FAQ for Game Boy Advance

Buying Game Boy Advance

Can you buy a new Game Boy Advance (SP) now?

No. The only chance to buy a new console is to go to eBay and buy it there for a lot of money.

How much does a Game Boy Advance (SP) cost now?

On average, on platforms like Avito or Yula, the average price is (as of October 2021 August 2024 year):
Game Boy Advance - (2000-4000  already 4000-5000 rubles  already 6000-8000 rubles)
Game Boy Advance SP 001 – (1000-2000  already 2000-4000 rubles  already 4000-5000 rubles)
Game Boy Advance SP 101 – (2000-3000  already 3000-4000 rubles  already 5000-6000 rubles)
Game Boy Micro – (6000-15000 rubles)

Which Game Boy Advance should I buy?

To find out which Game Boy Advance console to buy, read the article: "Which Game Boy Advance console should I buy?".

You can also watch our video review of the Game Boy Advance console family!

Which console should I buy for classic Game Boy games?

To find out which Game Boy to buy, read the article: "Which Game Boy should I buy?".

In addition, we conducted a poll in our VK group, and here's how the subscribers voted when answering two questions.

"Which console is the best for playing classic Game Boy games? What would you recommend to a beginner?"

What do all these abbreviations mean?

DMG - original Game Boy;

PIL - "Play It Loud!" series. Colored versions of DMG;

MGB - Game Boy Pocket;

GBC / CGB - Game Boy Color;

GBA / AGB - Game Boy Advance;

AGS-001 - Game Boy Advance SP (with front light);

AGS-101 - Game Boy Advance SP (with backlight);

OXY - Game Boy Micro.

Learn more about all the abbreviations in our article: Code names for Nintendo consoles and what they meant.

What is AGS-101 and AGS-001?

Game Boy Advance SP comes in two versions: AGS-101 and AGS-001. The only difference is the backlight. The AGS-101 version has a bright backlight, while the AGS-001 version has a dim backlight.
You can compare the difference here: Comparison of Game Boy Advance SP AGS-001 and AGS-101 screens

What should I look for when buying?

Read the article on this site, which is called: How to buy a Game Boy now and what to look for when buying?

How to spot a fake?

In general, a fake that is hard to distinguish from the original only exists for the Game Boy Advance SP console. To spot a fake, read this article: Game Boy Advance SP: How to tell the original from the fake?

Or watch our video:

Do Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS consoles have backward compatibility?

Yes, Nintendo is also known for ensuring that all new consoles have backward compatibility with previous generation consoles.

Read more in the article: "Backward compatibility, regional restrictions, and system language on Nintendo portable consoles".

Game Boy Color – can run cartridges from the classic Game Boy (and cannot run games from Game Boy Advance / Nintendo DS /Nintendo 3DS).

The Game Boy Advance console family (GBA, GBA SP) can run cartridges from the classic Game Boy, as well as cartridges from Game Boy Color (and accordingly cannot run games from Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS.

Note that the Game Boy Micro does not have backward compatibility and can only run only Game Boy Advance cartridges!

All consoles in the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance families did not have regional locking! So, for example, you can run an English version of a game on a Japanese Game Boy Advance.

Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite have a port for Game Boy Advance cartridges and can run them. However, they CANNOT run cartridges from the classic Game Boy and Game Boy Color (and cannot run Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS cartridges).

Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL no longer had a port for Game Boy Advance cartridges, so they can run only Nintendo DS games and Nintendo DSi games. At the same time, regional locking appeared on these consoles.

The entire Nintendo 2DS/3DS family can run both new 3DS games and old Nintendo DS games and Nintendo DSi games. However, Nintendo DS games when run on Nintendo 3DS do not have regional locking, while Nintendo DSi games do have regional locking (and cannot run GB/GBC/GBA games).

Miscellaneous

How to connect Game Boy Advance to a computer?

You can’t, original Game Boy Advance (SP) consoles do not connect to a computer. Pirated consoles can be connected with certain steps:

1. Insert the USB cable into the TURNED OFF console and the computer.

2. Press a button combination. LEFT + SELECT or L + R + SELECT. Try both combinations.

3. Without releasing the buttons from step 2, turn on the console.

How to flash (reflash) a Game Boy Advance?

You can’t, original Game Boy Advance (SP or Micro) consoles cannot be reflashed. To play pirated games, you need to buy a flash cartridge.

If you see a console on Avito that says it’s reflashed (and has some built-in games), it means the console is pirated (a clone). Generally, with rare exceptions, clones are poorly made and lag.

Where can I download Game Boy Advance manuals?

Here:
Game Boy Advance Manual (English)
Game Boy Advance SP Manual (Russian)
Game Boy Micro Manual (English)

Does Game Boy Advance run on batteries?

The regular Game Boy Advance runs on two regular AA batteries.

There are mods to insert a rechargeable battery into the battery compartment.

The Game Boy Advance SP only runs on a built-in rechargeable battery.

The Game Boy Micro also only runs on a rechargeable battery.

What does Game Boy Advance (Game Boy Advance SP) show if no cartridge is inserted?

It shows nothing. Just a blank screen with the Game Boy logo. Nothing else happens! It has no built-in games!

If after inserting a cartridge the screen still remains blank (as above), you need to clean the cartridge contacts (this is a common issue with all cartridges).

Flash Cartridges

Do I need to buy anything else for Game Boy Advance to play games?

Yes, Game Boy Advance does not have firmware or an operating system. Therefore, to play games, you need to buy game cartridges. There are also flash cartridges that allow you to play any games. You need to write a ROM file of the game onto the flash cartridge.

Do I need to chip a Game Boy Advance to play pirated games?

No. There’s nothing to hack. It runs all games (including pirated cartridges).

What is a flash cartridge?

Essentially, a flash cartridge is like a hard drive for Game Boy Advance, and like a hard drive on a computer, it can be used for piracy or regular work. You can write pirated games to a flash cartridge (if you download a ROM file from the internet), or you can use the flash cartridge for other purposes, such as downloading open ROM images of programs or simply uploading your own program. That is, use the flash cartridge as a development tool.

What’s the difference between a pirated cartridge and a flash cartridge?

A pirated cartridge is simply a cartridge with one game, but released without a Nintendo license. A flash cartridge, on the other hand, is like a hard drive for Game Boy Advance, and you can write anything to it (books, movies, music, games, etc.).

Where can I buy a flash cartridge?

On eBay or AliExpress.

What types are available?

As of now, only 3 flash cartridges are available 4 flash cartridges are available:

1. EZ-FLASH Definitive Edition (started production in 2021)

2. EZ-FLASH Omega

3. SuperCard MicroSD

4. EverDrive-GBA X5

Which flash cartridge is the best to buy?

I would rank them in the following order:

First place: EZ-FLASH Definitive Edition

Second place: EZ-FLASH Omega

Third place: SuperCard MicroSD

Fourth place: EverDrive-GBA X5

EZ-FLASH Definitive Edition is the best cartridge on the market. It has all the features of the EZ-Flash Omega and a bunch of additional features (vibration, NDS mode, improved power consumption, etc.)!

EZ-FLASH Omega is an excellent cartridge at a great price (around 3,000 rubles). It runs all games, can save anywhere, and can exit the game (so you don’t have to restart the console).

Check out our video review of this cartridge! We tried to show you all the pros of this cartridge in a visual way ;)

SuperCard MicroSD – cheap but laggy cartridge. Its main problem is lag in games, which can be slightly fixed, but it requires extra effort. Plus, it has incomplete game compatibility.

To reduce game lag on SuperCard MicroSD, read here: "Game lagging?"

EverDrive-GBA X5 – the most questionable cartridge in all aspects:

1. Costs 7,000 rubles! (Wow)

2. The website seems to work, but they don’t respond to emails. Considering the manufacturer is from Ukraine, it’s unclear if they’ll even deliver the cartridge to Russia.

3. Can’t exit the game to the menu. (In 2020, really?)

4. Can’t save anywhere. (Same here)

5. Very strange menu navigation, for example, if you scroll to the end of the games and want to go to the next page, you can’t just press down to flip the page, you need to press right.

6. It sticks out of the console! That is, its size is larger than a regular cartridge.

7. It has no menu customization.

I’m just shocked by this cartridge! How much worse it is than the EZ-FLASH Omega at twice the price.

To summarize:

If you just want a good cartridge to play without any hassle, buy EZ-FLASH Omega.

If you want a "cheap and cheerful" option, go for SuperCard MicroSD.

And if you don’t mind spending money, you can buy EZ-FLASH Definitive Edition!

Where can I buy flash cartridges?

Are there other flash cartridges?

Yes, there are, you can check the "flash cartridges" section of the site, but they are somewhat outdated, rare, and generally more expensive than the EZ-FLASH Omega, so there’s no point in buying them.

For example, to get the Flash Advance flash cartridge to work, you’ll need to buy an old laptop with an LPT port, a universal power supply, the cartridge itself, a reader for the cartridge, and a special (really special, not the regular one you can buy in any store now) LPT cable. This will cost around 10-15 thousand rubles.

What are SLOT-1 and SLOT-2 cartridges?

The Nintendo DS series consoles (the first Nintendo DS, which is thick, and the Nintendo DS Lite) have two cartridge slots, SLOT-1 (for DS format cartridges) and SLOT-2 (for Game Boy Advance cartridges).

SLOT-1:

SLOT-2:

Why are SLOT-2 flash cartridges needed if there are SLOT-1 flash cartridges?

This is exactly the case where it was all created for piracy. While regular flash cartridges were used by game developers (because Nintendo’s game development kits cost thousands of dollars, and flash cartridges were even advertised as devices for developers), SLOT-2 flash cartridges appeared when SLOT-1 flash cartridges didn’t exist yet. So it looked like this: a special PASSME device was inserted into SLOT-1:

This was the first version, made by hand, hence the strange look.

An original Nintendo cartridge was inserted into this device. It allowed unsigned code for Nintendo DS to run from the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot. That is, you could write a Nintendo DS game to a Game Boy Advance flash cartridge and it would still run.

For understanding, for backward compatibility, old processors (co-processors, used either to run old games or perform separate functions for new games) were installed on new Nintendo devices, and they help natively, not through an emulator, run old games.

Can any flash cartridge be used in SLOT-2 for Nintendo DS games?

No, any flash cartridge can be used in SLOT-2 (for Game Boy Advance games), but not any flash cartridge can run in Nintendo DS mode. For example, these cartridges can: SuperCard MicroSD and G6 Flash and others.

My flash cartridge (SuperCard MicroSD or EZ-FLASH Omega) drains the battery.

Unfortunately, all batteries lose capacity over time. We tested all GBA SP batteries for their capacity and found variants from 70mAh to 600mAh. If your cartridge drains the battery very quickly, you have a dead battery.

Do not buy ready-made batteries on AliExpress, they are just terrible and have very low capacity. Better install this mod: Battery for Game Boy Advance SP.

Games

What is a ROM?

ROM stands for Read Only Memory, which is the memory installed in a cartridge where the game is stored. A ROM file is an image of the cartridge (with a .rom extension) obtained using a special device.

Why are ROM files needed?

Mainly, they are used for piracy. People download them and write them to flash cartridges to play. However, this is illegal.

Are there Russian versions of games?

On one hand, yes, but they are all pirated. Nintendo never officially translated the games, but our pirates did and released pirated cartridges. These were then copied and uploaded to the internet.

On the other hand, there are fan translations that were not intended for piracy. Often, they are distributed for free. To play them, you will need a flash cartridge.

Are there licensed Russian GBA cartridges?

No, there are none. Nintendo officially started operations in Russia in 2012.

What languages are in Japanese region Game Boy cartridges?

Usually, they only have Japanese. There are rare exceptions where, for example, the menu is in English, but everything else is still in Japanese!

How to change the language in a Game Boy Advance game?

When starting the game, a menu with language options appears. This menu is usually found in European cartridges, but Russian is not available. For example, Japanese cartridges do not have a language change option. Don’t bother looking for a language change in the settings, it’s definitely not there.

If you’ve seen a ROM image of a game with Russian language (or a Japanese cartridge with English), it’s just someone’s fan translation. To play it, you’ll need a flash cartridge.

How to determine if a cartridge is licensed?

Read the article on the website: How to distinguish an original Game Boy Advance cartridge from a pirated one?.

Where can I download ROM files?

Unfortunately, we won’t answer such questions on this site. It’s illegal.

Can pirated cartridges be rewritten?

Yes, you can! There are two ways: using a Nintendo DS console or using a GBxCart RW. Read more:

GBxCart RW Reader Review

How to write your own Game Boy Advance cartridge?

How to change colors in a black-and-white Game Boy Color game?

Games developed for the original Game Boy are black and white. But if you run them on a Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance, they will be displayed in color.

The colors displayed on the screen are selected from 12 palettes, each containing 7-10 colors. To select a palette, press a specific button combination on the startup screen.

Note:

This only works for original Game Boy games! Original Game Boy games have a light gray shell. The color cannot be changed after the game title appears.

Brown

Blue

Pastel

Green

Red

Dark Blue

Orange

Dark Green

+

+

+

+

Dark Brown

Gray

Yellow

Inverted

+

+

+

+

Is there region locking on GB, GBC, and GBA games?

No, none of these games have region locking.

I heard there are different types of Game Boy cartridges?

Yes, depending on the cartridge, system, and game, there can be differences, even in-game.

Original Game Boy games - these are gray cartridges (with some exceptions). They can be played on all Game Boy models except the Micro.

All officially released Game Boy games will have a specific product code on the label: in the format "DMG-XXX-YYY", where the "X" letters represent the game code, and the "Y" letters represent the country/language for which it was released.

For example, the game "Super Mario Land" with the code "DMG-ML-EUR" was released in the USA.

Enhanced games for Super Game Boy - early games that were enhanced for the Super Game Boy had a small logo on the cartridge with the inscription "Super Game Boy Game Pak".

Enhanced games for Game Boy Color - these are black cartridges (with exceptions). They can be played on all Game Boy models except the Micro.

When played on GB and GBP, the games have their usual 4 shades of gray, but when played on GBC, they have full colors and sometimes additional features.

Games compatible with both GBC and earlier systems will have a special game code format: "DMG-XXXZ-YYY", where the "X" letters represent the game code, the "Y" letters represent the country/language, and the "Z" letter is the language code. An example is "Pokemon Trading Card Game" with the code "DMG-ACXJ-JPN". Note that the cartridge shell is from the classic Game Boy, but the label is from the Game Boy Color.

Games only for Game Boy Color - these are usually transparent or semi-transparent cartridges where the board is visible. Other differences include the absence of a notch in the top corner, a slightly curved top, and a convex top instead of concave.

The convex top will also have "Game Boy Color" written on it, not "Nintendo Game Boy" as on older gray and black cartridges.

These games can be played on Game Boy Color and later versions, except the Micro.

Games compatible only with Game Boy Color will have the format "CGB-XXXZ-YYY", where the "X" letters represent the game code, the "Y" letters represent the country/language, and the "J" letter is the Japanese language code.

Game Boy Color games enhanced for Game Boy Advance - Unfortunately, there is no standardized marking for Game Boy Color games that have enhanced features when played on GBA systems. Very rare examples: "Shantae", "Wendy - Every Witch Way", and both "The Legend of Zelda - Oracle of Seasons/Ages".

Game Boy Advance games - these cartridges are half the size of a regular GB or GBC cartridge.

They can be played on all GBA models, Micro, and Game Boy Player on GameCube.

Most are dark gray, but there are exceptions.

Exceptions - there are some Game Boy games that are exceptions to these rules. Some cartridges are released in other colors, mostly Pokemon games. Other cartridges have motion sensors, light sensors, noise sensors, and even a camera. Some games may take advantage of specific console features and therefore do not work on other models. One such example is "Road Rash" for DMG. This game is based on the DMG processor and is incompatible with GBC or GBA. This game was later released for GBC. Another example is Chee-Chai Alien for GBC. This game requires an IR sensor, which is only available on the Game Boy Color. "-01" or any other number added to the product code indicates the hardware version.

Saves

Why don’t saves work on my cartridge?

The battery in your cartridge is dead and needs to be replaced. You need to desolder the old battery and solder a new one in its place. Alternatively, you can install this mod on the cartridge: How to replace the battery in a Game Boy Advance cartridge?

What happens if the battery in a Game Boy cartridge dies?

Nothing terrible happens, the game itself will work, but:

You will lose your save.

You won’t be able to save in the game.

Why don’t saves work on my flash cartridge?

Either the battery is dead, or you’re saving incorrectly. You need to check the instructions for each flash cartridge. For example, on the EZ-FLASH Omega, you can’t turn off the cartridge immediately after saving; you need to wait 5 seconds after saving.