Pokémon Masters EX vs ArcEmu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pokémon Masters EX
Embark on a new Pokémon adventure, teaming up with trainers and their Pokémon from all regions. Engage in strategic three-on-three battles, deepen bonds with your favorite characters, and capture unique moments through photography. Hatch new Pokémon and build your ultimate team to conquer challenges.
- Team up with trainers from all regions
- Engage in 3v3 Pokémon battles
- Collect trainers and their Pokémon
- Deepen bonds with trainers
- Take photos in Pokéstar Studios
- Hatch eggs for new Pokémon
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THE NEXT CHAPTER OF POKÉMON UNFOLDS Trainer tales continue—and new relationships that span beyond regions begin! Experience Pokémon stories unique to Pokémon Masters EX! TEAM UP WITH SYNC PAIRS FROM EVERY REGION! Team up and interact with Trainers from the Paldea region, the Hisui region, and everywhere in between! TAKE ON THREE-ON-THREE BATTLES Engage in Pokémon battles with your favorite Trainers and emerge victorious through the bonds between Pokémon and Trainer! TRAINERS FROM ALL OVER COME TOGETHER! Champions, Elite Four members, Gym Leaders, and visitors from the past! Enjoy adventures together with your favorite Trainers and their Pokémon! TRAINERS DON SPECIAL OUTFITS! Trainers appear wearing outfits exclusive to Pokémon Masters EX! Enjoy original stories connected to those outfits, too! GET TO KNOW YOUR FAVORITE TRAINERS! Interact with Trainers in the Trainer Lodge to deepen your bond and get special photos and stories! TAKE PHOTOS OF YOUR FAVES! Select the Trainers, background, frame, and effects to take a photo worthy of Pokéstar Studios! You can include up to three Trainers in a photo! HATCH EGGS & TEAM UP! Hatch Eggs to get new Pokémon! Add hatched Pokémon to your team, and battle your way to the top! Note: ・We recommend a device with at least 2GB of RAM. ・We do not guarantee functionality on all devices listed above. ・There may be cases where the app does not function properly due to your device’s capabilities, specifications, or particular conditions for using apps. ・It may take time to become compatible with the latest OS.
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 price: Pokémon Masters EX at Free against ArcEmu's $1.99. Pokémon Masters EX also leads on ratings volume (218K vs 1.3K) and chart position (#31 vs unranked). ArcEmu's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 69) and review sentiment (95% vs 63%). On update cadence, ads and 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 Masters EX is free to download; ArcEmu costs $1.99 up front. Pokémon Masters EX sells 47 one-off in-app purchases. ArcEmu asks for nothing beyond the download.
ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pokémon Masters EX has 218K ratings behind it against 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Pokémon Masters EX's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.
Pokémon Masters EX ships an update every 2 weeks, ArcEmu fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Pokémon Masters EX | ArcEmu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (218K ratings) | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.9% of reviews | 94.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 218K — better | 1.3K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #31 — 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 | 1.8 GB | 172 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DeNA Co., Ltd. | Raffaele D'Amato |
Customer experience
Pokémon Masters EX
ArcEmu
User reviews
Pokémon Masters EX
From 218K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth animations and visuals
- 👍 Nostalgic and engaging for Pokémon fans
- 🎨 Unique and enjoyable battle system
- 🤝 Cooperative gameplay with friends
Room to improve
- 🔒 Restrictive gacha system with paid/unpaid gems
- 🔁 Repetitive and grindy gameplay
- 🔋 Battery-draining performance
- 🔍 Limited character customization options
- 🕹️ Unbalanced difficulty progression
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 Masters EX
Reported bugs
3 issues- Frequent crashes and connection issues
- Incorrect type matchup and move effectiveness
- Sync move and ability bugs
Requested features
5 requests- Add PVP battle mode
- Increase free gem rewards
- Introduce more Pokémon and trainer characters
- Improve account recovery and data portability
- Optimize performance and reduce crashes
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
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- Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch
In-app purchases
Pokémon Masters EX
- Nov. Master Fair gem special 12 variants$0.99
- Happy New Year gem special 12 variants$0.99
- Marvelous Mega 7 Years gem spl$0.99
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- Run-Up to 7 gem special 1$0.99
- Arc Suit Fair gem special 15 variants$0.99
- EX Master Fair gem special 13 variants$0.99
- 100 gems$0.99
- Gem special: 300 gems$0.99
- Daily gems (limit 1) + present$0.99
- Run-Up to 6 gem special 1$0.99
- May Master Fair gem special 12 variants$0.99
- Celebrate 5.5 gem special 1$0.99
- Run-Up to 5.5 gem special 1$0.99
- Holiday season gem special 1$0.99
- Sep. Master Fair gem special 1$0.99
- 5-Year Anniv. gem special 1$0.99
- Arc suit gem special 1 (lim.1)$0.99
- Run-Up to 5 gem special 1$0.99
- Masters Day gem special 112 variants$3.99
- Daily Gem Bundle EX$3.99
- Post-6.5 gems + spl. present$3.99
- Arc suit gem special 2 (lim.1)$3.99
- 520 gems$4.99
- Gem special: 1,000 gems$5.99
- Daily Stamina Bundle$7.99
- Happy New Year gem special 2$7.99
- Select Master Bundle 1$7.99
- Select Master Bundle 2$7.99
- Select Master Bundle 3$7.99
- Pokémon Masters Pass$7.99
- 5-Year Anniv. gem special 2$7.99
- Gem special: 3,200 gems$19.99
- Story Bundle$21.99
- Nov. Master Fair gem special 3$23.99
- Happy New Year gem special 32 variants$23.99
- Arc Suit Fair gem special 32 variants$23.99
- Daily Gem Bundle EX +$23.99
- EX Master Fair gem special 3$23.99
- Celebrate 5.5 gem special 3$23.99
- 5-Year Anniv. gem special 3$23.99
- Arc suit gem special 3 (lim.1)$23.99
- Run-Up to 5 gem special 3$23.99
- Happy New Year gem special 4$79.99
- 7-Year Anniv. super gem spl. 4$79.99
- 9,800 gems$79.99
- Celebrate 5.5 gem special 4$79.99
- 5-Year Anniv. gem special 4$79.99
ArcEmu
No in-app purchases






