Updated at: 08-06-2022 - By: Leo Hall

This is the only list you need if you’re looking for a GBA emulator (Gameboy Advance Emulator). If you’re looking for the best GBA emulators around, look no further.

As a child, you probably had a strong desire to play GBA games again, whether it was because of nostalgia or boredom.

Emulators are the most dependable and least expensive way to recreate the classic GBA experience, even if they are technically illegal.

Best GBA Emulators [Ultimate 2022 List] - GamingScan

Whether or not you’ve heard of emulators and ROMs before, we’ll show you a few of the best options available right now.

You’ll be able to revisit the memories of your favorite GBA games from the past before you realize it. The dishes you missed out on can now be enjoyed!

What Is An Emulator?

This is going to be a game-changer if you’ve never used an emulator before. In essence, an emulator is a clone of the original application that runs on a different computer. In other words, a GBA emulator is an updated version of a GBA emulator running on a more modern platform, like a PC or smartphone.

Because many emulation capabilities are not available on the original device, emulation is an excellent tool. It is possible to bypass long storylines or credits by using GBA emulators that include cheat code capabilities or that have additional save slots and double-speed functions.

If you don’t mind a little cheating, you can’t deny that these quality-of-life enhancements make your life easier.

With an emulator, it couldn’t be any easier to play games. The emulator program is self-contained, so all you have to do is navigate to the game you want to play and it should start automatically. Collecting your ROMs, on the other hand, is an absolute need.

What Is A ROM?

Read-Only Memory is what the abbreviation ROM means. Furthermore, the complete phrase is ROM file or ROM image, which is what we mean when we say ROM. As an analogy, an emulator reads and interprets the contents of a ROM, which is like a “image” that represents the game you’d be playing on it.

Unfortunately, this is where emulators’ dubious reputations come into play. Even if you can make your own emulators, downloading ROMs over the internet or getting them from others constitutes piracy.

It’s the same as downloading free music or videos from the internet because you’re getting a picture of the game.

You can always buy old GBA games and convert them to ROMs on your own, even if we don’t always endorse the practice. The line between this and actual piracy is still somewhat blurred, but as long as you do not distribute the files, it is not infringement.

Be cautious on your journeys, no matter which road you choose. The usage of emulators to play more recent games is more problematic, as emulators are primarily used to play titles that are hard to locate or are no longer offered (and a lot more difficult).

The Best GBA Emulators

To put it another way, emulators are nothing more than computer programs. As a result, a wide range of options are currently available.

Some of them are free, some aren’t, some have additional features, and some are more stable than the others..

Only the greatest GBA emulators are included in the following sections of this guide.

Visual Boy Advance

This GBA emulator is widely regarded as one of the best. It’s also one of the oldest GBA emulators on the market .’s The software has had plenty of time to improve, patch, establish compatibility with many games and optimize due to its longevity.

The fact that Visual Boy Advance is still supported and updated is one of its most useful aspects. It also implies that, in the event that a new Windows or macOS update damages the emulator, a repair will be published as soon as possible. Despite the fact that all of the emulators in our guide today offer this feature, not all of them do.

Visual Boy Advance no longer suffers from the lag difficulties that it had in the past on older PCs. Modern computers and Visual Boy Advance have both progressed enough that lag should no longer be an issue.

Visual Boy Advance is more than simply a GBA emulator. Original Game Boy and Game Boy Color games may also be played on it. In addition, the emulator has the following additional capabilities:

  • Support for hacking tools
  • Support for a joystick
  • Export and import of saved games
  • Capturing and recording the screen
  • A full-screen mode
  • Support for remapping the buttons

No$GBA

A free GBA emulator is known as “No$GBA,” or “No Cash GBA.” Even though most emulators are free, this one stands out due of its name. Some additional features distinguish No$GBA from Visual Boy Advance.

With No$GBA, you can now play Nintendo DS games within the same application. Despite the fact that NDS games are more demanding than GBA games, it can still run most of them rather effectively. It helps to have a more powerful computer, of course.

Additionally, No$GBA’s optimization is top notch. That’s what lets it play NDS games, which can be too much for other emulators. No$GBA also allows the usage of controllers, which will be appreciated by GBA purists.

mGBA

mGBA, despite being a simple emulator, contains a few unique features that gamers will like. Many newbies to emulating will enjoy the ease with which this emulator may be set up and used. The mGBA application is the only one on our list that is easily available.

The Best Gameboy Advance GBA Emulator on PC: mGBA (install guide: setup / config / tutorial) - YouTube

For starters, in addition to the game’s native save files, mGBA enables external save files. It has a lot of room for this, as well. As a result, you can save in numerous locations before starting on hard tasks, and even when you fail, if you’d normally be unable to.

So you can have several games running at the same time, too. In contrast to many GBA games, mGBA will allow you to record several saved games on the device. This is a wonderful option if you’d like to experiment with different scenarios, or if you’d like to play the game with a group of people.

Additionally, mGBA can help you keep your ROMs up-to-date and patched. As a result, if your game is faulty or modified, you can fix it using mGBA. Cheat codes are also supported, and it works with nearly all GBA ROMs.

Higan GBA Emulator For PC

Another excellent GBA emulator for PC is Higan GBA Emulator. The nature of the emulator is simple, allowing it to work on nearly any piece of hardware.

Because of the emulator’s simplicity, anyone can use it. Higan GBA Emulator not only supports GBA games, but also emulates Famicom, Super Famicom, and Gameboy Colour, as well as Sega Master System, Mega Drive, and even Game Gear.

  • Multiple console emulation types are supported by this emulator.
  • A few seconds is all it takes to get up and running.

It’s an excellent alternative, however my experience with it was marred by noticeable audio lag. Even though the problem only affected a small number of games, it still has to be addressed.

  • Most ROMs can be emulated with this tool.
  • It isn’t difficult to set up the emulator at all.
  • It has a better ability to reproduce colors.

Cons

  • In some games, the sound is choppy.

BatGBA – Great Emulator To Run GBA Games on PC

Your search ends right here. This GBA emulator is designed with ease of use in mind. The BatGBA is one of the most straightforward GBA emulators on the market. As a result, there aren’t many options for more skilled users.

The emulator occupies only a minimal amount of storage space and may run on a wide range of devices. This GBA emulator has been around for over a decade and allows users to play any GBA game, commercial or not, with no problem at all.

  • It’s a no-fuss job.
  • All GBA games, both commercial and non-commercial, are supported.

The emulator performs its job, therefore I can’t really find fault with it. The fact that it is a lightweight emulator despite the fact that some advanced functions are lacking may come as a surprise to some users.

  • The emulator is ideal for those who prefer to keep things simple.
  • It doesn’t take a lot of expertise to get started.
  • Runs all of the GBA titles.

Cons

  • There are no more advanced features in the emulator than what is provided by the default settings.

Pizza Boy

  • Android
  • No-cost App

I couldn’t leave out Pizza Boy from this list of the top GBA emulators without including it because I’m an Italian-American. In addition, this is one of the most visually appealing emulators we’ve ever seen!

Playing Pizza Boy on an Android device is a joy. In the handheld console emulator industry, it’s a newcomer, but its free price tag and absence of advertisements have drawn a large following.

I know; free emulators don’t have ads? Surely, it’s a scam?

Nothing on the Gameboy 1UP XL is worse than the jerky camera angle when playing Donkey Kong 64 because of the bugs that are scattered throughout the game.

Beyond being named after my favorite cuisine, what makes Pizza Boy so unique? Fast-forward and slo-mo modes are available on this emulator, which runs at 60 frames per second. There are built-in save state slots, and additional controllers can easily be connected to it.

What if you’ve had enough of playing Words With Friends? Relive your favorite Pokemon adventures from the DMG, GBC, and GBA with this application!

RetroArch

  • Multi-platform
  • Open-source

As one of my favorite emulators to write about, RetroArch is one of my favorite programs to write about.

RetroArch may have been discovered by many Retro Dodo readers as one of the top N64 emulators. Not only does it emulate a single console, but it also emulates every single one of them!

RetroArch trên Steam

But how on earth is it going to pull that off?

Rather than re-creating a single gaming console’s chips and plugins, it comprises many ‘cores’. There are thousands of games for numerous consoles that can be played on any device thanks to these cores.

The GBSP and mGBA cores function properly for GBA games, and RetroArch has a large compatibility list with many games that operate flawlessly. You can play all of your favorite consoles at the same time thanks to this sturdy, attractive, and functional piece of furniture.

FAQS:

What Are Emulators?

Retro games may be played on a variety of modern platforms, including smartphones, laptops, and Raspberry Pis, thanks to emulators. These are programs that can be downloaded and modified by others. They are frequently open-sourced.

In a nutshell, they emulate the functionality of a gaming console on other devices. To play their old favorites, gamers can virtually recreate the inner workings of their preferred platforms, such as the Sega Mega Drive and the Nintendo 64.

An emulator is nothing more than a program that can access other files, similar to the VLC media player or a torrent downloader. It is through them that ROMs travel.

To play games on home consoles, you need a ROM, which is a digital copy of the game data found on the cartridge or disc.

After all, we’re law abiding citizens!

The legality of sharing and downloading games for obsolete platforms is a source of consternation for many. Is it against the law to play a game that you haven’t purchased? Are the uploader or the user responsible? Nintendo, on the other hand, has a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY when it comes to these kinds of debates.

As if that weren’t exciting enough for a list of the top GBA emulators!

What Are The Benefits Of Using The Best GBA Emulators?

Emulators for the Gameboy Advance let you play your favorite titles without the need for a physical Gameboy Advance machine.

As a substitute for Candy Crush, some people demand a Gameboy on their phone, while others prefer to play their favorite titles on a laptop screen. A great method to pass the time in the workplace while the boss talks about profit losses and cleaning rotas, in fact.

The ability to save games at any point in time and to enhance the graphics are only two of the extra features that some emulators promise. Isn’t that good, or what?

Are There Downsides To Emulating Games?

A Chain Chomp from Doug Bowser and Lord Bowser at your door. No one wants to get into a fight like that!

Even if you don’t care about the legal repercussions, there are emulators that are just plain horrible to use. Is it any surprise that some clones and emulators have awful lag? Those built by amateurs, on the other hand, are like poking one’s eyes out with an old rusty nail!

It all boils down to the fact that computers are, after all, computers, not video game consoles like we used to think. They’re like a city slicker and a laid-back country lass in terms of temperament. One can try to imitate the other, but they won’t be very successful.

If you’re looking for the best Nintendo Switch emulator downloads, you’ll be pleased to know that newer PCs with faster processors are better at emulating a wider range of consoles.

How Do I Download The Best GBA Emulators?

To be fair, I’ve spent a lot of time ensuring that this article adheres to legal guidelines before linking you directly to the emulators and game ROMs themselves. What on earth are you basing your opinion of me on?

All I have to say is, aren’t search engines wonderful? They’re an excellent location to begin your quest for information, as they tell you almost all you need to know.

The door was slammed shut with a loud bang. What do you think it is? What the…? “How are you?” ROMs? Not at all. Wait… There’s no way I’m letting this happen.

Conclusion:

While there are many emulators for a variety of games and platforms, the GBA is certainly one of our most cherished ones. These three are the most helpful, stable, and feature-packed emulators on the market, and they’re all free.

There are a lot of emulators out there that we didn’t mention in this article. To avoid listing emulators with the same functionality, the major motivation for this was to avoid duplicating efforts.