Comparison

Pokémon GO vs ArcEmu

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
  • Multiplayer support
  • Cheat codes
  • Customizable on-screen controls
  • Save State sharing
  • iCloud support
Features
Read full description

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

Pokémon GO4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pokémon GO ships an update every 6 days, ArcEmu fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Pokémon GO versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPokémon GOArcEmu
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.0 (653K ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews94.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings653K — better1.3K
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#1 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size404 MB172 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperScopely Explore, Inc.Raffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

Pokémon GO

All ratings653,270 ratings
Positive73.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative20.6%
Written reviews8,042 reviews
Positive43.8%
Neutral9.9%
Negative46.3%

ArcEmu

All ratings1,295 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews521 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.7%

User reviews

Pokémon GO

From 653K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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 more
  • Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch

In-app purchases

21 purchases

Pokémon GO

One-time21
  • 100 PokéCoins$0.99
  • Event Bonus$0.99
  • Small Box$1.99
Show 18 more
  • 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
None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pokémon GO free?
Pokémon GO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pokémon GO or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. Pokémon GO averages 4.0 out of 5 from 653K ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Pokémon GO or ArcEmu have ads?
Pokémon GO shows ads; ArcEmu does not.
Which is updated more often, Pokémon GO or ArcEmu?
Pokémon GO ships an update every 6 days, and ArcEmu fortnightly. Most recently, Pokémon GO was updated on September 24, 2026 and ArcEmu on September 24, 2026.

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