Comparison

ArcEmu vs Headscapades

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

Turn your Apple Watch into a retro game console. Play Game Boy, NES, SNES, Genesis, and more on your wrist, with multi-touch controls and the Digital Crown. ArcEmu also runs on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. ▸ SUPPORTED CONSOLES Included for free: - Game Boy - Game Boy Color - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Available through in-app purchases: - Game Boy Advance - Pokémon Mini - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) - Atari 2600 - Sega Mega Drive / Genesis - Sega Master System - Sega Game Gear - Sega SG-1000 ▸ MULTIPLAYER AND LINK CABLE Play home-console games online and locally with friends, or link Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games over the internet. Game Link Cable supports up to four players in compatible games. Online play requires a Game Center account. ▸ SHARE ROMs WITH A CODE Import your ROMs on iPhone, keep them in iCloud, and download them directly to Apple Watch or Apple TV. Share them through iCloud using a code, including with an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup. ▸ SCREEN AND CONTROLS Move and resize the game screen, choose an LCD or CRT filter, and set up the controls the way you like them. On Apple Watch, use multi-touch controls, customize the control layout, and assign actions to the Digital Crown. On iPhone and iPad, adjust button positions and transparency, and play in any orientation. Connect a controller and customize its button mappings, or use a second controller on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. ArcEmu also supports iPhone Duo. ▸ MORE FEATURES - Accurate, high-performance emulation - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Cheat codes with a built-in database of popular codes - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom Game Boy color palettes - Button hold/sustain - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone ▸ YOUR ROMs AND SAVES Keep your collection organized with per-console folders, sorting, and search. Import ROMs from ZIP and 7-Zip archives, use automatic saving, and share save states between devices. Both ROMs and save states can be stored in iCloud. ▸ 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. ▸ GAMES FEATURED IN THE SCREENSHOTS - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Big2Small: https://mdsteele.itch.io/big2small - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo, Sega, or Atari. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

About

Headscapades

Play a fun guessing game by holding your phone to your forehead. Friends give clues based on the word on the screen, and you guess it before time runs out. Create custom decks for inside jokes or specific groups.

Highlights
  • Phone-on-forehead guessing gameplay
  • Multiple pre-made card decks
  • Create and share custom decks
  • Offline play capability
  • Device-to-device sharing
  • Scoreboard and high score tracking
  • iCloud sync for progress
Features
Read full description

Phone on your forehead. Screen facing everyone else. They shout clues. You guess. FREE, ALL OF IT Every deck, every round, every share. Nothing is locked and there are no ads. If you'd like to support it there's a tip jar in Settings, and it unlocks nothing — there's nothing left to unlock. NINE DECKS, READY NOW Movies. Actors. Musicians. Animals. Food. Sports. Video Games. Superheroes. Brand Names. Hundreds of cards, no setup. MAKE YOUR OWN Inside jokes. Coworkers. Everyone in the family group chat. Build a deck, give it a cover, and it's yours. Make as many as you like. SHARE DECKS Most Decks fit inside a QR code or a Text Message. Photo Decks and Deck Covers can be shared nearby - device to device. No sign-ups, no accounts, no Wi-Fi network and no Internet Access required. SETTLE IT AFTERWARD The scoreboard is tappable. "That one totally counted", solved. PLAY ANYWHERE On line somewhere, in the back of a car or camping in the middle of nowhere. Your decks and high scores follow you between devices with iCloud (when you get back to civilization).

Screenshots

ArcEmu4 screens
Headscapades4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: ArcEmu at free against Headscapades's free with in-app purchases. ArcEmu also leads on ratings volume (1.3K vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). Headscapades's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, 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

Both are free to download. ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Headscapades sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for ArcEmu against 5.0 for Headscapades. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, Headscapades every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ArcEmu versus Headscapades: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArcEmuHeadscapades
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (1.3K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews94.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.3K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size234 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRaffaele D'AmatoMichael Rosenberg

Customer experience

ArcEmu

All ratings1,333 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews533 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.6%

Headscapades

All ratings2 ratings
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

Headscapades

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

ArcEmu

One-time10
  • Unlock All (Upgrade 4)$0.99
  • Game Boy Advance$0.99
  • SNES$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Pokémon Mini$0.99
  • Atari 2600$0.99
  • Mega Drive / Genesis$0.99
  • Game Gear$0.99
  • Master System$0.99
  • SG-1000$0.99
  • Unlock All (Upgrade 3)$1.99
1 purchases

Headscapades

One-time1
  • Deck Builder$4.99

Questions

Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Headscapades free?
Headscapades is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ArcEmu or Headscapades?
Headscapades is rated higher. ArcEmu averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Headscapades averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do ArcEmu or Headscapades have ads?
Neither ArcEmu nor Headscapades shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ArcEmu or Headscapades?
ArcEmu ships an update every 2 weeks, and Headscapades every 5 days. Most recently, ArcEmu was updated on November 8, 2026 and Headscapades on October 31, 2026.

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