Retro gamers rejoice: Dreamcast emulator Flycast gains online play on Android

TL;DR

The Dreamcast emulator Flycast has added support for native Dreamcast online multiplayer.
Still an experimental feature, it currently supports 20 games.
Servers are hosted by Flycast developer Flyinghead, completely free of charge.

The Sega Dreamcast was the first home console to natively support online multiplayer, but it’s difficult to play those games today unless you’re willing to invest in adaptors and search for private servers. However, one of the most popular Dreamcast emulators on Android, Flycast, now has native support for Dreamcast online, and it won’t cost you a dime.

The new feature, called DCnet, uses the built-in multiplayer features of select games to connect to a server hosted by Flycast developer Flyinghead. This eliminates the headache involved with playing Dreamcast games online; in most cases, you only need to tick a box in the network settings. It works over Wi-Fi and cellular connections. Game-specific instructions can be found on Reddit or Discord.

DCnet uses the native online multiplayer built into Dreamcast games, but it works on Wi-Fi and cell connections.

However, the feature is only available on the app’s dev build, so you’ll need to download it from the official GitHub. You’ll also need to regularly update to the most recent dev build, so check back every few days to get the latest.

Once incorporated into the stable build, you can revert to the Google Play Store version to enjoy automatic updates. Regardless, the app is completely free and has no ads.

Twenty games are currently supported, with more expected in the future. Here’s the full list of supported games as of writing: