PicPic is the first native PICO‑8 emulator to slip through Apple’s door and land on the iOS App Store, giving iPhone and Apple Silicon Mac users a no-sideload way to run carts. It’s not official like Pocket8’s arrangement with Zep, but it does bring the full “fantasy console” into Apple’s walled garden in a surprisingly polished package.
PicPic supports both standard “.p8” source carts and “.p8.png” cartridge images, running them natively at full speed with proper audio instead of shoving everything through a webview. You import games from Files, Safari, or other apps, then sort, rename, and manage them in a built‑in library, complete with save‑to‑cart support so progress is stored exactly where you’d expect.
On the frontend side, it ships with a configurable on‑screen d‑pad and buttons (perfect for Pocket Taco adopters), multiple console color themes, and even alternate app icons. The dev is also offering a premium tier: PicPic is a free download with some features gated behind an in‑app subscription, and it’s clearly branded as “NOT related to PICO‑8 or Lexaloffle” to keep everyone’s lawyers calm.
Up to now, playing PICO‑8 on iPhone has meant browser hacks, sideloaded tools like Pocket8, or just giving up and using a handheld or desktop instead. PicPic is the first time someone has put a legitimate PICO‑8 emulator on the App Store with native performance, zero audio lag, and no jailbreaking or certificate drama.
There are trade‑offs, of course. PicPic doesn’t tie into the official BBS ecosystem the way Lexaloffle’s own ports or Pocket8 do, and the subscription angle will rub some people the wrong way, especially with a closed‑source reimplementation of a closed‑source “fantasy console.” But if you just want to throw a folder of carts on your phone and play Celeste Classic in bed without touching AltStore, it’s the best option we’ve seen so far.
Source: r/EmulationOniOS
