Pocket8 vs Retroly
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pocket8
This app brings the PICO-8 fantasy console experience to your mobile device, offering access to thousands of community-made games. Enjoy customizable touch controls or gamepad support, and never lose progress with an instant save system.
- Browse and play community-made PICO-8 games
- Customizable touch controls and gamepad support
- Instant save states for unlimited progress saving
- Portrait and landscape orientation support
- Locked 60FPS gameplay
Read full descriptionHide full description
Experience PICO-8 Anywhere: Pocket8 brings the magic of the PICO-8 fantasy console to your pocket. Whether you’re on a commute or relaxing at home, thousands of indie games are a single tap away. A Massive Library in Your Pocket: Discover thousands of community-made games with integrated BBS exploration. From challenging platformers to relaxing puzzles, there’s always something new to play. Download your favorites and build a personal collection that goes offline wherever you do. Controls That Feel Right: Gaming on a touch screen can be a struggle. Pocket8 features high-precision controls that feel as good as a real handheld. Choose between a classic D-pad or virtual joystick, or swap the face buttons positioning to match your playstyle. Wanna go touch-less? Connect a controller and play with a bluetooth gamepad or keyboard. Play Without Interruption: Instant save system lets you freeze time and jump back in to the exact pixel where you left off. Manage an infinite amount of save states per cartridge. Features: Browse & Play: Explore the Lexaloffle BBS to find and download new games instantly. Pro-Style Controls: Fluid movement and adaptive controls. Gamepad and Keyboard support included. Portrait & Landscape: Play comfortably in any orientation. Save Anywhere: Never lose your progress with instant state saves. Pure Performance: Locked 60FPS gameplay for the ultimate retro experience.
Retroly
Play your classic game backups on iPhone with this retro gaming hub. Import ROMs, organize your collection, and enjoy a fast, distraction-free interface with customizable on-screen controls. Save your progress and adjust settings for a personalized experience.
- Game Boy, GBC, GBA support
- ROM import from local storage
- Organized game library
- Recent play history
- Responsive on-screen controls
- Gameplay customization
Read full descriptionHide full description
Retroly is a polished retro gaming hub designed for players who want a clean, modern way to enjoy their own classic game backups on iPhone. Import compatible ROM files from local storage, organize your personal collection, and jump back into gameplay instantly with a fast, distraction-free interface built specifically for retro sessions. Features: • Authentic emulation for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance • Visual game showcase and library with instant resume • Responsive on-screen gamepad with customizable skins and haptic feedback • 8 visual save state slots with live screenshot previews and timestamps • Display filters (Sharp Pixel, LCD, LCD Subpixel, Bilinear, Smooth xBRZ) • Screen stretching and color correction tailored for handheld classics • Full support for external Bluetooth & MFi game controllers Important Notice: Retroly does not include, host, sell, or distribute copyrighted games or ROMs. Users must supply their own legally obtained game backups that they are authorized to play. Premium Upgrade: Retroly Premium is available as a one-time in-app purchase that permanently removes all banner, rewarded, and interstitial ads, unlocking the ultimate ad-free retro experience forever. No subscriptions or recurring charges. Terms of Use: https://eraylabs.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://eraylabs.com/privacy.html Support & Contact: https://eraylabs.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pocket8 at none against Retroly's 1. Pocket8 also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs fortnightly). Retroly's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Retroly sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pocket8 asks for nothing beyond the download.
Retroly holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket8 has 40 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Pocket8 ships an update daily, Retroly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pocket8 | Retroly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (40 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 40 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jevon Lipsey | Eray Kiyak |
Customer experience
Pocket8
Retroly
In-app purchases
Pocket8
No in-app purchases
Retroly
- Retroly Premium$3.99









