Comparison

ArcEmu vs Wizards Codex

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

Head to head
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.

About

Wizards Codex

Manage your tabletop roleplaying game characters with this digital character sheet app. It offers flexibility for various game systems and allows for in-depth character management. Subscriptions and in-app purchases are available for enhanced features.

Highlights
  • Digital character sheets
  • Supports multiple TTRPG systems
  • In-depth character management
  • Subscription options
  • In-app purchases
Features
Read full description

Step into your next adventure with Wizards Codex, the ultimate digital character sheet for tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs). Designed for flexibility and ease, Wizards Codex empowers you to manage every aspect of your character, no matter your game system. Subscriptions and In-App Purchases can be found within this app. When purchasing, a payment will be taken and the purchase will be applied to your account on confirmation. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime within the app by managing your subscription in your user settings. For more information, see our ToS: https://www.wizardscodex.com/terms-of-service and Privacy Policy: https://www.wizardscodex.com/privacy-policy.

Screenshots

ArcEmu4 screens
Wizards Codex4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Wizards Codex at Free against ArcEmu's $1.99. ArcEmu's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On review sentiment and update cadence 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

Wizards Codex is free to download; ArcEmu costs $1.99 up front. Wizards Codex sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. 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: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 95% of ArcEmu's written reviews are positive against 100% of Wizards Codex's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
ArcEmu versus Wizards Codex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArcEmuWizards Codex
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews94.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.3K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.5 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size172 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRaffaele D'Amatowizardscodex

Customer experience

ArcEmu

All ratings1,304 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews528 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.7%

Wizards Codex

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and 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 more
  • Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch

Wizards Codex

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Wizards Codex

Subscriptions2
  • UK English$1.991 Month
  • Wizards Codex Premium Annual$22.991 Year

Questions

Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wizards Codex free?
Wizards Codex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ArcEmu or Wizards Codex?
ArcEmu is rated higher. ArcEmu averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Wizards Codex averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do ArcEmu or Wizards Codex have ads?
Wizards Codex shows ads; ArcEmu does not.
Which is updated more often, ArcEmu or Wizards Codex?
ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, and Wizards Codex every 2 weeks. Most recently, ArcEmu was updated on October 13, 2026 and Wizards Codex on September 25, 2026.

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