What is aPS3e?
aPS3e is an open-source PS3 emulator for Android based on the popular RPCS3 emulator for PCs. It has been modified to work with smartphones and ARM architecture. The app is completely free without any ads. However, it has a premium version for .99, which doesn’t provide any extra functionality, that you can buy to support the developers.
aPS3e Requirements and Limitations
Much like playing PS3 games on PC using RPCS3, you need to have a powerful device to play games with smooth performance. aPS3e officially recommends 8 GB+ RAM, Octa-core 2.0GHz+ CPU, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ GPU for playable performance. Most mid-range phones may run games with some stuttering, but you need a powerful recent flagship device for smooth performance.
Like desktop emulators, it also doesn’t support all the PS3 games, and some may face glitches and other rendering issues. There is also no official list of supported games, so you’ll have to just try your games and see if they work. We tested Terraria, Rayman Origins, and Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, and they work fine apart from some choppy cutscenes.
The emulator is early in development, so expect bugs and crashes. Although we didn’t have such problems during testing, other users have reported issues.
Download and Install PlayStation 3 Firmware
Before you start playing your games, you need the official Sony PS3 firmware to make the games run. After installing the aPS3e app, go to the PS3 system software update page, tap on Update using a computer, and then tap on Download PS3 Update to download the firmware.
How to Get PS3 Games
aPS3e supports both decrypted PKG and ISO files of games. To legally get these game files, you’ll have to dump PS3 games you own to create ISO/PKG files. To create an ISO file, you’ll need a dumping software, a compatible Blu-ray drive, and a computer.
We recommend PS3 Disk Dumper for this as it’s free and open-source. The tool also provides a list of compatible Blu-ray drives to ensure you have access to one. Once you have the ISO file, transfer the file from your PC to your Android device.
For digital games, the process is a bit complicated. You’ll need a modified PS3 console (jailbroken), which is against Sony’s terms and conditions. Afterward, you can install multiMAN (file manager) and Apollo Save Tool (to get licenses). Use them to get the game folder and its licenses from your console and transfer them to your PC. For transfer, you can either use a USB drive or an FTP client.
Once on your PC, you can use PS3 ISO Tools to convert the game folder into an .iso file.
Installing/Loading PS3 Games in aPS3e
The process to install games is different for both PKG and ISO games. Installing the PKG game is easy if you already have the PKG file. Just open aPS3e and from the main menu, tap on the Install RAP/PKG option. Afterward, select your PKG game, and it will install and show in the games list.
ISO games require a quick setup for the first time. First, you need to create a dedicated game folder using your phone’s file manager. Open your File Manager, go to internal storage, and create a new folder from the top-right menu. Name this folder “PS3 Games”.
Open aPS3e and choose Set (*.iso) Directory from the main menu. You can now select the newly created folder to set it as the main ISO directory for aPS3e. To install the app, you just need to move the ISO file (using the file manager) to this new folder, and it will automatically appear in the aPS3e games list.
Once the game is in the list, you can tap on it to start playing. Initially, the emulator will load game modules, which takes quite some time (10-15 minutes for a medium-sized game). After the initial loading, the game will then run at regular speed.
Configuring Controls
The emulator uses touch controls for playing games. It has all the PS3 control buttons and an extra button at the bottom to access the aPS3e settings while playing the game. You can configure the touch controls as well. From the main menu, tap on the VirtualPadEdit option. All on-screen buttons will appear, and you can freely move around each button individually to adjust its position.
To increase/decrease size, press the back button on your phone, and a scale bar will appear that you can use to adjust button size. The same menu will allow you to reset the changes to the default, or save changes and quit.
aPS3e also has controller support, and it will automatically detect it. You just need to connect your controller to your Android phone and launch the game. The touch controls will disappear after a few seconds, and you can control the game with your controller.
Configuring Performance Settings
You’ll surely face performance issues in games due to the emulation demands and the different needs of games. It is important to know which settings can directly impact your gaming experience so you can adjust them when you face problems. Below, we are listing some common options that you’ll find in the Video or Core settings of aPS3e.
- PPU Threads: it directly decides how the power of your multi-core CPU is used to emulate. For performance, it’s best to experiment with maximum threads and lower the number if you face any glitches or performance issues.
- Resolution: increase it for better picture quality or decrease it for better performance. Generally, 1280×720 balances performance and picture quality.
- Shader Precision: decides shader calculation complexity. For performance, keep it low, but you can try the Auto option to let the emulator decide if your device can handle it.
- Use GPU texture scaling: you can enable this to let the GPU handle texture scaling, which is more efficient than the CPU. However, it can introduce visual glitches, so test it out first.
- Texture Upload Mode: If your phone has a powerful GPU, you can select GPU here for better performance.
If you have a phone with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ GPU, you can also install custom drivers (Turnip driver) by Qualcomm to get a big performance boost in aPS3e. Just download the latest Turnip Driver (don’t unzip it) and then go to Settings → Video → Vulkan and tap on Use Custom Driver (only available with a supported GPU). You can then add the driver’s download location to install it.
aPS3e is still new and under continuous development. If your favorite game isn’t working, check back later; there is a chance its support will be added soon. If you’re into emulation on Android, make sure you check the Game Boy Advance Emulators and our step-by-step guide on RetroArch for Android.
