The complete 2026 guide to the open-source PS4 emulator for Android — the v0.2.4 changelog, priority test titles, Frame Generation explained, patch presets, and safe download links.
UPDATED FOR THE v0.2.4 RELEASE · PANVK FOR MALI · UNCHARTED & THE ORDER: 1886 NOW BOOT · NOT AFFILIATED WITH SONY
Stable · v0.2.4 test data
Illustrative replay of recorded results — figures come from the latest test data, not a live capture.
Overview
The project, the lineage, and the state of play — before any numbers.
Not a scam. Not vaporware. A genuinely real, actively developed PS4 emulator for Android.
Bachata S4 is an independent, open-source project by developer JICA98 — an ARM64 Android adaptation of shadPS4, the leading open-source PlayStation 4 emulator originally built for PC and Linux, with FEX-based x86-64 execution and Vulkan rendering — that is the official project description, and it is exactly what ships.
That lineage matters. The Android emulation space has spent years drowning in fake PS4 emulator listings; Bachata S4 is one of the very few projects built on a respected, working emulator core — which immediately separates it from the clickbait. And v0.2.4 keeps the pace: Uncharted and The Order: 1886 now boot, Gravity Rush 2 is heavily optimized, Bloodborne is restored on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and PanVK brings supported Mali — including MediaTek — devices into play.
A PS4 is nearly a decade old and most current flagship phones are technically more powerful — the emulator software maturity, not raw hardware, is the remaining bottleneck.
Community tester · Bachata S4 discussions
Changelog
The widening-support update — new boots, major optimizations, PanVK for Mali, and a wave of quality-of-life features.
GAMES
GPU DRIVERS
FEATURES & UX
STABILITY
HEADLINE CHANGES
HEADLINE CHANGES
RELEASED AROUND SEPTEMBER 30, 2026 · PERFORMANCE AND GRAPHICAL ACCURACY STILL VARY FROM GAME TO GAME · GUIDE REVIEWED 2026 AGAINST v0.2.4
How it works
Five layers stand between a PlayStation 4 game and your phone. Tap each one.
PS4 games are compiled for x86-64 processors. Virtually every Android phone runs ARM64 silicon. Getting PS4 software running on a phone therefore requires several cooperating layers — emulation, binary translation, a runtime, the graphics stack, and the Android shell itself.
Bachata S4 bundles all of them into a single app. There are two runtime paths — the proven glibc/FEX stack and a native Android/Bionic runtime — and the driver layer now spans Turnip, Gen8 V5, Vauzy 7xx and PanVK for Mali.
Everything ships in one APK. The emulator core, both runtimes, the driver packages and the offline patch repository — with Frame Generation, DLC, trophies and a Save Manager layered on top.
Handles the actual PS4 system emulation: kernel and HLE calls, GPU command processing, and game logic — the proven core originally built for PC and Linux, adapted for the Android runtime.
An x86-64-to-ARM64 dynamic translation layer — PS4 game code is rewritten on the fly to execute on ARM64 phone chips, feeding the glibc runtime path. Box64 was fully removed: launch is locked to FEX.
A reproducibly built Debian/glibc Linux userland — and a native Android/Bionic runtime alongside it. Runtime-specific Vulkan driver selection with compatibility checks picks the right path per game.
All graphics are drawn through Vulkan — the same API the PS4 GPU is programmed against. The driver pool spans Turnip, Gen8 V5, Vauzy 7xx and — new in v0.2.4 — PanVK V2 2.2.0 for supported Mali GPUs.
The Android-specific frontend: touch controls with profiles and a two-finger touchpad, landscape controls, controller mapping, per-game display modes, and a multilingual console-style UI.
Features
Everything the app ships with, from the emulation core to the v0.2.4 feature set.
EMULATION CORE
PS4 emulation frontend purpose-built for ARM64 Android.
The proven PC emulator core, integrated with an Android-focused runtime.
x86-64 workloads translated to ARM64 by FEX — Box64 fully removed.
All graphics drawn through Vulkan, on Adreno and Mali GPUs.
RUNTIMES & DRIVERS
glibc/FEX and a native Android/Bionic runtime.
Turnip, Gen8 V5, Vauzy 7xx — with runtime-specific selection and compatibility checks.
For supported Mali GPUs — MediaTek devices included where supported.
PERFORMANCE
Additional frames between rendered frames — displayed FPS roughly doubled on supported games.
Save and reuse tuned configurations per game.
Per-game patches — multiple XML files supported.
Compatibility reports now include per-SoC scores.
LIBRARY & CONTENT
Titles with cover art, metadata, and per-game settings.
Install downloadable content and game updates.
Trophy functionality, with updated integration.
Manage your in-game saves — new in v0.2.4.
Improved extraction, plus opening PKGs from other apps.
DISPLAY & CONTROLS
Per-game display modes — new in v0.2.4.
Per-game color fix option.
Custom buttons, D-pad geometry, layout editor and a two-finger touchpad.
Dedicated landscape orientation controls.
New themes and deeper input customization.
Multiple languages with in-app selection.
DISTRIBUTION
Google Play listing plus source-built GitHub releases.
GPL-2.0-or-later, with third-party runtimes under their own licenses.
Requirements
The floor is Android 12 on ARM64. The practical ceiling is your RAM.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Android 12 or newer (API 31+) |
| CPU architecture | arm64-v8a only — no 32-bit support |
| Graphics | Vulkan-capable GPU — Adreno or Mali · PanVK V2 2.2.0 for supported Mali, MediaTek where supported |
| Recommended hardware | Recent flagship Snapdragon processor shows the best results in our tests; Mali and MediaTek devices are in play via PanVK where supported — performance varies by game |
| RAM (community-reported) | Heavier titles can use up to ~12GB on high-RAM flagships; phones with only 6–8GB total may struggle on the heaviest titles. Lighter titles need far less. |
| Storage | Varies — app, runtimes, driver packages, shader cache, plus your own game dumps |
| Content | User-owned homebrew or legally dumped PS4 software only |
Community-reported peak memory usage on patched flagship configurations.
Compatibility
Sixteen games tracked — including the v0.2.4 arrivals.
So many other games are also working — watch the full setup and game test video below, and check community gameplay on YouTube. The table below is just our formally tested snapshot.
| Game | Status | Native FPS | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| God of War 3 Remastered | SMOOTH | 60 · stable | All issues fixed · performance improved further in v0.2.4 |
| Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise | SMOOTH | 35–40 | One of the most consistent results in the set |
| Outlast | SMOOTH | 30–60 | Varies depending on the scene |
| Mad Max | SMOOTH | 30 · stable | Frame Generation roughly doubles displayed FPS |
| Bloodborne | PLAYABLE | 25–30 | Performance restored on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 · FG ~2× displayed |
| GTA 5 | PLAYABLE | 25–30 | Frame Generation roughly doubles displayed FPS |
| inFAMOUS First Light | PLAYABLE | 20–60 | Varies by scene; a character glitch is still present |
| Gravity Rush 2 | PLAYABLE | — | Major optimizations + low-res presets — new in v0.2.4 |
| Dark Souls Remastered | PLAYABLE | — | Performance improved in v0.2.4 |
| The Last of Us Remastered | PLAYABLE | — | Black graphical artifacts fixed in v0.2.2 |
| WipEout Omega Collection | PLAYABLE | — | Boot and black-screen issues addressed in v0.2.2 |
| Driveclub | HEAVY | 15–20 | Demanding — needs a strong processor |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | HEAVY | 12–15 | FG roughly doubles displayed; native remains low |
| Ratchet & Clank (2016) | HEAVY | 10–20 | Heaviest title in the test set |
| Uncharted | BOOTS | — | Boots with graphics and resolution patches — new in v0.2.4 |
| The Order: 1886 | BOOTS | — | Boots with rendering and stability improvements — new in v0.2.4 |
Performance
Native FPS recorded across the tested set — Frame Generation results are shown separately.
BARS SHOW THE LOWER END OF EACH RECORDED RANGE · SCALE 0–64 · GUIDES AT 30 AND 60 FPS · NATIVE FPS, BEFORE FRAME GENERATION
PERFORMANCE IMPROVED FURTHER · STABLE 60 FPS
The benchmark title keeps getting better — v0.2.4 adds another round of performance improvements on top of the fully-fixed rendering, keeping it the emulator's cleanest big-title result.
NOW BOOTS · GRAPHICS + RESOLUTION PATCHES
One of the most requested franchises just crossed the first milestone: Uncharted now boots, with graphics and resolution patches available from day one. Early days — but the door is open.
NOW BOOTS · RENDERING + STABILITY IMPROVEMENTS
The cinematic showcase now boots with rendering and stability improvements — another visually demanding title taking its first real steps on the emulator.
MAJOR OPTIMIZATIONS · LOW-RESOLUTION PRESETS
Received major optimizations plus dedicated low-resolution presets in v0.2.4 — a clear signal that the team is pushing it toward comfortable playability.
PERFORMANCE RESTORED · SNAPDRAGON 8 GEN 3
The community's most-watched title had a rough patch on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 — v0.2.4 restores its performance on that processor, with Frame Generation still roughly doubling the displayed framerate.
PANVK V2 2.2.0 · MEDIATEK DEVICES WHERE SUPPORTED
The other big story: PanVK V2 2.2.0 arrives for supported Mali GPUs, and MediaTek devices can now use PanVK where supported — opening the emulator to hardware that was locked out entirely a few releases ago.
This is the data we tested. So many other games are also working — watch the full setup and game test video below, and check community gameplay on YouTube. The biggest v0.2.4 testing points: God of War III, Uncharted, The Order: 1886, Gravity Rush 2, Bloodborne, and the new Mali/PanVK support.
Frame Generation
The headline feature since v0.2.1 — what it really does to your framerate, and which number to trust.
THE CLAIM
VERDICT: PARTLY TRUE
SOLID = NATIVE RENDERED FPS · DASHED = DISPLAYED FPS WITH FRAME GENERATION · SCALE 0–64 · ILLUSTRATIVE APPROXIMATIONS FROM TEST DATA
The fair one-liner: Frame Generation makes supported games look dramatically smoother — but read the native FPS number, not the displayed one, when judging how the emulator itself is performing.
Settings
Heavier titles lean on per-game patches for playable framerates. Pick your hardware tier for the suggested starting set — then tune and save it as a preset.
YOUR HARDWARE TIER
10 / 16 suggested for this tier · 10 applied
Flagship path. Disable the costly effects, keep resolution reasonable, and try the 60+ FPS mode — drop to a 30 lock if frame pacing suffers. Frame Generation can smooth the result further.
PATCHES APPLY PER GAME · MULTIPLE XML FILES SUPPORTED · v0.2.4 ADDS PER-GAME DISPLAY MODES AND COLOR CORRECTION · SAVE TUNED SETS AS PRESETS.
v0.2.4 · ANDROID 12+ · ARM64-V8A · GPL-2.0-OR-LATER
Free, open-source, and actively developed. Grab the latest v0.2.4 build directly, install from Google Play, or pick up a source-linked release from GitHub with release notes and checksums.
FIRST RUN LETS YOU CHOOSE THE RUNTIME · SAVE MANAGER, PANVK FOR MALI, PER-GAME DISPLAY MODES AND IMPROVED PKG HANDLING INCLUDED.
Because this is a small, early project attached to a popular emulation name, fake listings follow. Clone apps and bogus PS4 emulator APKs riding trending names are a long-standing problem in the Android emulation space.
Setup
Six simple steps. Tick them off as you go — the progress bar keeps score.
You are all set. If something behaves unexpectedly, try the other runtime — glibc/FEX or Android/Bionic — and when reporting results, include the release version, runtime, processor, Android version and a session log.
The complete walkthrough — install, runtime setup, patch presets and live game tests on real hardware. Also available on YouTube at youtu.be/IHpAzROQA7E.
FAQ
No — it includes zero games or copyrighted console files of any kind. You have to supply your own legally-owned dumps or legitimate homebrew.
A second runtime that runs alongside glibc/FEX. Runtime-specific Vulkan driver selection — with compatibility checks — picks the right driver, and the bundled driver pool spans Turnip, Gen8 V5, Vauzy 7xx and PanVK.
It generates additional frames between rendered frames, making motion look significantly smoother — displayed FPS can be roughly doubled on supported games. It does not increase native rendering performance, so native FPS remains the true indicator of emulator performance.
Yes — DLC and game update support, plus trophy functionality, alongside game patches and custom performance presets. v0.2.4 also adds a Save Manager and improved PKG handling.
Snapdragon flagships with Adreno GPUs still lead in our tests. For Mali, v0.2.4 adds PanVK V2 2.2.0 on supported GPUs — and MediaTek devices can now use PanVK where supported. Results vary significantly from game to game.
Heavier titles have been recorded using up to ~12GB RAM on flagship configurations. Phones with only 6–8GB total may struggle on the most demanding titles — even if the processor itself is fast enough.
Yes — this is the data we tested, and so many other games are also working. Watch the setup and game test video above, and check community gameplay on YouTube covering almost every popular title and processor.
Bottom line
Bachata S4 is a genuinely real, actively developed, open-source attempt at PS4 emulation on Android — an ARM64 adaptation of shadPS4 with FEX-based x86-64 execution and Vulkan rendering, which sets it apart from the wave of fake PS4 emulator listings that have circulated for years. And v0.2.4 widens the net considerably: Uncharted and The Order: 1886 now boot, Gravity Rush 2 is heavily optimized, Bloodborne is restored on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and PanVK opens the door to Mali and MediaTek hardware.
It is still an evolving project — performance and graphical accuracy vary significantly from game to game, and the best experiences ask for strong processors and plenty of RAM. But the trajectory is unmistakable.
A project that now deserves a spot on your phone — and a close watch on what comes next.
EDITORIAL ASSESSMENT, BASED ON THE v0.2.4 RELEASE