Top 100 Best Gameboy Advance (GBA) Games | 2023 Edition

The Nintendo Gameboy Advance has an impressive library of games, and many I would consider hidden and forgotten gems. This top 100 countdown of the GBA's best games showcases the titles that deserve your time and attention to play. Slightly more powerful than the Super Nintendo (SNES) this amazing portable machine brought us some innovative and polished games ever created. Through thousands of hours of play and deep research, I believe this is a concrete list of the best game titles for the GBA. If there's a title you believe deserves to be on the list let me know in the comments.
00:00 Top 100 Countdown
03:56 Top 90 Countdown
07:16 Top 80 Countdown
10:37 Top 70 Countdown
13:57 Top 60 Countdown
17:17 Top 50 Countdown
20:37 Top 40 Countdown
23:57 Top 30 Countdown
27:17 Top 20 Countdown
30:17 Top 10 Countdown
Some of the Gameboy advance games listed in this countdown:
Metroid: Zero Mission
Advance Wars 1 & 2
A Link to the Past
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Golden Sun
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
TLoZ: The Minish Cap
Metroid Fusion
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Super Mario Advance 4: SMB3
Kirby: The Amazing Mirror
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island
Pokemon Emerald/ Ruby/ Sapphire
WarioWare Inc
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Mega Man Zero 3
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Sonic Advance 2
Final Fantasy VI Advance
Mother 3
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
Mario Golf: Advance Tour
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mega Man Battle Network 1/2/3/4
Wario Land 4
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Ninja Five-O
Fire Emblem
Pokemon FireRed/ GreenLeaf
Mario Tennis: Power Tour
F-Zero GP Legend
Drill Dozer
Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand
WarioWare: Twisted!
#nintendo #gba #gameboyadvance #gameboy #switch

[@JohnnySoCal]

Make sure to comment below on your thoughts on the impressive GameCube library? Also, check out my other Top 100 videos like... Top 100 Gamecube games: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqu4gKyji5KXrKs Top 100 Nintendo 3DS games: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYe2qIZ6n7iMoKM Top 100 Nintendo 64 games: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6usl313oNN5bNE

[@francoarana776]

Yes, I was waiting for the Sims Urbz. I played that game a lot back in the day, also Legacy of Goku should be in the top 10 at least

[@TyGreenGoblin]

Gunstar Heroes

[@phorchybug3286]

My personal favorite is Dungeon Dice Monsters.

[@MaxRetroGamin]

Shining Force Resurrection of the Dark Dragon?

[@Emilyadrianaa]

Dogz & Dogz 2 hehe

[@el_pibe_que_salio_de_la_basura]

0:16: 100. Super Dodge Ball Advance 0:39: 99. Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Games 0:56: 98. Konami Krazy Racers 1:17: 97. Max Payne 1:37: 96. Iridion II 1:58: 95. The Pinball of the Dead 2:17: 94. Ultimate Spider-Man 2:37: 93. Phantasy Star Collection 2:57: 92. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 3:17: 91. Spyro 2: Season of Flame 3:37: 90. Medal of Honor: Infiltrator 3:54: 89. Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku I & II 4:17: 88. Gladius Galaxies 4:38: 87. Lady Sia 4:56: 86. Digimon: Battle Spirit 1 & 2 5:14: 85. Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel 5:37: 84. Tekken Advance 5:55: 83. Sonic Battle 6:18: 82. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 6:36: 81. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team 6:55: 80. DOOM & DOOM II 7:16: 79. Mega Man & Bass 7:37: 78. Tales of Phantasia 7:58: 77. Fire Pro Wrestling 1 & 2 8:18: 76. Colin McRae Rally 2.0 8:36: 75. The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood 8:57: 74. Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2 9:18: 73. DK: King of Swing 9:38: 72. One Piece 9:57: 71. Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure 10:17: 70. Gunstar Super Heroes / Gunstar Future Heroes 10:38: 69. Lunar Legend 10:56: 68. Grand Theft Auto Advance 11:16: 67. Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament 11:37: 66. Super Bust-A-Move 11:59: 65. TMMT 12:18: 64. Metal Slug Advance 12:38: 63. V-Rally 3 12:58: 62. Breath of Fire II

[@StrayTato]

Thank you for this

[@stevesteve0521]

Gba game library was so good, most of the games in the top 40 of this list can easily be in the top 10. The game library was absolutely stacked, my favorite handheld of all time and just video game system overall

[@user-th7ub8uh1m]

I play gba games with my boy emulator it's better than mobile games

[@user-th7ub8uh1m]

I play gba games with my boy emulator it's better than mobile games

[@user-th7ub8uh1m]

I play gba games with my boy emulator it's better than mobile games

[@SR-rr4qy]

I had the exaxct same thought. I would have put Castlevania circle of the moon, F-Zero, Donkey Kong country 2, Wario Land 4 and others much higher than that. But it is just a personal list and I respect that.

[@Enriquecy11]

That doesn't make sense.

[@Dahlia666Murder]

So glad to see Golden Sun getting the love it deserves

[@gazoonman]

Should be number 1 tho

[@RetroReef]

Such an amazing system. Anybody who loves the 16 bit era and hasn’t explored the GBA library yet is in for a treat. Honestly one of the all time best game libraries.

[@obthree2830]

I’ve seen SOOO MANY of these videos! And let me just say this one was a nice change of pace from the normal show a clip and count down to 1.

[@stormranger528]

Your edit is so nice man. I appreciate you adding the name and box art. Keep up the good work

[@abatoastbrot]

Its really good! Thanks for the work! :)

[@yudiwidanto]

Well documented and informative review ❤

[@YeagerFilm]

Great list and great production value on the video! Glad to see Advanced Wars and Sonic Advance 2 get appropriate ratings. 💯

[@netogc9979]

Good job man!! Awesome quality and more gameplay time!! Thanks a lot!!!

[@nnoyze]

Great video showing gameplay and information of each game

[@davidhoffman6509]

Really nice job putting this together. Great video, just the right amount of gameplay video per game, great job including the cover art and the title graphics are really nice. Kudos.

[@fabiobezerra9569]

Great list, I love it! ✌️😁🎮

[@freezersk]

Nice list and very nicely presented for someone like me discovering GBA games years after the console prime 👍🏼

[@geraldhenry5739]

Pretty good list! Definitely one of the better ones I've seen. You can definitely tell you made the list based on your own personal preference as opposed to reviews or the community hype around them. You even mentioned MegaMan Battle Network albeit at a pretty high number but still, no other video I've watched so far even talks about those games and they're amazing. In any case, thanks for the list. Gonna start downloading some of these again.

[@Lucifronz]

Phew... you had me worried for a second there. Was about to say "No Zero Mission!?" but you put it in first and while I'm not a huge Metroid fan in terms of gameplay, I love the aesthetic and it's the only Metroid game I've ever put in the time to beat. I loved the hell out of it, fantastic game. It's a _prime_ example of how to do a remake.

[@user-jq4fz6co8b]

Always glad to see Dodgeball Advanced get love...I had that game in 2001 and was absolutely obsessed with it.

[@fargus3486]

Brilliant video - really admire the effort

[@JohnnySoCal]

I appreciate the comment... I'll be uploading more top 100 gamelist soon.

[@tugkanberk]

here after apple removed emulator bans from the app store

[@danillo3875]

I great list! I miss Medabots in this list. It was a great game

[@papa_sloth_gaming547]

Great list. I still play Advance Wars now and again. I also really liked Double Dragon.

[@JohnnySoCal]

Advance Wars has always been a go to game for me and my friends. Still holds up.

[@victoriouswinner7745]

Double Dragon Advance is amazing! I love it! First GBA game I beat

[@randy7894]

Fantastic list! I've got all of em.

[@SantiagoAlbertoBarujPoli-cc1bs]

22:50 Golden Sun was to me the peak of GBA, of what it can do, but pro tony hawk s looks incredible too for this console.

[@catarenatucker2781]

Sonic Battle at 83rd place broke my heart😭. I love that game! Okay you placed Aria of Sorrow higher than I thought it would be

[@KeziaTv]

Honestly these rankings are so all over the place it's insane lmao

[@CABROWN]

Great useful video!

[@wolfmarian]

Thank you for these lists! I know for more games i can search for my console ^^!

[@JohnnySoCal]

3DS list coming soon

[@bxbomber85]

Solid list! Came across a rom set that has most of these at the very least so I'm pretty much set for my GBA library.

[@worklifebalancegame]

love the list! Can you make one for top 100 ps1 games?

[@yoel9396]

In 35th place you put Fire emblem 7, Blazing sword, which is indeed the first one that came to the west.... But the gameplay shown is fire emblem 6 with English fan translation xd

[@Dairunt1]

13:40 Amazing list! I can't wait to try most of them! Although calling SFA3 a "decent port" was the understatement of the day x_x

[@pierreplayfair]

really super happy you have gradius galaxies as a personal favorite. I always had to borrow games from cousins & while my tiny brain could barely stand golden sun, he gave me gradius as well T-T

[@PackOfWolves928]

ugh chain of memories was incredible. i remember getting so excited just from the tv commercial

[@sogganikkanawa6463]

Very good ! Thks !

[@econtreras]

Yo thank you so much for this! I've discovered new games!

[@fcfc50]

Theres this taiwanese published weekly or monthly comic (kinda of like shounen jump but its not) ,it has the games,toys and comics trending at that time (when i was 9,10 years old,20over years ago), megaman battle network and war advance always featured inside, that lead me to trying other games like golden sun, legend of zelda and yugioh. I would say gameboy is really one of the best handheld console and my fave till now. Thank you for making this video, alot of wonderful childhood memories 😊

[@judgemongaming8435]

Good recommendations overall

[@viridionwaves]

Interesting list

[@mysticstylez19991]

GBA on the PVM/CRT is the new hotness Minish cap has been so sick on it

[@gregorys9629]

I'd forgotten about the Episode III Revenge of the Sith, but that was a fun game - it was great how there were different playthroughs for Anakin and Obi-Wan. Nice list!

[@CarpeNoctum95]

Spyro 2 Season of Flame is SERIOUSLY under rated. If you loved Spyro 3 on PS1, you'll love this. They're still cheap to buy, so now is your chance. A lot of the other games on this list have rocketed in value.

[@ethan0248910]

I was about to say if i don't see Binding Blade on this list... but I guess you technically put it on there...? Number 35 on this list is Fire Emblem, but I see Fire Emblem Binding Blade footage. Sacred Stones is definitely in the top 15!

[@borusa32]

Very well presented, I would say Nightmare Before Christmas also deserves to be up there.

[@Willabrador]

Wow dude thats such a great list! Bomberman advance was a personal favourite not there. Golden sun all time

[@ricosalvaje5802]

Metroid Zero Mission is awesome.

[@ultimategamer2669]

I almost never put remakes in my top 10 list because most of them are basically a repeat of the same thing, but honestly Metroid Zero Mission is so drastically different from the original that you might as well call it a sequel. And a damn good one.

[@ramrodbldm9876]

​@ultimategamer2669 here's the bug twist, no one, I mean not a soul, cares about your top 10 list I promise 😂 try and see how many ppl care

[@jclkaytwo]

@@ultimategamer2669 "most of them are basically a repeat of the same thing" isn't that literally what a remake is supposed to be? how is that a bad thing?

[@kaizenalfeo2923]

thanks for info

[@johnygee8090]

So cool video decor...

[@Aristi2]

Should try Shaman King Master of Spirits 1 and 2, they have the gameplay of Castlevania and would surely take a spot here

[@juneacenavarro4129]

I like the layout of the video. Nice job ❤

[@Illuvatar94]

22:00 It was disrespectful for me to see this Fire Emblem in 35th place. For me this is easily top 3. first to come to the West, stupendous soundtrack, highly polished gameplay. It was this game that made me a fan of strategy games.

[@nicolasromani3523]

Thank you! I'm going to download some of these games on my phone to play the heck out of them. Loving Golden sun so far. GBA for life!

[@arey256]

How?

[@Naxafa]

I loved Kingdom Hearts but I could never beat one of the final bosses. Interesting that I played a bunch of the games in this list as a child. Feels good I was lucky to own some of them.

[@bwanabeast3169]

Nice!

[@nighthawk244]

I would love a GB/GBC List

[@ktak2811]

As a kid, I always thought the GBA was just a portable SNES (which, don't get me wrong, blew me away), but after revisiting the line up, it seems like it handled 3D perspective better. Is this because the device is more capable than the SNES or is it because devs were starting to get better at making games that weren't too down RPGs and side scrolling platformers around this time?

[@sebastianparedes8935]

Nice! If u can do a top 100 for all the consoles, incluided pc games. Grettings. Keep up the good work!

[@tristanrice7516]

Is the Device pictured for each game the Device you Prefer to play it on?

[@Lucifronz]

19:24 Great game. You really had to play it back in the day, though, with a genuine cartridge, an original GBA and a window on a sunny day you were desperately trying to get as much sunlight in to hit the sensor. I've still yet to beat the game, even with the advantages of an emulator with save states and cheats. It's so easy to get lost in. It's far from perfect, but there is serious novelty in the concept of using actual real-world sunlight to power your weapon (and change your environments) and the game's aesthetic and setting is pretty good. I'd liken it visually to a more child-friendly Castlevania or something, I guess. The world is dark, but not edgy dark or anything, and the emphasis on monsters and vampires will catch the eye of anyone who enjoys a supernatural game or two. Also, you literally cannot complete this game without sunlight or a modded ROM to emulate the sunlight sensor. One of the bosses literally goes into a coffin and requires sunlight on the sensor in order to charge up the markings you put him on and properly defeat him. Oh and as for the weaponry, you actually get a ton of various alterations in the form of "frames" and "lenses". Frames can change the spread and I believe lenses change the type of attack. So you don't just have to shoot little orbs at people, you can create an arc kind of like... idk, a controlled flamethrower, and literally add the fire type to it to burn enemies while you're at it. It works very well. There are even stealth elements in the game and you can lure enemies by leaning against a wall and tapping on it Solid Snake style. Considering it was published by Konami, I doubt the similarities are accidental, but they're relatively small. EDIT: For those who want to play via emulation, I should mention there's an excellent Solar Sensor Patch by Prof9 on Github that works for all three games, including the Japanese title that never released in the west, Boktai 3.

[@pedrok4489]

The best FF of all times at 21st shows how great GBA is

[@JosephRiveraSantiago0617]

That's not Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade footage. That's the translation footage for the previous title, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade. Still, I admire this video.

[@JohnnySoCal]

Several gamers have noticed it... I'll be uploading an improved GBA video soon with that correction.

[@mysticstylez19991]

Bold choice but I respect it and could agree on the right day, zero mission is amazing and includes the og version too

[@Jackapod]

The fact WarioLand 4 wasnt put in top 10 is criminal imo

[@ladams391]

Imo the GBA (including the GBA SP) is tied with the NES/Famicom for being not just the best console hardware but the best overall console ecosystems (taking into account the time and state of the gaming landscape into which they were released) that Nintendo has ever produced. To me, and I have a feeling I'm not the only one that feels this way, the GBA feels like the culmination of everything that Nintendo had learned about gaming (in particular 2D games, but also some limited 3D) up to that point. There are so many fantastic games for the GBA that utilize the hardware in such a wide variety of interesting ways that I suspect it is virtually impossible to play them all even if you are only playing the best games the system has to offer.

[@IcoKirov]

what a champ... quoting himself in his video :D

[@ravellxivrobinson4979]

I remember I traded digimon battle spirit1 for a GameCube, multiple games, and some remotes. I only paid seven bucks for that digimon game

[@chickenchaser6284]

Just a note, Fire Emblem gameplay shown is from The Binding Blade starring Roy (which now has English translations available) but the game listed is 'Fire Emblem' (The Blazing Blade OR Rekka no Ken) starring his father Eliwood. Both are great :)

[@JohnnySoCal]

Sorry about that... I will be uploading a better ver of this video and will address the fire emblem games.

[@chickenchaser6284]

@@JohnnySoCal It happens! I am not a creator so I don't know if comments like that are helpful (in case edits are possible) or just annoying so I apologize if it's the latter. Thanks for the video it was a great list! :)

[@aqira2yoo486]

Its such a shame the third summon night never got a proper English translation. SERIOUSLY??? They added bows too which is such a cool addition to the weapons. Swordcraft story series were one of my most thoroughly enjoyed gbas and i wanted to see through the plt of the third one so bad

[@andreasfernandez1548]

Imagine you put all Gameboy Advance games on your Super Famicon/ Super Nintendo Mini, that will be satisfied and addicted. 😅😅

[@feIon]

glad that mother 3 was recognized despite it being japan only

[@KeziaTv]

Amazing editing. Terrible order. Great video!

[@JohnnySoCal]

There's a new GBA 2024 update video

[@MochammadYuliardhiPratam-qn8gj]

I forgot the name of the Japanese GBA game title where the character has a weapon, namely a hat that can be thrown. and this is an action advance adventure type game. With theme castle, carnival & magician skill. If you know the name of this game, you are a pro game player of all genres.

[@YustinJ420]

Not a Japanese game but maybe Fievel's Gold Rush is what you're looking for. Do you remember any other details? How does the protagonist look like?

[@darrenmcfadden7055]

I love Rayman Advance :’)

[@rogelioleon6812]

My favorit Game in Gameboy is Shining Soul 2

[@acekidatelier]

No Hamtaro Rainbow Rescue, such a shame :(

[@mustbenatemoney]

Ngl, having battle network 1-4 in the same spot is CRAZY, 3 stands leagues above those games, and not having 6 is a travesty.

[@Mrjacharles]

Mate get the Sims games for GBA. They're weird but funky. Just saying.

[@patrickxavierms]

Only MMBN 1-4??! What about 5 and 6? 5 definitely should have been here

[@Powerthewolf232323]

I have been looking for an old game for the GBA for years now. It was a game in which you would control little aliens/monsters from a top down view. The little monsters/aliens would transfer their consciousness to other ones in different parts of the level and solve puzzles until you got them all together or a specific # of them to pass the level or area and progress to the other part. In some sections you would have as if it was poop monsters and the dynamic was the same, the only difference was you would flush them down a “toilet” and you would need a specific number of them to pass. If you somehow got any of them hurt/killed you could not advance. Anybody remember the name or know about this game?

[@YustinJ420]

My first guess would be Chu Chu Rocket. I'm not too familiar with that game but by any chance might that be the game you were looking for?

[@Powerthewolf232323]

@@YustinJ420 sadly it is not that game, breaks my heart that for years I have been able to come across anyone that knew 😭

[@YustinJ420]

Hmmm maybe some other details you remember? The GBA library only has around 1500 games, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find out what you're looking for. Also are you sure it was a GBA game and not a Game Boy Color game since the GBA was backwards compatible with that.

[@sashalama]

32:30 pros: marluxia battle music Endgame content

[@twitchster77]

I always do tons of research on what roms to get and I feel super nostalgic while doing so because the GBA was absolutely amazing when I was younger. Then I sit down to play the games and get bored of them super quickly and realize fast that I'd just rather play newer games.

[@doblea2]

I can't believe you placed tactics ogre on 26... thay game it's awesome to not be on the top 10 in gba

[@ossielrivera5830]

The only mistake gba has is not having its own mario

[@ultimategamer2669]

Have you ever heard of Mario vs. Donkey Kong?

[@flodu62510]

​@@ultimategamer2669he was certainly talking about a classic platformer game. Like Super Mario Land for the Game Boy and New Super Mario Bros for the DS. And i agree, it's a bit disappointing that the GBA just got some ports/remakes of classic Mario games...

[@BomboFeca]

​@@ultimategamer2669 he means a 2D plataformer Mario game... considering Mario vs DK as a "Mario Game, is like saying Tri Force Heroes is a main Zelda game.

[@davisadriel7865]

Advance guardians heroes, very good!

[@BR3AKPOINT00]

Today my GBA arrived, and is the best console i could ever get

[@vansmoken4172]

The fire emblem game is really really good. The story and battle are intense, and the last fight is epic.

[@Amber_xo_133]

5. Kirby and the Amazing Mirror 4. FF6 Advance 3. Metroid Fusion 2. Pokémon Emerald 1. Zelda MC

[@vitamindeeznutz4102]

Mother 3 being 23rd is a huge crime

[@zymogenic2]

you missed a lot of very good game, but is your ranking so it's ok!

[@tyler3036]

that blonde kid in a red shirt on mother 3 game looks like billy chris spunkygal (made up character that isn't used in real series or movies).

[@pedroalvarez7779]

I miss sword of mana on this list

[@SunartiSun-bg3bq]

Game boy advance for the first time ever all

[@Fargowilta]

Quality

[@JohnnySoCal]

Thanks

[@hong10ly70]

Good games

[@davidmiller4300]

❤❤❤

[@BettyBungas27]

Nice info! But Pokemon is the best! (My Opinion) 😆

[@JohnnySoCal]

The Pokemon games on the GBA have some really nice and clean visuals. I miss the pixel art in Pokemon games.

[@ianos88]

How in this100 game list there's no Riviera or Yggdra Union is beyond me😬

[@TheCaotix]

Hmmmm Sims busting out y The Urbz were good ones too

[@angealastral8616]

Mother 3 debería ser número 1.

[@erikfurudi975]

Kurukuru kururin should be there, lot more rpgs

[@Ihurybfp]

Where that Riviera masterpiece at?

[@goji3755]

Curious that you bunched up Battle Networks 1-4 all on one entry. I probably would have included 3 and 6 on the list separately, as they are the best of each half of the series (3 has the best story of the whole set and greatly refined the gameplay, and 6 takes the gameplay to a whole new level). Alternatively, group 2, 3, 5, and 6 together as one entry and leave out 1 and 4 which are the weakest games owing to 1 being the most basic and 4 being the most tedious.

[@rmb5355]

Krazy Racers at #98 is a travesty