ARMSX3 1.6.4 is available for Android
ARMSX3 1.6.4 was released on November 5, 2026, as an Android build of the PlayStation 3 emulator based on current upstream RPCS3 code, including recent ARM64 improvements. The update focuses on game compatibility, frame pacing, savestates, display handling and stability across phones and handheld devices.
The release includes APK variants for armv8.2 devices and a legacy armv8.1 package. The available files target Android SDK levels 30, 33 and 35, so users should choose the package appropriate for their device and Android setup.
Game-specific fixes reduce crashes and setup work
Yakuza: Dead Souls receives a fix for a less common crash that could appear after several hours of play. This targets long-session stability rather than a brief startup problem, making the change particularly relevant to players who previously encountered a freeze deep into a session.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty and Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus receive smoother combat performance. The project reports results in the 30–38 frames-per-second range on a device using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, so that figure is an example from the project rather than a guarantee for other Android hardware.
LittleBigPlanet 2 now exposes the options associated with its online-play patch more clearly. With MLAA disabled, the game’s other options appear in the patch list and remain off until the player enables them. This gives users more direct control over the configuration instead of leaving those settings hidden.
Final Fantasy XIII now receives automatic per-region configuration with SPU Block Size set to Mega and Stub PPU Traps set to 20. The release notes identify these settings as fixes for crashing and performance problems, reducing the need to apply them manually.
Uncharted 3 and God of War: Ascension also receive automatic Stub PPU Traps 1 configuration across regions and editions, including Game of the Year and PSN releases. The notes explain that the related crash can vary between users, so the setting is intended to reduce the likelihood of the failure rather than imply that every installation is affected.
Performance changes target Android phones and handhelds
ARMSX3 1.6.4 improves behavior when OnePlus Game Space is enabled. The project reports that LittleBigPlanet 2 holds 30 frames per second in game mode on a OnePlus 12, matching performance with the feature disabled. That result is specific to the named test configuration and should not be read as a promise for every OnePlus model.
Games that make heavy use of the PlayStation 3’s Synergistic Processing Units, or SPUs, spend less time waiting for their related threads. The release notes say that this waiting time falls to roughly one third in examples such as LittleBigPlanet 2. In practical terms, the change is intended to keep the emulator’s parallel workloads moving more consistently.
The Android display path now prepares frames for sideways screens on phones held in landscape orientation and on handhelds. Android no longer needs to rotate every frame itself in the normal case. If a game appears sideways, the documented fallback is Fixes, Display Fixes, Disable Swap Chain Pre-Rotation. In XMB Mode, the equivalent option is under Settings and Debug Settings.
Frame generation can now use the full refresh rate on handhelds limited to a 60 Hz game output, such as the Odin 3. The release notes give a 60-frame-per-second game with 2x frame generation reaching 120 frames per second as an example, provided the device has enough performance to produce the additional frames. This describes the display output target, not a claim that the emulated game itself is running at 120 frames per second.
Compiled graphics remain cached when Android closes ARMSX3 in the background. The intended benefit is reduced stutter when returning to a game, since previously compiled graphics are retained. The graphics path also handles a rare case where the GPU catches up with a game in the middle of a draw command, preventing an incorrect value from being used in that draw.
Savestates preserve more of the emulation session
Savestates now restore every emulation thread. The release notes use Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction as an example: after loading a state, the game can continue with sound after falling from a level instead of losing part of its active state.
Online games can also continue after a savestate is loaded, with LittleBigPlanet 2 cited as an example.
Games stored as folders can load their savestates from the Save Manager, and the games list now persists between sessions. That makes folder-based titles easier to find after closing and reopening ARMSX3.
Slot saves are stored only once, while duplicate copies left by older versions are cleaned up. The notes say this can free gigabytes on some phones, although the amount depends on the existing save data and the device.
XMB Mode receives fuller game presentation
XMB Mode can now show each supported game’s own background, music and animated icon. This also applies to titles stored as ISO or CHD files when an update is installed, giving supported games a fuller presentation in the interface.
ARMSX3’s XMB Mode is its own interface rather than Sony’s system software. The project’s documentation explains that it reads relevant words, icons, fonts, startup sound and related settings from a user-installed PS3 firmware setup, while Boot XMB runs the PS3 system software from that installation. The application does not include PS3 firmware, games or Sony-owned files.
Safer settings changes and improved recovery
Changing settings during a game is safer in this version. Options that are read only when a game starts are saved, and the in-game Apply & Restart command can activate them without requiring the user to find the setting again later.
A game encountering a problem in its SPU code no longer brings down the entire ARMSX3 application. The update also addresses a rare restart when returning to the emulator after leaving the app at an unfortunate moment, making the transition back to an active game more reliable.
Alongside the savestate changes, these fixes help ARMSX3 retain more of an emulation session through interruptions and isolated failures.
What users need to know
ARMSX3 emulates PlayStation 3 games on Android; it is not software for installing on a modified PlayStation 3. Running it requires the user’s own PS3 firmware, which is not included with the application. The project says users should play games they own and does not distribute Sony firmware or game files.
The release notes document the 1.6.4 changes but do not provide a universal device compatibility list. Reported frame rates and device examples therefore apply to the named test hardware, while results on other Android phones and handhelds can differ.
