Ryujinx

Ryujinx is a highly capable emulator that can recreate gaming software developed for the Nintendo Switch hybrid console directly on monitors of gaming PCs. This open-source project has managed to grow from humble beginnings in 2018 when it managed to run its first commercial game, into a fully optimized emulator that can handle even the newest gaming releases for the Nintendo Switch console.

Today, after several years on the market, Ryujinx features wide compatibility with thousands of gaming titles, of which over two and a half thousand are marked as playable.

Main features

Ryujinx is distributed online as an automated installer that can be easily deployed on any modern gaming desktop or laptop PC. It features a streamlined dashboard that can easily manage hundreds of installed game ROMs that can be transferred to a PC from any jailbroken Nintendo Switch console that supports starting of homebrew apps.

This includes both ROMs of digital games downloaded from official Nintendo servers and the gaming apps transferred directly from the physical mini cartridges.

The user interface of Ryujinx is extremely simple, enabling users to quickly add games, browse all available games, manage their profiles, and take control over all aspects of their gaming experience via the integrated Settings menu. There they can manage their gaming inputs (with full control for both keyboard and gamepad controls), set various system features (console time and region, audio rendering, expanded DRAM management, set display aspect ratio, size, and anisotropic filtering levels), and set all the necessary game directories.

The gameplay experience using this highly capable emulator can range from perfect to unplayable. However, since this app has received numerous optimizations for the reproduction of modern popular titles, it can still be used to experience the incredible variety of Nintendo Switch titles with transformative visual and flexible game controls. It supports both recreations of gaming titles in their original 720p visuals and maxing out rendering at 4K+ resolutions and high framerates that are impossible to get on this popular Nintendo gaming console.

PROS

• Accurate Nintendo Switch emulation
• Regular updates and improvements
• Large compatibility with Switch games
• Customizable graphics and performance settings
• Active community and support

CONS

• Possible performance limitations on lower-end hardware
• Potential for bugs and stability issues
• Dependence on game ROMs and firmware backups

Overall

Ryujinx is 100% free and is developed in a fully open-source environment. The standalone PC client is optimized for all modern versions of Windows OS and is also available for Linux and macOS.