Want to play RPG Maker games on your phone? I spent hours figuring this out, so let me save you the trouble. Here’s exactly what worked for me.
Table of Contents
What You Need
Get these apps first:
- JoiPlay
- RPG Maker Plugin for JoiPlay
Both are free on Google Play. Download them now.
The Game File Problem
Here’s the thing – you can’t just run the game file directly on Android. I tried this a million times and it never worked. Your phone doesn’t know what to do with exe files.
So here’s what you do instead. Take your game file (the one with the blue cube icon) and extract everything inside it. Yeah, all those files and folders. Then put them all in a new zip file.
Upload this zip to Dropbox or Google Drive. Then download it on your phone.
Fix JoiPlay Settings First
This part is super important and lots of people miss it. Open JoiPlay, go to Settings, then RPG Settings. Look for “Use Ruby 1.8 for XP and VX games” and turn it OFF.
I can’t tell you how many times I got stuck because of this setting. Just turn it off.
Add Your Game
Open JoiPlay and hit the plus button to add a game. Find your zip file and select it. JoiPlay will unzip everything for you. Just wait for it to finish.
The RTP Thing
When you try to start your game, you’ll probably get an error about needing RPG Maker VX Ace RTP. Don’t freak out. JoiPlay should ask if you want to download it. Just say yes and let it do its thing.
If it doesn’t ask automatically, go back to settings and look for RTP downloads. You can get it there too.
When Nothing Works
Some games are just difficult. I had one game that wouldn’t work no matter what I did. Here’s what finally worked:
Instead of extracting files myself, I added the original game file directly to JoiPlay. When it complained about RTP, I made sure I had good internet and let JoiPlay handle everything.
Common Problems
Games crash? Check if the game has custom scripts. Some fan-made games use code that doesn’t work on phones. Nothing you can do about that.
Can’t find exe file? You don’t need it. JoiPlay works with the extracted files, not the exe.
RTP won’t install? Make sure you have internet and storage space. The RTP files are pretty big.
Quick Method That Works
Someone in a forum shared this and it saved me tons of time:
- Download RPG Maker VX Ace RTP on your computer
- Open JoiPlay and select your game
- When you get the menu, choose the RPG VX zip file
- Wait for extraction
- Play your game
This method is way easier than all the file juggling.
Settings That Matter
Go to JoiPlay settings and check these:
- Turn off Ruby 1.8 (I keep saying this because it’s important)
- Make sure RPG Maker plugin is enabled
- Check you have enough storage space
File Organization Tips
Keep your game files organized. Put everything in one folder with a simple name. No weird characters or super long names. Your phone gets confused with complicated file names.
I learned this the hard way when my game kept crashing because the folder had Japanese characters in the name.
Testing Your Setup
Start a new game and play for a few minutes. Check that:
- Music plays
- Pictures show up
- You can save and load
- No random crashes
If something’s wrong, restart JoiPlay or your phone. Sometimes that fixes weird issues.
Games That Work Best
Simple games work better than complex ones. Popular games usually work fine because more people have tested them. Fan games with lots of custom stuff might not work perfectly.
I’ve had good luck with most mainstream RPG Maker games. The weird indie ones sometimes give me trouble.
When You Get Stuck
Check online forums. Lots of people have the same problems. Someone probably figured out a solution already.
Keep JoiPlay updated. New versions fix bugs and work with more games.
Don’t give up too fast. I almost quit trying to get one game working, but it turned out I just had the wrong RTP version installed.
Storage Management
RPG games can be big. The RTP files alone take up decent space. Make sure you have room on your phone before starting.
Clean out old games you don’t play anymore. Your phone will thank you.
Battery Life
Playing RPG games drains your battery faster than regular phone stuff. Keep a charger handy for long gaming sessions.
Final Thoughts
Getting this working takes some patience. Don’t expect everything to work perfectly on the first try. But once you get it set up right, you can play tons of great games on your phone.
The key things that made the difference for me were turning off that Ruby setting and letting JoiPlay handle the RTP download automatically. Skip the complicated file extraction if you can – the simple method usually works better.
Good luck with your gaming!
