Another contender enters the arena for PS2 emulation on Android. ARMSX2 PS2 Emulator, a state-of-the-art PS2 emulator created to bring the PS2 gaming experience with high performance to your Android device, is coming back twice as exciting, now with an aggressive rate of development and a new store design on the Play Store. For a system that is nearly double the performance of Windows and Linux on PS2, this is a significant step in the right direction.
The developers of ARMSX2 describe their project as a new beginning, not just another fork, and also seek to bring the latest upstream PCSX2 changes. The first pre-alpha build is now available for download for early adopters, with updates and bug fixes coming thick and fast as the app nears parity with the desktop version.
What to expect from ARMSX2 on Android devices
In contrast to older Android systems that were pinned in time at version 1.4, ARMSX2 has been updated to take advantage of the all-new features and optimizations available in today’s PCSX2 builds. The app has reached its recent version 1.0.5, and the next step for the team is a milestone that will rebase everything in the codebase—PCSX2 2.5. That will unleash years of upstream optimizations, improved accuracy, and a cleaner UI/UX base to build upon.
Practically, what can we expect for PCSX2? FitNaS was rightly excited about the prospects: in a practical sense, following an up-to-date layout of PCSX2 could lead to finally getting better timing accuracy, superior scaling, widescreen patch integration, and interfacing with the Vulkan rendering backend desktop users already know, which strikes a good balance between performance and compatibility. The goal is an edition that looks and feels appropriate for an Android PS2 emulator right now, not one that might have been relevant 10 years ago.
Performance and device expectations for early builds
Temper expectations for now. The x86-to-ARM64 translation layer that ARMSX2 currently uses runs less than ideally on mobile CPUs, so running those same games on a PC where the overhead of this workaround is minimal would naturally be even slower. Old Android emulators like AetherSX2 did well with raw speed because of those native ARM paths, and the same is true here—but it’s not done yet. Performance might not be as good until a native ARM recompiler lands.
Realistically, you’re going to need a high-end SoC if you’re in pursuit of solid frame rates with demanding titles. Recent Snapdragon 8-series or higher-end Dimensity-based devices will do better, mostly in heavier scenes from things like Gran Turismo 4, Shadow of the Colossus, or Metal Gear Solid 3. Assume some uneven frame pacing in CPU-limited scenes as the ARM path and GPU renderers are polished.
How it stacks up to rivals in Android PS2 emulation
The early work — and eventual abandonment — of AetherSX2 set a standard for Android PS2 emulation, and that project’s successor fork NetherSX2 continues to cast an immense shadow thanks to its polished settings and incremental refinements. As the project was never open-source in the first place, forks are limited to only small optimizations instead of completely new hardware.
ARMSX2 goes the other way around: develop a new app, which can get closer to the PCSX2 upstream. That’s a slower approach in the beginning, but more sustainable. If development follows PCSX2, Android users will see an increase in compatibility along with other high-level improvements and much more code poured into the project instead of single pull requests to go quick-and-dirty.
Compatibility and what’s coming next for ARMSX2
The PS2 has one of the most expansive libraries in console history, with well over three thousand releases across regions, and compatibility with PCSX2 has also come a long way. Rebasing ARMSX2 to PCSX2 2.5 puts the latter in a position to inherit many of these improvements, including but not limited to per-game fixes, better texture management, and more reliable save states.
As development moves forward, expect to see improvements to upscaling, anisotropic filtering, texture dumping and replacement, and widescreen patch handling — as well as enhancements for popular pads such as the DualSense and Xbox Wireless.
The true breakthrough will be a native ARM recompiler; when that comes, the app’s ceiling on modern flagships should go through the roof.
Legal and practical notes for ethical game emulation
ARMSX2 can be downloaded for free, although you’ll need to use your own PS2 BIOS and game dumps from copies of discs that you own. Emulators are legal in most jurisdictions—organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation have been saying that for years—but distributing copyrighted BIOS files or game ROMs is not. You should get the best results when ripping your own discs and setting up per-game profiles.
Why it matters for mobile gaming and Android users
With something like 155 million units shifted, the PS2 is still the best-selling home console ever, and its software library shapes entire genres. It’s not only a rush of nostalgia to see high-fidelity PS2 games running on your handheld device, it takes advantage of the hardware in new ways, stress-tests recent mobile chips, and adds some real draw for dedicated controller owners.
ARMSX2 is premature, broken, and promising — and that’s what Android PS2 emulation needs right now. If that team can work to its roadmap, we may finally have mobile catching up with the desktop and providing a modern rendering model, higher accuracy, and a more straightforward route to play the classics on the move.