424
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
| {{~}}<ref group=N3 name=LibretroExclusive>[https://docs.libretro.com/guides/retroachievements/#game-boy-game-boy-color Exclusive to libretro core].</ref>
| {{~}}<ref group=N3 name=LibretroExclusive></ref>
| {{~}}<ref group=N3>[https://docs.libretro.com/guides/retroachievements/#game-boy-game-boy-color Exclusive to libretro core but may have issues with some achievement sets for the time being].</ref>
| {{Y}}
| {{N}}
| rowspan=4 | [https://tasvideos.org/EmulatorresourcesMovies Movie recording/Features TAS features]| [[Wikipedia:Macro_(computer_science)|Macros/Scripts]]/[https://tasvideos.org/LuaScripting Luaplayback]
|-
| rowspan=2 | Post-Processing
| [[Shaders_and_filters|Filters]]
| {{Y}}
| {{Y}}
| {{N}}
| {{Y}}[https://sameboy.github.io/features/#core-emulation-features *]
| colspan=2 | [[Wikipedia:Category:Debugging|Debug features]]
| colspan=2 | [[#Rumble|Rumble]]
| colspan=2 | [[#MultiplayerGame Boy Camera|<abbr title="The Nintendo Game Link Cable is an accessory for the Game Boy line of handheld video game systems, allowing players to connect Game Boys of all types for multiplayer gaming. Depending on the games, a Game Link Cable can be used to link two games of the same title, like Tetris, or two compatible games like Pokémon Red and Blue. Games can be linked for head-to-head competition, cooperative play, trading items, unlocking hidden features, etc.">Link Cable</abbr>Camera]]<ref group=N>Super Game Boy for SNES supports only on the Japan-exclusive Super Game Boy 2.<br/>gameyob for DS emulator supports it through NiFi.<br/>Virtual Console for Switch only supports for Pokemon only.</ref>
| colspan=2 | [[#Game Boy PrinterAccessories|Game Barcode Boy Printer]]
| {{~}}<ref group=N name=Libretro />
| {{✓}}
| {{✓}}[https://sameboy.github.io/changelog/ *]
| colspan=2 | [[#Game Boy CameraAccessories|Game Boy CameraBarcode Taisen Bardigun]]| {{✓}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}
| {{~}} <ref group=N name=Libretro />
| {{~}}
| {{✓}}[https://sameboy.github.io/changelog/ *]
| {{~}}
| {{✓}}<ref group=N>GBCC uses Android real front/back Camera hardware permission required.</ref>
| {{N}}
| {{N}}
| colspan=2 | [[#IR Transmitter|IR Transmitter]]
| colspan=2 | [[#MultiplayerOnline features|4-Player AdapterOnline features]]| {{✓}}| {{✗~}}
| colspan=2 | [[#AccessoriesMultiplayer|GB Pocket Sonar4-Player Adapter]]
| {{N}}
| colspan=2 | [[#Accessories|Barcode Taisen BardigunGB Pocket Sonar]]
| colspan=2 | [[#Accessories|Singer Sewing Machine]]
===Unlicensed 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 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 ([http://hhug.me/dump/ Compatibility List]). 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].
/Adding KevBoy Emulator/
{{Infobox console
|title = Nintendo Game Boy/(Color)
|logo = Game_Boy.png
|image = Game-boy-color.png
|type = [[:Category:Handheld consoles|Handheld game console]]
|generation = [[:Category:Fourth-generation video game consoles|Fourth generation]]
|release = 1989(Game Boy)<br/>1998 (Game Boy Color)
|discontinued = 2003
|predecessor = [[Game & Watch]]
|successor = [[Virtual Boy emulators|Virtual Boy]], Game Boy Color, [[Game Boy Advance emulators|Game Boy Advance]]
|emulated = {{✓}}
}}
{{for|other emulators that run on the Game Boy/Game Boy Color hardware|Emulators on GB/GBC}}
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]].
===PC / x86===
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"
! Name
! Platform(s)
! [[#Enhancements|Enhancements]]
! [[#Hardware_features_and_accessories|Hardware features<br/>and accessories]]
! [[#Mappers|Mappers support<br/>level]]
! <abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
! Active
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
| [https://sameboy.github.io/downloads {{SameBoyVer}}]<br />[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]
|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
| [[BGB]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
| [http://bgb.bircd.org/#downloads {{BGBVer}}]
|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
| [[BizHawk]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
| [https://gitlab.com/TASVideos/BizHawk/-/pipelines Dev builds]<br/>[http://tasvideos.org/BizHawk/ReleaseHistory.html {{BizHawkVer}}]
|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
| [http://emulicious.net Emulicious]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
| [https://emulicious.net/downloads {{EmuliciousVer}}]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
| [[Gambatte]]<br/><small>[https://docs.libretro.com/library/gambatte/ Gambatte_libretro]</small>
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|Web}}
| [https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<br/>[https://sourceforge.net/projects/gambatte/files/gambatte {{GambatteVer}}]
|{{~}}<abbr title="Libretro core supports RetroAchievements">*</abbr> ||{{~}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗~}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[[Mesen|Mesen]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
|[https://github.com/SourMesen/Mesen2/tags 2.0.0-preview1]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
| [[GBE+]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
| [https://github.com/shonumi/gbe-plus/releases {{GBEVer}}]
|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}[[#Hardware_features|*]]
|-
| [[MAME]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
|<abbr title="Latest development version">git artifacts</abbr><ref group=N>[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]
|{{~}} ||{{?}} ||[http://hhug.me/dump/ Unlicensed] ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}[[#Unlicensed_mappers|*]]
|-
| [[Gearboy]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD|Web}}
| [https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<br/>[https://github.com/drhelius/Gearboy/releases {{GearboyVer}}]
|{{~}}<abbr title="Libretro core supports RetroAchievements">*</abbr> ||{{~}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{~✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
| [https://gbcc.dev GBCC]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
| [https://github.com/philj56/gbcc git]
|{{?~}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
| GameRoy
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|Web}}
|[https://github.com/Rodrigodd/gameroy 0.3.1{{GameRoyVer}}]|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
| [[ares]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
| [https://github.com/ares-emulator/ares/releases {{aresVer}}]
|{{~}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
| [[mGBA]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
| [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}}]
|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||[https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/blob/master/README.md#game-boy-mappers Unlicensed] ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
| [[VisualBoy Advance#VBA-M|VBA-M]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
| [https://nightly.vba-m.com/ Nightly builds]<br/> [http://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core] <br/> [https://github.com/visualboyadvance-m/visualboyadvance-m/releases {{VBAMVer}}]
|{{~}} ||{{~}}||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
| [http://hhug.me/ hhugboy]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
| [https://github.com/tzlion/hhugboy/releases {{hhugboyVer}}]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||[http://hhug.me/dump/ Unlicensed] ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}[[#Unlicensed_mappers|*]]
|-
|[[SkyEmu]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|Web}}
|[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/pull/143#issue-1456816849 v3{{SkyEmuVer}}]|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[http://binji.github.io/binjgb/ binjgb]
| align=left|{{Icon|Web}}
| [https://github.com/binji/binjgb/releases {{binjgbVer}}]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|Ironboy
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|Web}}
|[https://github.com/chiplis/ironboy/ Web]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|PyBoy
|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}
|[https://github.com/Baekalfen/PyBoy/releases 1.6.10{{PyBoyVer}}]|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|KevBoy|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS|Web}}|[https://github.com/xkevio/kevboy/releases {{KevBoyVer}}]|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}|-|jgb|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}|[https://github.com/jsgroth/jgb git]| || || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{?}}|-|jgenesis|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}|[https://github.com/jsgroth/jgenesis {{jgenesisVer}}]| || || ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{?}}|-|[[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]
|{{~}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}<ref group=N>Superseded by [[ares]].</ref>
|-
|[https://mattcurrie.com/bdm/ BDM]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|macOS|Web}}
| [https://mattcurrie.com/bdm-demo/ Demo]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{~}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[https://fms.komkon.org/VGB VGB]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
| [https://fms.komkon.org/VGB {{VGBVer}}]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|Gamebert
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
| [https://github.com/robert/gamebert Git]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[[Pantheon]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
| [http://bostjan-grandovec.si/Content/News.htm {{PantheonVer}}]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|UGE
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
| [https://github.com/SuperDisk/hUGETracker/releases {{UGEVer}}]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[[KiGB]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|DOS}}
| [http://kigb.emuunlim.com/downloads.htm 2.05{{KiGBVer}}]|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|[[TGB Dual]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}<ref group=N 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 git{{TGBDualVer}}]|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|GiiBiiAdvance
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}
| [https://github.com/AntonioND/giibiiadvance/releases git]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|MetroBoy
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}
| [https://github.com/aappleby/MetroBoy/releases {{MetroBoyVer}}]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓~}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|hdmg
| align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS|FreeBSD}}
| [https://git.sr.ht/~sircmpwn/hdmg git]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|}
</div>
===Mobile / ARM===
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"
! Name
! Platform(s)
! [[#Enhancements|Enhancements]]
! [[#Hardware_features_and_accessories|Hardware features<br/>and accessories]]
! [[#Mappers|Mappers support<br/>level]]
! <abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
! Active
| align=left|{{Icon|Android}}
| [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.philj56.gbcc beta41]<br/>[https://github.com/philj56/gbcc-android/actions/workflows/build-apk.yml <abbr title="Latest development version">git Artifacts</abbr>]
|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[Game Play Color]]
| align=left|{{Icon|iOS}}
| [https://github.com/gameplaycolor/gameplaycolor/releases {{GamePlayColorVer}}]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[http://www.explusalpha.com/home/gbc-emu GBC.emu]
| align=left|{{Icon|Android|Pyra}}
| [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.explusalpha.GbcEmu {{.emuVer}}][https://github.com/Rakashazi/emu-ex-plus-alpha git]</br>[https://pyra-handheld.com/repo/apps/76 1.5.46.02 Pyra]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[mGBA]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS}}
|[https://buildbot.libretro.com/nightly/ libretro core]<br/>[https://github.com/huhao1987/mGBA_Android 0.3]
|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||[https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/blob/master/README.md#game-boy-mappers Unlicensed] ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[[SkyEmu]]
|align=left|{{Icon|Android|iOS}}
|[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sky.SkyEmu v3.2] (Play)[https://www.amazon.com/SkyEmu-GBC-GBA-NDS-Emulator/dp/B0CGHK8QP5 v3.2] (Amazon)[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu git]
|{{~}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|GBA4iOS
| align=left|{{Icon|iOS}}
| [https://iemulators.com/gba4ios 2.1]<br/>[https://github.com/CocoaBob/GBA4iOS git] <small>(new fork)</small>
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}
|-
|GameRoy
|align=left|{{Icon|Android}}
|[https://github.com/Rodrigodd/gameroy 0.2.0]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[https://eightbitwonders.gitlab.io/app 8-Bit Wonders]
|align=left|{{Icon|Android}}
|[https://f-droid.org/packages/de.rainerhock.eightbitwonders 0.8] (F-Droid)</br>0.8 (Play)</br>0.8 (Amazon)</br>[https://gitlab.com/eightbitwonders/app git]
|{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||roadmap
|-
|MeBoy
| align=left|{{Icon|Java}}
| [http://www.arktos.se/meboy/download.php 1.6][https://github.com/chijure/meboy git]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{~}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}
|-
|[https://my-oldboy-free-gbc-emulator.en.uptodown.com/android My OldBoy!]
| align=left|{{Icon|Android}}
| [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fastemulator.gbc 2.0.0]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{~}}
|-
|John GBC
| align=left|{{Icon|Android}}
| [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.johnemulators.johngbc 3.93]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}}
|}
</div>
===Consoles===
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"
! Name
! Platform(s)
! [[#Enhancements|Enhancements]]
! [[#Hardware_features_and_accessories|Hardware features<br/>and accessories]]
! [[#Mappers|Mappers support<br/>level]]
! <abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
! Active
! [[Recommended emulators|Recommended]]
|-
|[[Nintendo Switch Online]]<br/><small>(Hiyoko)</small>
| align=left|{{Icon|Switch}}
| N/A
|{{~}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|Super Game Boy
| align=left|{{Icon|SNES}}
| N/A
|{{✗}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[http://gbatemp.net/threads/gameyob-a-gameboy-emulator-for-ds.343407 GameYob DS]
| align=left|{{Icon|NDS}}
| [https://github.com/Drenn1/GameYob git]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[https://gbatemp.net/threads/gameyob-3ds-gb-c-emu.372523/ GameYob 3DS]
| align=left|{{Icon|3DS}}
| [https://www.gamebrew.org/wiki/GameYob_3DS 1.0.8][https://github.com/Drenn1/GameYob git]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[VisualBoy_Advance#VBA-M|<abbr title="Modified port of VBA-M. With it you can play GBA/Game Boy Color/Game Boy games on your Wii/GameCube.">VBA GX</abbr>]]
| align=left|{{Icon|GCN|Wii|WiiU}}
| [https://github.com/dborth/vbagx#nightly-builds nightly-builds]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|PlutoBoy
| align=left|{{Icon|PSP}}<br/>{{Icon|3DS|NX}}<br/>{{Icon|Vita|DC}}<br/>{{Icon|PSX}}<br/>{{Icon|PS2}}
| [https://github.com/RossMeikleham/PlutoBoy git]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[https://docs.libretro.com/library/gambatte/ Gambatte_libretro]
| align=left|{{Icon|Xbox|NGC}}<br/>{{Icon|Wii|WiiU|NX}}<br/>{{Icon|PS3}}<br/>{{Icon|PSP}}<br/>{{Icon|Vita|3DS}}
| [https://www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms libretro core]
|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{~}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|RIN
| 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]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[Virtual Console]]
| align=left|{{Icon|3DS}}
| 8.10
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|[[mGBA]]
| align=left|{{Icon|Wii|WiiU|NX}}<br>{{Icon|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]
|{{~}} ||{{~}} ||[https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/blob/master/README.md#game-boy-mappers Unlicensed] ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|GBEmu
| align=left|{{Icon|VB}}
| [https://www.virtual-boy.com/forums/t/entry-game-boy-emulator/ 0.1]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||? ||{{✗}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|RealBoy Vita
| align=left|{{Icon|PSV}}
| [https://vitadb.rinnegatamante.it/#/info/167 1.2][https://github.com/xerpi/realboy-vita/releases git]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}
|-
|ShuBoy
| align=left|{{Icon|MD}}
| [http://jiggawatt.org/badc0de/shuboy.htm 1.0]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{~}}
|-
|aGBe
| align=left|{{Icon|PSX}}
| [https://sourceforge.net/projects/agbe/files/agbe SF]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✗}} ||{{✗}}
|-
|Hu-Boy
| align=left|SuperGrafx<br>TurboGrafx-CD<br>TurboDuo
| [https://www.chrismcovell.com/huboy.html V 0.30621]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{X}} ||{{✓}} ||{{X}}
|}
</div>
===Firmware===
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;width:100%"
! Name
! Platform(s)
! [[#Enhancements|Enhancements]]
! [[#Hardware_features_and_accessories|Hardware features<br/>and accessories]]
! [[#Mappers|Mappers support<br/>level]]
! <abbr title="Free/Libre and Open-Source Software">FLOSS</abbr>
! Active
| align=left|{{Icon|UEFI}}
| [https://github.com/RossMeikleham/PlutoBoy git]
|{{?}} ||{{?}} ||? ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}} ||{{✓}}
|-
|}
</div>
<references group=N />
===Comparison===
====Game Boy-only emulators====
;[[SameBoy]]:One of the most [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate ]] Game Boy emulators emulator 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 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. Most 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 Pokémon speedrunning community took it in and works on updateslibretro 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 gameboy 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 emulator, developed by Ben "binji" Smith since 2016. Most famously used by McDonald's in 2023 when they published the to publish ''Grimace's Birthday'' [https://grimacesbirthday.com/ ''Grimace's Birthday''] as a browser game].; [[Nintendo Switch Online]] (Hiyoko):
* GB support was added to Nintendo Switch Online in February 2023, alongside GBA games exclusive to the Expansion Pack tier;
* Users are limited to the selection of games Nintendo chooses to make available on the service;
* [https://www.androidauthority.com/best-game-boy-emulators-for-android-368530/ 10 best Game Boy Advanced, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy emulators for Android] (SEPTEMBER 2, 2018. Includes some emulators not found in above charts. Reviews may be subjective.)
====Backwards-compatible GB/C emulation on GBA emulators====''This shouldn't be confused with [[Game_Boy_Advance_emulators#Hardware_features_and_accessories|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.
;[[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_.
==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 ([http://hhug.me/dump/ Compatibility List]). 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==
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;width:100%"
|- style="font-weight:bold;"
! colspan=2 | Name
! Nintendo Switch Online (Hiyoko)
|-
| colspanrowspan=2 3 | Graphics| [[Resolution|Resizable Internal Resolution]]
| colspan=10 | For emulation of 2D systems, the resolution can only be upscaled, making the pixels more apparent.
|-
| colspan=2 [[Widescreen_hacks#Game_Boy| Built-in [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,106405 Custom resolution/CRTSwitchResWidescreen hack]]<br/><small>For using this on Windows OS you need Possible with technique called [[http://geedorahWidescreen_hacks#Emulators_.com/eiusdemmodi/forum/viewtopic282D.php?pid=100929|WideGB]] which uses a similar technique as [[Widescreen_hacks#p1009 CRT EmudriverEmulators_.282D.29|WideNES]].<br/>Another option is using EDID editor tool such as "Custom Resolution Utility".</small>| colspan=10 | Exclusive to [https://docskemenaran.libretrowinosx.com/guidesposts/crtswitchreswidegb-now-available-on-windows/ libretro coresSameBoy WideGB fork] at the moment.|-| [[Texture_packs#Game_Boy|Sprite Replacement] and ]| colspan=10 | Exclusive to [[GroovyMAMEGBE+]] emulator at the moment.|-
|-
| colspanrowspan=2 1 | Performance| [[Netplay#Game_BoyOverclocking|<abbr title="Should not be confused with GB/GBC Online features or Link cable emulation, see #Hardware features and peripherals section for that.">Netplay</abbr>Overclock]]
|
|
|
|
| {{N}}[https://github.com/TASEmulators/BizHawk/issues/2450 *]| {{YN}}
|-
| colspanrowspan=2 5 | RetroAchievements<br/>[https://retroachievementstasvideos.org/gameList.php?c=4 Game BoyEmulatorresources/Features TAS features]| [[Wikipedia:Macro_(computer_science)|Macros/Scripts]], /[https://retroachievementstasvideos.org/gameList.php?c=6 Game Boy ColorLuaScripting Lua]||||
|
|
|
|
|
| {{N}}
|-
| colspan=2 | [[Overclocking|Overclock]]Rewind
|
|
|
| {{Y}}
|
|
|
|
|-
| colspan=2 Fast-Forward/Turbo Speed| [[Widescreen_hacks#Game_Boy|Widescreen hack]]<br/><small>Possible with technique called [[Widescreen_hacks#Emulators_.282D.29|| {{Y}}|||WideGB]] which uses a similar technique as [[Widescreen_hacks#Emulators_.282D.29|WideNES]].</small>| colspan=10 | Exclusive to [https://kemenaran.winosx.com/posts/widegb-now-available-on-windows/ SameBoy WideGB fork] at the moment.
|-
| colspan=2 Savestates|||| [[Texture_packs#Game_Boy{{Y}}|Sprite Replacement]]| colspan=10 {{Y}}|||| Exclusive to [[GBE+]] emulator at the moment.
|-
|
|
|
|-
| Rewindrowspan=4 | Post-Processing| [[Shaders_and_filters|Filters]]|||| {{Y}}
|
| {{Y}}
|
|
| {{Y}}
| {{Y}}
|-
|[[Shaders_and_filters#AI-powered filters|AI-powered filter compatible]]<br/><small>([https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/gfecnt/nvidia-freestyle-ansel-enhancements-geforce-experience-article/ Freestyle])</small>
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{N}}
|-
| [[Shader_Presets|Shader Chain]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| {{N}}
|-
|[[High_dynamic_range#Inverse_tone_mapping|Inverse tone mapping compatible]]
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{N}}
|-
| Fastrowspan=7 | Quality of life| Built-Forwardin [http:/Turbo Speed/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=10 | 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 [[Cheats_and_patches|Cheat Manager]]|||| {{~}}<ref group=N3 name=SameBoyCOCO>For MacOS only.</ref>
|
|
|
|
| {{N}}
|-
| [[Save_disk_space_for_ISOs|Streamable compression format]]
|
|
|
| {{Y}}
|
|
|
|
|
| {{N}}
|-
| SavestatesBuilt-in Game Boy sound player
|
|
|
| {{~}}<ref group=N3 name=SameBoyCOCO></ref>
|
|
|
|
| {{N}}
|-
| Per-Game Profiles
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Shader_PresetsCommand Line Options|Shader Chain]]
|
|
|
|
|-
| colspan=2 | Built-in [[Cheats_and_patchesFrontends#Graphical_User_Interfaces_.28GUIs.29|Cheat ManagerBig Picture Mode]]|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| colspanrowspan=2 1 | Controls| [[Input_lag|Input lag-mitigating technique]]|
|
|
|
| {{~}}<ref group=N3 name=LibretroExclusive></ref>
|
|
| {{N}}
|-
| colspanrowspan=2 4 | Misc| [[Save_disk_space_for_ISOsNetplay#Game_Boy|Streamable compression format<abbr title="Should not be confused with GB/GBC Online features or Link cable emulation, see #Hardware features and peripherals section for that.">Netplay</abbr>]]||
|
| {{~}}<ref group=N3 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>
|
|
|
|
| {{N}}[https://github.com/TASEmulators/BizHawk/issues/2450 *]
| {{Y}}
|-
| [[Virtual_reality#VR_game_room_simulations|EmuVR support]]
| colspan=11 | Exclusive to [https://www.emuvr.net/wiki/Installation_Guide#Downloads libretro cores] at the moment.
|-
| RetroAchievements<br/>[https://retroachievements.org/gameList.php?c=4 Game Boy], [https://retroachievements.org/gameList.php?c=6 Game Boy Color]
|
| {{~}}<ref group=N3 name=LibretroExclusive></ref>
| {{~}}<ref group=N3 name=LibretroExclusive></ref>
| {{~}}<ref group=N3 name=LibretroExclusive></ref>
|
|
|
|
| {{Y}}
| {{N}}
|-
|
|
|
| {{Y}}[https://sameboy.github.io/features/#debugging *]
|{{Y}}[https://bgb.bircd.org/manual.html#debugkeys *]
|
|
| {{N}}
|}
</div>
<references group=N3/>
==Hardware features and accessories==
<div style="overflow-x:auto;width:100%">{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;width:100%"
|- style="font-weight:bold;"
! colspan=2 | Name
! Nintendo Switch Online (Hiyoko)
|-
| colspanrowspan=2 5 | Inputs| [[#Motion Control (Tilt Sensor)|Motion Control (Tilt Sensor)]]
| {{✓}}
| {{~}}<ref group=N name=Libretro>Not available on Libretro core.</ref>
| {{?}}
|-
| {{✓}}
| {{✓}}
| {{?}}
|-
| {{✗}}
| {{~}}<ref group=Nname=Libretro />[[mGBA]] pretty buggy [https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/issues?q| {{~}}| {{~}}<ref group=N name=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+Link but sometimes works].SameBoyCOCO></ref>
| {{✓}}
| {{~}}<ref group=N>[[SameBoy]]'s libretro core supports Link CableOnly on Android, standalone does not.</ref>| {{✓}}| {{~}}<ref group=N>GBCC only supports a [https://gbcc.devuses real front/ fake "link" with itself]back Camera hardware permission required.</ref>| {{✗?}}[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/issues/44 *]
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
|-
| {{✓}}
| {{✗}}
| {{✓✗}}<ref group=N>GBCC uses Android real Printer hardware</ref>| {{?✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{N}}
|-
| {{✗}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
|-
| colspanrowspan=2 4 | <abbr title="There are four different kinds of connectivity, support varying by game.">Connectivity</abbr>| [[#Online featuresMultiplayer|Online <abbr title="The Nintendo Game Link Cable is an accessory for the Game Boy line of handheld video game systems, allowing players to connect Game Boys of all types for multiplayer gaming. Depending on the games, a Game Link Cable can be used to link two games of the same title, like Tetris, or two compatible games like Pokémon Red and Blue. Games can be linked for head-to-head competition, cooperative play, trading items, unlocking hidden features, etc.">Link Cable</abbr>]]| {{~}}| {{✗}}| {{✗}}<ref group=N>Super Game Boy for SNES supports only on the Japan-exclusive Super Game Boy 2.<br/>gameyob for DS emulator supports it through NiFi.<br/>Virtual Console for Switch only supports for Pokemon only.</ref>
| {{✗}}
| {{~}}<ref group=N>[[mGBA]] pretty buggy [https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+Link but sometimes works].</ref>
| {{✓}}
| {{~}}<ref group=N>[[SameBoy]]'s libretro core supports Link Cable, standalone does not.</ref>
| {{✓}}
| {{~}}<ref group=N>GBCC only supports a [https://gbcc.dev/ fake "link" with itself].</ref>| {{✗}}[https://github.com/skylersaleh/SkyEmu/issues/44 *]| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
|-
| {{✓}}
| {{✗}}
| {{?}}
|-
| {{✗}}
| {{✗}}
| {{✗}}
| {{✓}}
| {{✗}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?N}}
| {{N}}
|-
| {{✓}}
| {{✗}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?N}}
|-
| colspanrowspan=2 4 | Special hardware| [[#AccessoriesGame Boy Printer|Barcode Game BoyPrinter]]| {{✓}}| {{~}}<ref group=N name=Libretro />
| {{✓}}
| {{~}}<ref group=N name=SameBoyCOCO>For MacOS only.</ref>
| {{✗}}
| {{✗✓}}<ref group=N>GBCC uses Android real Printer hardware</ref>| {{✗}}| {{✗}}| {{✗?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
|-
| {{✓}}
| {{✗}}
| {{?}}
|-
| {{✓}}
| {{✗}}
| {{✗}}
| {{✗}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
|-
| [[#Accessories|WorkBoy]]
| {{N}}[https://github.com/shonumi/gbe-plus/issues/125 *]
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{~}}<ref group=N name=SameBoyCOCO></ref>
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
| {{?}}
|}
</div>
<references group=N />
'''VBA-M:''' Under Options > Game Boy, you will find the '''GB color option'''. The recent nightly builds also include the '''LCD Filter''' option.
For more information about Game Boy hardware and reverse engineering; <br/>
