While the latest generation of game consoles are well-equipped to play many modern and earlier games, you may still find yourself limited when you want to play titles from other generations of games or even outside of your gaming platform of choice.

Fortunately, if you own an Xbox Series X | S, you can expand the range of games the console can play by adding emulators. These emulators allow you to play older games from different platforms via ROMs that you can add to your Xbox.

What are the best emulators for Xbox Series X | S?

What you need to know about emulating on Xbox
Before we move on to the best emulators that you can use on your Xbox Series X | S, there are some basic things about emulators and how they work on Xbox that you may need to know.

While emulators are generally considered a legal way to play games, using a ROM can be illegal if the ROM itself is an unofficial version of a game. This makes using emulators an ethical gray area due to their reliance on ROM to allow you to play and emulate games.

And when taken in context with Microsoft and their stance on emulators, there are a few reasons why you shouldn’t use emulators on your Xbox Series X | S. Therefore, you may want to check out the risks of using emulators on your Xbox before proceeding.

Ultimately, how you decide to find the specific ROMs you want to run determines the potential risks you may encounter. But if you’re comfortable with emulation and the gray areas that come with it, there are plenty of reliable emulators for your Xbox.

1. Retro bow

Of all the emulators you can add to Xbox Series X | S, RetroArch has more potential to let you play thousands of games regardless of platform.

Serving as a front-end collection of emulators, the RetroArch collection is a collection of many emulators, which means that with RetroArch you can run ROMs for games coming from Nintendo platforms such as the DS or SNES, and even the PlayStation 1 or Sega Mega Drive.

By providing a universal interface for Xbox Series X | S, RetroArch makes emulating games from any of the supported platforms much easier than other emulators.

For these reasons, RetroArch is the ideal starting point for emulation on Xbox. There may be some issues with how well the software works on Xbox, but the emulators the software provides for Xbox Series X | Your S is undoubtedly excellent.

Even better, the addition of RetroArch to Xbox Series X | Your S is very easy as long as you know where to look. So you can turn your Xbox into an emulator with RetroArch and get an incredible number of games for your Xbox, as long as you have the ROM.

2. Dolphin

Aside from the emulator builds, such as RetroArch, platform-specific single emulators are also available for the Xbox Series X | S. These emulators provide specific features for the games you want to emulate.

If you’re looking to play GameCube or Wii games straight from your Xbox, Dolphin is the best way to experience the best Nintendo games from every generation, available on Xbox Series X | S.

By allowing specific support for Wii and GameCube titles, Dolphin can address and improve various aspects of emulating those types of games. Dolphin lets you enhance the quality of GameCube titles and even apply mods while offering customizable motion control options for Wii titles.

This means that even if you want to play motion-based Wii titles, you can still set the Xbox Wireless Controller to support the desired game and input. Likewise, by optimizing your GameCube games and allowing modifications, you can subvert any visual issues you might encounter when playing older GameCube titles.

So if you are keen to play Wii titles like Metroid Prime: Trilogy or even GameCube titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Dolphin is one of the best emulators available for Xbox Series X | S.

3. XBSX2

Another emulator that allows you to play a specific platform and its games are XBSX2. Specifically, XBSX2 allows you to emulate PlayStation 2 games directly from Xbox Series X| S and supports many features.

Like Dolphin, XBSX2 caters to the individual needs of a specific platform, in this case, PlayStation 2, and ensures that you get the best experience emulating a PlayStation 2 title on your Xbox.

With the XBSX2, you can upgrade your PlayStation 2 titles to native 4K resolution and 60 frames per second. And like RetroArch, the program provides a single interface that makes it easy to navigate the library of PlayStation 2 titles and emulation options available to the program.

And with the XBSX2 constantly updated, just like RetroArch and its available emulators, you can be sure that you’re running the latest and greatest PlayStation 2 emulator available for your Xbox.

For PlayStation 2 Emulators Also Compatible with Xbox Series X | S, XBSX2 provides the best and easiest-to-use software for your gaming experience.

4. Zhenya

While adding emulators to Xbox Series X| S is a great way to expand the capabilities and variety of games. You can try, some emulators can also help correct some of the Xbox’s failures.

Backward comity on Xbox Series X| S, for illustration. Is limited to a certain set of games from the original Xbox and Xbox 360. But with Xenia, the Xbox 360 impersonator is compatible with your Xbox Series X| S. Yes, you can remove this hedge

Xenia has been acclimated to come a universal way to play Xbox 360 games. With Xenia available for Xbox Series X| S. Having Xenia on your press makes everyone playable.

And because classic Xbox 360 games like the original Batman Arkham series aren’t backward compatible on Xbox Series X| S. Xenia lets you play titles, like the original Arkham series, that would otherwise be unsolvable to play. Making it one of the best emulators out there. There for your Xbox.

Still, Xenia gets a solid tweak when it comes to emulating Xbox Series X| S. So while the software is working and you can add it to your Xbox, you may run into some issues. But you can always emulate Xbox 360 titles through your PC. So you can see for yourself how well the software works.

5. PPSSPP

One of the ultimate emulators that stands above the rest when it comes to emulators available for Xbox Series X S is PPSSPP, PSP, or PlayStation Portable impersonator.

Letting you, like the XBSX2, allow you to emulate titles made for PlayStation directly through the Xbox Series X| S is weird and against gaming conventions, but it’s completely possible with PPSSPP. Indeed, it lets you play and enhance your classic PSP titles straight from your Xbox Series X|S.

So if you want to get back to playing games like Final Fantasy Tactics and The War of the Lions, or playing games like Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker that you might have missed due to first-time PSP exclusives, PPSSPP is the perfect result. Emulation program for you.