Nintendo Switch has a very broad and exciting library of games that users can play on their console. However, emulators have allowed users to experience gaming on different hardware even though they don’t own that hardware.
There are various different types of emulators and the support they offer also varies. These go from enthusiast gamer level to casual retro gamer. Both of these are different in the sense of how they are used. This page covers the available emulators that allow you to play Switch Games on a Windows PC!
Are Emulators the only way to go?
If you want to play a game that is not available on your platform then yes! Emulators are the only software. Examples are GBA emulators that allow you to play Game Boy Advance games on PC.
Otherwise all you can probably do is mirror your screen or cast it to a monitor/TV and play games that way. Emulators are also not that simple to set up, you need additional files such as ROMs, Firmware, Drivers and Prod or Title keys for them to work because these are what load the console OS and settings into the emulation environment.
Disclaimer: This page is only for educational and informational purposes. Respect the law and don’t download ROMs or game files illegally.
Method #1: Connect a Switch console to the TV Directly
For this, you need to have the following:
- Switch Dock: The Switch TV mode requires the official dock to work.
- HDMI Cable: This is so you can connect to the TV or the monitor, whichever you have.
Once you have these connected you can connect your peripherals to the Switch Dock and play however, this is the least favorable method if you want the raw gaming experience but the quickest one.
Method #2: Using Switch Emulators
This is the way! The real Nintendo Switch Emulators allow you to get the raw feel and power of the games on your hardware. This can be either a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC but you are not limited to it, most also work on Android and Linux.
There are various developers that are currently working on these emulators and there are some prominent names that do stand out. However, there is a catch to these emulators.
- You need to have a somewhat decently powerful PC to play most of the Switch titles.
- Don’t ever download the files illegally.
Emulators are all open source and are kept updated and worked on by enthusiast developers and this is the same with them providing this ability for the Switch Games to work on PC.
Switch Emulators Available To Use Today
There are quite a few choices when it comes to Nintendo Switch Emulators. Most of them have also ceased active development due to legal issues. But they can still be found online. However, you need to provide your own firmware, ROM files and prod or title keys that are needed for the games to run in an emulated environment.
Most prominent Emulators are below and they almost work identically due to a similar codebase and features. The only difference if any would be the performance and number of games compatible.
Yuzu Emulator
Yuzu is the most popular Switch Emulator with over 4000 Switch games compatible. It is free to download and has various versions including Yuzu Early Access!
This emulator also supports other platforms including Android and Mac along with Multiplayer and game modding support which is rare. Based on our time playing with Yuzu, it is amongst the most stable Nintendo Switch Emulators out there even though development has stopped and the project is now shut down by its authors.
Suyu Emulator
Suyu is a very familiar Switch Emulator, this is because it is a fork of the Yuzu Emulator. Meaning it is built from the same code but just modified. However, it offers a much neater interface and offers easily accessible game saves along with being more locked down towards piracy. It asks you to bring all of your files from the physical console you own and not download any illegal files from the internet.
This is currently the only difference between Suyu and Yuzu and is currently developed on and hosted on their own code repository.
Other worthy Switch emulators that you can try:
- Ryujinx (discontinued)
- Torzu – another fork of Yuzu
To play Switch Games, simply download either of the above emulators (Yuzu or Suyu) and then load your firmware and ROM files.
Step 1: Download Yuzu Emulator or Suyu Emulator.
Step 2: You have to unzip the .zip files with either WinRaR or 7-zip.
Step 3: You have to now go through the installer, it is mostly just pressing “Next“, you can change the installation directory if you wish.
Step 4: Once installed you can launch your Emulator from the desktop icon by clicking on the .exe files.
Step 5: Click on any empty space in the middle of the emulator window and click on “Add new Directory“. This will now allow you to open a folder, make sure the folder has all of your game files and that is it, your game should now show in the list.
Also see:
- 8 iOS Emulators for Windows PCs that you can’t miss.
- Top 6 Nintendo GameCube Emulators for Windows and Android.
