While I grew up with handhelds thanks to Nintendo’s robust variety, the one I truly fell in love with was the Game Boy Advance. The bright colors and detailed spritework made this an amazing console, especially in the compact form of my beloved Game Boy Advance SP. That clamshell design was not only very durable, but easy to store in my pocket for instant gaming bliss.
Not surprisingly, there were many great games released on the GBA. This list covers several with great replay value, ranging from relatively quick burns you’ll play again and again to games that take hundreds of hours to experience everything.
10 Best Game Boy Advance Games, Ranked
The Game Boy Advance gave us several fantastic titles, but here are some of the best and unforgettable ones.
They range from iconic platformers to frenetic racing games, turn-based RPGs, and even tactical adventures. Get ready for some brightly colored, undeniably fun games in this list of Game Boy Advance games with fantastic replay value.
10 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Magical Card Mayhem
Cards on the table, I’m a fanatic Castlevania fanboy. I’ve played all the games released on Nintendo consoles (as well as some on Genesis), and have enjoyed all of them to varying degrees. And yes, that includes the wonky 3D games on the PlayStation 2.
One that I enjoyed, even though it was a little rough, was Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. The game featured a neat elemental card mechanic to help infuse your attacks with more oomph, as well as summoning powerful monsters. All that on top of the usual magical relics, allowing you to explore a dangerous castle.
The game also featured some incredible (and incredibly hard) boss battles, which still give you a run for your money today. The only downside to Circle of the Moon? The actual darkness of the game, at least on the original GBA. It was very hard to see things, but that was improved with the backlit GBA SP, as well as on the Wii U’s virtual console.
9 Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Crashing Karts
Though I’m not the best at racing games, I do enjoy the occasional game of Mario Kart. And the fact that Mario Kart: Super Circuit brought that to a handheld in such a colorful package was a huge deal.
There’s just a ton to experience in the game, from various modes like Grand Prix and many multiplayer modes, as well as unlockable content like new Cups.
The only downside to Mario Kart: Super Circuit is that it didn’t do much to innovate from previous games in the series, but everything here is still rock solid and a lot of fun.
8 Mario Golf: Advance Tour
Did Someone Yell Fore?
Sometimes people forget how expansive the Mario Golf games can be. While it’s true that you can beat Mario Golf: Advance Tour in 10–12 hours, completing everything in the game easily helps it last around 30 hours instead.
Advance Tour features all you might expect from a golf game, but it also innovates with surprisingly addictive leveling-up mechanics, as well as robust multiplayer functionality.
All Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advanced Games, Ranked
Game Boy Advance games have finally made their way to Nintendo Switch Online. These are the best GBA titles to try out.
The only downside was that the game wasn’t the prettiest adventure, but that’s an easy pill to swallow when the game itself is so well-made.
7 Riviera: The Promised Land
Angelic Combat
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Platform |
Game Boy Advance |
|---|---|
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Publisher |
Atlus |
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Genre |
RPG |
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Release Date |
June 28, 2005 |
One of the things I most enjoyed during the GBA era was all the amazing handheld RPGs, many of them published by Atlus. Riviera: The Promised Land was no exception, and gave us a great RPG with numerous endings and even date-sim mechanics to liven things up.
The game is unique in that you don’t directly control where the hero Ein moves, but instead alternate between Look and Move mode. Combat has you pick three characters to join the scrum, placing them in either the Attack or Magic position. It’s easy to learn, yet hard to master, and it makes everything that much richer.
Great as Riviera is, it’s not the longest RPG. You can easily get around 30 or more hours doing everything, which includes unlocking all the game’s possible endings.
6 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Two Plumbers, Twice the Fun
I know that many gamers adore the Paper Mario series of RPGs, but for me, the best Mario-based RPG outside of Super Mario RPG was the Mario & Luigi series. And it all started in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
Not only does the game feature solid turn-based combat where timing is everything, but both brothers help each other out plenty during combat, teaming up to unleash special attacks. All of which would have been enough, but Superstar Saga goes the extra mile and features a crazy world of characters and surprisingly fun writing.
The only thing holding the game back is that it’s relatively linear, but there’s still a ton to do. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself playing this adventure again and again, whether that be on the Switch Online service or the updated Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions.
5 Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper
Get Ready for HADOKEN!
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Platform |
Game Boy Advance |
|---|---|
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Publisher |
Capcom |
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Genre |
Fighting |
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Release Date |
February 2001 (JP) |
Generally speaking, I try to focus on games that were released in North America for these lists. However, I’ll gladly make an exception for Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper. Though originally released solely in Japan on GBA, it did eventually come stateside in Capcom Fighting Collection 2.
Not only was this a surprisingly gorgeous adventure on the system, but it brought Eagle, Maki, and Yun to the fray. Mixed with the various isms to change how you play and a vast roster of fighters, and you have one epic portable Street Fighter experience.
10 Best Licensed GBA Games, Ranked
While licensed game adaptations can be hit or miss, here’s a list of several worthy ones that launched on the Game Boy Advance console.
While some have complained about the buttons used in the Capcom Fighting Collection 2, those who persevere will find around 40 hours of fighting mayhem to enjoy in Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper.
4 Summon Night: Swordcraft Story
Crafting a Grand Adventure
It might sound strange that I love Summon Night: Swordcraft Story despite never playing any of the other Summon Night games upon which it was based. That’s what happens when you wander into a store, find a unique-looking game, and buy it on a whim. Luckily, it turned out to be a great decision with this GBA RPG.
This game features a ton of diversity, letting you craft weapons from various elements and further enhance them. Then there’s the Labyrinth Dungeon, featuring a bunch of challenging floors to battle through, and that’s just before you’ve beaten the game.
There’s also a ton of optional stuff to do, which makes this a fairly robust handheld adventure. Add some gorgeous and colorful graphical flair, and you have a great Summon Night adventure, one that should last you at least 40 hours or so.
3 Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Renais in Shambles
I know many people don’t love Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, but those people aren’t me. I personally adore the tactical adventure, and find it’s one of the Fire Emblem games I replay the most. In part, that’s because it’s a well-made game, but it’s also because you can beat the main story in 20ish hours. Though if you’re looking to do everything in the game, you can easily double that number.
The game features a slow-burn story that gets darker the farther you get, and it really makes you care for the main characters. It also features permadeath, so get ready to use save states or reset the game when your favorites get wiped out in battle.
Though the game isn’t the most difficult entry in the series, trying it on Hard is another thing entirely, with unexpected reinforcements and brutally difficult foes. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones is honestly a really solid adventure, and one of my favorites on the GBA.
2 Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Andy, Grab Your Wrench!
Another series I love is Advance Wars. I’ve played all the games, even the largely objectionable Days of Ruin. And of all of them, I think Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising is my favorite. It built upon the characters and themes of the first game, and threw in more COs and crazy units to liven everything up.
This was one of the perfect games to release on a handheld system, and it made certain I played a lot on my GBA. Even though you can beat the main story in 30–40 hours, unlocking all the content and enjoying the optional maps and level editor makes it a much longer experience, easily 100+ hours.
If you’re a fan of strategic gameplay and colorful characters, you owe it to yourself to play Advance Wars, and probably should check out Reboot Camp.
1 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
Rogue-like Dungeon Crawling
We’ve all played games where you catch and use Pokémon in battles, but the Mystery Dungeon games were the first where we got to experience the game through the eyes of one. Yes, they were once humans who got transformed into monsters, but it’s still a neat concept.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team were inspired by Shiren the Wanderer, and feature a lot of exploring dungeons and engaging in turn-based battles. You’ll also need to make friends and help out your community of monsters. Given that it’s also a rogue-like with randomized dungeons, you can bet you’ll spend a lot of time playing the game, easily 200 or more.
While you may prefer Blue Rescue Team, either game offers a ton of content in a candy-colored package. If nothing else, I always appreciate innovation in the Pokémon series, especially given how content it is to rest on its laurels lately.
10 Hardest GBA Games Of All Time
Wanting to try out some classic and challenging games for GBA? Here are the 10 hardest games ever made for the Game Boy Advance.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
