Spectaculator vs ArcEmu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spectaculator
Relive the golden era of 8-bit gaming with this emulator. Play over 150 licensed classic ZX Spectrum games, with more available through in-app purchases. Features include save states, cheat codes, game hints, and authentic 1980s visual simulations.
- Play over 150 licensed ZX Spectrum games
- Save game progress with multiple slots
- Enter cheats and lookup game hints
- Authentic 1980s TV screen simulation
- Virtual and external keyboard support
- iCloud save syncing across devices
- Program in Sinclair BASIC
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Now over 150 licensed ZX Spectrum games available! In April 1982, Sir Clive Sinclair launched what was to become one of the most popular home computers ever made - the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Spectaculator takes you back to the 1980s - to the golden era of 8-bit gaming! Play the following 22 officially licensed classic ZX Spectrum games: - 3D Starstrike by Realtime Games Software - Auf Wiedersehen Monty by Gremlin Graphics - Avenger by Gremlin Graphics - Bounder by Gremlin Graphics - Cyclone by Vortex Software - Dark Star by Design Design - Dynamite Dan by Rod Bowkett/Mirrorsoft - Forbidden Planet by Design Design - Halls of the Things by Design Design - Highway Encounter by Vortex Software - Jack The Nipper by Gremlin Graphics - Krackout by Gremlin Graphics - Jekyll & Hyde by Zenobi Software - Metabolis by Gremlin Graphics - Monty On The Run by Gremlin Graphics - On The Run by Design Design - Revolution by Vortex Software - Tau Ceti by Pete Cooke/CRL - The Way Of The Tiger by Gremlin Graphics - Albatrossity by Jonathan Cauldwell - Battery's Not Precluded by Jonathan Cauldwell - The Fantastic Mister Fruity by Jonathan Cauldwell ... with more available from the in-app shop. Spectaculator gives you the most authentic ZX Spectrum experience available on your iPhone, iPod and iPad, and comes with lots of additional features: • Universal App - runs on iPhone, iPod and iPad. • Supports iPhone 5 and iPod touch 5th generation screen. • Play in portrait or landscape orientations • Save your game progress (four saved game slots + one iCloud saved game slot per game). • Save your progress to iCloud from one device (e.g. iPod) and load to continue playing on another (e.g. iPad). • Enter pokes (cheats) for infinite lives, shields etc. • Lookup game hints, tips and maps • Play in black and white with TV screen simulation for the ultimate 1980s experience! • Battle to the top of the (Game Center) leaderboards! • Type on a virtual ZX Spectrum keyboard • Use an external Bluetooth keyboard for playing adventure games • Choose authentic cassette loading or fast play • Program in Sinclair BASIC • Enjoy high resolution graphics on Retina screens • Play using an external arcade controller (iCade or iControlPad) Additional Game Packs ------------------- The following games packs are available from the in-app shop: Design Design Games Pack - 5 Games. Includes Halls of the Things, Dark Star, Forbidden Planet Gremlin Graphics Vol. 1 - 6 games. Includes Wanted! Monty Mole, Skate Crazy, Thing Bounces Back Gremlin Graphics Vol. 2 - 6 games. Includes Jack The Nipper II: In Coconut Capers, North Star, Grumpy Gumphrey, Supersleuth Gremlin Graphics Vol. 3 - 6 games. Includes Switchblade, Trailblazer, Super Scramble Simulator, Percy The Potty Pigeon Odin Computer Graphics Anthology - 9 games. Includes Nodes Of Yesod, Robin Of The Wood, Heartland Realtime Games Pack - Starstrike II - 3D Tank Duel Stephen Crow Anthology (Free!) ©1983-2013 Stephen Crow. All rights reserved. - 5 games. Includes Firelord, Starquake, Wizard's Lair Vortex Anthology - 6 games. Includes Alien Highway, Deflektor, T.L.L. (Tornado Low Level) Zenobi Adventure Pack Vol. 1 - 6 games. Includes Aura-Scope, The Gods of War, Leopold The Minstrel Zenobi Adventure Pack Vol. 2 - 6 games. Includes The Khangrin Plans, The Krazy Kartoonist Kaper, A Murder Mystery Weekend Zenobi Adventures Vol. 3 - 5 games. Includes The Apprentice, The Bardic Rite, Jester Quest, Knight Life, Mutiny! The following single games are available from the in-app shop: - Carrier Command - Dynamite Dan II - Frank N. Stein - Laser Squad - Lords Of Chaos - The Lords Of Midnight - Doomdark's Revenge - Everyone's a Wally - KWAH! - Redhawk - Skool Daze
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 in-app purchases: ArcEmu at none against Spectaculator's 24. ArcEmu also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 63%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Spectaculator's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.5). On ads 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
Spectaculator costs $2.99 and ArcEmu $1.99 up front. Spectaculator sells 21 one-off in-app purchases. ArcEmu asks for nothing beyond the download.
ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 39, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Spectaculator's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.
Spectaculator ships an update every 2 months, ArcEmu every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spectaculator | ArcEmu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (39 ratings) | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | 94.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 39 | 1.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 172 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jonathan Needle | Raffaele D'Amato |
Customer experience
Spectaculator
ArcEmu
Bugs and requests
Spectaculator
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
Spectaculator
- Wheelie$0.99
- Realtime Games Pack$0.99
- The Lords Of Midnight$0.99
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Skool Daze$0.99
- Strike Force Cobra$0.99
- Doomdark's Revenge$0.99
- Splat!$0.99
- Rex$0.99
- Dynamite Dan 2$0.99
- Frank N. Stein$0.99
- Design Design Anthology$1.99
- Gremlin Pack 1$1.99
- Vortex Anthology$1.99
- Odin Anthology$1.99
- Alternative Software Pack 1$1.99
- Gremlin Pack 2$1.99
- Alternative Software Pack 3$1.99
- Gremlin Pack 3$1.99
- Zenobi Adventures Vol. 2$1.99
- Zenobi Adventures Vol. 3$1.99
- Zenobi Adventures Vol. 1$1.99
ArcEmu
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Spectaculator free?
Is ArcEmu free?
Which has better reviews, Spectaculator or ArcEmu?
Do Spectaculator or ArcEmu have ads?
Which is updated more often, Spectaculator or ArcEmu?
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