A Step-by-Step Guide to Downloading and Using Citra

Citra is an emulator program that allows you to play Nintendo 3DS games on your computer. If you are a big fan of the Nintendo 3DS games, but you would rather not set aside hundred bucks, you can just as easily emulate the games of this console onto your computer. Ever wanted to play one of the most popular titles, like Super Mario 3D Land? Animal Crossing? The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? Well – you don’t need to necessarily own the Nintendo 3DS, in order to do so. All you need is a working computer and the Citra emulator. Citra is an open source emulator created by the Citra Team – a large group of over 150 programmers working in unison to bring 3DS games to PC users. The emulator was first created during the year of 2014. So, let’s take a look at what you are going to need, in order to use Citra.

Software NameCitra
Software Size18.8 MB (Windows Version)
Developerhttps://citra-emu.org/download/
RequirementWindows 7 or Later
Download Linkhttp://citraemulator.com/
Supported Operating SystemsLinux, Mac, Windows and Android

System Requirements Needed To Run Citra

Let’s go over the system requirements you are going to need to fulfill, in order to run the simulator. Luckily, the requirements aren’t too demanding. Citra is able to run on the Windows, Linux and Mac Operating systems. Whatever operating system you choose, it is going to need to be a 64-bit one. The Citra developers are not planning to add 32-bit compatibility.  Surprisingly, there are no huge requirements. Your graphics card will need to support at least OpenGL 3.3 and this are actually the bare minimum requirements, needed to run the Citra Emulator. Keep in mind that you will want to get a faster processor and more RAM memory if you want to emulate these games at 100% speed.

Downloading Your Copy Of Citra


Now that you have made sure you will be able to run Citra, it’s time to go and find out where to go get it. To start your Citra download you would need to go directly to the main website. You could probably get Citra from a few different websites, but be very careful about where you get your downloads from. Some of these installations may be dated, or infected with malware. This is why you should always get your download from the official page. Not only that, but this is the one place you can expect to get the most up-to-date version. The website makes it easier by automatically detecting your machine’s operating system and offering you the relevant download. On the off chance that you are looking for another platform, you can click on the corresponding button. If you want to download a different release, there is also an archive where you can manually download a different release rather than the most current version. The file download is totaling at 18.8 MB, so it shouldn’t take too long before you download the installer. We also mirror Citra on our website and you can download it by clicking on the following download buttons. Make sure to download the version appropriate for your operating system.

Using Citra To Emulate Nintendo 3DS Games

Installing the Citra Emulator is as easy as it comes. All you need to do is run the installer and go through the guided installation. You can choose your installation directory and you will be able to monitor the installation progress. Installation will take a few minutes, depending on your active Internet connection speed. That’s all it takes. You won’t need any extensive technical knowledge to install the emulator. There’s really not much to say about the installation itself, so let’s go ahead and see how you can actually emulate games.

In order to be able to emulate games, you are going to need to dump the actual 3DS ROMs and decrypt them with the use of a 3DS console. This does mean that you would need to own your very own handheld console to play the games on the emulator. There is no other way to go around this, but if it helps you might want to try borrowing a console from one of your friends, just for long enough for you to decrypt all of the game ROMs to play on the emulator. Keep in mind that playing games that somebody else owns and you don’t have a license to is considered piracy in a lot of countries around the world. Make sure that you are familiar with the legal directives surrounding the emulator use before you actually install and use it in your machine. While the emulator will always be free for download, using ROMs that you haven’t bought yourself could land you in quite a bit of trouble, depending on where you are in the world.

Using Citra

Citra Emulator For Android

One of the great things about Citra is that it is now available for Android devices too. You can download the Citra Android app from Google Play for free if you don’t have it yet. It also has optional in-app purchases. During testing, we were so pleased with the performance of the app because it ran smoothly and without any issue whatsoever. If you like to play 3DS games on your Android phone, this app is a must-have.

Final Words

All in all, the Citra Emulator is a very good thing to turn to if you’re looking to play Nintendo 3DS games. You may want to hold onto the website address, because it lists all the games that have been tested and confirmed as playable on the emulator. You can prevent wasting times and games that may not be able to play on the emulator by going and checking ahead of time if you should even bother obtaining a certain ROM. The good news is that Citra runs very quickly right now and is constantly being updated with new content and new functionalities. It also shares a lot of its code with another emulator, called Yuzu. So, when a breakthrough is reached on the Yuzu emulator, the Citra team is also able to implement it. The two emulators work against each other and the more one of them evolves, the more progress is allowed to the other one.

Keep in mind that there are certain limitations and errors you might run into while trying to run the emulator. You can always go back straight to the main website, as there is a FAQ section that allows you to troubleshoot some of the most common errors that users might experience. Be sure to visit that section, as it will most likely help you resolve the issues you run into. The most common issues involved checking if you have the latest version of the Visual C++ Redistributable installed, or if you need to download some DLL files that you may be missing. Either way, the FAQ section on the website allows for some pretty extensive troubleshooting tips that could save you a lot of time and a lot of grief while they were trying to set up your favorite games to play.

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