Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire: 3 Open Source Clones Compared
pokeemerald-wasm recompiles the pokeemerald decompilation to WebAssembly with a browser frontend, playable directly at pokeemerald.com (it also ships native Raylib and Kindle Scribe builds), so it doesn't require building and running a standalone ROM. pokemon-emerald and pokemon-ruby-and-sapphire are instead lower-level decompilation/disassembly projects that build ROM files (pokeemerald.gba, or pokeruby.gba/pokesapphire.gba) rather than a directly playable app. Of those two, pokemon-emerald's development is listed as active while pokemon-ruby-and-sapphire's is sporadic.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- GBA
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- 14d ago
- Stars
- 3,469
- Contributors
- 161
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- GBA
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Sporadic
- Last updated
- 5mo ago
- Stars
- 987
- Contributors
- 79
- Engine
- —
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoThis is a disassembly project that rebuilds the ROM from source code.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Web
- Play in browser
- YesPlay in Browser
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- 1mo ago
- Stars
- 308
- Contributors
- 160
- Engine
- raylib
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
| Title | Pokémon Emerald | Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire | pokeemerald-wasm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Playable | Playable |
| Platforms | GBA | GBA | Web |
| Play in browser | No | No | YesPlay in Browser |
| Mobile | No | No | No |
| Project health | |||
| Development status | Active | Sporadic | Active |
| Last updated | 14d ago | 5mo ago | 1mo ago |
| Stars | 3,469 | 987 | 308 |
| Contributors | 161 | 79 | 160 |
| Engine | — | — | raylib |
| Compatibility | |||
| Requires original assets | — | NoThis is a disassembly project that rebuilds the ROM from source code. | — |
Frequently asked questions
Are the Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire clones on this page open source?
Yes — every clone catalogued here is an open-source project. Availability, license, and development-status details for each one are listed in the comparison table above.
Do I need to own the original Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire to play these clones?
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire runs standalone, no original files needed.
Can I play any of these Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire clones directly in a browser?
Yes — pokeemerald-wasm has a browser-playable build linked in the comparison table above, no install required.
Which Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire clone is the most actively maintained?
Pokémon Emerald and pokeemerald-wasm are currently under active development, based on recent commit activity. See the "Development status" row above for every clone's current status.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.