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The 5 Best GBA Emulators for Android

Capture the joy of the Game Boy Advance on your Android device

By Nicholas Congleton Nicholas Congleton Writer William Patterson University Nick Congleton has been a tech writer and blogger since 2015. His work has appeared in PCMech, Make Tech Easier, Infosec Institute, and others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 11, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Android Switching from iOS Whether you're looking to relive your childhood with old favorites or discover a new addiction, capture the joy of the Game Boy Advance (GBA) on your Android device with a GBA emulator. Here are our picks for the five best Android GBA emulators that make playing GBA games easy and fun. 01 of 05

Best Complete Emulation Solution RetroArch

What We Like It's open source. Supports multiple consoles. Continually supported and developed. What We Don't Like The learning curve is a little steep. Read Our Article on RetroArch RetroArch is more of a complete emulation solution than just a GBA emulator. It's a larger open-source project with versions spanning multiple operating systems. RetroArch operates with what it calls "cores." These cores are different emulation platforms that let you play games from a whole range of retro consoles, including the Game Boy Advance. With RetroArch's core system and the continual development on the project, you'll never run out of things to play. While RetroArch offers a polished interface, it's still an open-source project and may have some rough edges. Some reviews say it's not entirely beginner-friendly, but if you can work through the learning curve, you'll be well rewarded. Visit RetroArch Download For: Android 02 of 05

Most Polished GBA Emulator on Android GBA emu

What We Like Great interface. Supports multiple formats. What We Don't Like It's not free. GBA.emu is a dedicated Game Boy Advance emulator for Android. It's $4.99, but the price is definitely worth it for a polished emulator. This emulator is also open source, but it takes all the work out of the equation. There's no need to configure it or download BIOS files. GBA.emu supports a range of formats, including the .gba extension and most popular archive formats. For controls, it features an on-screen control system but leaves the option open for USB and Bluetooth controllers. Download For: Android 03 of 05

Best for Utilizing External Storage John GBA Lite

What We Like Tons of features. Great cheat support. What We Don't Like The free version is supported by ads. John GBA Lite is a fantastic free option that allows you to play your Game Boy Advance games from either your phone's internal storage or an SD card. Play with an on-screen virtual keypad or an external controller of your choice. John GBA Lite is a popular option because of how full-featured it is while being free. You get access to game saves and restoration, turbo keys, customization, and even fast forward. With this emulator app, you can also take advantage of popular cheat engines like GameShark and CodeBreaker. If you want to eliminate ads, consider upgrading to the full version for $2.99. Download For: Android 04 of 05

Most Popular GBA Emulator My Boy

What We Like OpenGL rendering. Great cheat support. Customization options. What We Don't Like The app isn't free. My Boy! is probably the most popular Game Boy Advance emulator around. It has more than a million downloads on the Play Store, and it doesn't seem like it'll slow down any time soon. My Boy! features fast and efficient emulation that makes use of your phone's capabilities to their fullest. My Boy! features nearly all of the advanced features of the other entries on this list, allowing you to take absolute control of your games in ways that would've never been possible on the actual Game Boy Advance. My Boy! includes cheat support such as ActionReplay, adds more customization options with key mapping, and even has screen layout options. Create your own shortcut icons to launch your favorite games straight from your phone's home screen. The app is $4.99, but for all its features and options, it's well worth the price. Download For: Android 05 of 05

Best All-in-One Emulator ClassicBoy

What We Like Supports multiple consoles. Great interface. What We Don't Like Fewer GBA features. You'll need to pay for certain features. ClassicBoy is another unique option. It's an all-in-one emulator that supports eight consoles, including the Game Boy Advance. ClassicBoy is a full-featured emulator with a fair amount of polish and graphical control, as well as support for both virtual on-screen controls and external controls for all systems. ClassicBoy doesn't offer as many options as some of the others on this list when it comes to GBA support, but access to other Game Boy platforms and other popular consoles, like the PlayStation and N64, might be a bigger selling point to some. Visit ClassicBoy Download For: Android Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire GBA File (What It Is & How to Open One) Can I Play Nintendo 3DS Games on the Wii U? The 8 Best Android Emulators for Windows 10 and Windows 11 9 Best Free HTML Editors for Windows for 2022 The 6 Best DS Emulators for Android of 2022 The 5 Best Geocaching Apps The 5 Best SNES Emulators for Android of 2022 The 8 Best NES Emulators for Android in 2022 The 8 Best PlayStation Emulators for Desktop PCs in 2022 The 6 Best Android ROMs of 2022 The 7 Best Chromebook Emulators for 2022 Why Aren't Game Boy Advance Games on Virtual Console? The 5 Best Android Emulators for Mac in 2022 The Top 9 WiiWare Games The Top 10 Action Games for the Game Boy Advance 3 Best iPhone Emulators of 2022 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies