Best Game Boy Advance Games of All Time
Published 2026-10-07
The Game Boy Advance ran from 2001 to the late 2000s, and its library is one of the strongest of any handheld. Nintendo's own studios, Capcom, Konami and Square Enix all produced some of their best portable work for it.
The picks below are grouped by genre so you can find a place to start. Any good GBA emulator will run them; mGBA is a popular, accurate choice on PC and Android.
Pokémon
Pokémon Emerald
The definitive version of the Hoenn generation, with both Team Magma and Team Aqua and the Battle Frontier as a post-game challenge. A sensible first pick if you want the deepest GBA Pokémon experience.
Pokémon FireRed
A remake of the original Pokémon Red and Green set in Kanto, with the improved battle engine of the GBA era and the Sevii Islands added after the main story.
Pokémon LeafGreen
The companion to FireRed, with a handful of different exclusive Pokémon. Pick whichever you prefer; the two are otherwise nearly identical.
Pokémon Ruby
The first generation on the GBA, introducing Hoenn, abilities, natures and double battles. Sapphire is the paired version.
Nintendo classics
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
A charming adventure in which Link can shrink to the size of the tiny Minish people. Its dungeons are well designed and the whole game is a polished, compact Zelda.
Metroid Fusion
Samus is hunted aboard a research station by a parasite that has taken her own powers. More linear and more tense than earlier Metroid games, with a memorable stalker enemy.
Metroid: Zero Mission
A modern remake of the original Metroid, with a new ending sequence. It is a very good starting point for newcomers to the series.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
A bright, fast kart racer that includes all the tracks from the SNES original in addition to the new ones, giving it a huge amount of replay value.
Super Mario Advance 4
A port of Super Mario Bros. 3, one of the best platformers ever made, with extra content for the GBA.
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
The hand-drawn, crayon-style platformer in which Yoshi carries baby Mario across inventive levels. A beautiful game that scales well on modern screens.
Wario Land 4
A fast, stylish platformer where each level is a short escape sequence. It is more difficult than most Nintendo platformers and rewards careful exploration.
Role-playing and strategy
Golden Sun
Camelot's puzzle-heavy role-playing game, built around elemental magic called Psynergy and creatures called Djinn. Its sequel continues the same story, so play them in order.
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
A direct continuation that carries over your save data, and a bigger and more ambitious game.
Fire Emblem
The first Fire Emblem released in the West, in which fallen units stay dead. A good place to learn the strategy genre.
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Follows twin heroes Eirika and Ephraim, and adds a world map you can explore between battles. It is often regarded as a gentler entry point to the series.
Advance Wars
Intelligent Systems' turn-based military strategy game, easy to learn and hard to master, with commanders who each have their own special powers.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
A lighter tactical RPG with a job system and a unique laws mechanic that restricts what you can do in battle.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
A funny role-playing game with action-based battles, set in the Beanbean Kingdom. It is as good a comedy as it is a game.
Action and platforming
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Set in the year 2035, with a soul-collecting system that lets you gain abilities from defeated enemies. Considered the best of the GBA Castlevanias.
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
A launch-period game with a card system that combines two cards for a new power. Challenging and atmospheric.
Mega Man Zero
A fast, difficult action platformer starring Zero, from Inti Creates. It started a four-game series with a distinctive story and style.
Sonic Advance
Sonic at full speed on a handheld, with four playable characters and a bright, colourful look. Its sequels improved the formula further.
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
A non-linear, Metroid-style Kirby adventure across one connected map, with the option to summon up to three helper Kirbys.
Where to start
If you can only play three, try Pokémon Emerald, The Minish Cap and Golden Sun. Between them they cover the three genres the GBA did best.
Browse the whole catalogue on our GBA ROMs page, sorted by popularity. Only download games you legally own.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best Game Boy Advance game?
- Opinions differ, but Pokémon Emerald, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Metroid Fusion, Golden Sun and Fire Emblem are on most lists.
- Which GBA emulator is best?
- mGBA is accurate, free and available on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. On other platforms, many players use the emulator built into their frontend.
- Do I need a BIOS to run GBA games?
- Most emulators run GBA games without one. mGBA includes its own replacement BIOS, though using an original BIOS file can improve compatibility for a few games.