While Game Boy is the second handheld from Nintendo, it is usually the portable video game console that is usually cited that started it all. When it was released, many scoffed at its meager specs as compared to its competition. But then again, power does not immediately provide success in the console gaming space, it is always the library. Tetris being bundled with Game Boy automatically made it into the greatest-of-all-time territory.
Game Boy Color, on the other hand, is the successor of Game Boy. On the surface, obviously, it’s the Game Boy Color’s colored screen that makes it a better handheld than its predecessor. But inside, there is considerable strength in Game Boy Color’s CPU and also when it comes to how the RAM works.
There is a great overlap between Game Boy and Game Boy Color since the former’s game run on the latter. A good number of Game Boy Color do not play on the original Game Boy, but a lot of games released for Game Boy actually plays on the Game Boy Color.
If you would like to relive some of these old classic games, take a look below for our best Gameboy Emulators,
1. Gambatte
Gambatte must be a very good emulator to be the first in this list when it is not in active development. That is true, Gambatte is so good of an emulator for the Game Boy / Game Boy Color that even if its development is stalled, it is a must-use. Truthfully, the Game Boy / Game Boy Color can be emulated in any hardware released in the past decade without much of a problem. Having no update for this current stable version of the emulator will have no problem in past and future hardware.
Gambatte is one of the most accurate emulators, not just Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator, but every video game console emulator developed in history. Gamabatte also appears as a core in Retroarch and a component in higan (now ares), a multi-system emulator.
Gambatte has a fork that caters to speedrun enthusiasts, the Gambatte-Speedrun. This is the best emulator if you want accuracy.
Pros
- Extremely Accurate
- Speedrunning Community approved, for Pokemon games specifically
- Does not rely on plugins
Cons
- Not in active development
Download from SourceForge (Outdated)
Download from GitHub (Gambatte-Speedrun)
2. mGBA
Do not treat mGBA as the second placer, or first-runner-up to Gambatte. They are both the highest recommended Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator. Take this ranking as 1A and 1B.
mGBA has beaten unquestionably any emulator out there in terms of accuracy. Even if this emulator is clearly the top dog in Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulation, it still receives updates. Hence, it can continually be the best emulator out there at the time of this writing and into the future.
Aside from the fact that this emulator can be run on a bevy of hardware, it also has extensive hardware-based emulation, as this is useful in Game Boy Advance games with exotic features. Lest we forget, as it is the name of the emulator itself, that the mGBA is the best Game Boy Advance emulator. mGBA also appears as a core in Retroarch.
Pros
- Accurate
- Does not require a BIOS
- Available in a surprisingly broad range of gaming hardware including previous generation home consoles like the Wii, and handhelds like the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita
Cons
- Audio emulation is surprisingly spotty
Download from the Official Website (All Platforms)
3. Sameboy
Sameboy should actually belong to a three-headed beast as the best Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator if only it has a standalone port on mobile devices. Granted, it is part of the Retroarch as a core, but it is still better to play a game on a standalone for a frictionless setup. Sameboy is still a great option if you are looking for a gorgeous UI in your emulators.
Sameboy is a very accurate Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator. It features real-time clock emulation. This also emulates the Game Boy Advance.
mGBA, the audio emulation on Sameboy does not have intermittent problems. In fact, it has better audio than the original hardware while retaining its retro flavor. It also emulates the multiplayer features of the Game Boy / Game Boy Color with link cable and even the infra-red emulation, perfect for trading exclusive Pokemon in Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow like Gengar, Golem, and Alakazam.
There is also a number of features you normally expect from an emulator. There are speed settings like turbo, rewind, and slow motion. There is also cheat support. For the total nerds, there are debugging tools.
Sameboy is incredible to use when you have a Mac. It supports the Retina display. This means that it allows scaling without producing artifacts.
Pros
- Very accurate
- Nice GUI
- Widescreen support
Cons
- No standalone port in mobile
Download from the Official Website
4. Retroarch
Retroarch is not an emulator in the traditional sense. It serves as a front-end program for running emulators. It runs emulated games on “cores” of emulator programs. The advantage of using frontend apps over standalone emulators like mGBA, Gambatte, or Sameboy, is the ease with which you may switch between emulated platforms.
Also, if you want the bleeding edge in emulation, the cores in Retroarch do not immediately receive the latest and greatest update from the emulator source of the core. Retroarch will even stop receiving updates from the emulators which is what happened with the best PlayStation One emulator Duckstation due to fighting among or between the developers. The same thing will happen if the developer suddenly makes the emulator a closed source. Truthfully, this does not really affect the Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulation scene since the hardware is ancient. Whatever the current state of the Retroarch cores is more than enough today and even in the foreseeable future.
Retroarch’s options and configurations shine. Whether you play on a small screen like a smartphone or a large screen like a TV, the UI may be customized to fit the size of the screen. It may be exhausting to search for those settings, but they exist.
Another positive part of Retroarch is the accomplishments obtained through Retroachievements. Given that in the year 2022, there is still no universal achievement or trophy system in Nintendo platforms yet, playing Game Boy / Game Boy Color in Retroarch should quench this thirst, especially those younger gamers whose first dab in gaming is in the seventh generation of consoles. Of all the cores available on Retroarch, mGBA has the most robust feature set in terms of Retroachievements.
Retroarch’s best feature is how it decreases input lag. This is especially vital in platformers which is a lot in Game Boy / Game Boy Color libraries. Depending on the game, you can fiddle with the VSync, Hard GPU sync, and Runahead options.
To acquire what you want, you must read and experiment with these settings. Setting things up requires effort, but the granular setup is available for the daring. Since GameBoy / Game Boy Color is a system that is not that difficult to emulate any of mGBA, Gambatte, or Sameboy cores should be great on Retroarch. These three emulators are on par in terms of accuracy and feature set for casual gaming. However, if you are sensitive to inaccurate emulation or in need of specific features or playing on particular hardware, then the standalone emulators are the ones to install.
Pros
- Highly configurable
- Miraculous input lag reduction
- Available in a surprisingly broad range of gaming hardware including the PSP and the 3DS
Cons
- Not beginner friendly
- Menu digging
Download from the Official Website
5. Gearboy
Gearboy is a Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator and not a Game Gear emulator. Such is an unfortunate naming for an emulator. The good news is, Gearboy is a great alternative standalone emulator that works with iOS devices as a standalone emulator and not a Retroarch core. Gearboy is also a Retroarch core.
Gearboy is not the most popular Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator by a mile. However, props must be given to it for being one of the most active development emulators.
Gearboy is accurate, supports different files, and has a basic feature set like save states and cheat support. Although it runs on iOS, you also have to own a Mac. Installing this installer on iOS devices requires effort and know-how. Game Play Color, listed number 10 on this list, has an easier process in running the emulator if you are specifically looking to play GB / GBC games on iOS.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Runs on iOS
Cons
- Dwarfs in features compared to the competition
6. BGB
BGB is one of the first Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulators. It has been long surpassed by new entries in the scene but it still has its place. However, there is no official support on any platform except Windows. Well, for a time, gamers can only emulate console systems on their Windows PC. However, the developers of BGB did not look to port their creation to any other platform.
BGB is still an amazing emulator as it is accurate and has a powerful debugger. It also has all the basic features like GameGenie and GameShark cheat support and save state. It also receives updates at least once a year ever since its release in 2001.
Pros
- Great Accuracy
- Excellent link support
Cons
- Closed-source
- Windows only
Download from the official website
7. GameYob
Let it be clear that GameYob’s con being barebones is truly understandable given that its target hardware is the Nintendo DS and 3DS. Of course, it cannot compete with other emulators in terms of feature sets. It is commendable still that the emulator was developed and is sometimes getting updates. It looked grim for a while there when the original developer was burnt out maintaining the software.
There are two versions of GameYob: one for the DS and one for the 3DS. It is highly recommended to use the DS version of GameYob even on a 3DS. Features of GameYob include support for custom palettes, saves states, scaling, and remappable controls.
Pros
- Runs on Nintendo DS and 3DS
- Decent feature set
Cons
- Barebones
Download from GitHub (Nintendo DS)
Download from GitHub (Nintendo 3DS)
8. Plutoboy
You will only need Plutoboy as a Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator if you happen to want to play GB / GBC games on very specific hardware. Whatever that is, Plutoboy might run it. Plutoboy also has web browser support, making it one of the most platform-agnostic emulators even after the fact that it supports a lot of hardware already.
Pros
- Supports several hardware including Dreamcast and smartwatches
- Runs in web browsers
Cons
- Involved installation even on Windows
- Few Gameboy Color games might not work
9. GBC.emu
GBC.emu is a paid Android Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator. It is Gambatte-based so it is very accurate. Features include multiple color palettes for Game Boy games, cheat support, configurable controls on-screen, or hardware like Xbox and PS4 controllers. While it is a good emulator, the free versions are, for the most time, better.
Pros
- Gambatte-based
- Does not require BIOS to run
Cons
- Paid app
10. Game Play Color
Game Play Color implements a nice workaround to the restrictive, walled garden approach of Apple’s devices. With Gearboy, you have to have a Mac in order to build a project on Xcode. Then you have to have an iOS developer certificate to run it on iOS.
You do not need any of those complications with Game Play Color. Since it is a Progressive Web App (PWA), it only needs Safari to run. Unfortunately, it also needs a Google Drive for you to store your ROMs. Given that you are an Apple user (or any cautiously discerning person), you may have a problem with privacy with this method. Nevertheless, it plays great for what it is. This particular method may end soon and the “normal” emulators may be then installed on iOS devices when Apple allows third-party storefronts on its devices soon.
Pros
- Supports iOS
- Does not require jailbreak or side loading
Cons
- Requires Google Drive
