Recently we covered the best Android emulators where we highlighted the features of most popular emulators for Android and today we come up the best GBA emulators or Gameboy advance emulators will allow you to play all-time favorite GBA games right on your PC. GBA was perhaps one of the most significant successes by Nintendo; allowing the gamers to play their favorite games anywhere they want.
Best Gameboy Advance emulator on Mac? Just got a new macbook air and i dont want to riddle it with malware. Can anybody recommend a decent (AND SAFE!!) emulator for pokemon and such?
In case you are wondering, GBA (Game Boy Advance) was an upgraded version of Game Boy Colour and was able to run games that were more advanced. The handheld also had better color quality and more powerful hardware.
Recommended Read – Best GBA Emulators For Android
Although GBA is no longer available, people still prefer playing the top GBA games. Those who do not possess the handheld console, the best way is to emulate them on the computer. There are several fantastic emulators available to download.
Best GBA (Game Boy Advance) Emulators For PC 2019
These GBA emulators are specifically designed to let you play GBA games on PC (Windows) with ease, and will also give you some features that are otherwise missing from the handheld console.
mGBA – Best GBA Emulator For Windows PC
The first emulator on the list is called mGBA. Now the thing about these emulators is that they extend the support for the game beyond what is usually supported. So, when you decide to play GBA ROMS on PC, you get some additional features.
The additional features usually include the ability to save the game whenever you prefer. Some patches for games that do not run that well, and cheat code support as well. Some of the highlighted features of mGBA are listed below.
- The emulator supports cheat codes.
- It features the ability to override the game and enable ROM patches.
The good thing is that GBA is simple and easy to use, however, the simplicity comes the cost of lack of features. It is not a bad thing, but I believe there should have been at least some advance level features for the sake of it.
Pros
- Supports a huge catalog of GBA games.
- It allows you to use cheat codes.
- It is simple to set up, and simpler to use.
Cons
- Lacks some of the advanced features.
VisualBoy Advance – Most Stable Gameboy Advance Emulator
VisualBoy Advance is the oldest Game Boy Advance emulator I can think off. This is the one emulator I used to use when I did not own a GBA. At that time, there used to be some lag on slower hardware, but almost everything is now optimized for the different hardware.
VisualBoy Advance comes full of features that people will never get in a standard handheld console. This truly changes the gaming experience on this emulator and lets people enjoy the game just how they want to.
- The emulator supports all the older and modern operating systems.
- VisualBoy Advance has a lot of advanced features to make the experience better.
In simpler words, the VisualBoy Advance just might be the best GBA emulator that is available for use. It is completely free, gets constant updates, and allows you to play every GBA game on PC.
Pros
- It allows you to save the game whenever you want.
- Supports controllers and button remapping.
- Take screenshots or record your gameplay.
- Use cheat codes to make the experience fun.
Cons
- Might not run well on the really old hardware.
Higan GBA Emulator For PC
Higan GBA Emulator is another great emulator that lets you play GBA games on PC. The emulator in nature is simplistic to its core, allowing it to run on almost all the hardware you throw at it.
The ease of use allows the user to control the emulator however they want. Apart from having support for just GBA games, Higan GBA Emulator also supports emulation for Famicom, Super Famicom, and Gameboy Colour, Sega Master System, Mega Drive, and even Game Gear.
- Supports emulation for multiple console types.
- Can be set up in a matter of few seconds.
While the emulator is definitely a great option, I ran into some audio lag during my time with it. Albeit the issue was limited to a few games, it was still there and must be pointed out.
Pros
- Supports a vast majority of ROMS to emulate.
- The emulator is not difficult to set up at all.
- It offers enhanced color reproduction.
Cons
- The sound is a bit laggy in some games.
No$GBA Emulator – Best to run GBA ROMS
No Cash GBA or No$GBA Emulator is a rather popular emulator for GBA that found a lot of relevance, and fame due to the unconventional name. However, the name is not the only thing that the emulator has to show you.
Apart from just being able to run GBA games, the emulator can also run Nintendo DS games. While the DS part is still not getting proper development and perfection, there are several games that work perfectly.
- The emulator can emulate both GBA and DS games.
- Allows the use of the controller.
- Lets the user configure the game any way they want.
There is no denying that No$GBA Emulator is a pretty powerful emulator that covers the majority of emulation with great ease. While it is not able to run all the DS games properly, every game on GBA can be played with ease.
Pros
- The emulator has great optimization.
- Runs both GBA and NDS games.
- Allows support for a controller.
Cons
- Not all NDS games run properly.
BatGBA – Great Emulator To Run GBA Games on PC
If you are looking for a GBA emulator that focuses on simplicity more than anything, you are looking at one right here. The BatGBA is perhaps the simplest GBA emulator in the list. So much so that you do not get a lot of advanced options.
The emulator takes a very small amount of space and runs on almost any hardware with great ease. The emulator has been out for about a decade and allows the user to play all commercial and noncommercial GBA games with ease.
- No nonsense installation.
- Support for all the non-commercial and commercial GBA games.
I cannot really complain a lot about the emulator as it does what it is supposed to do. It is said that such a lightweight emulator lacks some of the advanced features, but that is how it is.
Pros
- The emulator is perfect for people who want simplicity.
- It does not require a lot of knowledge.
- Runs every GBA game.
Cons
- The emulator has no advanced features whatsoever.
Conclusion
The good thing is that all the best GBA emulators are free, and will let you play GBA games on PC without any issue whatsoever. There are a few in the bunch that is not as good, however, while creating this list, I made sure that I test all the emulators that I list here.
The emulators that are on the list have gone through proper testing to make sure that they run all the games there are without crashing. While it was impossible for me to test the entire GBA catalog there is, I did test the games that were more demanding.
Needless to say, you will not have any issues with the emulators, and installing them is a fairly simple process that does not take a lot of skill either.
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Gameboy Advance / GBA Game Information
Play and Download Gameboy Advance ROMs for free in high quality. We have a curated list of all the retro GBA games for you to play online or download to play within an emulator on your computer. Begin playing the best Gameboy Advance game ROMs and be sure to vote for the emulator games you liked playing! Start by playing popular GBA game downloads such as Pokemon - Emerald Version, Pokemon - Fire Red Version [a1], Pokemon - Fire Red Version (V1.1), Pokemon Jupiter - 6.04 (Ruby Hack) and Pokemon - Ruby Version (V1.1)!