PlayStation 3 emulators circulating for iPhone and Android devices are “scams” say developers

The retro gaming hobby is not new to scammers attempting to take advantage of the ongoing trend of playing old gaming classics on modern devices. Now, the developers of the popular PS3 emulator RPCS3 have taken to X to warn anybody getting overexcited about the emergence of a PlayStation 3 emulator for your mobile phone to tread warily, and not download something that is potentially untrustworthy.

In a post on the RPCS3 X account the devs said, “We are aware of several PS3 scam “emulators” roaming around, especially for mobile platforms where the targeted audience doesn’t understand much about tech.

We remind you that RPCS3 is NOT natively available for Android or iOS and that we will NOT be porting it to these platforms.”

They continue, “No other PlayStation 3 emulators that can run commercial games exist besides RPCS3.

Any footage you see is either completely fake, recorded on a real console or through RPCS3 itself, and branded as something else.

Stay vigilant!”

The warning comes as an emulator called Andstation 3 has emerged for Android devices. While not exactly plug-and-play, needed other software to set it up, it appears to actually be running RPCS3 inside another emulator, which at best does not suggest terrific performance.

We are aware of several PS3 scam "emulators" roaming around, specially for mobile platforms where the targeted audience doesn't understand much about tech.

We remind that RPCS3 is NOT natively available for Android or iOS and that we will NOT be porting it to these platforms.

— RPCS3 (@rpcs3) September 17, 2024

Andstation 3’s website does not show the emulator running. There is a product video and a placeholder for a YouTube video that is listed as private.

Andstation 3 claims that “With the Help of RPCS3, Andstation 3 Support all The Games that You Can run on RPCS3 Desktop.”

Ripping your own PS3 Blurays can leave you with file sizes of between two and 15 GB depending on the game making the whole thing sound even more unfeasible. While the vanilla RPCS3 emulator will happily run on a Steam Deck as long as you temper your expectations, a generic Android phone does not have the grunt to pull this off.

We would strongly advise steering clear of any emulator claiming to be able to run PS3 on a mobile at this stage.

Featured Image: Grand Theft Auto IV on the PS3

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