ScummVM vs ArcEmu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Play classic adventure games
- Play classic RPGs
- Includes playable demos
- Access to more games online
- Open source software
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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.
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: 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
ScummVM is free to download; ArcEmu costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
ScummVM ships an update every 4 months, ArcEmu fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScummVM | ArcEmu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (102 ratings) | 4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.9% of reviews | 94.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 102 | 1.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 268 MB | 172 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Eugene Sandulenko | Raffaele D'Amato |
Customer experience
ScummVM
ArcEmu
User reviews
ScummVM
From 102 App Store ratingsWhat 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 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
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch
In-app purchases
ScummVM
No in-app purchases
ArcEmu
No in-app purchases









