Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A · 寶可夢傳說 Z-A
- Perfect: No noticeable issues start to finish
- Playable: Can be finished; minor glitches or slowdowns
- In-game: Gets in-game, but issues get in the way
- Menus: Reaches the title screen or menus only
- Boots: Starts, then hangs on a black screen or intro
- Nothing: Does not start
Yes, but only the Switch 1 version runs in emulators (not the Switch 2 Edition upgrades), and PC is the best option. The game is capped at 30fps; most PC user reports are at 30fps, with 60fps reported using a 60fps mod, while handheld PCs only manage 10-17fps. Ryubing lists it as In-game (graphics bugs, crashes), Eden fixed flicker and exploding vertices from v0.0.4-rc1 to v0.0.4, though AMD GPUs on Windows have reports of invisible trees and buildings, and Citron NEO fixed rendering in March 2026. On Mac, Ryubing and Astris have 30fps reports on Apple Silicon along with some crash-on-launch reports, and nxnative (a native port tool, not an emulator; needs update 2.0.2) gets 30fps standing and about 21fps in battle on a MacBook Air M4. MeloNX runs it at 720p-1080p/30fps on iPhone and iPad but often crashes every 10-15 minutes; as of November 3, 2026, nxnative's official page says it's playable at 30fps on iPhone, but users still report freezes: in late October it froze in cutscenes or when entering the open map, and after the developer's October 30 rewrite an iPad Air M4 still froze leaving the train station on November 2 (skipping one shader got it into Lumiose City, tried only once). Android phones with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or newer hover around 30fps on Eden.
Settings & known issues
- Keep Ryubing's DRAM at the default 4GiB; 8/12GiB crashes when changing zones in Lumiose City (issue #504).
- From Eden v0.0.4 on, Balanced GPU accuracy is enough; High is no longer needed.
- On Windows with AMD GPUs, trees and buildings are invisible in Eden; the Linux (RADV) workaround doesn't apply (issue #481).
- If the opening Fletchling cutscene freezes, turn VSync off to get past it, then turn it back on (user reports).
- If the new DLC misbehaves, install updates one by one starting from 1.1, then the DLC (user reports).
- After the final Zygarde battle there can be an endless loading screen on Ryubing; not fixed (issue, May 2026).
- nxnative supports only update 2.0.2 (also the version on the cartridge of the October 29 Switch 2 bundle).
Compatibility reports
| Platform | Emulator | Result | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Eden 2 | Perfect | Avg 60 FPS; resolution 1x; handheld mode · Intel Core Ultra 7 265K | emuready.com 2026-01-06 |
| Windows | Eden nightly (9/11) | Playable | 20-30fps, 60fps in some battles · Not stated | reddit.com 2026-10-22 |
| Windows | Eden | Playable | Ryzen 5 9500X + RTX 4060, 16GB · Rated Great on EmuReady, no notes | emuready.com 2026-10-19 |
| Windows | Citron v2026.02.1 | Playable | Resolution: Windows; handheld mode · AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | emuready.com 2026-10-04 |
| Windows | Citron 2026-09-01 | Playable | Resolution 720p; handheld mode · AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | emuready.com 2026-09-24 |
| Windows | Eden | Playable | Runs locked at 30fps · Not stated (PC) | reddit.com 2026-08-19 |
| Windows | Citron v0.6.1. | Playable | Resolution 1920x1200; handheld mode · AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | emuready.com 2026-06-26 |
| Windows | Eden 0.2.0 | Playable | Avg 30 FPS; resolution 2x; docked mode · AMD Ryzen 5 7600X | emuready.com 2026-05-27 |
| Windows | Citron Neo | Playable | github.com 2026-05-17 | |
| Windows | Eden | Playable | Claw (handheld) | emuready.com 2026-04-13 |
| Windows | Citron 2026.02.1 | Playable | Resolution 4K; handheld mode · Intel Core i3-8100 | emuready.com 2026-03-10 |
| Windows | Eden 0.0.4 | Playable | Avg 43 FPS; resolution 1x; docked mode · AMD Ryzen 5 5600 | emuready.com 2026-01-16 |
| Windows | Ryubing Ryubing canary 1.3.236 | Playable | Avg 30 FPS; resolution 1x · AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D | emuready.com 2025-12-19 |
| Windows | Eden 0.0.4 | Playable | Avg 30 FPS; resolution 1x; docked mode · AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | emuready.com 2025-12-15 |
| Windows | Eden | Playable | ROG Ally RC71L (handheld) | emuready.com 2025-11-30 |
| Windows | Ryubing 1.3.203 | Playable | Avg 30 FPS; resolution 2x · AMD Ryzen 7 5800X | emuready.com 2025-11-09 |
| Windows | Eden v0.0.3 | Playable | Avg 30 FPS; resolution 1x; docked mode · AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | emuready.com 2025-10-26 |
| Windows | Ryubing 1.3.185 | Playable | Avg 30 FPS; resolution 1x · AMD Ryzen 5 4600H | emuready.com 2025-10-24 |
| Windows | Ryubing Canary 1.3.169 | Playable | Avg 30 FPS; resolution 2x · AMD Ryzen 5 5500 | emuready.com 2025-10-19 |
| Windows | Citron 3635b6e60 | Playable | Avg 60 FPS; resolution 1080p; docked mode · Intel Core i7-9700K | emuready.com 2025-10-16 |
| Windows | Ryubing | Playable | Legion Go S (handheld) | emuready.com 2025-10-13 |
| Windows | Eden v0.2.1 / nightly | In-game | AMD Radeon RX 7600 | github.com 2026-10-27 |
| Windows | Eden | In-game | Can't get above 15 fps · Intel Core Ultra 9 | reddit.com 2026-10-22 |
| Windows | Ryubing 1.3.3 / Canary | In-game | github.com 2026-10-19 | |
| Windows | Sudachi Sudachi 1.0.14 | In-game | Resolution (source field says "1280x", likely a data entry format issue) 720; docked mode · Intel Core i7-4790K | emuready.com 2026-01-07 |
| Windows | Ryubing | In-game | github.com 2025-11-16 | |
| Windows | Ryubing Canary | In-game | Only 9fps after finding the "stable" version · Not stated | reddit.com 2025-11-09 |
| Windows | Ryubing 1.1.1403 | In-game | Avg 60 FPS · Intel Core i5-10400 | emuready.com 2025-10-19 |
| Windows | Sudachi refresh-c7431bd | Nothing | Resolution (source field says "1440x", likely a data entry format issue) 2160; docked mode · AMD Ryzen 5 5600 | emuready.com 2026-06-24 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Citron | Perfect | Steam Deck | emuready.com 2026-01-02 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Eden 0.0.4.r119 | Playable | Avg 60 FPS; resolution 2x; docked mode · AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D | emuready.com 2026-01-23 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Eden Nightly 2025-11-09-27982 | Playable | Avg 30 FPS; resolution 1x; docked mode · AMD Ryzen 5 5600X | emuready.com 2025-11-09 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Ryubing Canary 1.3.203 | Playable | Resolution 1x · AMD Ryzen 7 9700X | emuready.com 2025-10-31 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Ryubing Canary 1.3.175 | Playable | Avg 60 FPS; resolution (source field says "100x", likely a data entry format issue) · AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | emuready.com 2025-10-21 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Ryubing | Playable | Steam Deck | emuready.com 2025-10-18 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Sudachi | Playable | Steam Deck OLED | emuready.com 2025-10-17 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Sudachi | Playable | Steam Deck | emuready.com 2025-10-16 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Eden | In-game | Steam Deck OLED | emuready.com 2026-04-27 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Eden 0.1.1 | Nothing | Resolution 2x; docked mode · AMD Ryzen 5 7600X | emuready.com 2026-04-23 |
| Linux / Steam Deck | Eden 0.02.0-rc1 | Nothing | Avg 30 FPS; resolution 1x; handheld mode · AMD Ryzen 5 5600G | emuready.com 2026-02-23 |
| Mac | nxnative | Playable | 30 FPS standing, about 21 FPS in battle (3420x2148); game 2.0.2 · MacBook Air M4 | github.com 2026-10-29 |
| Mac | Astris | Playable | 30fps · Mac mini M4 16GB (10-core GPU) | youtube.com 2026-06-01 |
| Mac | Ryubing | Playable | 1x native resolution / 30fps, maintained even in combat · MacBook Pro M5 base model 16GB | youtube.com 2025-12-19 |
| Mac | Ryubing Canary 1.3.203 | Playable | Stable at about 60fps · Mac mini M4 base model (macOS 26.1) | youtube.com 2025-11-01 |
| Mac | Ryubing | Playable | Close to 60fps (early in play) · MacBook Pro M2 Pro | reddit.com 2025-10-17 |
| Mac | Ryubing 1.3.271 | In-game | MacBook Air M4 | reddit.com 2026-04-30 |
| Mac | Ryubing | In-game | About 19fps · MacBook Pro M1 | reddit.com 2025-10-19 |
| Mac | Astris 1.0.25 | Nothing | Mac (model not stated) | youtube.com 2026-09-03 |
| Mac | Ryubing 1.3.3 | Nothing | MacBook Air M4 16GB (macOS 26.2) | github.com 2026-02-18 |
| iPhone / iPad | nxnative | Playable | 30 FPS, about 2GB memory; game 2.0.2 | nxnative.dev 2026-11-01 |
| iPhone / iPad | MeloNX | Playable | With the 60fps cheat on, drops to 30-40fps in the open world · iPad Pro M4 | reddit.com 2025-12-16 |
| iPhone / iPad | MeloNX 2.1 | Playable | 720p / 30fps; under 6GB in 30 minutes · iPhone 16 Pro Max (iOS 18.6.2) | youtube.com 2025-11-07 |
| iPhone / iPad | MeloNX 2.1 beta3 | Playable | 1080p / 30fps; under 8GB in 50 minutes · iPad Pro M4 16GB (iOS 26.0.1) | youtube.com 2025-10-16 |
| iPhone / iPad | nxnative Game 1.0.0 (a user-made profile, not the official 2.0.2 profile) | In-game | 30fps; 29.8 after skipping one shader · iPad Air M4 12GB (iPadOS 27.2) · User report: still freezes after leaving the train station; skipping one shader in env.txt got past the station into Lumiose City and ran 342 seconds without errors (tried only once) | github.com 2026-11-02 |
| iPhone / iPad | nxnative | In-game | Targeting 30 FPS; game 2.0.2 · iPhone 17 / iPhone 16 Pro | github.com 2026-10-26 |
| iPhone / iPad | nxnative | In-game | iPhone Air / iPad mini (A17 Pro) / iPad Pro (M1) | github.com 2026-10-24 |
| iPhone / iPad | MeloNX | In-game | iPhone 17 Pro Max 12GB | reddit.com 2025-10-25 |
| iPhone / iPad | MeloNX 2.3.1 | Nothing | Not stated | reddit.com 2026-03-03 |
| Android | Eden 0.2.1 | Perfect | User-reported avg: 30 fps · AYN Odin 3 Max | emuready.com 2026-08-28 |
| Android | Citron V0.0.1 | Perfect | Not stated · Motorola Moto G200 | emuready.com 2026-05-19 |
| Android | Sudachi 15 | Perfect | Not stated · Infinix Hot 50 4G | emuready.com 2025-10-19 |
| Android | Eden | Playable | Title: 30fps · iQOO Neo 9 Pro | youtube.com 2026-10-17 |
| Android | Eden v0.2.1 | Playable | User-reported avg: 29 fps · Retroid Pocket 6 | emuready.com 2026-10-16 |
| Android | Eden Legacy 0.2.1 | Playable | User-reported avg: 28 fps · Retroid Pocket 5 | emuready.com 2026-07-31 |
| Android | Eden v0.2.1 (per title) | Playable | After switching to the correct driver, above 24 FPS most of the time · Lenovo Legion Tab (2023) | youtube.com 2026-07-18 |
| Android | yuzu d590cfb9d | Playable | Not stated · Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 | emuready.com 2026-02-14 |
| Android | Kenji-NX lol777 | Playable | Not stated · Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 | emuready.com 2026-02-02 |
| Android | yuzu d590cfb9d | Playable | Not stated · Samsung Galaxy A55 5G | emuready.com 2026-01-25 |
| Android | Citron 1.01 | Playable | Not stated · Samsung Galaxy A22 5G | emuready.com 2026-01-08 |
| Android | Kenji-NX 4.0 | Playable | Not stated · Google Pixel Tablet | emuready.com 2025-12-23 |
| Android | Eden Eden CI b9f8e5d536 (pr/za-scarlet-fixes branch) | In-game | Galaxy S24 Ultra (Adreno 750) · User report: after choosing a Pokémon and leaving the laboratory, the screen turns completely black | github.com 2026-11-04 |
| Android | nxnative nx2android v0.3.0 (unreleased dev build), game update 2.0.2 | In-game | 30fps (same as Switch) · Lenovo Legion Y700 (Snapdragon 8 Elite / Adreno 830) · Self-reported by nx2android (a community Android fork of nxnative, not part of the official project), listed in its README's game table. Tested up to Lumiose station; "the city and battles not checked yet". Needs the unreleased v0.3.0 dev build | github.com 2026-11-03 |
| Android | Kenji-NX 2.1.0-pr.2 | In-game | Not stated · Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | youtube.com 2026-04-04 |
| Android | Citron 0.11 | In-game | Not stated · Poco F7 Pro | youtube.com 2025-11-20 |
Related news
Game info
- Developer
- Game Freak
- Publisher
- The Pokémon Company / Nintendo
- Released
- 2025-10-16
- Genre
- RPG
- Title ID
- 0100F43008C44000
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
FAQ
Can I play Pokémon Legends: Z-A on Windows with an emulator?
The best reported result on Windows is "Perfect" with Eden, Avg 60 FPS; resolution 1x; handheld mode (report from 2026-01-06). Results vary by device and emulator version.
Can I play Pokémon Legends: Z-A on Mac with an emulator?
The best reported result on Mac is "Playable" with nxnative, 30 FPS standing, about 21 FPS in battle (3420x2148); game 2.0.2 (report from 2026-10-29). Results vary by device and emulator version.
Can I play Pokémon Legends: Z-A on iPhone / iPad with an emulator?
The best reported result on iPhone / iPad is "Playable" with nxnative, 30 FPS, about 2GB memory; game 2.0.2 (report from 2026-11-01). Results vary by device and emulator version.
Can I play Pokémon Legends: Z-A on Android with an emulator?
The best reported result on Android is "Perfect" with Eden, User-reported avg: 30 fps (report from 2026-08-28). Results vary by device and emulator version.
Where can I find the Pokémon Legends: Z-A ROM?
Switch emulators load games as XCI (cartridge) or NSP (digital) files; this game's Title ID is 0100F43008C44000. You also need prod.keys and firmware; what they are and which folder they go in is covered in our "prod.keys, title.keys and Firmware Explained" guide. →
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