AetherSX2 Discontinued — Best PS2 Emulator for Android 2026

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What happened to AetherSX2:

In late 2023, the lead developer of AetherSX2 announced they were stopping development due to harassment and abuse from users. The app was delisted from the Google Play Store. The final public APK build still functions on many devices, but receives no bug fixes, security patches, or new features.

NetherSX2 — the community-maintained fork:

The AetherSX2 codebase is based on PCSX2 (open-source), so the community created NetherSX2 — an actively maintained fork that continues where AetherSX2 left off. NetherSX2:

• Is free and open-source (MIT/GPL licensed)
• Receives regular updates tracking upstream PCSX2 improvements
• Is compatible with the same BIOS files and memory card saves as AetherSX2
• Has no Play Store listing — download only from the official GitHub

How to install NetherSX2:

1. On your Android phone, go to GitHub → search "NetherSX2" or use the direct URL from the pinned post in the NetherSX2 Discord.
2. Download the latest .apk release from the Releases page.
3. Before installing, go to Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps (or your browser's app entry) and allow installation from unknown sources.
4. Open the downloaded APK and install. Android may warn about unknown source — this is expected for APKs not on the Play Store.
5. Your PS2 BIOS files and memory card saves from AetherSX2 are compatible — you can point NetherSX2 to the same folders.

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NetherSX2 (like AetherSX2) requires a PS2 BIOS dump from a real PS2.

BIOS files are not included — you need to dump from your own console. The required file is a .bin or .rom0/.rom1/.rom2 set named like SCPH-70012.bin (US) or SCPH-77001.bin (JP).

• Place BIOS files in a dedicated folder on your internal storage (e.g., /storage/emulated/0/BIOS/PS2/).
• On first launch, NetherSX2 prompts for the BIOS directory. Point it to that folder.
• A valid BIOS shows a green checkmark in the BIOS list. An invalid or missing BIOS shows red — games will not load without it.

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Memory card saves from AetherSX2 are fully compatible with NetherSX2.

1. In AetherSX2 (if still installed), go to Settings → BIOS/Directories → Memory Cards Location to find where your saves are stored.
2. Copy the .ps2 memory card files (usually Mcd001.ps2 and Mcd002.ps2) to a safe location.
3. In NetherSX2, point the memory cards directory to the same folder, or paste the files into NetherSX2's memory card directory.
4. Your saves will appear in-game exactly as before.

If you skipped this and installed NetherSX2 fresh: save states (.p2s files) are also portable the same way — look in the Savestates folder alongside the memory card folder.

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PS2 emulation is demanding — here's what to expect:

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 / 8 Gen 2 / 8 Gen 3: most PS2 games run at full speed with 2× upscaling. Demanding titles like God of War II or Shadow of the Colossus may need 1×.
• Snapdragon 7-series / mid-range: simpler 2D-heavy PS2 games (RPGs, platformers) run fine. Graphically demanding titles (racing games, action games) may stutter.
• Budget chips (Helio, older Snapdragon 4/6xx): PS2 emulation is generally not viable. Stick to GBA/SNES/PS1 which are far less demanding.

Key settings for performance in NetherSX2:

• Renderer: Vulkan (preferred) or OpenGL ES
• EE Cycle Rate: 0 (100%) — do not set above 2 unless a specific game requires it
• Upscaling Multiplier: 1× (native) to test, 2× if your device handles it