Apple made changes to its App Store guidelines around game emulators and gaming streaming services last week, and emulators have begun to arrive on the platform.
As spotted by 9to5Mac, the Game Boy emulator iGBA is now available via the App Store and will let users install and play ROMs on their iPhone or iPad.
“Additionally, retro game console emulator apps can offer to download games” is what the amended guidelines said last week, and the developer of iGBA (and other apps) is leaning into that early.
9to5Mac notes that the app itself is a copy of GBA4iOS, a long-running open-source project that’s been around for years. Nonetheless, it’ll run your Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance ROMs.
How does Sideloading ROMs work?
While developers can offer ROM downloads within their emulator apps, that can open a can of worms when it comes to piracy and the legality of ownership. As we reported last week, Apple said developers are “responsible for all such software offered in your app, including ensuring that such software complies with these Guidelines and all applicable laws.”
As 9to5Mac reports, though, users can seemingly download ROMs from the web and then open them in iGBA to start playing with a bevvy of improvements like controller remapping, haptics, save states and AirPlay support.
Will this be enough to get you digging for your Pokemon cartridges? I’m not entirely sure I ever fully played most of them, so it’s tempting.