Apple now allows retro game emulators in the App Store worldwide

Key operations

• After years of being banned, Apple will now release retro game emulators to the App Store
• Namely, game emulation apps must follow “all applicable laws,” excluding piracy or bootleg content.
• Apps that offer mini-apps or mini-games must do so using HTML5, rather than using code embedded in the binary code of the main application.

In a surprise move, Apple has announced changes to its App Review Guidelines that will allow retro game emulators to be distributed through the App Store. Historically, Apple has not allowed game emulators on the App Store, but the company has changed its stance on the type of app. Starting today, retro game emulators can pass Apple’s app review process and offer downloadable games on the latest iPhones and other Apple devices. While Apple may have made the decision due to pressure from the European Union and its Digital Markets Act (DMA), the company has decided to make game emulation apps available to users worldwide.

It will take some time for app developers to build retro game emulators for iOS, get apps approved by Apple, and finally publish apps on the App Store. However, there are many excellent Android emulators out there, and now it’s possible that these apps offer a comparable version for iOS. The change in how Apple views retro game emulation on iOS has come with new guidelines for how so-called “super apps,” like WeChat, offer mini-apps. Apple mandates that these smaller apps must be HTML5-based and not embedded in the main app’s binary. This applies to “mini-apps, mini-games, streaming games, chatbots, plug-ins and game emulators,” according to the revised guidelines.

Game emulation apps are coming to iOS, but only legal ones

Unsurprisingly, there are a few rules that game emulators must follow in order to appear on the App Store, as first reported by The Verge. The biggest one is that those apps must comply with “all applicable laws,” so that will rule out game emulators that offer pirated or counterfeit titles to play on iOS. Again, this isn’t particularly surprising, but it does limit the types of retro games that will be available on Apple devices.

Apple also lists the following rules that mini-apps, game emulators, and other similar applications must follow:

• Software offered in applications under this policy must: Follow all privacy guidelines, including but not limited to the policies set forth in guideline 5.1 regarding the collection, use, and sharing of data and sensitive information (such as health and personal information children); include a method for filtering unwanted material, a mechanism for reporting content and timely responses to concerns, and the ability to block malicious users; and use in-app purchases to offer digital goods or services to end users.
• Your application may not extend or expose the API of the original platform to the software without Apple’s prior permission.
• Your app may not share data or privacy permissions with any individual software offered in your app without the user’s express consent in each case.
• You must provide an index of the software and metadata available in your application. It must contain universal links to all software offered in your application.
• Your app must share the age rating of the highest rated content available in your app.

It’s not clear why Apple is making this change now, after a long-standing policy of banning game emulators from the App Store. This could have something to do with DMA, which will force Apple to allow third-party app stores on iOS. Making game emulators available directly in the App Store might be one less reason for users to turn away from Apple’s controlled app market. Either way, users around the world benefit. If the move is DMA-related, it’s one of the first cases of Apple bringing DMA-related changes to non-EU users.

The decision also comes shortly after several high-profile emulators, such as Yuzu, shut down following legal issues.