PocketDOS: Retro PC Emulator

Play the DOS classics you already own — on-device, offline, open source. Now with an experimental wizard that installs Windows 98 from your own CD image.

PocketDOS plays the DOS and Windows 9x software you already own, on your iPhone. Import your games and programs from the Files app and they run entirely on-device, offline, at usable speed — no account, no ads, no data collection.

PocketDOS ships no games and no Microsoft software. Everything it runs comes from media you supply and are licensed to use.

FEATURES

• Game library: import .jsdos bundles, .zip archives, or chunked hard-disk machines. Rename, delete, and tune each entry. Your library lives in the Files app, so you can back it up yourself.
• Session persistence: autosave every 3 minutes, save on quit and when backgrounding, quick save/load (F6/F7) on a hardware keyboard, and per-game "reset saved session".
• iCloud save sync (optional): small save files follow you between installs via your own iCloud Drive. The app works fully offline without it.
• Touch controls, three per-game profiles: a D-pad with an action cluster for keyboard-driven games; a tap-to-click mouse mode with a dedicated right-click button for point-and-click adventures; or none.
• Hardware keyboards and game controllers are supported, with per-game remapping.
• Per-game settings: emulated RAM size and an editable DOS configuration with one-tap presets (Sound Blaster IRQ, General MIDI, MT-32, FM-only).
• Sound: Sound Blaster digital audio and AdLib/OPL FM synthesis out of the box, General MIDI via a bundled SoundFont, and Roland MT-32 music with ROMs you supply.
• Private by design: every asset is served from inside the app and the emulator cannot reach the network. No telemetry, no analytics. The privacy policy fits on one screen.

WINDOWS 98 INSTALL WIZARD (EXPERIMENTAL)

Build a real, bootable Windows 98 SE machine from your own Windows 98 SE CD image and your own product key. Entirely on your device, the wizard reads the CD image, extracts its boot floppy, and runs Microsoft Setup unattended — file copy, wizard pages, first boot to the desktop — then installs a mouse-integration driver so your touch input works on the Windows desktop. The finished machine appears in your library like any other entry, with persistent disk state.

Honest expectations: a full install runs unattended for 30-60 minutes, and the feature is young — it is labeled Experimental because it means it. If an install fails, it fails cleanly and you can try again. Your CD image is read on-device and never uploaded; your product key is held in memory only and is never stored, logged, or transmitted.

OPEN SOURCE

PocketDOS is free software (GPL-2.0) built on DOSBox, DOSBox-X, and js-dos. The complete source code, including the exact emulator build recipe, is public: https://github.com/Mantene/PocketDos

WHAT POCKETDOS DOES NOT INCLUDE

No game content, no operating systems, no product keys, no MT-32 ROMs. You supply your own legally obtained software. DOS, Windows, and all emulated software remain the property of their respective owners.

Requires iOS 17 or later. iPhone-first; iPad support is planned.