The PPSSPP emulator could come to the App Store this year (Update)

Update: It turns out emulators on the App Store can apparently run ROMs downloaded from the web, with a caveat.

The PPSSPP emulator could come to the App Store this year (Update)
The PPSSPP PSP emulator on the Play Store.
Credit: Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
  • The creator of PPSSPP has confirmed that he’ll bring the PSP emulator to the Apple App Store later this year if Apple offers file picker access.
  • Apple updated its App Store guidelines to allow emulators, but it’s not 100% clear whether people can use their own game files.
  • A new report suggests that people can use their own game files as long as the emulator isn’t running modern titles.

Update: April 16, 2024 (5:15 AM ET): There’s some good news for emulators on the App Store. Apple told MacRumors that emulators on the App Store are allowed to run game ROMs downloaded from the internet as long as the emulator is only running retro games.

Apple didn’t clarify what constitutes a retro game, though. But it clearly thought that Game Boy Advance games were retro when it approved a GBA emulator that turned out to be a knock-off of an established emulator. So it stands to reason that consoles released before 2001 (e.g. PS1, N64, SNES, Mega Drive) are fair game at the very least.