Game Boy (Color) emulators: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox computing device/Game Boy Color}}{{Infobox computing device/Game Boy}}

The '''[[wikipedia:Game Boy|Game Boy]]''' (GB) and '''[[wikipedia:Game Boy Color|Game Boy Color]]''' (GBC) are 8-bit, fourth-generation handheld consoles released by Nintendo on July 31, 1989 and November 18, 1998 respectively and retailed for {{Inflation|USD|89.95|1998}}. The Game Boy has a Sharp LR35902 core CPU at 4.19 MHz. It had a monochrome display that could only show four shades of grey, albeit with a olive green tinge on the original. The Game Boy Color uses the same LR35902 core as the original; while it is clocked at 8.38 MHz, it can be underclocked to 4.19 MHz for backwards-compatibility purposes. It was named such from its color screen, but it also had a larger memory size and a faster CPU. The hardware similarities allow cross-compatibility between the two platforms and they are often treated as one. They would both be succeeded by the backward-compatible [[Game Boy Advance emulators|Game Boy Advance]].

Nintendo re-released the console as the '''Game Boy Pocket''' in 1996, with a more compact body and a better screen. A front light was added to a special edition of the Pocket in Japan called the '''Game Boy Light''', a feature that wouldn't be seen outside of Japan until the Game Boy Advance SP.

Nintendo released a peripheral for the [[Super Nintendo emulators|Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] called [[wikipedia:Super Game Boy|Super Game Boy]] in June 1994, which was modeled like a cartridge but included its own cartridge slot for Game Boy/Color games, as well as the hardware needed to translate the games. Many Game Boy/Color emulators offer at least some of the special features it included, such as added borders, colorization, custom button mappings, and other features. It was possible to link, but without the external port, as well as errors in the CPU, it would not be feasible to the end user. These issues would later be corrected in the Japan-exclusive Super Game Boy 2.

==Emulators==

|+Before editing, review the [[Getting involved]] and [[Recommended emulators|Recommended]] pages. See [[Computer_specifications#Recommended_Specifications|system requirements]] page for performance demand of the emulators.<br>See tables for <span style="font-weight: bold; color: #CC0000; border: 1px solid #CC0000; padding: 2px;">[[#Enhancements|enhancements]], [[#Hardware_features_and_peripherals|hardware features and peripherals]].</span><br>For more details such as [[licensing]], [[Source_code#Language_levels|programming language]], [[High_and_low-level_emulation|emulation method]], visit each emulator’s dedicated page.<br>Because of how relatively easy popular 8-bit consoles are to emulate, tons of Game Boy emulators exist. For a list of open-source projects, see [https://github.com/search?o=desc&q=gameboy+emulator&s=updated&type=Repositories&utf8=%E2%9C%93 this GitHub query]. For a list of accuracy tests, see [https://daid.github.io/GBEmulatorShootout/ daid.github.io/GBEmulatorShootout].

![[#Mappers|Mappers support level]]

![[Recommended emulators|Recommended]]

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

|[http://bgb.bircd.org/#downloads 1.6.6]||{{Ya}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|WoA|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}

|[https://sameboy.github.io/downloads {{SameBoyVer}}]<br>[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Ya}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

|[http://binji.github.io/binjgb/ binjgb]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Web}}

|[https://github.com/binji/binjgb/releases 0.1.11]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

|[https://chillygb.arci.me/ ChillyGB]

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|Web}}

|[https://github.com/AuroraViola/ChillyGB 0.3.2]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

|[[Gambatte]]<br><small>[https://docs.libretro.com/library/gambatte/ Gambatte_libretro]</small>

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|WoA|Linux|macOS|Web}}

|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<br>[https://sourceforge.net/projects/gambatte/files/gambatte r571]||{{~}}<ref group="lower-alpha" name=active>[https://github.com/libretro/gambatte-libretro/tree/master Libretro core] is still active.</ref> ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Ya}}  

| ?||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|Web}}

|[https://github.com/Rodrigodd/gameroy 0.3.1]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|Dual}} ({{License|Permissive}}) ({{License|Apache2}} or {{License|MIT}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Pyra}}

|[https://pyra-handheld.com/repo/apps/76 1.5.46.02 Pyra]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}

|[https://github.com/philj56/gbcc git]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}

|[https://github.com/shonumi/gbe-plus/releases {{GBEVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|WoA|Linux|LinuxARM|macOS|FreeBSD|NetBSD}}

|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<br>[https://github.com/drhelius/Gearboy/releases {{GearboyVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Ya}}  

| ?||{{~}}

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

|[https://github.com/tzlion/hhugboy/releases 1.4.2]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

|[http://hhug.me/dump/ Unlicensed] ||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|Web}}

|[https://github.com/chiplis/ironboy/ git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|macOS|Web}}

|[https://github.com/xkevio/kevboy/releases 0.3.1]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

|[https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/blob/master/README.md#game-boy-mappers Unlicensed] ||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}

|[https://github.com/Baekalfen/PyBoy/releases {{PyBoyVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|LGPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|Web}}

|[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/pull/321 Dev Builds]<br>[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/releases/ {{SkyEmuVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}

| ||{{Ya}}  

| ?||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Linux|macOS}}

|[https://github.com/7thSamurai/Azayaka git]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|macOS|Web}}

|[https://mattcurrie.com/bdm-demo/ Demo]||{{~}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/emu-russia/dmgemu/ {{dmgemuVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|PDEQ}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/robert/gamebert git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/AntonioND/giibiiadvance/releases git]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}

|[https://git.sr.ht/~sircmpwn/hdmg git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|DOS}}

|[http://kigb.emuunlim.com/downloads.htm 2.05]||{{Na}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/BluestormDNA/Kocoboy git]||{{Na}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/aappleby/MetroBoy/releases 1.02]||{{~}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Linux|macOS}}

|[https://github.com/Mika412/NoobBoy git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/BluestormDNA/ProjectDMG/releases 0.51]||{{Na}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Windows9x}}

|[https://wikiwiki.jp/emulator/rew. rew12stx]||{{Na}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

|SenBoy

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|Web}}

|[https://github.com/Senryoku/SenBoy/releases/tag/v1.1. 1.1]<br>http://senryoku.github.io/SenBoyWeb/||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/Pratyush-gg/Simple-Boy git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Linux}}

|[https://github.com/kaezrr/stargb/releases {{stargbVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}<ref group="lower-alpha" name="two">On Linux as an SDL port (and the [[libretro]] core is based on this version).</ref>

|[https://github.com/libertyernie/tgbdual_L/releases 1.2]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/g-gisbert/TinyBoy git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/SuperDisk/hUGETracker/releases 1.0.11]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|PDEQ}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}

|[https://fms.komkon.org/VGB 6.0]||{{Ya}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

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

|[https://github.com/TimOelrichs/doublecherryGB-libretro git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Dunno}}

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

|[https://github.com/jsgroth/jgb git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|Web}}

|[https://github.com/jsgroth/jgenesis/releases {{JgenesisVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Dunno}}

|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS}}

|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly libretro core]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Ya}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS}}

|[https://github.com/gameplaycolor/gameplaycolor/releases {{GamePlayColorVer}}]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android}}

|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.explusalpha.GbcEmu {{.emuVer}}]<br>[https://github.com/Rakashazi/emu-ex-plus-alpha git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

|[[SameBoy]]<br><small>[https://docs.libretro.com/library/sameboy SameBoy_libretro]</small>

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android|iOS|iPadOS|watchOS}}

|[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sameboy/id6496971295 1.0] (iOS App Store)<br>[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly libretro core]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Ya}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android}}

|[https://github.com/Rodrigodd/gameroy 0.2.0]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|Dual}} ({{License|Permissive}}) ({{License|Apache2}} or {{License|MIT}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS}}

|[https://iemulators.com/gba4ios 2.1]<br>[https://github.com/CocoaBob/GBA4iOS git] <small>(new fork)</small>||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android}}

|[https://github.com/philj56/gbcc-android/releases/tag/v0.41 beta41] (source)||{{Na|link=https://github.com/philj56/gbcc-android}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}<ref group="lower-alpha">Must be compiled from source due to binaries going offline and has been surpassed in terms of general use, but is still Recommended for its exceptional [https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/_5D9uMlRlL-DJ_anXEyJHtI3IriwCFVPgg2zgwhkaG-uYwkjYeTqmiuUZwpomTYKsuo=w1024-h768-rw Printer] and {{YouTubeVideo|ESYolQ761Dw|Kirby Camera}} support.</ref>

| align="left" |{{Icon|Java}}

|[http://www.arktos.se/meboy/download.php 1.6]<br>[https://github.com/chijure/meboy git]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

|[https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/blob/master/README.md#game-boy-mappers Unlicensed] ||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android}}

|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fastemulator.gbc 2.0.0]||{{Ya}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android}}

|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.johnemulators.johngbc 3.93]||{{Ya}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android|iOS|iPadOS|Web}}

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|iOS|iPadOS}}

|[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/delta-game-emulator/id1048524688 {{DeltaVer}}]<br>[https://github.com/rileytestut/Delta git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Dunno}}

| ||{{Na}}

| ?||{{Dunno}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Android}}

|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.dbtecno.pizzaboypro 6.7.3]||{{Ya}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{R}}

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

|[https://files.extremscorner.org/gamecube/apps/gbi/latest main]<br>[https://files.extremscorner.org/gamecube/apps/gbi/latest-extra extra]||{{Ya}} ||{{Red}} {{license|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

|Uses real GBA Hardware (Requires Game Boy Player hardware) ||{{Ya}}<ref group="lower-alpha" name=gbinterface>Multiple versions available. Pick the version that fits best with your specific setup.</ref>

| align="left" |{{Icon|3DS}}

|[https://www.gamebrew.org/wiki/GameYob_3DS 1.0.8]<br>[https://github.com/Drenn1/GameYob git]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|NDS}}

|[https://github.com/Drenn1/GameYob git]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

|-  

| align="left" |{{Icon|VB}}

|[https://www.virtual-boy.com/forums/t/entry-game-boy-emulator/ 0.1]||{{Na}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Wii|WiiU|NX|PSV|3DS}}

|[https://endrift.com/mgba/downloads.html {{MGBAVer}}]<br>[https://www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms libretro core]<br>[https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/releases git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MPL2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})   

| ||{{Ya}}  

|[https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/blob/master/README.md#game-boy-mappers Unlicensed] ||{{Ya}}

|[[Nintendo Switch Online|Nintendo Classics]] <small>(Hiyoko)</small>

| align="left" |{{Icon|Switch|Switch2}}

|N/A||{{Ya}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

|align=left|{{Icon|PSP|3DS|NX|Vita|DC|PSX|PS2}}

|[https://github.com/RossMeikleham/PlutoBoy git]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|PSP}}

|[https://github.com/mbarczak/psp_rin git]<br>[https://archive.org/details/rin-rx.-7z RX]<br>[https://archive.org/details/rin_v1.32n1.2.7z 1.32n1.2]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|SNES}}

|N/A||{{Na}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

|Uses real Game Boy hardware ||{{Ya}}<ref group="lower-alpha" name="Super Game Boy">Uses real hardware on the cartridge. Super Game Boy 1 runs slightly faster than real hardware without a mod and does not have a link port. The Japanese-only Super Game Boy 2 has a link port and runs at the correct speed. Both SGBs support game borders, palettes, and SGB-enhanced games.</ref>

|[[VisualBoy_Advance#VBA-M|VBA GX]]

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

|[https://github.com/dborth/vbagx#nightly-builds nightly-builds]||{{Ya}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|3DS}}

|8.10||{{Na}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

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

| ||{{Na}} ||{{Red}} {{license|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

|Uses real GBA Hardware (Requires Game Boy Player hardware) ||{{~}}<ref group="lower-alpha" name="Game Boy Player">Game Boy Interface is recommended instead. Limited to a filtered, 480i output with a slight amount of input lag</ref>

|align=left|{{Icon|PSV}}

|[https://vitadb.rinnegatamante.it/#/info/167 1.2]<br>[https://github.com/xerpi/realboy-vita/releases git]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

|align=left|{{Icon|MD}}

|[http://jiggawatt.org/badc0de/shuboy.htm 1.0]||{{Na}} ||{{Dunno}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

|align=left|{{Icon|PSX}}

|[https://sourceforge.net/projects/agbe/files/agbe SF]||{{Na}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Na}}

|align=left|SuperGrafx<br>TurboGrafx-CD<br>TurboDuo

|[https://www.chrismcovell.com/huboy.html V 0.30621]||{{Ya}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{X}}

|align=left|{{Icon|UEFI}}

|[https://github.com/RossMeikleham/PlutoBoy git]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

===[[Multi-system emulators]]===

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"

![[#Mappers|Mappers support level]]

![[Recommended emulators|Recommended]]

|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}

|[https://emulicious.net/downloads {{EmuliciousVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Red}} {{License|Proprietary}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{Ya}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|WoA|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}

|[https://nightly.link/ares-emulator/ares/workflows/build/master git Artifacts]<br>[https://github.com/ares-emulator/ares/releases {{AresVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|ISC}} ({{License|Permissive}})  

|{{Emulator compatibility|link=https://ares-emu.net/compatibility|2149|3003}}||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

|[[BizHawk]]<br><small>(BSNES)</small><small>(Gambatte_Speedrun)</small><small>(SameBoy)</small>

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

|[https://gitlab.com/TASVideos/BizHawk/-/pipelines Dev builds]<br>[http://tasvideos.org/BizHawk/ReleaseHistory.html {{BizHawkVer}}]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|MIT}}<br>{{License|GPL}}  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}

|git artifacts<ref group="lower-alpha">[https://nightly.link/mamedev/mame/workflows/ci-windows/master CI-Windows] [https://nightly.link/mamedev/mame/workflows/ci-linux/master CI-Linux] [https://nightly.link/mamedev/mame/workflows/ci-macos/master CI-Macos]</ref><br>[http://www.mamedev.org/release.html {{MAMEVer}}]<br>[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv2}}<br>{{License|BSD3}}  

| ||{{Ya}}

|[http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/lista_mess.php?machine_name=gameboy Unlicensed] ||{{~}}

| align="left" |{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}

|[https://github.com/nesdev-org/MesenCE#development-builds Dev Bulids]||{{Ya}}||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Na}}  

| ?||{{~}}

|[[higan]] (火眼)<br>byuu (謬/view)

|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}

|[http://byuu.org/emulation/higan {{higanVer}}]<br>[https://github.com/libretro/higan libretro core]||{{Ya}} ||{{Green}} {{License|GPLv3}} ({{License|Copyleft}})  

| ||{{Ya}}

| ?||{{Na}}<ref group="lower-alpha">Superseded by [[ares]].</ref>

==Comparison==

===Game Boy-only emulators===

;[[SameBoy]]:One of the most [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate]] Game Boy emulators currently. The UI is simple and easy to use. It includes open source bootroms, although these can be replaced with real ones. Has debugging features and also emulates the Game Boy Camera and Game Boy Printer.

;[[BGB]]:A closed-source emulator for Windows (and [[Wine]]) with solid Game Boy and Game Boy Color accuracy, as well as near flawless link support. It has a wealth of options for color palettes. Mostly used for its advanced debugger.

;[[Gambatte]]:Pretty [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate]] open-source Game Boy/Color emulator. It has a good range of options and features, though not quite as much as some other emulators. The main fork is not in active development, but the libretro core is still active.

;[http://hhug.me/?tags=hhugboy hhugboy]:A Windows-only Game Boy/Color emulator based on GEST with a focus on bootleg and unlicensed games. It is capable of detecting and correctly emulating the mapper on a number of games that are otherwise broken on other emulators, but some ROMs require manually selecting the mapper on the Unlicensed Compatibility Mode menu. Besides the usual raw dumps, it also supports the footered [http://hhug.me/gbx GBX] ROM format, which correctly informs the emulator which mapper to run regardless of what the internal headers say.

;GameRoy:A Game Boy emulator, dissasembler and debugger written in Rust. It has high [[Emulation_accuracy|accuracy]] and accurate clock frequency. It is more suited for debugging uses for now.

;[[TGB Dual]]:An ancient emulator that supports link cable emulation. It also supports [[netplay]], but it requires a VPN. The libretro port supports local multiplayer using player 2's controls.

;[[KiGB]]:An old and obsolete emulator which boasted its accuracy but was proven to be full of game-specific hacks.<ref>https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/issues/238</ref><ref>http://gbdev.gg8.se/wiki/articles/Test_ROMs#Emulators_running_on_desktop_computers</ref><ref>http://gbdev.gg8.se/wiki/articles/KiGB</ref> It has a wide selection of features, but other emulators have caught up and are already doing much better.

;[https://github.com/AntonioND/giibiiadvance GiiBiiAdvance]:Pioneered full GB Camera emulation, including webcam support. Aside from that, it's an unfinished emulator with the basics set up, but its promising future currently on hiatus. It has very [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate]] timing.

;[https://github.com/aappleby/MetroBoy MetroBoy]:Extremely [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate]] Game Boy simulator which being written in a subset of C++ that's designed to to be mechanically translated into Verilog HDL.

;Ironboy:A very recent and promising emulator written in Rust for WebAssembly which is focus only on the original Game Boy (DMG) to [https://github.com/Chiplis/IronBoy#ironboy achieve the highest degree of accuracy]. Unfortunately, it only supports monochrome Game Boy games.

;binjgb:A GB + GBC emulator for both desktop and WebAssembly, developed by Ben "binji" Smith since 2016. Most famously used by McDonald's in 2023 to publish ''Grimace's Birthday'' [https://grimacesbirthday.com/ as a browser game].

;[[Nintendo Switch Online]] (Hiyoko):

* Supports tilt controls through gyroscope or normal controllers (e.g.: ''Kirby's Tilt 'n' Tumble'');

'''List of recommended GB/GBC emulators for Android:'''

===GB/C emulation on GBA emulators===

''This shouldn't be confused with [[Game_Boy_Advance_emulators#Hardware_features_and_peripherals|actual backwards compatibility on GBA emulation]].''

;[[mGBA]]:Primarily emulates the [[Game Boy Advance emulators|Game Boy Advance]] but it also includes GB/C support much like the original system. It's a solid implementation, with most of the library working perfectly.

;[[GBE+]]:An emulator that has a large effort in preserving the functions of a multitude of [[#Game Boy Features|obscure accessories]] that other emulators don't focus on. It can also load custom tiles in games, including colorized tiles for original Game Boy titles.

;[[VisualBoy Advance#VBA-M|VisualBoy Advance-M <small>(VBA-M)</small>]]:Used to be the go-to for Game Boy Advance emulation and even included solid GB/C emulation. It's now behind [[mGBA]] on both fronts.

;[[higan]]/[[ares]]:Because it started out as a [[Super Nintendo emulators|SNES emulator]] (its original name was bsnes), it was the first one that properly emulated all of the [[Super_Nintendo_emulators#Super_Game_Boy|Super Game Boy]]'s features, such as SPC sound chip utilization, which requires the SNES and Game Boy to be emulated simultaneously so it's demanding.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/zwq9fu/ares_crossplatform_open_source_multisystem/j1ys10k/</ref>

;[[BizHawk]]:Uses a modified Gambatte core. It provides speedrunning tools.

;[[MAME]]:Has solid Game Boy emulation through its <code>gameboy</code> driver despite the sound being imperfect, as well as slightly worse Game Boy Color compatibility through its <code>gbcolor</code> driver (where both the graphics and sound are imperfect). Despite its setbacks, it aims to feature compatibility with obscure mappers that other emulators usually ignore, like Wisdom Tree games or MMM01 multicarts. Accuracy was improved upon with contributions by Judge_.

;[[Mesen]]:Game Boy (DMG) and Game Boy Color (CGB) games can also be played on Mesen 2, but only Game Boy Color can play CGB games. For DMG games, you can choose either Game Boy or Game Boy Color, or run the game in Super Game Boy mode by loading the Super Game Boy BIOS (1 or 2) into the SNES core.

==Mappers==

Much like the NES, the Game Boy (and by extension, the Game Boy Color) used '''Memory Bank Controllers''' (MBC) (called MMCs on the NES) and also known informally as '''mappers''', to go beyond the restrictive initial hardware specifications. Nevertheless, Nintendo was much more careful to standardize their specifications to [https://niwanetwork.org/wiki/Category:Licensed_chips just a small number of possible mappers]. Moreover, Game Boy ROMs now included an official internal header mandated by Nintendo that included the correct MMC type. This meant that for the officially licensed games, these mappers proved to be rarely a problem... with some notable unimplemented exceptions: Net de Get's MBC6 that offered downloadable content off the internet, and the MMM01 footer used for some official multi-cart games, among others.

However, it doesn't get better when it comes to '''unlicensed games''', since they didn't necessarily respect Nintendo's specifications about how a given mapper type should handle its memory and behave in general, and internal headers were often filled with erroneous data to hinder dumping and emulation efforts. Some emulators like MESS/[[MAME]] and [http://hhug.me/?tags=hhugboy hhugboy] try to emulate that behavior with various degrees of success (see the [http://hhug.me/dump/ compatibility list], noting that it has not been updated in years; for more recent information, consult MAME’s XML data or [http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/lista_mess.php?machine_name=gameboy this website]). The hhugboy project also proposed a similar solution to iNES for this mapper problem, as the [http://hhug.me/gbx/1.0 gbx ROM format] that appends a footer with extra information needed for some unlicensed games. However, this format, much less unlicensed hardware quirks, isn't widely adopted aside from tentative [https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/blob/master/README.md#game-boy-mappers mGBA support].

==Enhancements==

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"

! colspan=2 |Name

! BGB

! SameBoy

|rowspan="2" |Controls

|[[Input_lag|Input lag-mitigating technique]]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{~}}<ref name="LibretroExclusive" group="lower-alpha" />

|[https://docs.retroachievements.org/general/tutorials/turbo-button.html Turbo button]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|rowspan="4" |Graphics

|Remove sprite limit<br><small>The Game Boy can only display 10 sprites per row (from 40 sprites in total). – this limitation is indirectly responsible for some of the flickering seen in games at times and different strategies must be used to achieve certain game design elements. When this option is enabled, the limit is disabled, allowing more sprites to be drawn on the same line.</small>

|{{Ya}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Texture_packs#Game_Boy|Sprite replacement]]

|[[Widescreen_hacks#Game_Boy|Widescreen hack]]<br><small>Possible with technique called [[Widescreen_hacks#Emulators_.282D.29|WideGB]] which uses a similar technique as [[Widescreen_hacks#Emulators_.282D.29|WideNES]].</small>

|rowspan="1" |Performance

|[[Overclocking|Overclock]]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|rowspan="4" |Post-processing

|{{Enhancements/Post-processing/AI-powered filter compatible}}

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|{{Enhancements/Post-processing/Filters}}

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|[[High_dynamic_range#Inverse_tone_mapping|Inverse tone mapping compatible]]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|{{Enhancements/Post-processing/Shader chain}}

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|rowspan="12" |Quality of life

|Automatic updater

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Frontends#Graphical_User_Interfaces_.28GUIs.29|Big Picture Mode]]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Built-in [[Cheats_and_patches|cheat manager]]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{~}}<ref group="lower-alpha" name="SameBoyCOCO">For macOS only.</ref>

| colspan="3" |Exclusive to [https://docs.libretro.com/guides/crtswitchres/ libretro cores] and [[GroovyMAME]] at the moment.<br>Also there is a [https://github.com/psakhis/Groovy_MiSTer project] for achieving software emulators like libretro cores and GroovyMAME send the raw RGB data over a network to a core running on MiSTer, it basically turns the MiSTer into a GPU for the emulator allowing for easy setup and use with CRT TVs/Arcade monitors.

|Built-in Game Boy sound player

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{~}}<ref group="lower-alpha" name="SameBoyCOCO"></ref>

|Built-in [[Mods,_hacks_and_fan-translations#Built-in mod editor and manager for emulators|mod editor and manager]]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Built-in [[Cheats_and_patches|patch manager]]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Command-line options

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Pause/Resume emulation

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|Per-game profiles

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|[https://www.portablefreeware.com/faq.php#portable Portable] and [https://www.portablefreeware.com/faq.php#stealth stealth]<br><small>Useful enhancement feature for non-personal computer use or plug-and-play scenarios. However, the software may still require the necessary [[Computer_specifications#Operating_System|prerequisites and dependencies]] for your operating system if it is not statically linked.</small>

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Save_disk_space_for_ISOs|Streamable compression format]]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|rowspan="6" |[https://tasvideos.org/Emulatorresources/Features TAS features]

|Fast forward/Turbo speed

|{{Ya}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|Frame step<br><small>(forwards and backwards)</small>

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|[[Wikipedia:Macro_(computer_science)|Macros/Scripts]]/[https://tasvideos.org/LuaScripting Lua]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|[https://tasvideos.org/Movies Movie recording/playback]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Rewind

|{{Ya}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|Save states

|{{Ya}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|rowspan="7" |Misc.

|[[Sound and audio#Audio filters and presets|Audio filters and presets]]<br><small>Simulation of characteristic playback limitations and coloration of vintage consumer audio hardware, such as CRT television speakers, arcade cabinets, handheld consoles, early PC sound outputs, and low-fidelity integrated speakers. These filters are not intended to be perfectly accurate recreations, but rather to evoke the tonal qualities, distortion, bandwidth limits, resonance, and compression associated with 8-bit and 16-bit era devices. Examples include mono or narrow stereo output, reduced frequency response, speaker cone distortion, mild saturation, aliasing, and preset lo-fi profiles inspired by classic TVs, portable game systems, radios, and retro multimedia hardware.</small>

|[[Wikipedia:Category:Debugging|Debug features]]

|{{Ya|link=https://bgb.bircd.org/manual.html#debugkeys}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Ya|link=https://sameboy.github.io/features/#debugging}}

|[[Virtual_reality#VR_game_room_simulations|EmuVR support]]

|[[Netplay#Game_Boy|Netplay]]<br><small>Should not be confused with Game Boy (Color) online features or link cable emulation. See [[#Hardware features and peripherals|hardware features and peripherals]].</small>

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{~}}<ref group="lower-alpha" name="LibretroExclusive">Input lag mitigation technique and [https://docs.libretro.com/guides/retroachievements/#game-boy-game-boy-color RetroAchievements exclusive to libretro cores]. Also [https://docs.libretro.com/library/sameboy/#features netplay enhancement] exclusive to SameBoy libretro core.</ref>

|[[RetroAchievements]]

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{~}}<ref group="lower-alpha" name="LibretroExclusive"></ref>

|Rich Presence (RPC)<br><small>Allows the emulator to share real-time game session details (e.g., current game title, level, boss, playtime, or custom status) with external applications. This enables features such as displaying what you're playing on your profile, inviting friends to spectate, or triggering join-in-progress functionality where supported.</small>

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|Screen translator<br><small>Using optical character recognition (OCR) and other techniques, this feature can provide live translation of in-game text, text-to-speech for visually impaired users, and more — either on demand or automatically.</small></small>

==Hardware features and peripherals==

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"

|+Please only include recommended emulators in this table. Do not bump or spam GitHub threads, issues, or feature request pages.<br>''[https://shonumi.github.io/articles/art34.html Shonumi: The State of Emulation - 2024]''

! colspan="4" |Name

! BGB

! SameBoy

| rowspan="13" |Hardware features

| rowspan="11" |Cartridge

| colspan="2" |Built-in IR ports<br><small>Some games like ''Nectaris'' for GB (monochrome GBs have no IR port at all, IR functionality is completely new to them) or ''Pokémon Trading Card Game'' and the Japanese edition of ''Robopon'' for GBC feature on-board IR transmitters/receivers on their cartridges instead of relying on the Modile Adapter GB or GB Kiss Link IR modem or Link Cable functionality. This feature is sometimes called ''GB Kiss'' (i.e. cartridges "kiss" each other).</small>||{{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}

| colspan="2" |Built-in speakers<br><small>Embedded audio speakers present on cartridges employing TAMA5 and HuC1 mappers: ''Game de Hakken!! Tamagotchi - Osutchi to Mesutchi'' (aka ''Tamagotchi 3''), ''Robot Poncots'' (''Robopon'' outside of Japan) and ''Pocket Family'' game series.</small>||{{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}

| colspan="2" |Game Boy Advance-enhanced mode||{{Ya}}

|{{Na}}||{{Ya}}

|{{Dunno}}

| colspan="2" |[[#Real-time_clock|Real-time clock]]||{{Dunno}}

|{{Dunno}}||{{Ya}}

|{{Ya}}

| colspan="2" |[[#Rumble|Rumble]]||{{Na}}

|{{Na}}||{{~}}<br><small>RetroArch only.</small>

|{{Ya}}

| rowspan="5" |[[Super Nintendo emulators#Super Game Boy|Super Game Boy]]<br><small>Most features can only work on the Super Nintendo's hardware.</small>

|Borders

|{{Ya}}

|{{Na}}

|{{Ya}}

|{{Dunno}}

|Custom audio

|{{Na}}

|{{Na}}

|{{Na}}

|{{Dunno}}

|Custom palettes

|{{Ya}}

|{{Na}}

|{{Ya}}

|{{Dunno}}

|Local multiplayer

|{{Ya}}

|{{Na}}