Help

Adding games

The apps do not contain any commercial games. You play ROM files of games you own. The gallery's NOSTALGIA tab has free demo games so you can try the app right away.

Open the menu in the game gallery (⋮ in the top-right corner), choose SEARCH ROMS and then:

• IMPORT FROM DIR – adds all games from one folder you pick (for example Download).
• IMPORT FROM FILE – adds a single game file.

Supported files:

• NostalgiaNes: .nes, .fds
• Nostalgia.GBC: .gb, .gbc
• Nostalgia.GBA: .gba
• Nostalgia.GG: .gg

Games packed in .zip archives are found too.

Game gallery

Your games are sorted into tabs: BY NAME, FAVORITES, LAST INSERTED, LAST PLAYED, MOST PLAYED and NOSTALGIA (our demo games). Use the search field to find a game by name.

• Favorites: tap the star next to a game, or long-press the game and choose ADD TO FAVORITES.
• Remove a game: long-press it and choose REMOVE FROM LIST. Only the entry disappears – the ROM file stays on your device and the game will not come back with the next search. To get it back, import its file again.

Game menu

While playing, tap the menu button (⋮) in the top-right corner of the game screen to open the game menu. The Back button leaves the game. It contains RESET, SAVE STATE, LOAD STATE, CHEATS, REWIND, TAKE SCREENSHOT, EXPORT / IMPORT SAV and the settings. NostalgiaNes adds disk options for Famicom Disk System games.

Save states

A save state stores the exact moment of the game, so you can save anywhere – even where the game itself does not allow it.

1. Open the game menu and choose SAVE STATE.
2. Pick a slot. A slot marked USED already holds a state and will be overwritten.
3. To continue later, choose LOAD STATE and pick the slot.

To delete a state, long-press its slot and choose Erase state.

Lite version: saving and loading states is supported by ads, so it needs an internet connection and no ad blocker.

Quick save / load Pro

Turn on General Preferences → Quick Save/Load. Then during the game:

• double tap the right half of the screen to quick-save,
• double tap the left half to quick-load.

Sharing states

You can send a saved state to a friend – for example to help them past a hard level.

1. Open SAVE STATE or LOAD STATE.
2. Long-press the slot and choose Share state.
3. Send the file by e-mail, chat or any other app.

Your friend opens the received file with the same Nostalgia app. The app looks for the matching ROM on their device and imports the state. They need the same game file.

Rewind

Rewind lets you go back a few seconds in time – undo a fall into a pit or a lost fight.

1. Turn on General Preferences → Allow Rewinding.
2. While playing, open the game menu and choose REWIND.
3. Drag through the recorded moments, pick where you want to continue and confirm.

You can also put rewind on a gamepad button Pro – see Gamepad & keyboard.

Rewinding records the game constantly. On slow devices it may slow the emulation down – turn it off if the game lags. In the Lite version rewind is supported by ads and needs an internet connection.

Fast forward

1. Turn on General Preferences → Enable FF Button. A fast-forward button appears on the touch controller.
2. Set the speed in Fast Forward Speed.
3. Togglable FF decides how the button works: when on, one tap starts fast forward and the next tap stops it; when off, the game runs fast only while you hold the button.

Fast forward can also be assigned to a gamepad button.

Cheats

1. Open the game menu and choose CHEATS.
2. Tap +, type the code and a short description and tap SAVE.
3. Use the switch next to each cheat to turn it on or off. You can edit or delete cheats from the list.

For a code with several lines, separate the lines with a plus sign (+). Cheats are stored per game.

Supported code formats:

• NostalgiaNes: Game Genie (XXXXXX or XXXXXXXX) and raw codes (XXXX:XX or XXXX?XX:XX).
• Nostalgia.GBC: Game Genie (HHH-HHH-HHH) and GameShark (01HHHHHH).
• Nostalgia.GBA: Pro Action Replay, GameShark and Codebreaker.
• Nostalgia.GG: Action Replay (00XXXXXX).

Codes for many games can be found at gamehacking.org, and players share them on our Discord.

If a cheat is rejected as invalid, check that it matches one of the formats above and that it is meant for the same version (region) of the game. In the Lite version cheats are supported by ads and need an internet connection.

Battery saves (.sav)

Many games save progress themselves (the in-game "save" on the original cartridge battery). The app keeps these saves as .sav files, and you can move them between emulators.

Easiest way: open the game menu and choose EXPORT / IMPORT SAV.

• Export .sav file saves the game's in-game save to a file you choose. The game must have saved at least once.
• Import .sav file loads a save from another emulator or device. The game restarts to load it.

Manual way: put the .sav file into the same folder as the game, with the same name (only the extension differs), make sure Load Battery Saves is on, temporarily turn off Save Battery Saves and RESET the game. File names are case-sensitive and this only works for unzipped ROMs.

Battery saves are different from save states: a battery save is what the game itself saves, a save state is a snapshot made by the emulator.

Screenshots

Choose TAKE SCREENSHOT in the game menu. The app shows where the picture was saved.

Reset

RESET in the game menu restarts the game, like pressing the reset button on the console. Unsaved progress is lost – make a save state first if you need it.

Controller layout

Move and resize every button of the touch controller to fit your hands and your device.

1. Go to General Preferences → Controller Layout.
2. Drag a button to move it. Drag the handle in its corner to change its size.
3. RESET in the editor's menu returns the default layout.

The editor rotates with your device – hold the device the way you play when you set up the layout.

Dynamic D-pad

With the dynamic D-pad you do not need to hit a fixed button. Touch the screen wherever it feels comfortable – the D-pad appears under your finger – and drag in the direction you want to move.

Turn it on in General Preferences → Dynamic D-Pad.

Lite version: the dynamic D-pad is switched off again when you leave the game. The Pro version keeps it on.

Turbo buttons & A+B button

• General Preferences → Turbo Buttons adds turbo buttons that keep firing while you hold them – handy for shooters.
• General Preferences → A+B Button adds a button that presses A and B at the same time.

You can place both in the controller layout.

Opacity, auto-hide and vibration

• Opacity Pro – how visible the on-screen controls are, so they cover less of the game.
• Auto-Hide Pro – hides the on-screen controls when you use a gamepad, keyboard or the Wi-Fi controller.
• Vibrations – strength of the vibration when you press a button (0 % turns it off). Needs a device with a vibration motor.

Gamepad & keyboard

Bluetooth and USB gamepads and keyboards work out of the box with most devices. Connect the controller in Android settings first, then start a game.

To change which button does what:

1. Go to General Preferences → Keyboard/Gamepad Preferences.
2. Select Gamepad Profile – choose a ready-made profile or create a New profile.
3. Edit Gamepad Profile – tap a button in the list and press the button on your gamepad you want to use for it. Clear removes a mapping.

Besides game buttons you can map menu, fast forward and rewind Pro. In NostalgiaNes the profile has separate sections for Player 1 and Player 2, so two gamepads can play together.

If the gamepad does not react, try Select Input Method and make sure no other keyboard app is intercepting the buttons.

Wi-Fi controller

Use a second phone or tablet as a controller for the device the game runs on – for example to play on a tablet with two phones as gamepads.

On the device that runs the game:

1. Turn on General Preferences → Wifi Control. The app shows the device IP address.
2. Start a game.

On the controller device (with the same Nostalgia app installed):

1. Open the gallery menu and choose REMOTE CONTROLLER.
2. Pick the game device in Select server. If it is not listed, use Set server manually and type the IP address shown on the game device.
3. In NostalgiaNes, choose whether this controller is Player 1 or Player 2.

Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi network. Turn off VPN and mobile data if the server is not found. In NostalgiaNes the Wi-Fi controller cannot be used together with the Zapper.

Shaders Pro

General Preferences → Shader chooses how the pixel art is scaled to your screen:

• Default – sharp pixels, the fastest option.
• Linear – smooth, slightly blurred picture.
• Scale2x, Scale2xHQ, SuperEagle, Super2xSaI – pixel-art filters that round off edges.

Filters need more power. If the game starts to lag, go back to Default.

Game screen layout

General Preferences → Game Screen Layout lets you move and resize the game picture – for example to make it bigger or to keep it clear of the touch buttons.

Orientation, fullscreen and immersive mode

• Orientation – Auto, Portrait, Landscape or Sensor.
• Force Fullscreen – the game uses the whole screen.
• Immersive Mode Pro – hides the Android status and navigation bars. Swipe from the edge to show them for a moment.
• System Font Pro – uses the standard Android font in the app's menus.

Sound

• Mute Sound – turns the game sound off.
• Sound Volume Pro – game volume independent of the system volume.

NES: video mode (NTSC / PAL)

Games were made for American/Japanese (NTSC) or European (PAL) consoles. If a game has graphical glitches or runs at the wrong speed, open the game menu and switch Game Settings → Video Mode.

NES: Zapper light gun

For light-gun games turn on Game Settings → Zapper Gun. Then tap the screen where you want to shoot. The Zapper cannot be used together with the Wi-Fi controller.

NES: Famicom Disk System

Disk games (.fds) sometimes ask you to turn the disk over. Use these items in the game menu:

• SWITCH DISK SIDE – turns the disk to the other side.
• EJECT DISK and INSERT DISK – for games that want you to take the disk out and put it back.

Performance – the game lags

If the game is slow, stutters or the sound crackles, try these one by one:

1. Set General Preferences → Emulation Quality to Low. Lower quality runs faster.
2. Set the Shader back to Default.
3. Turn off Allow Rewinding.
4. Close other apps running in the background and turn off battery saver.

Working directory Pro

The working directory is where the app keeps its data – save states, battery saves and screenshots. In General Preferences → Change Working Directory you can move it, for example to an SD card.

• Copy Content – when on, your existing files are copied to the new folder.
• Reset To Default – returns to the original folder.

Moving from Lite to Pro

Install the Pro version while the Lite version is still on your device and start Pro. It imports your games and data from Lite automatically. When it says the import is done, you can uninstall Lite.

The Pro version has no ads, works fully offline and unlocks the features marked Pro on this page. See the comparison.

Still need help?

Ask on our Discord server – you will get help from us and from other players, and you can suggest new features there too.

Or write to ales.lanik@gmail.com. Please include the app name, its version (shown in ABOUT), your device model and what exactly happens.