Gameplay of the 2018 strategy video game Ancestors Legacy on the Nintendo Switch. Image by Destructive Creations, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

strato

NINTENDO SWITCH EMULATOR

strato

Strato is an open-source Nintendo Switch emulator implemented for ARMv8 Android devices. It targets running Switch homebrew and (per project text) games on Android, and is developed as an Android-native project with a full Android Studio build system.

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Gameplay of the 2018 strategy video game Ancestors Legacy on the Nintendo Switch. Image by Destructive Creations, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

nintendo switchPRIMARY SYSTEM

History documentedPROJECT BEGAN

Open sourcePROJECT MODEL

WHY IT MATTERS

Why Strato exists

Strato is written from the ground up for Android (ARMv8) with an explicit goal of providing Switch emulation optimized for mobile devices. The project builds on work from Skyline and references other Switch emulator projects as technical references while remaining an independent codebase.

BEST FOR

Where Strato fits

Strato is aimed at Android users who want a native ARM64 Android emulator rather than a PC port. Its design focuses on mobile-specific performance and shader compilation, and it uses Android Studio / NDK tooling for building and packaging.

The people behind strato

Project history & status

Strato is published on GitHub and maintains public documentation and progress posts. The repository and project website describe Strato as an experimental Android-first Nintendo Switch emulator and credit Skyline, Ryujinx, yuzu (shader compiler), and Switchbrew as technical references. The project provides periodic progress reports on its site (example: a February 2024 progress report) and keeps its source, build instructions, and issues on GitHub. The codebase, build guide, and release listings are public on the project's GitHub organization. The project is licensed under GPLv3 (per repository).

What strato supports

Nintendo Switch (emulation target)
Android (ARMv8 / Android Studio build and packaging)
Build from source on Windows/macOS/Linux using Android Studio and Android NDK (per BUILDING.md)
Uses Android Studio, Android NDK, CMake, Gradle

Download and availability

OFFICIAL DOWNLOADS

Get strato

Official downloads and packaged builds are provided from the project's GitHub releases page. Source code and the latest commits are available from the repository; binary releases (APKs) — if published — appear on the repository Releases page.

Get strato ↗

DOCUMENTATION

Official documentation

Read the official configuration, compatibility, and troubleshooting material before changing advanced options.

Read official documentation ↗

Broken or missing download? Emulator projects move and official links sometimes change. Please contact Retro Replay so the source can be verified and updated.

strato setup guide

Setup note: This is a project-specific setup summary derived from Strato's BUILDING.md and README. Follow the project's BUILDING.md and the GitHub releases page for the exact binary builds. The steps below describe how to obtain and build Strato from source and how to prepare an Android device for testing.

Get the source and submodules: Clone the repository recursively so submodules (shader compiler, libraries) are populated: git clone https://github.com/strato-emu/strato.git –recursive. On Windows enable symlinks if required (the BUILDING.md explains git config core.symlinks true and submodule re-init commands).
Install required tooling: Install Android Studio (latest stable recommended), Git, and ensure the Android SDK, the required NDK version and the correct CMake version are installed. The BUILDING.md shows how to find the NDK and CMake versions referenced in app/build.gradle and instructs enabling 'Show Package Details' in the SDK Manager to install those exact versions.
Import the project into Android Studio: Open Android Studio and choose Open, then select the cloned strato folder. If prompted, use the embedded JDK to fix Gradle JDK configuration errors. Exclude the large bundled folders app/libraries/llvm and app/libraries/boost from Android indexing to speed the IDE.
Resolve NDK/CMake and sync: Check app/build.gradle for the required ndkVersion and CMake version. Install those exact versions via the SDK Manager and then sync the project in Android Studio. If a CMake 'Ninja' error appears, add the path to the CMake binaries in local.properties (the BUILDING.md provides an example).
Build and run: Build the project with Android Studio's Gradle targets. If you prefer command line, use the project's gradlew wrapper. The project produces Android packages; follow the repository Releases page if prebuilt APKs are provided.
Common Windows-specific issues: Windows users may need administrator privileges to create symlinks and to clone submodules correctly. If shader_compiler headers are missing, it usually indicates symlink/submodule issues and the BUILDING.md documents the commands to reinitialize submodules and enable symlinks.
Runtime notes: Strato is built for ARMv8 Android devices. It does not include Nintendo firmware, game ROMs, or other copyrighted files; obtaining those is outside the project. Check the repository Issues and Discord for device compatibility notes and up-to-date runtime requirements.

Software reminder: Follow the project's licensing (GPLv3). The emulator does not include commercial games, Switch firmware, or keys; you must supply any required files yourself in accordance with local law.