Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Dolphin Emulator VS Citra

Compare Dolphin Emulator VS Citra and see what are their differences

Dolphin Emulator logo Dolphin Emulator

Official website of Dolphin, the GameCube and Wii emulator. Download the latest version (5. 0-5763) now or ask questions on our forums for help. Enter your search in the box aboveDownloadDownload the latest version of the Dolphin Emulator (5.

Citra logo Citra

Citra is a work-in-progress emulator for the Nintendo 3DS.
  • Dolphin Emulator Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-02
  • Citra Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-16

Dolphin Emulator features and specs

  • High Compatibility
    Dolphin Emulator supports a wide range of GameCube and Wii games, ensuring that most titles run smoothly.
  • Graphical Enhancements
    The emulator allows for resolution improvements, texture enhancements, and other graphical tweaks that can make old games look significantly better.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Dolphin Emulator is available on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, providing flexibility to users.
  • Customizable Controls
    Users can configure and customize game controls to their liking, whether using a keyboard, mouse, or game controllers.
  • Save States
    The emulator supports save states, allowing players to save and load their progress at any point in the game.
  • Active Development
    The emulator benefits from an active community and frequent updates, ensuring ongoing improvements and new features.

Possible disadvantages of Dolphin Emulator

  • Hardware Intensive
    Running Dolphin Emulator can be demanding on system resources, requiring a relatively powerful CPU and GPU for optimal performance.
  • Game Compatibility Issues
    Despite high compatibility, not all games run perfectly, and some may experience bugs, crashes, or performance issues.
  • Setup Complexity
    Configuring the emulator and optimizing settings for specific games can be complex and time-consuming for less experienced users.
  • Legal Concerns
    While the emulator itself is legal, downloading ROMs of games you do not own may violate copyright laws in some jurisdictions.
  • No Official Support
    As a community-driven project, Dolphin Emulator does not offer official customer support, leaving users to rely on community forums and guides.
  • Occasional Glitches
    Some games may exhibit graphical or audio glitches that can detract from the gaming experience.

Citra features and specs

  • High Compatibility
    Citra supports a large library of Nintendo 3DS games, making it possible to play a wide range of titles on various platforms.
  • Cross-Platform
    Citra is available on multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, allowing users to enjoy games regardless of their device.
  • Enhanced Graphics
    The emulator can enhance the graphics of 3DS games beyond their native resolution, resulting in improved visuals and a better gaming experience.
  • Active Development
    Citra is actively maintained and updated, which means users continuously get new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, Citra allows community collaboration, transparency in development, and the ability for users to contribute to its improvement.

Possible disadvantages of Citra

  • System Requirements
    Running Citra efficiently can require a relatively powerful PC or mobile device, potentially limiting accessibility for users with lower-end hardware.
  • Legal Issues
    Using Citra requires BIOS and game ROMs from a 3DS, which can raise legal concerns regarding the distribution and use of copyrighted materials.
  • Incomplete Emulation
    Not all games run perfectly on Citra; some may have graphical glitches, performance issues, or may not work at all, affecting the overall experience.
  • Network Multiplayer Limitations
    While Citra supports some network multiplayer functionality, it may not fully replicate the 3DS's local multiplayer experience.
  • Complex Setup
    Setting up Citra and configuring it to work optimally can be complex and time-consuming, requiring users to have some technical knowledge.

Dolphin Emulator videos

Ultimate Guide to Dolphin Emulator

More videos:

  • Review - Dolphin Emulator Vs. Gamecube
  • Review - Dolphin Emulator for Android Review!

Citra videos

Citra | 3DS Emulator | Ultimate 3DS Experience!

More videos:

  • Review - Review Citra Aloe dan Tomato Bright UV | Bisa Nahan Minyak dan Sembuhin Jerawat?!
  • Review - Citra 3DS Emulator - on LOW end PC, all game fixes and ONLINE!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Dolphin Emulator and Citra)
Gaming
59 59%
41% 41
Emulators
54 54%
46% 46
Gaming Tools
55 55%
45% 45
Roms
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Dolphin Emulator and Citra

Dolphin Emulator Reviews

  1. Can’t get anything to work

    I downloaded the most recent stable version and the most recent beta version separately to attempt the following

    Downloaded ROMS from the dolphin website to not have them register as games or allow me to upload them onto dolphin even under instruction of various YouTube tutorials

    Downloaded ROMS from other sources that checked out as safe from Reddit users and other review websites, result was a little different, it would give me an error code of 00000000 and would eventually crash the entire app.

    Ultimately this was a waste of hours of my time trying to get it to work only leaving me angry and disappointed.

  2. suggestions?

    everything is good. but i wanted to make simulate analog stick on keyboard. put it in smooth (A,1,2). but when i press opposite direction. it doesn't center itself. it just continues from where it is. can you make an option when other button presses it center automatically? i know there's more input but I can't find tutorial videos how it works.


Best emulators for Android in 2023
Dolphin Emulator is one of the most famous emulators on the planet thanks to its compatibility with pretty much everything on the GameCube and the Wii. It runs on many devices, the development team is very transparent in what they're working on with blog post updates every few months, and the team even worked to preserve Nintendo Update Server (NUS) support by creating a...
7 Best Mac Emulators For Gamers In 2022
The Dolphin Emulator has been in development since around the time the GameCube was released, and has seen plenty of breakthroughs and updates since that time.
Source: retrododo.com
15 best emulators for Android to play old favorites!
Dolphin is an interesting browser. It was around for a while, left, and it’s back now. The developers promise that it’ll stick around for a while this time. This is the only somewhat decent GameCube and Wii emulator on Android. It lets you play ROMs of games from both systems with relatively competence. It’s still in active development, though, so there are bugs. It has most...

Citra Reviews

Best DS Emulator: Are These Emulators Safe And Legal To Use?
Citra offers a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features, including save states, cheat codes, and multiplayer support.
Source: appletoo.us
Best emulators for Android in 2023
Citra hasn't been updated in a while on Android, and users on Reddit have spotted that another port called Citra MMJ tends to have better performance. Your mileage may vary, so give the MMJ fork a try if the performance isn't great on your device.
15 best emulators for Android to play old favorites!
Citra Emulator is the newest emulator on the list. This one is for the Nintendo 3DS console. The app boasts most of the basics, including save and load states, external controllers, and other such things. This one also supports native 3DS features such as the microphone, camera, and motion controls. Those who get the premium version also get some cosmetic features, a dark...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Dolphin Emulator should be more popular than Citra. It has been mentiond 150 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Dolphin Emulator mentions (150)

  • Replay old video games
    GameCube/Wii: Dolphin is the best GameCube/Wii emulator in my opinion: Download Dolphin. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Rokid Max Review and Many Tips
    Though these consoles did not support stereoscopy originally, the Dolphin emulator can add it and output SBS. My experience was a bit mixed. Your mileage may vary. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Am I the only one tired of the remakes?
    You install Dolphin emulator, go into settings and make a folder for your games where it says "directory", and then you just stick your game in the folder. That's pretty much all there is to it, that's why I think Dolphin is the best emulator. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Local Co-op Action RPGs on PC
    Platform: Gamecube. The remaster scrapped the local co-op entirely (booo). This one is a bit tricky but works perfectly once setup properly in Dolphin. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Any way to play without emulator?
    Emulators (especially dolphin) are very easy to run, so if you take some time to follow the quickstart guide I think you'll find it's not too hard to follow. Sites like vimm's lair are what I use for all my game roms and don't have any malware. Source: over 1 year ago
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Citra mentions (57)

  • Rokid Max Review and Many Tips
    Another wonderful option is to play Nintendo 3DS games with the Citra emulator. They look incredible. I would go so far as to say that if you're a fan of the console then this is the best way to experience its games, even better than on the original hardware. Again use 3840x1200 @ 60 Hz and full SBS. In Emulation -> Configure... -> Graphics -> Stereoscopy set it to "Side by Side". Also increase the renderer... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Nintendo da emulator for pc? I’m soooooo new to this whole emulation world I installed dolphin and got it running nicely but I can’t find one for the Nintendo ds can someone help me? I just wanna play Pokémon heart gold again hahhaha
    Https://citra-emu.org/ Just typing the console + emulator on any search engine should give u the best option most of the time. Source: over 1 year ago
  • is citra the best for 3ds emulation?
    It's safe, as long as you download it from the official website (https://citra-emu.org/). I believe that it's no longer necessary to provide original system files from a real 3DS, but it's highly recommended to do so in order to improve accuracy. Source: over 1 year ago
  • there is the configuration
    "If you experience Pokémon no longer spawning in the open areas after a few minutes of gameplay, disable Extended Memory Layout (8GB DRAM). That option is not intended for normal use, it should only be enabled per game if a big texture mod is in use. It doesn't improve performance or compatibility. Don't follow terrible Youtube tutorials, I recommend reading our settings glossary instead: Settings glossary -... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Ayn Odin or 3DS+PS Vita?
    Just looking at https://citra-emu.org/ and what's working on it so far, it looks like Splinter Cell doesn't work and RE Mercenaries struggles on any system :/. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Dolphin Emulator and Citra, you can also consider the following products

PCSX2 - PCSX2 a Playstation 2 emulator for android, Linux and Mac

DeSmuME - DeSmuME is a freeware emulator for the NDS roms & Nintendo DS Lite games created by YopYop156.

RetroArch - RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players.

OpenEmu - Console and Arcade video game emulator for macOS.

BlueStacks - BlueStacks is a website designed to format mobile apps to be compatible to desktop computers, opening up mobile gaming to laptops and other computers. Read more about BlueStacks.

RPCS3 - RPCS3 is an open-source Sony PlayStation 3 emulator for Windows and Linux written in C++.