How to Use Folium: The Best 3DS Emulator for iOS

The Nintendo 3DS was one of the most iconic consoles of the 2010s, with games like Pokémon X, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. While everyone would love to relive these nostalgic games, most no longer have their original consoles. However, there is actually a way to play them on any device, and that is through emulation.

Following Apple’s policy change last year, the Folium 3DS emulator has made its way to the App Store. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the easiest way to install, set up, and play your favorite 3DS games on your iPhone.

What is Folium?

As the name suggests, Folium is emulation software designed to replicate the inner workings of a given console, such as the Nintendo 3DS. Simply put, the emulator tricks game ROMs into thinking they are running on the original console, allowing people to enjoy their childhood games on any device. Folium also supports Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS emulation.

1: Download and Setup Folium

Downloading and setting up Folium is pretty easy, but you will require a specific aes_keys file to run 3DS games. Unfortunately, we cannot mention particular websites that store these files, but a quick Google search will be pretty handy.

2: Get Game ROMs

While emulators themselves are legal, downloading ROMs from the internet is not and can land you in legal trouble. However, in the US, converting your old game disks into ROMs is legal as long as you do not distribute them. You can also visit Homebrew Hub, which offers a vast library of independently made games that are free to download without any legal issues.

That said, it’s important to note that while most ROMs come compressed in the standard .zip format, some may use other compression formats, such as .7z. To decompress such files.

1. Open the Files app and locate the downloaded ROM file.
2. Long-press on the file and select Rename.
   
3. Change the file format name from .7z to .zip.
4. Click the Use “.zip” option.
   
5. Now, tap on the file name to extract it.

3: Import Game ROMs

There are a couple of ways to import game ROMs—either through the Files app or the iTunes Folder. We’ll use the Files app in this guide to keep things simple. Follow these steps:

1. Open Folium and click the + button on the top right.
   
2. Navigate to the game ROM file.
3. Click Open.
   

Custom Settings for Best Performance

Unfortunately, since Apple hasn’t allowed emulators to utilize the Just-In-Time (JIT) translation layer, playing 3DS games on older iPhones like the 13 might not yield the best experience. However, you can tweak a few settings to improve performance. Here is how:

1. Open Folium on your iPhone and click the horizontal three-dot icon next to Cytrus.
   
2. Navigate to Renderer > Shaders.
3. Enable SPIRV Shader Generation, Async Shader Compilation, and Use Hardware Shaders.
   
4. Return to the Renderer section.
5. Enable Async Presentation, Use New Vsync, and set the Resolution Factor to 1.