emulator
/ˈɛmjʊleɪtər/
CommonSoftware that mimics a game console or computer so you can run its games on a different device.
Often used in a grey-legal area. Playing games you own is widely accepted; downloading ROMs you don't own is piracy. Online gaming communities treat this distinction with varying levels of seriousness.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | finally got a GBA emulator running on my phone and i cannot stop playing | The person set up Game Boy Advance emulation on their phone and is now hooked. | x, 2024 |
| 02 | what emulator do you use for PS2? mine keeps crashing | Asking for a recommendation because their current PS2 emulation software is unstable. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | grew up too poor to own the actual console so emulators were everything | Emulation was the only way this person could access certain games as a kid. | reddit, 2024 |
| 04 | emulator accuracy has gotten insane. games look better than the original hardware now | Modern emulators have surpassed original hardware in output quality. | x, 2023 |
Use it when
- Referring to software that runs old console games on a PC or phone.
- Talking about setting up retro gaming on a device.
- Discussing playing a specific game that is hard to find on original hardware.
- Mentioning emulation as a preservation method for old games.
Do not use it when
- You mean a physical clone console sold as a product.Use “clone console” instead.
- You mean a virtual machine for operating systems.Use “VM” instead.
Variations and related forms
Emulator vs ROM
emulator
An emulator is the software that runs the game.
VS
rom
A ROM is the game file itself, extracted from the original cartridge or disc.
Origin and context
From the computing term 'emulate', meaning to imitate a system. Retro gaming emulators became prominent in the late 1990s when PC hardware grew powerful enough to replicate older consoles. Communities formed around projects like ZSNES for SNES and ePSXe for PlayStation.
- First seen
- late-1990s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/emulatorUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0