Editing Game Boy Advance emulators

|predecessor = [[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|Game Boy Color]]

|successor = [[Nintendo DS emulators|Nintendo DS]]

{{for|other emulators that run on GBA hardware|Emulators on GBA}}  

<div style="max-width:100%; overflow:auto;">

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col"|[[#Connectivity|Connectivity]]

! scope="col"|[[#Special_Hardware|Special hardware]]

! scope="col"|[[Recommended Emulators|Recommended]]<abbr title="compatibility, connectivity, enhancements and special hardware support.">*</abbr>

|[https://mgba.io/builds/1/ Dev builds]<br/>[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<ref group=N>[https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/12x3fsm/mgba_0102_released/jhigow4/ endrift's comment about libretro core]</ref><br/>[https://mgba.io/downloads.html {{MGBAVer}}]

|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}<abbr title="Exclusive to standalone version.">*</abbr> ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}<abbr title="Exclusive to standalone version.">*</abbr> ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|[https://nightly.link/nba-emu/NanoBoyAdvance/workflows/build/master Dev builds]<br/> [https://github.com/nba-emu/NanoBoyAdvance/releases 1.7.1]

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/pull/321 Dev Builds]<br/>[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/releases/ v3]

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}[https://problemkaputt.de/gbanew.htm *] ||{{~}}

|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{?}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}

|{{✗}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} ||{{~}}<abbr title="Libretro features">*</abbr> ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}

|? ||{{?}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}

|[[higan]]

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}<ref group=N>Superseded by [[ares]].</ref>

|[https://web.archive.org/web/20150311100053/http://ciacin.site90.com/ideas.php 1.0.4.0]

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}

|[https://github.com/blastrock/meteor 1.4.2]

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|[http://boycottadvance.emuunlim.org/Downloads.htm 0.2.8]

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|[https://www.zophar.net/macintosh/gba/playboy-advance.html 1.0]

|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}

|[https://github.com/Arignir/Hades Git]

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{✗}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}

!colspan="12"|Mobile / ARM

|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}<abbr title="Exclusive to standalone version.">*</abbr> ||{{~}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}}<abbr title="Exclusive to standalone version.">*</abbr> ||{{~}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✗}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}<ref group=N name=gpsp>Libretro Core Only.</ref> ||{{~}}

|Pizza Boy GBA

|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.dbtecno.pizzaboygbapro 2.6.8]

|{{✗}}<abbr title="Separate app called Pizza Boy GBC.">*</abbr> ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} || ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✗}}<abbr title="Separate app called GBC.emu.">*</abbr> ||{{✗}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✗}}<abbr title="Separate paid app called My OldBoy!.">*</abbr> ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} || ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

!colspan="12"|Consoles

|{{✓}} ||{{✓}}<abbr title="Exclusive to standalone version.">*</abbr> ||{{~}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}  

| [[Nintendo Switch Online]]<br/><small>(Sloop)</small>

| align=left|{{Icon|Switch}}

| N/A

|{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}  

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}}<abbr title="Exclusive to standalone version.">*</abbr> ||{{?}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}

|{{✗}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}<ref group=N name=gpsp></ref>  ||{{✓}}

|{{✓}}<abbr title="3DS only">*</abbr> ||{{~}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}

|align=left|{{Icon|GCN|Wii}}

|{{✓}} ||{{?}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|align=left|{{Icon|GCN|Wii}}

|{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{?}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

|[[gpSP|UO gpSP Kai]]

|? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} || ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}

===Comparisons===

;[[mGBA]]:Aims for [[Emulation Accuracy|accuracy]], speed, and features. It's actively developed and has features VBA-M lacks such as a Tilt Sensor, and more recently Game Boy Camera support. It currently does not have an official Android build.

;[[NanoBoyAdvance]]<small class="plainlinks" style="font-weight:normal;"> ([https://github.com/nba-emu/NanoBoyAdvance/blob/master/docs/ACCURACY.md#game-compatibility Compatibility])</small>:Highly [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate]]<ref>[https://github.com/nba-emu/NanoBoyAdvance/blob/master/docs/ACCURACY.md mGBA suite comparison]</ref> Game Boy Advance emulator. It aims for [[Emulation Accuracy|cycle-accurate]] emulation when possible (CPU, DMA, timers, PPU and Game Pak prefetch), while also offering enhancements such as improved audio quality. Very high compatibility, including games that require emulation of [https://github.com/nba-emu/NanoBoyAdvance/blob/master/docs/ACCURACY.md#Game-compatibility peculiar hardware edge-cases].

:;[[VisualBoy Advance#VBA-M|Visual Boy Advance-M (VBA-M)]]:A fork with additional improvements. It is behind in terms of [[Emulation Accuracy|accuracy]] and performance compared to mGBA.

;[[SkyEmu]]:Low level Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance emulator. Its primary focus is to provide a [https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/ybejxv/skyemu_v2_release/itutt2h/ good user experience] through a good mixture of tradeoffs of [[Emulation_accuracy|accuracy]]<ref>[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu#accuracycompatibility SkyEmu: Accuracy and Compatibility], [https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/blob/dev/docs/Accuracy.md SkyEmu: Accuracy on Difficult to Emulate Games].</ref>, performance, features and usability. Capable of full instruction pipeline, prefetch emulation and per pixel PPU Implementation capable of both scan line and mid scan line effects.

;[[higan]] / [[ares]]:It is behind in terms of performance and compatibility compared to mGBA, NanoBoyAdvance and SkyEmu but [[Emulation Accuracy|accuracy]] wise it has dot-based instead of scanline-based renderer for the Game Boy Advance.

;[[MAME]]:Has a <code>gba</code> driver markup as working but both graphics and sound are [http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/dettaglio_mame.php?game_name=gba "imperfect"] as of version 0.249.

;[[gpSP]]:Its last official version was 0.91. There are, however, two forks of interest: [http://dl.qj.net/psp/emulators/gpsp-mod-20090720.html gpSPmod], and [http://filetrip.net/psp-downloads/homebrew/download-gpsp-j-12-06-16-f29570.htmlgpSP-J gpSP-J]. gpSP-J has superior compatibility, while gpSPmod has more options for customization (full screen, cheats, etc). Both are superior to Kai.

* Users are limited to the selection of games Nintendo chooses to make available on the service;

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;"

! Nintendo Switch Online

| colspan=2 | [[Resolution|Resizable Internal Resolution]]

| colspan=12 | For emulation of 2D systems, the resolution can only be upscaled, making the pixels more apparent.

| colspan=2 | [[Netplay|Netplay]]<br/><small>You can use either Yuzu/Ryujinx for playing GBA games online via netplay.</small>

|[https://mgba.io/faq.html#glossary WIP]

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}[https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/issues/2833 *]

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{?}}[https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/65j3c3/can_a_emulated_game_run_better_then_the_actual/dgau7ck/ *]

|{{Y}}[https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/8nw23h/gba_emulator_w_overclock_support/e02nnn6/ *]

|{{N}}

| colspan=2 | [[30/60_FPS_cheat_codes|Internal Framerate Hack]]

|{{N}}

| colspan=2 | [[Texture_packs#Sprite_Replacement_.282D.29|Sprite Replacement]]

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

| colspan=2 | [https://retroachievements.org/gameList.php?c=5 RetroAchievements]

|{{~}}<ref group=N3 name=lrExclusive>Exclusive to libretro core. There is also a [https://github.com/RetroAchievements/RAVBA modified version of VBA-M] for RetroAchievement support. [https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/issues/2232 Feature request: RetroAchievements integration in mGBA standalone].</ref>

|{{~}}<ref group=N3 name=lrExclusive></ref>

|{{N}}

|{{N}}[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/issues/36 *]

|{{Y}}[https://retroachievements.org/download.php#bizhawk *]

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

| colspan=2 | [https://github.com/ipatix/gba-hq-mixer High Quality Audio Mixer]<br/><small>HQ audio mixer for games which use Nintendo's MusicPlayer2000 sound engine</small>

|{{~}}

| colspan=2 | Built-in [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,106405 Custom resolution/CRTSwitchRes]<br/><small>For using this on Windows OS you need [http://geedorah.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1009#p1009 CRT Emudriver].<br/>Another option is using EDID editor tool such as "Custom Resolution Utility".</small>

| colspan=12 | Exclusive to [https://docs.libretro.com/guides/crtswitchres/ libretro cores] and [[GroovyMAME]] at the moment.

|{{Y}}

|{{Y}}

|{{Y}}

|{{Y}}

|{{Y}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{Y}}

|{{N}}

| rowspan=4 | [https://tasvideos.org/Emulatorresources/Features TAS features]

|{{Y}}<ref group=N3 name=ExStandalone>Exclusive to standalone version.</ref>

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{N}}

|{{Y}}

|{{N}}

|{{Y}}[https://docs.mamedev.org/plugins/inputmacro.html *]

|{{N}}

|{{Y}}

|{{Y}}

|{{Y}}

| colspan=2 | [[Widescreen_hacks#Emulators_.282D.29|Widescreen Hack]]

|{{N}}

| colspan=2 | [[Input_lag|Input lag-mitigating technique]]

|{{N}}

| colspan=2 | [[Save_disk_space_for_ISOs#Game_Boy_Advance_.2F_Nintendo_DS_.2F_Nintendo_3DS|Streamable compression format]]

|{{Y}}

|{{N}}

| colspan=2 | [[Wikipedia:Debugger|Debug Features]]

|{{Y}}[https://mgba.io/2021/03/28/mgba-0.9.0/#more-debugging-improvements *]

|{{Y}}

|{{Y}}

|{{N}}

==Connectivity==

There are five different kinds of connectivity, support varying by game:

 

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;"

! Nintendo Switch Online

|colspan=2 | [https://squallsnake.com/blog-gba-single-pak-multiplayer-game-list/ Single Pak]

|{{y}}

|colspan=2 | [[#GBA_Multi_Pak_Link_Multiplayer_.281.7E4GBA.29|Multi Pak]]

|{{y}}

|colspan=2 | [[#Connectivity|Wireless]]

|{{y}}

|{{tbd}}

|colspan=2 | [[#GameCube Connectivity|<abbr title="The Nintendo GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable (model DOL-011) is a link cable that links the GameCube to the Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy Advance SP, the e-Reader, or even a second GameCube via the Game Boy Player. The Game Boy Micro is not compatible due to its different connector. The Wii, however, is compatible with the cable due to the Wii's backwards compatibility with GameCube games and controllers.">GameCube communication</abbr>]]

|{{y}}

|{{y}}

|{{y}}

|{{y}}

|colspan=2 | [[Wikipedia:Game_Link_Cable#Third_generation|<abbr title="The third generation started with the release of the Game Boy Advance which was released alongside its own link cable called the Game Boy Advance Game Link Cable (model AGB-005). It features yet another new type of link cable port which is used on the Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP and Game Boy Player. The e-Reader also uses the third generation link cable port, but since it is incompatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, it is not backwards compatible with the second generation Game Link Cable. Another option is Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter (model AGB-015) for Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, and Game Boy Player.">Link Cable</abbr>]]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

| [[#Rumble Feature|Rumble Feature]]