Comparison

ScummVM vs ArcEmu

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

Head to head
About

ScummVM

Play classic graphical point-and-click adventure games and RPGs on your device. This application includes two playable demos and offers access to many more titles through its website. Enjoy a vast library of beloved retro games.

Highlights
  • Play classic adventure games
  • Play classic RPGs
  • Includes playable demos
  • Access to more games online
  • Open source software
Features
Read full description

ScummVM provides a way to play many classic graphical point-and-click adventure games and RPGs. The application is bundled with two playable demos, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (DOS Demo) and The Secret of Monkey Island (DOS EGA Demo), both titles copyright of Lucasfilm Ltd. You can find more information, demos, and some free-to-download adventure games on our website. See also an up-to-date list here: https://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Where_to_get_the_games Full documentation of ScummVM can be found at https://docs.scummvm.org/ Please visit our web forum where you can discuss the iOS version. https://forums.scummvm.org/viewforum.php?f=15 ScummVM is open source software available under the term of the GPL v3.0 license. The source code is available from https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm.

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

ScummVM2 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ScummVM at Free against ArcEmu's $1.99. ScummVM also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.5). ArcEmu's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (1.3K vs 102). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

ScummVM is free to download; ArcEmu costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for ScummVM against 4.9 for ArcEmu. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 102, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of ScummVM's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScummVM ships an update every 4 months, ArcEmu fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ScummVM versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScummVMArcEmu
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.8 (102 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.9% of reviews94.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1021.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size268 MB172 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperEugene SandulenkoRaffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

ScummVM

All ratings93 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive87.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative3.0%

ArcEmu

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

User reviews

ScummVM

From 102 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Reliving classic games
  • 👍 Great for mobile browsers
  • 👍 Amazing experience with specific games
  • 👍 Glad it's available
  • 👍 Supports classic point-and-click and RPGs

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashing mid-game
  • 🐛 Save feature not working correctly
  • 🐛 Touchscreen tap issues
  • 🐛 Clunky game adding process
  • 🐛 UI needs improvement

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

ScummVM

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes mid-game
  • Save feature does not save
  • Single-tap not registering as left click
  • Two-finger tap not registering as right click
  • Magic Keyboard touchpad not working
Show 5 more
  • Trackpad from new iPads not working
  • Cannot link OneDrive due to JSON response issue
  • Recently added games graying out
  • App crashes on second boot
  • External keyboard not working

Requested features

12 requests
  • Easier game search
  • Apple TV support
  • Gamepad key mapping support
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Magic Keyboard touchpad support
Show 7 more
  • Trackpad support
  • Change icon color
  • Support for Discworld Noir
  • DOSBox and FUSE support
  • NES interpreter support
  • Better iOS support for Grim Fandango & Escape From Monkey Island
  • More significant way to add games

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

None

ScummVM

No in-app purchases

None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ScummVM free?
ScummVM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ScummVM or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. ScummVM averages 4.8 out of 5 from 102 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do ScummVM or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither ScummVM nor ArcEmu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScummVM or ArcEmu?
ScummVM ships an update every 4 months, and ArcEmu fortnightly. Most recently, ScummVM was updated on September 20, 2026 and ArcEmu on September 24, 2026.

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