9 Best Atari Lynx Emulators Available Right Now [Ranked]

RetroArch

If you're looking for the Atari Lynx Emulator, look no further than RetroArch. It's practically the pinnacle of Atari Lynx emulation. The thing that makes RetroArch the best Atari Lynx Emulator is the fact that it's still being worked on to this day.

Sadly, the fate of most emulators is that they end up as abandonware. That's not the case with RetroArch. Because of that, RetroArch is one of the world's best emulators. Want to play the Dreamcast? Great, RetroArch is one of the best Dreamcast emulators. How about the Gameboy Color? You guessed it. RetroArch is likewise one of the best Gameboy Color emulators out there.

That's the real beauty of RetroArch. It isn't strictly a one-console-emulator. You can play Atari Lynx games on it, you can play Gameboy games on it. You can practically play anything on it, so long as you have the ROM for it. Plus, it's available for most systems and is being hosted on multiple storefronts. Stream, Google Play, Amazon App Store, etc...

MAME

If you grew up in a third-world country like me, then you're probably very familiar with the term MAME. You also probably have a lot of fond memories because of it.

Before the internet, before even USB sticks were a thing, we used to transfer files by CD ROM. In my neighborhood, one of the most shared CDs was this one disk that had MAME 32 installed on it with a ton of ROMs to boot. Every kid wanted to have that disk. Eventually, one kid broke the disk. He quickly became public enemy #1 in our eyes.

Anyway. What makes MAME so good you might ask? Well, similarly to RetroArch, MAME is still being worked on. Additionally, since MAME has been worked on for more than two decades by this point, the list of ROMs available to it is practically endless. For example, one of the best 90s games, Sunset Riders, can be played on MAME. I come back to play it every few years just for nostalgia's sake.

OpenEmu

You're probably noticing a trend by now. All of the emulators mentioned so far are still active and being worked on. OpenEmu is one such emulator, and definitely one of the best Atari Lynx emulators out there.

Admittedly, I haven't used OpenEmu that much, as I'm a diehard MAME fan at heart. Still, from what I've experienced with it so far, I'm quite happy with its performance. The UI is aesthetic and easy to navigate. It supports a lot of cores as well as a variety of controllers both old and new. And, to top it all off, it neatly organizes all of your ROMs in an organized library.

Frankly, there's not a lot of downsides to OpenEmu. You can play games on it as well as on any of the other emulators. However, there is one small thing worthy of note. OpenEmu is still relatively new compared to other emulators. This means that there are still a lot of bugs and kinks that need to be ironed out. Still, it's a great alternative to the other emulators on this list.

Argon

Want to play some of the best arcade video games on the go? Then Argon is your friend. It's probably the world's best mobile emulator. And, as a cherry on top, it can also be used to emulate the Atari Lynx.

Arguably the biggest pro of Argon is the fact that it comes with a lot of games pre-installed. No need to spend hours upon hours looking for ROMs that may or may not work. I've done that more than enough for one life, so I know how frustrating it is.

That being said, it doesn't prevent you from forming your own library. Quite the contrary, it actually encourages you to do so. It's the perfect way to emulate a retro handheld console. However, compared to the previous emulators on this list, the list of systems it supports is woefully short.

Mednafen

Mednafen is relatively obscure compared to some of the other emulators on this list, but hey. It's usually the obscure things that turn out to be hidden gems.

Compared to the others, Mednafen is nothing special. It gets the job done and it does it relatively well. Thankfully, It's still being supported, although with less frequency than the previous emulators on this list. In my opinion, it's also a bit "dated" looking, which may be a turn-off for some. A great alternative, but that's about it.

Felix

No, this isn't Felix the cat we're talking about. Rather, Felix the Atari Lynx Emulator.

This one is really obscure, but effective nonetheless. Sadly, it only supports Windows and is woefully incomplete. For context, it doesn't even have its own website up and running, just a GitHub page. Still, if you're looking for an alternative, Felix is pretty nice in my experience. It ran the ROMs I put in it, so it gets the thumbs up from me.

Handy

Back in the day, Handy used to be the go-to for handheld emulators. Now, it's just a relic from the past. A relic that still works somehow.

The thing about Handy is that it can be used as an Atari Lynx Emulator, but why? Especially if you have some of the others on his list. Its last update came out in 2004, nearly 20 years ago. But alas, such is the fate of most abandonware. At least it still works, so that's a big plus.

Lynx.emu

If you're looking for an alternative to Argon, here it is.

Lynx.emu is basically what it says it is. It's an emulator for the Atari Lynx. That's it. However, unlike Argon, which is free. Lynx.emu is a paid-for app. With that fact in mind, it's hard to recommend Lynx.emu. It's a tremendous emulator, and it nails down the feeling of the Atari Lynx perfectly. However, compared to some of the free alternatives, it's hard to justify it.

PLynx

PLynx is another great alternative. This time, completely free!

PLynx is probably the least-developed emulator on this list. Frankly, if you get it to run properly it's an achievement in and of itself. It can be used to emulate Atari Lynx titles, but that's about it. It's like drinking a warm glass of water on a hot summer day. It's still water, it's just disappointing.