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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/eden-emulator/mirror/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Eden on Android is a first-class target. Performance and compatibility vary significantly depending on your SoC, GPU, Android version, and thermal situation. This page covers every major variable so you can understand what to expect from your specific device.
You must have at least 8 GB of RAM to run Eden on Android. Devices with less RAM will not work well regardless of SoC performance.

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SoC Compatibility

Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs are the most well-supported chipsets for Eden on Android. Adreno GPUs (especially 6xx and 7xx series) combined with Turnip open-source drivers provide the best compatibility available on any mobile platform.
  • Snapdragon 865 and older: May benefit from the Legacy build, which reduces peak performance but significantly improves compatibility on older hardware.
  • Adreno 8xx: Better support for stock drivers (including Adreno 8xx) is actively in progress.
If you are unsure how your Snapdragon compares, use NanoReview and benchmark against the Snapdragon 865 as a baseline — for example, Tensor G5 vs SD865.
Google Tensor chips have poor performance relative to their generation, but even the original Tensor G1 can run some games acceptably well on a Pixel 6 Pro.
  • Tensor G4: The best-supported Tensor chip at the time of writing.
  • Tensor G5: Unknown real-world performance, but on paper it should perform roughly on par with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 using stock drivers.
  • Tensor G1 (Pixel 6a): Performs approximately one-third as well as an SD865 due to limited RAM and poor thermals.
Tensor chips use Mali GPUs. See the Mali section below for GPU-level caveats. Always use a cooler with Tensor devices.
Samsung Exynos chips manufactured before 2022 are not supported. Newer Exynos chips use Xclipse GPUs — see the GPU section below for details on Xclipse compatibility.
MediaTek Dimensity chips are generally the weakest option for Eden. Most Dimensity chips released before mid-2023 do not work at all.
Most budget phones use older MediaTek SoCs. If your phone costs significantly less than a Nintendo Switch, it is unlikely to emulate the Switch adequately.
If you are unsure what SoC your device uses, check GSMArena — for example, Pixel 9 Pro.

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GPU Compatibility

Mali GPUs generally have poor performance and compatibility. Notable exceptions:
  • Mali-G715 (Tensor G4) and Immortalis-G925 are known to run surprisingly well, especially on Android 16.
  • Known driver bugs include: non-descriptive green screens, significantly slower readbacks with cached memory (causing high CPU load), and various rendering issues with image filters.
If you have a rooted device, injecting Panfrost or another custom driver may yield better results than the stock Mali driver.
Virtually no PowerVR GPUs are known to work with Eden. The only confirmed working PowerVR GPU is the DXT-48-1536.
Xclipse GPUs (found in Samsung Exynos chips) are largely unsupported. The only Xclipse GPU currently known to work is the Xclipse 950 (the very latest generation at the time of writing).
The status of other GPU vendors is unknown. As long as the GPU supports Vulkan, Eden can theoretically run on it. Custom driver injection (e.g., RADV on a rooted device) may yield good results on otherwise unsupported GPUs.

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Android Version

Android 16 is always recommended. It brought major improvements to Vulkan requirements and compatibility, plus significant performance gains across the board. Some Pixel users reported performance improvements of over 50% after updating to Android 16.

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NCE (Native Code Execution)

NCE eliminates the JIT translation layer, resulting in dramatically better performance. On Android, always enable NCE if available — the performance difference is substantial. When NCE is active, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck rather than the CPU. This is expected behavior on mobile hardware, where GPUs are relatively weak compared to their CPUs.
NCE is available on Android and experimentally on Linux. macOS NCE support is in progress. Windows/arm64 NCE is not planned.

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Legacy Build

The Legacy build is intended for older SoCs (Snapdragon 865 and similar). It trades peak performance for improved compatibility. If your device is in this tier and you are experiencing crashes or severe rendering issues with the standard build, try the Legacy build.

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Cooling

A cooler is always recommended for Android. Phone SoCs — especially those manufactured with the Samsung process — throttle aggressively under sustained emulation load, which can reduce performance by 30–50% or more after just a few minutes.
Thermal throttling is one of the most common causes of inconsistent performance reports. Always benchmark with active cooling to get an accurate picture of your device’s capability.

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Custom ROMs

Custom ROMs are recommended for experienced users. They typically remove bloatware, offer better thermal profiles, and may include updated kernel features that benefit emulation.
  • LineageOS: The preferred option for most devices.
  • CalyxOS: A privacy-focused alternative available for select devices.
  • GrapheneOS: Highly recommended for Google Pixel devices only. Check the supported devices FAQ for the current device list.
Custom ROMs may become exclusively recommended in the future due to upcoming Google verification policy changes that affect sideloading and privacy.
Eden is not currently available on F-Droid or the Google Play Store. Check back occasionally for updates on distribution availability.

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