New iPhone emulator claims Bloodborne gameplay as experimental PS5 support arrives

An experimental emulator project is making ambitious claims about running PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games on iPhones. Known as LSX4, the open-source project has received several iOS updates in recent days, including a release dated 26 October 2026 that announces what its developer describes as experimental PS5 support.

The most striking claim involves Bloodborne, FromSoftware's PS4 action RPG. The developer reports that the game can reach approximately 10–30 FPS on iOS, although this performance has not been independently reproduced or verified.

According to the project's official GitHub releases, version 128.9558 announces experimental PS5 functionality alongside improvements for iPad users and a system for collecting game compatibility reports.

The developer lists three games as test cases for the claimed PS5 functionality: God of War: Sons of Sparta, Dreaming Sarah and Void Terrarium++. Their inclusion in the release notes reflects reported testing rather than independently established compatibility. However, the project's documentation is not entirely consistent about platform support. While the latest iOS release notes announce PS5 functionality, the repository's README identifies Android as the platform currently supporting PS5 gameplay.

The announcement raises an intriguing possibility for mobile gaming, but there is a substantial difference between launching a game, reaching an interactive scene and delivering a consistently playable experience.

Bloodborne performance remains a developer claim

Even if reproduced, the reported frame rates would not necessarily establish that the game is playable from beginning to end.

The technical distinction is important. Emulating a PlayStation game involves reproducing aspects of the original system's software environment on different hardware. A successful demonstration of an individual scene does not establish comprehensive compatibility.

LSX4's public demonstrations and release notes have not yet been supported by independent testing sufficient to confirm its more ambitious gameplay claims.

The project should therefore be regarded as an experimental development rather than an established method of playing PS4 games on an iPhone.

PS5 claims arrive alongside further iOS updates

The PS5 announcement was followed by several additional releases on 27 October.

Version 128.9559 introduces a change to PKG installation, allowing files already copied into the application to be installed without reopening the system file picker.

Version 128.9561 lists file management changes and optimisations intended for less powerful devices, while version 128.9564 adds further iPad improvements and support for Duo devices.

The rapid succession of updates indicates active development, although release frequency alone offers no guarantee of emulator stability or technical authenticity.

The project's public source repository lists a GPL-2.0 licence and includes separate Android and iOS development materials. However, the availability of source code and downloadable builds does not independently demonstrate that the software performs all the functions claimed.

An ambitious project with unanswered questions

The developer distributes the iOS releases through GitHub, with installation instructions involving Sideloadly and just-in-time compilation.

For users unfamiliar with sideloading, that introduces practical complications. The security of the downloadable builds has not been independently established, and the project's availability on GitHub should not be interpreted as a safety endorsement.

The wider emulation community has already demonstrated significant progress with PlayStation software on other platforms. Notebookcheck has previously reported on Bloodborne running through PS4 emulation on PC, although that development involved a separate project.

LSX4's distinguishing claim is its attempt to bring comparable experimentation to mobile devices, including iPhones.

For now, its October releases are noteworthy as a newly publicised development effort, rather than proof that demanding PS4 or PS5 games can be played reliably on Apple's smartphones.