Best GBA games

The Game Boy Advance was a tiny powerhouse that singlehandedly defined portable gaming in the first half of the ‘00s. Released in June of 2001, just three years after the Game Boy Color, the GBA immediately kicked its predecessor in the proverbial teeth with games that weren’t just in color, but looked like sharper versions of Super NES games with better sound and – gasp! – occasional polygons. Above: Maybe not the classiest ads, though

Of course, it was far from perfect. A combination of the GBA’s unlit, highly reflective screen and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon’s dark, murky visuals immediately started a boom in clip-on lights, none of which quite worked right. (Those unafraid to ruin their systems could buy aftermarket backlight kits, although one wrong solder could brick the then-expensive handhelds.) Thankfully, we only had to suffer for two years before Nintendo rolled out the GBA SP, a backlit, fold-up mini-laptop of a handheld that was sleeker, sported a rechargeable battery and quickly became THE must-have item for every gamer who ever had to stand in line at the DMV.

The SP was followed two years later by the Game Boy Micro, Nintendo’s tiny answer to the iPod Nano – although by then, GBA fans had mostly moved on to the shinier DS or PSP. During its years of absolute handheld dominance, however, the GBA produced some of the best handheld games ever to hit the market. Many of them were ports of Super Nintendo games (which we’re mostly leaving out of this article), but plenty were able to stand up to the best of other consoles on their own merits. With so much quality to pick from, it’s not easy to single out the five, 10 or even 20 best titles on the system – although we’ve done our best below.

This was a game seemingly nobody played, but that almost everybody should have. A bizarre little action-platformer gem, Ninja Five-O (or Ninja Cop in the UK) had a lot in common with the original Shinobi games, as ninja officer Joe Osugi slashed and shurikened his way through bank robbers and terrorists – some of which had hostages, and many of which used some form of cover.

Never mind the action, the upgradable ninja powers or the mazelike levels, though. The game’s real appeal came from its grappling hook, which clearly aped Bionic Commando, but added a little more flexibility and inertia, enabling players to do things like latch onto the bottom of a platform and swing over the head of a bad guy above, then shoot him on the way back down. It added a dimension of finesse and freedom that turned what might have otherwise been a dull side-scroller into something memorably great.

He’s probably the most thoroughly exploited character in all of gaming, so it wasn’t a question of IF Capcom would put Mega Man on the GBA, but when. However, instead of creating another familiar, platformer entry, the Mega team crafted an entirely new series for the little guy. Mega Man Battle Network meshed the Blue Bomber with tactical RPG gameplay in a new and fun way, even if it wore its Pokemon influence on its sleeve.

BN2 continued the story of young boy Lan and the MegaMan.EXE program that lived in his NetNavi (basically a proto-iPhone) as they battled evil programs out to destroy humanity one hack at a time. Once you jumped from the “real” world to the internet, MM battled with new foes and familiar enemies redesigned for web 2.0, in tense, action-strategy combat, with card collection added for flavor. The series was eventually run into the ground, but Battle Network was a breath of fresh air on GBA, and that’s how we’d rather remember it.

Battle Network might have been Mega Man’s most popular (or at least prolific) re-imagining on the GBA, but it wasn’t the only one. Taking a darker bent than its Pokemon-inspired sister franchise, the Mega Man Zero games were set a full century after the Mega Man X series, with an amnesiac Zero fighting alongside a resistance group in a post-apocalyptic, robot-filled hellscape.

While the Zero series kept most of Mega Man’s trappings – big side-scrolling levels, bosses hiding behind retracting doors – it introduced a lot of its own touches, like weapons that leveled up with use and collectible, Pokemon-like creatures called Cyber-elves that could enhance Zero’s abilities. It was also balls-hard, even by the standards of older Mega Man games. Even so, Zero proved popular enough to get three sequels on the GBA. The first game is generally regarded as the best, though, so it’s the one we’re singling out here.

As fantastic as the original Metroid was for its time, its gameplay feels a little clunky in a post-Super Metroid world – and let’s be honest, it was never a very pretty game to begin with. Rather than just leaving Samus Aran’s original adventure to molder away as an occasionally exploited “classic,” however, Nintendo dug it up and created a full-on remake.

Zero Mission added new story elements, bigger bosses, nicer visuals and – most importantly – updated gameplay, complete with a map screen (something the original never had). Better still, once you’d “finished” the original story, Zero Mission added an entirely new chapter in which Samus is stripped of her armored suit and has to sneak through a Space Pirate ship while relatively defenseless. And if you decided you didn’t like the changes (or just wanted to play the original), Zero Mission included, as an unlockable extra, the original Metroid in its entirety. Considering Nintendo went on to release the original as a stand-alone cartridge for $20, that was a pretty great deal.

In 2001, Tony Hawk’s name still carried serious weight in gaming, so a handheld adaptation of THPS2 in the GBA’s launch library was a pretty big deal. It’s still a pretty big deal, actually, if you consider what a challenge it must have been adapting Pro Skater’s kick-flipping, rail-grinding 3D action to a 2D handheld. THPS2 pulled it off brilliantly, though, delivering an isometric, kinda-3D-looking game that felt uncannily like its console counterparts.

The sense of gravity, the responsiveness of the tricks, the depth of gameplay and even the layouts of the levels were all carried over faithfully from the “real” THPS2. Sure, it could sometimes be a little hard to make out whether certain objects were convex or concave, and one of the console version’s biggest selling points – its soundtrack – was necessarily left out. But the gameplay was all there, and it was proof positive that the GBA was going to deliver some amazing things in the years that followed.

As the GBA entered its fifth year of dutiful handheld service, Square-Enix finally began porting over three 16-bit Final Fantasy games that helped define ‘90s RPGs. If all three were outstanding games, which one port do we put on this list? Well, the Final Fantasy IV conversion was actually a bit sloppy, and Final Fantasy VI came so late (2007) that it hardly registered as a marquee GBA game. Final Fantasy V Advance, on the other hand, was a strong port of an already strong game. More importantly, it marked the first time FFV appeared on its own in the US, as the original entry never made it out of Japan and a later PS One release bundled the game with FFVI.

Even without this historical footnote, FFV has our respect for employing one of the best job systems of all time. Even though the story and characters were silly, the underlying gameplay was more addicting than any other Final Fantasy game to date; instead of predetermined protagonists, you could create a custom-built team of heroes who could adapt to any challenge. The feature was introduced in FFIII (which also languished in Japan until 2006), but FFV elaborated on it and made it truly notable. Sure, the job system takes some of the personality away, but hey, we’ve got eight other FF games chock full of defined characters – who cares if one values gameplay over story?

Nintendo re-released three other Mario games for GBA under the Super Mario Advance label – Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario World and Yoshi’s Island, to be specific. And while those were all pretty good, none of them generated quite as much excitement as the final SMA entry, which beautifully remastered what many still consider the best Mario game ever made: Super Mario Bros. 3

That Super Mario Advance 4 updated SMB3 with nicer graphics and Charles Martinet’s voice was enough for some, but the game’s real potential could only be unlocked if you had an extra GBA and a Nintendo e-Reader (and didn’t live in Europe, apparently). If you could get all the needed elements together, it was possible to swipe special cards through the e-Reader and transfer new items, levels, developer play-throughs and even gameplay elements from other Mario games into SMA4. Being able to play through SMB3 with Super Mario World’s cape feather, or the throwable turnips of SMB2, breathed new life into the game and helped make SMA4 much more than just another remake.

We know, we know – we said we were going to stay away from SNES ports, and for the most part we have. But Link to the Past was special. Not only was it a (slightly) remastered version of one of the best games of all time, but it added an entirely new, Capcom-developed multiplayer mode, Four Swords.

Four Swords had its problems – chief among them finding three other people with copies of the game to play it with – but it was still pretty strong for what was essentially a pack-in extra, with randomly generated dungeons that scaled their puzzles to fit the number of active players. Strong enough to spawn its own GameCube sequel, anyway. Of course, the real draw was still Link to the Past, which held up remarkably well for a then-10-year-old (and now 19-year-old) game – and which still holds up pretty well today.

Though big in Japan for over a decade, the Fire Emblem series had never made it to the US, possibly because it was seen as too hardcore for Americans when the first games came to Famicom and Super Famicom. That all changed when FE star Marth appeared in million-seller Super Smash Bros Melee, after which tons of English-speakers had heard of the series and wanted a taste. So Nintendo made sure that the next installment for the GBA would finally give the series some international exposure.

Made by Intelligent Systems, Fire Emblem shares a similar top-down map and turn-based gameplay with IS’s Advance Wars. The narrative focused on warring countries in a classic fantasy setting, and players had to learn the seemingly simple rock-paper-scissors-style advantages and disadvantages of every class to stand a chance. Some no doubt disliked the fact that if a character died in battle, they were gone forever, as a mistake either meant accepting that loss or completely restarting an hour-long battle. Ultimately, though, the loss made every decision hugely important. And isn’t that the whole point of a strategy game?

Brand-new JRPG titles/franchises were few and far between on the GBA, so it's lucky that Golden Sun was such a solid one. It at once feels comfortingly familiar, with the usual trappings of its genre, but at the same time introduces some surprisingly fresh concepts.

The djinn system is more than just your average elemental magic system. Collecting various djinn and equipping them to your characters affects almost everything about them, including their stats, spells, and summons. With 72 djinn to find and collect, it definitely has a sort of Pokemon-style collection vibe, but the real fun is in mixing and matching the djinn equipped to each character to customize your party.

Most of us probably would have been happy if this had been a straight handheld port of the PlayStation’s Final Fantasy Tactics, but Square-Enix wasn’t about to stop at that. Instead, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance gave us a Neverending Story-esque plot about a group of kids from the “real” world, who get magically transported to the land of Ivalice and must then raise an army and fight to eventually return home.

Tactics Advance wasn’t just a new story with brighter colors, either. It expanded the original Tactics’ roster of character jobs from 20 to 34, and added the restrictive Judges, who’d show up before every battle to enforce absurd rules meant to keep players from relying too much on one strategy. Rather than riding the original’s coattails, it distinguished itself in all kinds of interesting ways, quickly becoming a must-have for any strategy fan with a GBA.

Much as we love to lament that Sonic the Hedgehog just hasn’t been the same since his series went 3D, the fact is that – in the first half of the last decade, at least – his handheld games were pretty amazing. Especially the first one ever to appear on a Nintendo console, Sonic Advance. Blazing fast and brilliantly 2D, it nailed all the core elements that made Sonic great, even if it did feature Tails and Amy Rose as playable characters.

Not even Sonic’s usual menagerie of sidekicks could ruin this one, though. (Although to be fair, playing as them could be kind of fun.) Sporting slick new sprites and smooth animation, it had everything that made the 16-bit Sonic games great: the intense speed, the giant levels that could be freely explored or just blasted through in seconds, and the simple joys of jumping on springs and tearing ass through loops. It also featured a Tiny Chao Garden mode, enabling players to transfer their teardrop-headed Chao virtual pets between Sonic Advance and the GameCube Sonic Adventure games. As interesting as that is, though, it’s the simple, near-perfect hedgehog action that makes this one great.

We’ve brought up our love for this game before, but it bears repeating, because Astro Boy: The Omega Factor was fantastic. A product of the combined efforts of 2D-gaming gods Treasure and Crazy Taxi creators Hitmaker, Omega Factor was enormously fun, deep and generally much better than any cartoon-licensed game really has a right to be.

That’s partly because Omega Factor wasn’t a “licensed” game in the strictest sense. It featured Astro Boy and his usual cast of supporting characters, but produced an entirely new, surprisingly dark story that revolved around time travel and included just about every character ever invented by legendary Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka. The actual gameplay was great as well, mixing together platforming, brawling and space-shooting, frequently all at the same time. Given that the GBA was host to a seething mass of (mostly) mediocre licensed games, it’s not a stretch to call this the best one on the handheld.

If you’d told us when the GBA launched that one of its most enduring new franchises would be a series of random minigame collections starring Wario, we probably would have feared for the future. If you’ve played WarioWare, however, you already know just how endlessly fun the concept is: an assortment of microgames, each about 2-3 seconds in length, flashes before you in rapid succession. The challenge comes from figuring each one out (usually from a one-word hint, like “Pick!”) before the time runs out, after which you move on to the next one.

While that might sound pretty bare-bones to someone who’s never played WarioWare (you know there has to be someone out there), the concept turned out to be rich in personality, with each microgame collection built around coherent characters, themes and (simple) storylines. The microgames themselves, meanwhile, are hugely varied and numerous, and yet they’re usually weird enough to stick out in players’ minds for years afterward.

Before the GBA rolled around, Mario had a proven track record with approachable, well-executed RPGs in titles like Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG. But when dev AlphaDream focused its efforts on making the first portable role-player for Mario, the team kept the core gameplay, but added a whole new element that gave the game its own unique edge. That X-factor was Luigi.

The interplay between the Mario brothers was fantastic, whether juxtaposing Mario’s courage with Luigi’s cowardice, or using their numerous special abilities in and out of battle. The two guys were as malleable as Silly Putty, and whether it’s Luigi squishing Mario to half his size, or Mario somehow turning Luigi into a surfboard, the title was exceptional because of those two working together. It was only improved by a top-of-the-line translation that always kept the game funny, and a copious amount of Mario fan-service. Don’t even get us started on the supremely awesome bad guy Fawful. Even though it stars the most familiar plumbers on earth, Mario & Luigi was one of the most original games the GBA saw.

Many fans initially complained about Ruby and Sapphire's incompatibility with Pokemon Gold/Silver, and for good reason – to date, they're the only sequels in the main Pokemon series that don’t allow you to import your beloved Pokemon from the previous generation. This break in lineage allowed Game Freak to make massive additions and improvements to the game mechanics, though, and over time it proved to be a trade-off that was well worth it.

Ruby and Sapphire introduced more new features than any Pokemon game since, all of which are still integral to the series, including abilities, natures, double battles and the refinement of the IV and EV system. While not being able to transfer your shiny Gyarados was a huge bummer at the time, we have Ruby and Sapphire to thank for the richness and depth we continue to enjoy in the series today.

Castlevania went through something of a renaissance on the GBA, which quickly proved to be the ideal platform for the series’ Metroid-inspired, exploration-centric action. Circle of the Moon was an amazing (if hard-to-see) launch game, and Harmony of Dissonance had some nice visuals, but Castlevania’s real pinnacle didn’t come along until Aria of Sorrow. Set in the year 2035, it focused on a new hero, Soma Cruz, who by the end of the game was revealed as nothing less than a reincarnation of longstanding series villain Dracula.

As, essentially, a reformed Dracula, Soma brought a unique approach to the action, in that he gained new powers and attacks by absorbing the souls of defeated enemies. He was also capable of things the previous GBA games’ whip-wielding heroes couldn’t do, like flying, summoning monsters and shooting guns. Really, though, everything about Aria of Sorrow was an improvement over the previous games – the visuals looked better, the characters were more interesting and the play was much more varied, making this easily the best installment of one of the GBA’s most iconic series.

As impressive as Metroid: Zero Mission was, it wouldn’t have existed if not for the success of Fusion. And even thought it came before, Fusion was arguably even more impressive than Zero Mission. Chronologically the last game in the series, it gave Metroid a little more personality than what we’re used to, adding a secondary character – Samus’s computer, Adam – and a more coherent story that sees Samus set loose in a space-research station filled with evolving, creature-mimicking X-parasites.

Samus herself got a new look for the adventure, although there was more to it than just adding blue glop to her costume. An X-parasite infection early on in the story forces doctors to fuse her DNA with the baby Metroid’s, giving her the ability to absorb parasites after destroying their host bodies, which in turn is key to earning new abilities. It was a more conventional turn for the series, but it was fun, and it helped make Fusion one of the greatest revivals of a classic series the GBA ever saw.

The Minish Cap is easily one of the most – if not the most – underrated and underappreciated entries in the entire Zelda series. Although it's one of the few Zelda titles developed by Capcom rather than by Nintendo itself, it completely nails what the series is best at, presenting a perfect balance of old and new that simultaneously feels like a Zelda game yet also sets itself apart as unique.

The overall structure of Minish Cap is wonderfully reminiscent of Link to the Past (that in itself should speak volumes), while Link's ability to shrink and explore the teeny-tiny world of the Picori feels totally novel. Curmudgeonly Ezlo, the titular Minish Cap, is one of Link's most loveable companions, too.

Not only is Advance Wars easily one of the best tactical RPGs of all time, but its bright, cheery style belies a more realistic take on combat in contrast to the genre's usual fantasy-centric fare. Instead of controlling fanciful mages and paladins, you manufacture and deploy all manner of ground, air, and sea-based combat units, like infantry, tanks, missiles, transport copters, bombers, fighters, subs and so on.

Despite the array of weaponry at your disposal though, the CO characters are really what set Advance Wars apart. Not only is each CO endearing and memorable as a character, but each wields special powers to suit your personal play style. For heavy-hitting brute force you could go for direct combat specialist Max, or if you'd rather infiltrate and capture enemy resources to succeed, you could go with infantry specialist Sami. Some strategy games fall into the trap of having an optimal strategy you can exploit again and again, but experimenting with each CO's power really does yield results. The difficulty level is spot on, too – Advance Wars manages to be nails-tough without being punishing, which is a rare feat among its peers.

Curious how games on other Nintendo handhelds rank? Check out our other lists detailing Nintendo's portable history.

Best DS games | Best Game Boy Color games | Best Virtual Boy games | Best Game Boy games | Best Game & Watch games