Best Sega Genesis Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: Genesis Plus GX is ranked #1 of 29 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Lakka and RetroArch. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Lakka.
Playing Sega Genesis titles on today’s devices calls for an emulator that fits both your setup and the features you use. Compared on supported platforms and system scope, these options also differ in save states, cheat support, shader support, and netplay. License, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing round out the comparison. Genesis Plus GX, Lakka, and RetroArch are among the named options to consider; check their listed platform support and capabilities against how you want to play. If continuing a game from a saved point, customizing its display, or connecting with other players matters, weigh those features alongside the systems each emulator supports.
29 Sega genesis emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Sega Genesis Emulators, one module each. A lit port is something its maker publishes; 0 of the 25 on this page have a public API.
- 01 Genesis Plus GX API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 6.0Free
- 02 Lakka API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 6.0Free
- 03 RetroArch API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 6.0Free
- 04 Lemuroid API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 05 MAME API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 06 Zeta API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.9Free
- 07 ares API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 08 Batocera API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 09 BizHawk API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 10 BlastEm API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 11 ClownMDEmu API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 12 Delta API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 13 higan API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 14 Nostalgist.js API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 15 OpenEmu API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 16 PicoDrive API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE yesDOCS 5.8Free
- 17 emmd API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.5
- 18 jgenesis API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.5
- 19 Manic EMU API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.5
- 20 Mednafen API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.5
- 21 Lynx.emu API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.4
- 22 Cavaliercoder Genesis API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.2Free
- 23 Cool Retro Term API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.2Free
- 24 Exodus API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
- 25 Moa API not on recordOSS not on recordFREE not on recordDOCS 5.0
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | System scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis Plus GX | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows; GameCube; Wii; RetroArch-based platforms | sega_family |
| 2 | Lakka | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | PC; Raspberry Pi; Cubieboard; Banana Pi; Cubox-i; Hummingboard; UDOO; Odroid; WeTek Play | multi_console |
| 3 | RetroArch | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | Lemuroid | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Android, Android TV | multi_console |
| 5 | MAME | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 6 | Zeta | 5.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | iOS (iPhone) | multi_console |
| 7 | ares | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 8 | Batocera | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 9 | BizHawk | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, Linux | — |
| 10 | BlastEm | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 11 | ClownMDEmu | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | web browser; standalone desktop frontend; libretro-compatible hosts | genesis_only |
| 12 | Delta | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 13 | higan | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, FreeBSD | — |
| 14 | Nostalgist.js | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | web browsers | multi_console |
| 15 | OpenEmu | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | PicoDrive | 5.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | windows, linux | multi_console |
| 17 | emmd | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | windows, macos, linux, ios | genesis_only |
| 18 | jgenesis | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 19 | Manic EMU | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | — |
| 20 | Mednafen | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 21 | Lynx.emu | 5.4 | No | — | No | — | Android, iOS, Linux | sega_family |
| 22 | Cavaliercoder Genesis | 5.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | genesis_only |
| 23 | Cool Retro Term | 5.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Android, Android TV | multi_console |
| 24 | Exodus | 5.0 | No | — | — | — | windows | genesis_only |
| 25 | Moa | 5.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | multi_console |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which Sega genesis emulator is ranked first on Inferse?
Genesis Plus GX is ranked #1 of 29 with a score of 6.0. Lakka is second and RetroArch third.
How many of these have a free plan?
18 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it.