additional compatibility information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for all devices. - Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically reduce battery life.
ArcEmu
Experience retro gaming on your Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. This emulator supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. Enjoy features like multiplayer, cheats, and customizable controls.
- Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
- Multiplayer support
- Cheat codes
- Customizable on-screen controls
- Save State sharing
- iCloud support
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ArcEmu brings retro game emulation to Apple Watch. It also works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, delivering a seamless gaming experience across your Apple devices. Supported Consoles - Game Boy (.gb) - Game Boy Color (.gbc) - Game Boy Advance (.gba) - Pokémon Mini (.min) - Nintendo Entertainment System (.nes) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (.sfc and .smc) - Atari 2600 (.a26 and .bin) Main Features - Accurate, high-performance emulation powered by the mGBA and Ares cores - Game Link Cable support with online multiplayer for up to four players* - Cheat-code support with a built-in database of popular codes** - Frame-independent emulation at 30 or 60 FPS - Multi-touch and Digital Crown support on Apple Watch - Support for all screen orientations on iPhone and iPad - Precise, thoughtfully designed on-screen controls - Customizable control position and transparency on iPhone and iPad - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom color palettes for Game Boy games - Button hold/sustain feature - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone - Game controller support with customizable button mappings - ZIP archive support - Automatic saving - Save-state sharing between devices - iCloud support for ROMs and save states - ROM sharing through iCloud using share codes - Support for Apple Watch devices configured with Family Setup - ROM sorting and search Apple Watch Compatibility - Apple Watch Series 4 or later - Apple Watch SE or later - Apple Watch Ultra or later ArcEmu does not include any games or ROMs. You can import compatible ROM files from your iPhone and store them in iCloud. Your Apple Watch can then download them directly from iCloud. On an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup, ROMs can be downloaded from iCloud using share codes. Games Featured in the Screenshots - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Anguna: https://gauauu.itch.io/anguna - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance * Requires a Game Center account. ** Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo. Nintendo and the names of its game systems are trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ArcEmu at 95% against Pokémon GO's 44%. ArcEmu also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 30). Pokémon GO's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and ratings volume (653K vs 1.3K). On iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Pokémon GO is free to download; ArcEmu costs $1.99 up front. Pokémon GO sells 21 one-off in-app purchases. ArcEmu asks for nothing beyond the download.
ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pokémon GO has 653K ratings behind it against 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Pokémon GO's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.
Pokémon GO ships an update every 6 days, ArcEmu fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Pokémon GO | ArcEmu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (653K ratings) | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.8% of reviews | 94.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 653K — better | 1.3K |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #1 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 404 MB | 172 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scopely Explore, Inc. | Raffaele D'Amato |
Customer experience
Pokémon GO
ArcEmu
User reviews
Pokémon GO
From 653K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
- 👍 Encourages outdoor activity
- 🚀 Frequent updates and new content
- 👍 Brings people together
- 🚀 Innovative AR features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🚫 Inaccessible for rural/disabled players
ArcEmu
From 1.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fully functional
- 🚀 Impressive emulation on Apple Watch
- 👍 Great emulator for both phone and watch
- 👍 Seamless save state transfer between devices
- 👍 Customizable controls and layout
Room to improve
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with some games
- 🐛 Audio quality problems on certain games
- 👎 Limited functionality on Apple Watch
- 👎 Difficult controls for action-heavy games on watch
Bugs and requests
Pokémon GO
Reported bugs
4 issues- GPS/location issues causing gameplay problems
- Bugs with egg hatching and buddy Pokémon
- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Glitches with raid battles and rewards
Requested features
5 requests- In-game chat/communication system
- Ability to trade items between players
- More customization options for avatars
- Improved tracking and spawn system
- Easier access to rare/legendary Pokémon
ArcEmu
Reported bugs
3 issues- Occasional crashes
- Graphical glitches with certain ROMs
- Save data not transferring properly between devices
Requested features
6 requests- Add cheat/GameShark support
- Improve volume controls
- Implement fast forward/slow motion options
- Allow multiple save slots per game
- Improve Game Boy Color support
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch
In-app purchases
Pokémon GO
- 100 PokéCoins$0.99
- Event Bonus$0.99
- Small Box$1.99
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Evergreen Ticket 1$1.99
- Event Ticket3 variants$1.99
- Event Ticket5 variants$4.99
- 550 PokéCoins$4.99
- Ticket$4.99
- Event Ticket$7.99
- 1,200 PokéCoins$9.99
- Event Pass Deluxe Plus Points$9.99
- Finale Pass$14.99
- Event Pass Deluxe$14.99
- GO Fest Ticket$14.99
- Finale Pass Plus Points$19.99
- GO Pass Deluxe$19.99
- 2,500 PokéCoins$19.99
- Event Pass Deluxe Plus Points$19.99
- GO Pass Deluxe Plus Points$24.99
- 5,200 PokéCoins$39.99
- 14,500 PokéCoins$99.99
ArcEmu
No in-app purchases









