Apollo Drive help

Supported games, controls, music and custom themes in Apollo Drive.

Apollo Drive plays Genesis · Mega Drive cartridge games on Android 10 or later, on 64-bit ARM phones and tablets. No games, BIOS or firmware are included. Add game files you own; see Getting started.

Games and files

Use .md, .gen or .bin cartridge files, up to 10 MB. CD games, 32X games and SVP-chip games are not supported. Master System and Game Gear games are not supported. A matching filename alone does not make a file a supported cartridge.

Controls and picture

The controller has a directional pad, A, B, C and Start. There is no six-button controller mode. On a keyboard, the defaults are the arrow keys, Z, X, C and Enter, respectively. Move or resize touch controls separately for portrait and landscape, or remap your controller; see Controls and library.

The picture uses a 4:3 display shape. Apollo Drive does not use tilt, gyro, light or camera input, or game rumble. PAL cartridges run at the app’s NTSC frame rate, so their original PAL timing is not preserved.

Speed and music

Free speeds are 1x, 2x and 3x; Pro adds 4x and higher, Max ♪ with music and Max without sound. In compatible games, fast-forward keeps the music at its normal tempo and pitch. Demanding scenes on slower devices can cause audio breakup: choose a lower speed if you hear gaps.

The Music page collects songs as you play. Some games can play music during fast-forward but cannot supply songs for the player. Song detection can miss a tune or keep an imperfect start. See Speed and sound and Music for the shared controls.

Cheats and achievements

Pro cheats take Pro Action Replay codes such as FF0123:0063. Game Genie codes are not supported. Cheats are off during multiplayer.

RetroAchievements supports sets that use the console’s work RAM. Sets that read cartridge save RAM are not supported yet. Hardcore mode is not offered. See Achievements.

Saves and two-player play

See Saves and backup for save states, resume and optional Google Drive backup. Apollo Drive multiplayer explains controller 1 and controller 2, matching game files and whose save is kept.

Custom shells

Pro themes can include your own shell artwork. Follow Making a shell using the current .apollotheme format (a ZIP containing theme.json and its images). Both portrait and landscape shell images are required. Older shell.json shell packs are not accepted, and themes do not carry button layouts.

Preview your artwork in Apollo Drive: its 4:3 game window and three-button A/B/C arrangement differ from Apollo Boy’s. Boy templates and example images are not a promise of matching clear areas in Drive. Keep artwork clear of the game, controls and name plate in both orientations. Drive style exports use .apollodrive-style; use a Drive export when moving your button layout.

More help

Help and troubleshooting covers common problems and contacting support. Read the Privacy Policy, Terms or Delete your data for Apollo Drive’s policies.

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