Before smartphones, almost every phone ran small Java games, on a platform called J2ME. Between 2000 and 2010, thousands of these games were sold, one build per phone model, and the whole catalog nearly disappeared with the phones.
We have about 990 J2ME games on My Abandonware, from Gameloft's own titles to the phone versions of big console games.
J2ME emulators
On a computer, use KEmulator nnmod or FreeJ2ME-Plus, both free. On Android, use J2ME Loader, which runs almost every game. On an iPhone or iPad, use CoffeeCat.
- KEmulator nnmod (Windows, Mac, Linux): the most complete emulator on a computer, with support for many phone-maker extras and 3D games. It needs Java. Recommended.
- FreeJ2ME-Plus (Windows, Mac, Linux): free and easy, with a window where you drop the game file. It also exists as a RetroArch core, see our page about multi-system emulators.
- J2ME Loader (Android): the best choice on a phone or a tablet, with a touch keypad drawn on the screen.
- CoffeeCat (iPhone and iPad, free): a recent app on the App Store, under active work, and liked by its users. Java game apps do not last long on the App Store: JarPlay, for one, was removed. If CoffeeCat is gone too, try JarlyME, below. Some players also fall back on CloudpilotEmu, a Palm emulator that stays on the App Store: some of the later Palms could run Java phone games. It takes more setting up, and our Palm OS guide is the place to start.
- JarlyME (Android, and iPhone through TestFlight, pay what you want): a young emulator, in an early test version. 2D games run, and 3D is only starting. On an iPhone, install Apple's TestFlight app first, then join the test from the JarlyME page. A TestFlight version stops working after 90 days, until the author uploads a new one.
Running a J2ME game
Open the game's .jar file in the emulator, by dropping it on the window or with the File menu. The game starts as it did on the phone.
Our downloads come in two shapes:
- a single .jar file: the game, ready to open;
- a .zip file: unzip it first, and open the
.jarinside.
A game may also come with a .jad file, a small text file that describes it. Keep it next to its .jar: some games refuse to start without it.
Which version do I pick?
A J2ME game was built once per phone model, so our game pages often list dozens of downloads for one game: 365 Puzzle Club has 94 of them. Pick one, and try another if it looks wrong.
The versions differ by screen size and by phone maker. Common sizes are 128x128, 176x208, 240x320 and 320x240: a version made for a small screen still runs, but the picture stays small, so start with a large one.
The phone maker matters too: a build for a Nokia uses Nokia's extras, and may need a Nokia profile in the emulator. If a game shows an error at once, try the version for another phone.
The phone keys
These games were played on a numeric keypad, with two soft keys under the screen. The emulator maps them to your keyboard, and you can change the layout when a game answers the wrong key.
The number keys work as the phone keypad, and the arrow keys as its direction pad. The two soft keys, used for menus and "back", are usually mapped to the keys around the arrows. In FreeJ2ME-Plus, pick the layout of a phone maker (Nokia, Motorola, Siemens, Sony Ericsson...) in the settings; KEmulator lets you map every key by hand.
I need help!
We do not provide support for running abandonware games. J2ME preservation is a young, busy scene.
The Emulation General Wiki keeps an up-to-date list of emulators and their strong points. The pages of the emulators above answer most setup questions.
Checked in October 2026 against each emulator's own documentation and, where it exists, its source code. Game counts and file sizes come from our own catalogue. These guides were drafted with the help of an AI assistant and checked by hand before publishing. If something here is out of date, tell us.