There’s something special about sitting down with a classic Nintendo game like The Legend of Zelda (or Solomon’s Key). I’m talking about before the internet, no walkthroughs, no cheats, just exploration and fun.
If you’ve ever wished you could go back to that experience, here’s the straightforward truth: you can play those same games today on your iPhone or iPad, and it’s a lot easier than you might think. You can also play these games on Android devices, but since I’m only familiar with iOS, I don’t want to give incorrect information.
This post walks you through the process slowly and clearly. No tech background required.
Who This Is For
This is for you if:
- You didn’t grow up with modern tech
- Apps and downloads sometimes feel overwhelming
- You miss your old Nintendo games and want a simple way to play them again
You don’t need to be “tech-savvy.” You just need a little patience and about 10–15 minutes.
What You’ll Need
The process is simple. All you need is an iPhone or iPad, an internet connection, and 10 to 15 minutes. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
Step 1: Download an Emulator
To play old Nintendo games, you’ll use an app called an emulator. It mimics the original console. For my games, I downloaded and installed Delta Emulator. It’s free, and it works.
Go to the App Store and search for Delta Emulator. When you find it, download it and open it.
Let me warn you, this is only step one. When you open it, you’ll notice that it’s empty. It doesn’t come with games. That’s fine. We’ll get the games in the next step.
Step 2: Understand What a ROM Is
Before we get games, there’s one simple concept we need to understand. The Delta Emulator uses ROMs instead of game cartridges.
Back when we had the NES console, we used to blow on the cartridge and insert it to play the game. Now, think of the Delta Emulator as the console, and ROMs are the cartridges. Fortunately, we only have to download them. We don’t have to blow on them to make sure they work properly.
A ROM file is just the game in digital form.
Step 3: Get Your Games (ROM Files)
There are two ways to do this to get ROM files. There’s an easy way and a not-so-easy way. I’ll try to explain the not-so-easy way first. That way, you’ll understand why I chose the easy way.
Option 1 (Not So Easy)
The not-so-easy way involved downloading an extractor to extract files. Then it had several other steps, but I got so lost in the verbiage that I didn’t pay attention to the next few steps. It made me realize that I needed to go the simple route.
Option 2 (Simpler Approach)
Find a reputable site that provides ROM files and download them. Easy peasy.
The hardest part about Option 2 is finding a reputable site. And, with the help of the internet and YouTube reviews, finding a reputable site wasn’t so tough. I opted to use ROMsPedia.com. But before you go downloading ROMs willy-nilly, you should only download games you aready own (let’s keep things legal).
Also, avoid sketchy websites. And, last but not least, be careful of pop-up ads. I use the Brave browser with its pop-up ad blocking feature. Browsers like Chrome allow pop-up ads, and some of them are confusing and misleading. With browsers that do not block ads, you have to be very careful.
Step 3: Download Your Game
On ROMsPedia.com, I typed the game I wanted to download in the search bar and received a listing of all the games matching my search. I was truly surprised to see the number of Zelda games that have been released. I’m really old school. I started and stuck with the original Legend of Zelda and never graduated from there.
I once tried the Majora’s Mask version, but I didn’t take to it. Anyway, select the game you want to download, tap on it, and download it.
My biggest issue was locating the game on my device after I downloaded it. I’m not very familiar with the iOS file system, and I had to take a moment to find the file, but I did.
In my case, I went into the Files App and located the Brave folder. In that folder was a download folder. That’s where the game was hiding. It downloads as a .zip file. Do not extract the .zip file. Delta Emulator reads the .zip.
Step 4: Load the Game into Delta
Now is when it really gets easy. Open the Delta Emulator. Click on the plus button, tap Files, and then navigate to the downloaded ROM file. The game will load in Delta, and you’re ready to play.
Step 5: Improve the Experience (Optional)
You don’t need any extras, but if you want a better setup, you can connect a wireless controller to play the gam. Or, you can play on a larger iPad screen. Best of all, you can mirror your device to a TV for a better experience. Or…keep it simple. Play on your phone.
A Real-World Tip
Classic Nintendo games are still fun, but they feel different on a touchscreen. The finger control you used on a Nintendo controller doesn’t translate perfectly. Expect a short adjustment period.
That said, it still beats mindless scrolling.
Bonus: Controller Setup on iPad
If you connect a keyboard or controller and you can’t figure out how to control the game. Open Delta, then go to Settings (the little gear icon in the upper-left-hand corner of the app). There, you have the option to select your controller, whether it’s the touch screen, keyboard, or a wireless controller.
Final Thoughts
Setting things up isn’t complicated. Just take it one step at a time. Once you set it up on your device, share the process with another old-school gamer. They’ll thank you for it.
The Process in a Nut Shell
