The PSP was probably one of the most innovative handheld consoles of its generation. Some of my fondest gaming memories are playing GTA: Vice City stories in the back of my parent’s car. Specifically unlocking the second island in that game. What a time!

So, you’re probably on this article as you want to relive some of those amazing nostalgic memories but you don’t have a PSP anymore. In this article, we are going to cover the Best PSP emulators for Windows.

DISCLAIMER: Before we can jump in we do want to give a warning. This article is for informational purposes only and we do not condone downloading illegal copies of games. Sharing ROMs is illegal. You should check the laws around ROMs in your local area.

Now we have got that out of the way, let’s take a look at the current PSP emulators on the market and which ones are still updated today.

5 Best PSP Emulators

  • PPSSPP Emulator
  • Rapid PSP Emulator
  • JPCS
  • RetroArch
  • Open Emu

1. PPSSPP Emulator

PPSSPP Emulator
Credit: PPSSPP Emulator

This is our recommended PSP emulator as it is still regularly updated and is constantly being improved. PPSSPP allows you to play your PSP games in HD on your Windows PC.

It also allows you to play your games on Android devices as well meaning you can install it on Tablets or mobile phones allowing you to play your PSP games on the go like the good old days.

On a lot of games, you can actually play at twice the original resolution you could on the PSP giving you an even better gaming experience. This is hands down our recommended PSP emulator for your Windows PC.

Features:

  • Free
  • Play in Twice The Resolution
  • Works on Mac & PC
  • Easy To Install
  • Regularly Updated

Rapid PSP Emulator

Credit: Rapid PSP

Rapid PSP emulator is another emulator for PC however it does not receive as many updates. The last version was released at the end of 2018. The project is open-source and was created by fans.

This emulator has the ability to play thousands of games with smooth gameplay and even has the ability to plug in a separate game control making playing your favorite PSP games easier.

Rapid PSP also claims that you will get great performance even on lower Spec PCs. While this is a good emulator we would still recommend checking out PPSSPP emulator first.

Features:

  • Ability to emulate thousands of PSP games
  • Fast and smooth gameplay emulation
  • Large fps even in any powerful PSP game
  • Support for PSP Homebrew

JPCS Emulator

The JPCS PSP emulator is an emulator that runs under Java. Users report that it works very well even on low-end machines meaning you can emulate your favorite PSP games without any performance problems.

This emulator is regularly kept up to date as you can see in the image above. The latest update is just a few days ago as of writing this article.

Some users have reported that the FPS display seems to be broken but other than that this seems like a pretty decent emulator that works on Windows & Linux.

Features:

  • 1x, 2x & 3x Resizing options
  • Works on Windows and Linux
  • Shaders are Supported in Beta
  • Active forum for help

You may also be interested in the Best Nintendo 3DS Emulators On PC

Retro Arch

Credit: Retroarch.com

Retro Arch is an emulator that works on many platforms such as PC, Mac, Android and even IOS devices.

While Retroarch is not an emulator itself it provides a front end where you can manage all of your favorite gaming emulators for different platforms. It uses the PPSSPP emulator for PSP.

This allows you to set up your settings once and have them transfer across all of the different emulators you use. It even has features such as Shaders, Netplay, rewinding and more.

Features:

  • Aggregates all of your emulators in one single place
  • Allows you to configure settings once and play on all emulators
  • Shader support
  • Easy-to-use Interface

OpenEmu

Credit: OpenEmu

Again OpenEmu is not exactly an emulator nor does it work on Windows but we thought we would include it just in case you want to emulate it on your Mac.

Open Emu also uses the PPSSPP emulator on its system. OpenEMU allows you to aggregate all of your emulators in one place. OpenEmu allows you to play games from your favorite retro consoles by firing up your ROMs.

Features:

  • Great Button mapping software
  • Allows you to play multiple emulators in one place

Frequently Asked Questions

Are PSP Emulators Legal?

Yes, emulators are almost always legal however the problem comes with downloading games you do not own. It is illegal to download games you do not own or share ROMs with other people.

Are You Allowed To Use Emulators On Twitch?

It is okay to use emulators on Twitch as long as you own a copy of the original game yourself.

Wrapping Up

These are our recommended emulators for the PSP. Hopefully, you can now enjoy playing the ROMs you OWN on an emulator. it’s a great way to enjoy your favorite games from your childhood. Remember do not download or share any illegal ROMs online.

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