Top 20 Best Game Boy Games!

Check out 20 of the BEST Original DMG Game Boy Games in this video! I'll be making follow up's for both Color compatible, and Color exclusive games too!
Let me know your favourites in the comments.
If you enjoyed this video, please consider subscribing!
Video contents:
00:00 20 - Operation C
01:08 19 - Snow Brothers
01:52 18 - Mega Man III
03:05 17 - Castlevania 2
04:10 16 - Kirby's Dream Land
05:56 15 - Nemesis 2
06:53 14 - Shadow Warriors
07:38 13 - Kirby's Dream Land 2
08:39 12 - Solomon's Club
09:32 11 - Final Fantasy Adventure
11:04 10 - Bubble Bobble Part 2
12:26 9 - Mario's Picross
13:26 8 - Tetris Plus
14:58 7 - Super Mario Land 2
16:06 6 - Donkey Kong Land 2
17:32 5 - Donkey Kong
19:25 4 - Wario Land 2
20:45 3 - Super Mario Land
22:34 2 - Zelda: Links Awakening
24:02 1 - Pokemon Yellow
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#RetroBreak #RetroGaming #gameboy

[@mooo13]

Metroid 2 got me hooked up so much…the atmosphere, tension, music….

[@DungeonMiser]

I loved it

[@MaxScheibenpflug]

No intro. Straight to the point. THANK. YOU. 🙌🙌🙌

[@jerryjb]

Super Mario Land is the game that got me back into Gameboy recently. I had an old beat up GBC that someone gave me years ago with only a copy of alleyway. I happened to walk into a local game store one day and bought super Mario Land. Instantly fell in love with it and ended up restoring/modding my Gameboy and have started building a collection of great games

[@kennypitts4829]

Have you tried Batman on Gameboy? It is similar.

[@jerryjb]

@@kennypitts4829 Which one?

[@RetroRockGamer]

I play the og super mario land all the time. It's my favorite of the series.

[@kennypitts4829]

@@jerryjb The first one called just "Batman" where the character is small like Mario Land on Gameboy. A challenge but fun. Actually, most batman games are great.

[@kennypitts4829]

@@RetroRockGamer The music is comforting.

[@robertdesaintloup1111]

would love the video on your fave japan exclusive GB titles!

[@RetroBreak]

I’m working on it :)

[@Incense3]

Gargoyle’s Quest is a big omission for me. But this is a fantastic list! I love the DMG!

[@matthewnucci2564]

100% !!!! incredible game with beautiful soundtrack!

[@dayz112]

amazing game indeed! edit, anyway, after watching the 20 games.... wlel... i respect since is just the content creator opinion, but lot's of misses and lot's of mediocre games on the list, he should rename the video to " my favourite game boy games". Even Metroid is not in the list of the "best games" :D But, indeed, Salomon's Club was a very interessting game and full of hidden secrets.

[@Miniclash]

Gargoyle's Quest and Balloon Kid are my two favorite games on the DMG. And none made it to the list :(

[@atylerblack164]

Super Mario Land is easily one of my favorite Mario games. The way it rewards exploration and the smaller sprite sizes makes that game so fun on the original GB.

[@xCorzo650x]

the best gb game!!

[@Bijuklich]

one of my favorite also...playing almost every day

[@robinhatherall6779]

Nice snappy video. It is always a joy to hear your top games videos as they are personal and delivered in a natural voice. Cheers.

[@omegaweapon116]

I loved Gameboy as a kid because you could get a brand new game for $30 opposed to a brand new SNES game for $60. I never played Tetris Plus but Tetris Blast was really fun.

[@metaltom2003]

Fun fact for anyone wondering: Kirby's color was always pink, and is depicted as such on the original Japanese box art of Dream Land 1. However they changed his color to white for the NA release because they weren't sure if western gamers would want to play a game with a pink protagonist.

[@HUYI1]

Ah I see, cool fact 😊😊

[@nixonhoover2]

Ha! Gay! 😂😅

[@RyanClaytor]

Never even heard of Solomon's Club before your list, but I've been playing it quite a bit since I heard you mention it. Thanks for putting together this list!

[@Cpt_crabhammer]

I really like how you only used games you own. Really give this list a personal touch. Learned about some games I'd never heard of!

[@gabosor64]

Finally someone addresses Donkey Kong! One of the best puzzle platformers, not only on the Game Boy, but of all time!

[@doubleddbeat3418]

Wario Land 1 deserve a top 20 imo. This game was fun as hell

[@TheRetrogameArtist]

I don’t know if it belongs on this list, but Legend of the River King is strangely one of my favorites to play when I’m backpacking or camping. Thank you for your content, it’s inspired me to start my channel where I aim to paint my way into the retrograding algorithm haha

[@xsni]

I'll always sing praise for Mole Mania on the Gameboy. I enjoyed this video very much. That is a seriously good top 20 list.

[@andrewpatton6194]

Great video! Thanks for sharing this, it's refreshing to see a list that isn't Pokemon listed several times or the usual suspects of "hidden gems"

[@RetroBreak]

Glad you enjoyed my picks! It was originally going to be a Top 15 excluding Mario and Pokemon, but decided to keep them and extend it to 20 instead :)

[@HUYI1]

Hahaha, it's so tru man 😂😂

[@milp00l]

Always love your Game Boy videos! 👍 Quick story: I was watching my niece and nephew overnight earlier this week. My nephew, who is 8, really likes the Switch and recently I’ve been getting him into some of the old consoles, especially Game Boy. Anyway, the one game he keeps coming back to and seems to have the most fun with so far is Super Mario Land. Granted, I don’t have Super Mario Land 2 yet (so maybe he’ll like that one even more), but I love seeing him get such a kick out of this game. It makes it extra special because he’s playing the same copy my brother (his dad) and I had growing up.

[@Simon0]

Links awakening is truly excellent when you remember it's for the Gameboy which wasn't that powerful. Definitely my favourite on the system

[@HUYI1]

I own both the OG 0.1 version where you can do the wall glitch and I also own the DX version boxed in good condition and of course i have the switch remake too, one of the best in the series when it comes to Zelda one of my favourites I've completed it so many times 😊

[@Simon0]

@@HUYI1 it has fabulous music! As well as being brilliant

[@user0x7f34]

Just completed Nemesis II yesterday... but Gargoyles Quest should be in every top Gameboy list😊

[@wiedo]

Forgot about that one. Yes definitely top 10 material

[@thepumpkingking8339]

@@wiedo Revenge of the 'Gator 😞

[@IndohNintendo]

Gameboy content is my favorite. Getting ready for work but can't wait to enjoy this soon as I get the chance.

[@damienater]

You inspired me to play these this morning on my GameBoy. Thank you so much for your videos. I discovered some amazing games through your videos and bought them way before the price hike. I have you to thank for some incredible games I didn’t know about. I really appreciate your passion and love for gaming and for sharing them with all of us. Thanks a million. Damien a fellow Gamer :-)

[@erneststackhouse1133]

Glade to see the original Kirby's Dreamland & Super Mario Land made your top 20! Both just fun to play! Thanks to you I just added to my list, Tail Gators! So now I got a new game that makes me go & play all the time! Fun Fact back in the day I was spending the night at my friends house & we got kicked off the TV for playing the SNES too much & got sent to his room. Where I pulled out my Game Boy Game! We continued on playing video games thru the night! Game Boy will always be my most beloved hand held system ever! Thanks for the Retro Break!

[@lastclassairman]

This is such a great list! A hidden gem I don’t think a lot of people even heard about is “Revenge of the Gator”. It’s a pinball game for the original Game Boy. It was the first game I actually had for Game Boy.

[@jaloud3765]

Amen

[@simonwl]

Thanks so much for doing this. I've been wanting to discover some GB titles but never sure where to start. You've presented the titles extremely well and enthusiastically. I now have a plan of attack!

[@Myako]

Great video once again, congratulations!! 👏🏻👏🏻💪🏻💪🏻 I'm eagerly awaiting Parts 2 and 3.

[@awesome6323]

One of my all time favourites on the system is Mole Mania. It is an exclusive and it is awesome. I prefer Parodius Da to Nemesis, but both are great.

[@mayraruiz9535]

I love that Pikachu's name is "Subscribe!" Really appreciate the time you spend recording video from each game! :) keep it up

[@MoviesNGames007uk]

I love the original Kirby's Dreamland. I remember the new game+ was quite challenging. This was a great list of classic games for the original Game Boy! 😊👍

[@HUYI1]

I've played it so many times and still have the cart I love it 😊

[@iangrant3615]

Lovely video. I have the original Game Boy which I got for Christmas when it came out back in the day. An amazing gift and I was glued to it for years. We couldn't afford many games so the ones I had, I played over and over. Duck Tales was one that I have fond memories of, even though it was hard and a bit glitchy with slow down. Burai Fighter Deluxe, and Gremlins 2 as well were two of my frequently played games. Links Awakening was the one that truly made me understand what an incredible system it was. It was such a vast and immersive experience.

[@kidfantastic93]

So glad to see Donkey Kong 94 get some love on here! First game I ever got for gameboy, and after playing games for almost 30 years it's still one of my absolute favorites!

[@GameboyZeroOfficial]

Subbed and followed. Nothing like a good homage to one of the greatest handhelds of our time ;)

[@cheekyphuzz_thegod8558]

Good stuff man. I’d love to see a video like this for GBA or GBC

[@RetroBreak]

Thanks! I already made a GBA one at the start of the year, enjoy :) 15 Best Game Boy Advance Games! [TOP GAMES] kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGmplIdso8SorKc GBC one coming soon, but there’s a few more games I want to get physicals of first!

[@cheekyphuzz_thegod8558]

@@RetroBreak Thanks for the heads up dude

[@KhalilKhan-of8wt]

Great collection ❤

[@bsolt978]

Fantastic list! I love seeing your passion for the gameboy 😊 for me the super Mario land games and definitely Pokémon yellow! After you video I started Kirby’s dreamland and you’re right, classic fun and simple gameplay.

[@MrMas9]

Great video dude! Would love to see you play through Super Mario Land in a video with commentary :)

[@vaelYT]

Great video, it is really helpful to decide which games I want to play. Unlike other videos I've watched this was very informative.

[@KabukiKid]

One of my favorite "SURPRISE!" video game memories is from playing the Gameboy Donkey Kong game... and expecting basically just a port of the arcade game. Then after those first levels, it opened up, I was like, "WHAT?! This is awesome!" :-D I'll always remember that feeling of discovering that for the first time, since I went in knowing nothing! :-)

[@RetroBreak]

Same here! I didn’t know what to expect and thought I’d finished the game! So cool! We would be spoiled if it came out today with trailers and the internet

[@BobbyHo2022]

Yeah. It instantly made it feel amazing and much cooler than the original dk arcade classic.

[@valentin1808]

Brilliant video. Just got a little player with most of Gameboy games wondering what to try. Now I know,thanks

[@ddljunkygames7654]

My list would have looked quite similar! Thanks for the trip back

[@tardiscommand1812]

Hey man thanks for being happy in your video. Many KZbinrs are always so grumpy looking.

[@AkAkAkNeil]

excellent, I love your lists, always something new to me!

[@tootzy-the-roll]

At some point in my life, the only GameBoy game I had was Link's Awakening. I must've beat the game 20-30 times. I would beat it once or twice a week. I got so good that I managed to get the master sword as soon as I would obtain the flippers. I could beat it on muscle memory alone.

[@mrsmith1938]

I've seen watching your videos since the good ol' DS days. I'm finally subbing lol

[@Gameboy_Steve]

Awesome video. I liked Crystal Quest

[@ExploringEsperanto]

Great video! You introduced me to several new entries like Snow Brothers and Solomon's Club that I'm very eager to check out now. I'd say Donkey Kong '94 is the best handheld Mario platformer until Super Mario 3D Land came along. I thought Super Mario Land sucked at first but it definitely grew on me and the ROM hack DX version is much more fun to play through.

[@thanasysdim]

Gameboy had an insanely vast and good game library. It was the console I had as a kid and the one I love the most. You made a very solid selection there and I have played and completed most of the list of this video. When it comes to fun factor and gameplay, Gameboy is only second the the SNES as the system with the best library.

[@MINI_91]

It's so nice to se some PAL content creators as well. Feels closer to home and more relatable to my own gaming experience.

[@charlesgriffiths4901]

I played around only half the games on this list but look forward to trying out some of these titles. Mario land 1 as a youngster was tough as nails but I did spend around half an hour completing it this year and have got so much appreciation for it's weird but wonderful gameplay! Wario land 2 definitely deserves it's place as that game is on another level. Nice to know I could never lose lives and want to throw my game boy!

[@bigkeith41]

Great video bro time to subscribe

[@musicmanpiezo]

Final Fantasy Adventure...I still play this game sometimes. It's fascinating how little story you needed as a kid. The ending made me cry every time. Weird.

[@FarmerSlideJoeBob]

really impressive list, didn't expect that Pokémon Yellow would be Number 1😃

[@hammahead101]

Thank you for the video! I love Gameboy games!

[@AndyHewco]

Totally agree on donkey Kong, links awakening and original Marioland. Not played that version of Tetris, but I did like the simplicity and control of the original and it shines with another player and link up.

[@MADMANNe1]

Nice! I wanna try out Solomons club, nice to find new fun puzzle games! I am playing Gargoyles quest on the gameboy! It's pretty good!

[@wiedo]

You absolutely nailed it in this video mate. I would’ve swapped your number 1 with Kirby’s Star Stacker. And maybe I would’ve swapped one of the arcade style games with lock n chase and added Metroid 2 and Wario Land 1 (I prefer it over 2 prob because of nostalgia) somewhere but that’s just nitpicking. Just a great list. Especially your choice of Tetris Plus surprised me, I loved that game (on Saturn in my case but it’s almost the same).

[@Christ_is_Lord_]

Great list!

[@XyNoST]

Playing Tetris DX A LOT when I'm not using my DMG for LSDJ, didn't knew about Tetris Plus will def check this out ! Love your Top25, it's not the obvious top25 games (of course there is some of them but hey these games are good eh !) all the websites and youtubers are usually doing and you explain your reasons why you love em ! +1 sub ! :)

[@ShadyPlatinum777]

I’ve started getting back into gameboy so this is super helpful.

[@kdorland]

Great list! I would have swapped Metroid 2 in there somewhere :)

[@RetroBreak]

I don’t like Metroid 2 that much, too confusing!

[@micksterminator3]

Thanks for the list, I'm definitely gonna get a bunch of these on all my 3ds'

[@mikatu]

You missed a few good news: The hunt for the red october, Boulder dash, Batman, Dr. Mario.

[@zatomlzxzanamolzy1253]

It's his opinion. 😂 He missed nothing. The games you listed could be the worst games ever made in someone's opinion and the best games ever made in another's. Both can exist simultaneously. It's not possible to definitively say whether a game is "good" or not.

[@MMMMMMMMMM857]

Nice video, you have a very possitive vibe. A new subscriber for you sir!! 👍🏻👍🏻

[@RetroBreak]

Thank you! Welcome to the channel :)

[@Hologramburrito]

Great list as always. Idk about my top 20 but my top 5 would be: 5. Solarstriker 4. Molemania 3. Mega Man V 2. The Legend of Zelda Links Awakening 1. Donkey Kong

[@Friedchunk]

I find myself coming back to this video quite often to remind myself of great GB games to hunt for. It's an excellent selection. Here in Japan, most of these are pretty easy to find and cheap, but some like Nemesis 2 and Ninja Ryukenden (Shadow Warriors) are fairly rare and expensive. Still, I recently bought the latter because it looked so cool and I love it! It's easily one of the best games on Game Boy for me - really fun with terrific music and graphics. I don't care that it's short and actually consider that a plus because bite-sized games are just right for Game Boy. Thanks for all the great tips in this and your other top games lists.

[@89simba57]

Started the video and the list started. 10 thumbs up

[@marckfoster9029]

When I was a kid, my neighbor's mother also plays NES (FamiCom in our country) every afternoon. She always play Super Mario Bros. and this one obscure game where you play as a wizard who can create blocks and can make them disappear. The game was the Japanese version and we dont know the english name for it. 25 years later I'm still searching for the name of that game because it was part of my childhood, and I stumbled upon this video. It was Solomon's Key.. the NES version of Gameboy's Solomon's Club.. Thank you so much for this video :)

[@mrkarbon]

Oh... that's fun. Here is my top-10 and hopefully you have some other recommendations and hidden gems to check out: - Zelda Links Awakening - Mario Land 2 - Gargoyle's Quest - Ghostbusters II - Metroid 2 - Dr. Mario - Burai Fighter - Double Dragon II - Mystic Quest - Balloon Kid Honorable mention: RC Pro Am, Mega Man, Tetris

[@Desolis_]

What a killer list of games. Belmont's Revenge and NG Shadow are probably my favorites in the list. Both well worth speedrunning too if you're at all interested. I've got to give Snow Bros a try, I've only ever played the NES version. Oh, and I think they made a version of Tetris Plus for the Playstation...🤔 Might be worth checking out too. Thanks for the video. Cheers! 🤘

[@j.walker6845]

Great channel.

[@lars-fenin]

great collection/picks..... the donkey kong port is one of the best for a game system ever, in my opinion.

[@bennymoo17]

I remember getting a green gameboy color and pokemon yellow for my 8th birthday back in 1998.. what a birthday it was!

[@notturok7841]

Turok on the original game boy is a master piece and the music is amazing !!! Some of the best bit tunes ever

[@daneast]

One thing that's difficult to factor into a Top 20 list like this is how the games played on the original hardware. I had one of the first-gen Gameboys in 1989 or 1990 (I was still in high school), and the huge issue with that original console was that LCD latency was very slow. This made some games extremely difficult to see properly and made them hard to enjoy. Ironically, Super Mario Land was one of the worst offenders, because the Mario sprite was so tiny. In SML 2 they made the sprites much larger, as they should have been originally. Anytime the world would start scrolling it would all fade into oblivion and could hardly be seen. Games like Castlevania and Tetris were much more playable because they could be seen easier on that original screen.

[@alexpine8295]

Great list! So many great DMG games, but no Mole Mania? :o Still, great video! Keep it up! (and can’t wait for the Japanese DMG video~!)

[@wiedo]

One of those games I see it’s great quality but never could get into even after trying at least three times.

[@dhall888]

Noice, I honestly couldn’t remember which one I had back in the 90s, but def megaman 3. I remember that level and the cartridge art! I used to love love that one! That, Metroid, and Kirby pinball and dream land 2! Those were my jams!

[@beansoup1088]

nice list buddy

[@cecilrichardson2494]

I loved that Castlevania 2 made the list. I had it, and the first one back in the day. Good times!

[@HUYI1]

Yeah I have the cart too 👍👍

[@JohnAGalvanArt]

All of these are amazing games , i actually forgot Solomon Key had a version on the original Game Boy, that game is so fun and addicting. This is a great list, i should check which GB games i have still and share them in the server - SynDuo

[@davy_K]

Picross is a nice call - my wife was obsessed with it - cleared the entire thing. Also DK '94 is my personal pick as best on the GB - especially played with the Super Gameboy which adds cabinet art. btw - great to see no long winded intro.

[@TarikA]

Great video. As for the original Game Boy, I would have included Adventures of Lolo and one of the Turtles games (personally I like the third the most which would be Radical Rescue but many also love the first entry).

[@LITTLE1994]

Nothing beats Zelda Link's Awakening, Donkey Kong '94, and Pokémon Red/Blue.

[@FelixS.]

Really solid list. Some games I want to add as phenomenal Game Boy games: - the original Wario Land (I like it far more than the second one) - Kid Dracula - Dragon Quest Monsters - Mole Mania - the three Turtles games - Darkwing Duck - Mega Man V (the only purely original Game Boy one) - Gargoyles Quest - Felix the cat - James Bond 007 - Kirbys Pinball Land - Final Fantasy Legend 1-3 - Batman the video game - Tennis - the original Tetris - Dr. Mario - Metroid 2 Return of Samus - Kwirk The Game Boy really has an amazing library.

[@TheVype]

Thank you for video impresive collection. Im gonna try them all on my miyoo mini plus im a week

[@jackcameback]

Nice vid - how did you capture the gameplay?

[@vash-747]

donkey kong land 2 my favorite, so many memories!

[@miketurin5233]

Bubble Booble is one of the best games, especially in Co-Op mode. Played all levels on C64 and Wii Retro. It’s great on the Gameboy too. Same fun.

[@neversleep8820]

Amazing list! I'm not surprised Pokemon Yellow made it to #1. It's just done so well. I wish other franchises made games of the same caliber at the time. Turn based games just work out so good for portable gaming consoles and are so chill.

[@armyofninjas9055]

Check out the original Pokemon: shin megami. Same formula (some even say the pokemon designs and gameplay are stolen from shin megami) as pokemon but with demons and stuff. Revelations demon slayer is not to be missed. Saga is great too. The rpgs on the gb are great.

[@bretton_woods]

You gota remember that Pokemon didn't come out til the mid/late 90s in fact we here in the UK got it last (Red + Blue came out in UK a full year after America got it!) and we didn't get Yellow til 2000! Just one year before the GBA was released. Back then being a kid with no internet, I of course had no idea Pokemon existed til Red/Blue landed on these shores. Anyway, by that point in time they could refine games for the Game Boy much more easily than early days of the system. From my understanding at least.

[@hmmburger8485]

@@bretton_woods Yeah generally true of most systems, they devs get better at programming for it as time goes on. The PS1 is a great example of most of its best / technically impressive games coming in the later years.

[@guywhoplaysbass]

your intro track is really good

[@RetroBreak]

Thanks! This is just a shorter version

[@MJFallout]

Mystic Quest/FF Adventure is probably my favorite game on the GameBoy, and you have hit the nail on the head with your assessment here. It's not as good as Link's Awakening, but it's not far of either. In addition, it has features that Zelda doesn't have, such as a well working, intuitive yet simple leveling system that allows you to tailor to your preferred playstyle. Only the boss fights in Mystic Quest are a wash when compared to Zelda, they barely rise past 'okay' in design and complexity. Also, it's a very long game, so it's 'bang for your buck' in that regard.

[@CristopherKiri]

DKC2 is a top 5 game of all time for me. So much action packed into the title with replay value to boot.

[@AT-zr9tv]

Nice list. Didn't you enjoy Metroid 2, Battletoads, or R-Type ? All solid games

[@ohmy4275]

I remember solomons key in the arcades. Fantastic game

[@velipso]

Kirby 1, Super Mario Land 2, and Wario 1 were my go to games as a kid... Kirby in particular I still love so much, would probably be my #1... Still love Links Awakening but never had that originally and only played that on emulator years later

[@billymaccaull3018]

i whant to try all these games now thats crazy you naild what you set out to do for this video rhgt on

[@Autotrope]

Some good games here. The Donkey Kong game for the GB is underrated - or at least I think it was at the time

[@BRAVOROBINSON]

Why do people like you think something was always underrated? Does it make you feel special like you was onto something no one else knew about? 😂

[@Autotrope]

@@BRAVOROBINSON what crawled into your cornflakes this morning

[@BRAVOROBINSON]

@@Autotrope ermmmmm…..good one?

[@Autotrope]

@@BRAVOROBINSON you clearly woke up this morning and decided to take out your frustrations in life on random people on the internet. I feel sorry for you

[@BRAVOROBINSON]

@@Autotrope underrated

[@napdogs]

I really didn't expect to be introduced to so many quality games. My EZ flash cart needs an update

[@asa-punkatsouthvinland7145]

As a kid I played Castlevania Adventure before any other Castlevania game. So the lack of sub weapons & slow speed didnt bother me as I had no basis for comparison. Also doing so & then playing the NES Castlevania games made it seem like sub weapons & such were aditions like a sequel would have rather than being things left out of tge 1st Gameboy version.

[@titowrestling]

Much love for the Final Fantasy Adventure love! #1 on my list!

[@Waffletigercat]

Oh man! Donkey Kong '94 is dope!

[@TheInfuckingcredible]

Some titles I like to mention that usually get overlooked: - Kung Fu Master: A short, but fun side scrolling Beat em Up - V-Rally Championship Edition / Motocross Maniacs: Two really fun racing games, one's classic Grand Prix style racing, the other is Motocross Parcour