The field of game console emulation has suffered another huge blow. The DraSticDS emulator no longer appears in the Google Play app store. The original content page now reports an error, but it has not been announced what happened or why it was deleted. The official website has also been shut down, suggesting the software is facing more than just a temporary removal.
If you've ever played retro simulation games on Android, chances are you've used the DraStic emulator. It first hit the PlayStation Store more than a decade ago, delivering excellent performance for most Nintendo DS games. Although no longer actively developed as of 2017, it remains the best Nintendo DS emulator for older or weaker devices.
The app has been moribund for some time, with developer Exophage's last major announcement coming via Discord last year. After the Yuzu case, DraStic announced that it would be available for free, most likely to avoid legal trouble from Nintendo. However, clues have already been revealed between the lines, Exophage also wrote: "I don't even plan for it to exist on (PlayStore) for that long..."
DraStic has been in active development since 2017, but can still play most games. At the time, the developers also promised to make the app open source, but as of press time, this has not happened. This means that it is impossible to fork to add features or update the UI. As long as you can find a reliable download address, the program can still be sideloaded normally.
While DraStic remains an excellent emulator, other options have emerged to fill the void. MelonDS is one of them, and although it is still in beta, it has a more modern user interface and some features not found on DraStic. All-in-one platforms such as RetroArch and Lemuroid can also use the DeSmuMELibretro core, but performance is uneven.