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The 5 Best GBA Emulators for PC to Play Classic Games in 2025

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Aug 20, 2025• Proven solutions

GBA has gained a lot of popularity and became the favorite handheld gaming console for every gamer. If you are pc person and don't want to buy another device for playing games designed for GBA, we have a solution. You can easily play GBA games on your PC with the help of a GBA emulator for PC. There are so many articles and websites out there that state that they will provide you with the Best GBA Emulators for PC, but the truth is, they never experience or used those emulators. In this article, we are listing the 5 Best GBA Emulators for PC after thorough research and comparison of so many GBA Emulators to ensure you enjoy the same experience of GBA on your PC smoothly without any hindrance. These emulators help you enjoy the experience of playing retro-style games on modern-day PCs.


Top 5 GBA Emulators for PC Reviewed (2025)

1. No$GBA

Price: Free

No$GBA, or we can say No Cash GBA is an emulator that provides you with the ability to play GBA games without any cost directly on your PC. No$GBA was introduced as a GBA debugger, but after some time, it officially became an emulator. No$GBA is the first emulator that supports the multiplayer feature on the same PC. 

The user interface of the No$GBA emulator for PC, showing the game Pokémon Emerald running.

Features

  • Runs both Nintendo DS and GBA games
  • Good stability and optimization
  • Ability to play multiplayer GBA games

Pros

  • Supports Controller
  • Ability to run Multiplayer games
  • Enables you to remap the keyboard keys

Cons

  • Old look
  • Games require patching to run

 

2. Visual Boy Advance

Price: Free

Visual Boy Advance Emulator is the oldest emulator you can find for PC. It supports all kinds of ROMs, including GB, GBA, GBC, SGB, and SGB2. It allows the saving of games at any time, and that data can be exported to another emulator without any difficulty. It enhances your experience of GBA games by allowing you to use Joystick for playing games. This emulator comes with features like DirectSound, Better audio sample rate, and OpenGL.

A screenshot of the Visual Boy Advance emulator running the GBA game Super Mario Advance on a PC.

Features

  • Cheat creation
  • Save states
  • Multi system, supports GBA, GBC, GB, SGB, SGB2
  • Turbo!
  • Color Palette Modifier

Pros

  • Joystick support
  • Ability to save the game as per users' preference.
  • Easy Setup Process

Cons

  • Tricky for beginners

 

3. BatGBA

Price: Free

BatGBA is a lightweight GBA emulator for PC that comes with limited features and options that makes this easy to use without technicality. It allows you to play GB, GBA, and GBC ROMs. Since it was last updated in 2002, it has an outdated user interface. To run GBA games smoothly without any hindrance on BatGBA, you will need the original BIOS file. It also shows the FPS of games while you are playing. Overall, it is a simple and easy-to-use emulator, perfect for those who don't want to get into any technical setting.

The simple user interface of the BatGBA emulator, with the 'Load ROM' window open over the game Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land.

Features

  • Easy-to-use and straightforward GBA emulator.
  • Reliable performance

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Supports all ROMs
  • FPS Tracker

Cons

  • Outdated User Interface

 

4. mGBA

Price: Free

mGBA is a new generation GBA emulator for PC that provides a lot of features to its users. It was designed to provide its user with the ability to install it on any low-end PC without compromising its performance and portability. mGBA is updated regularly by the developers that make it unique and different from all other emulators. It empowers users to save their games anytime they want, which not common in other emulators. It also allows the users to apply cheat codes while playing a game. Apart from its features, it has a simple and easy-to-use interface that helps play all ROMs by simply downloading them and opening them through the mGBA's toolbar.

The mGBA emulator for PC displaying the start screen for the GBA game 'The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap'.

Features

  • Possibility to load game patches.
  • Quick game saving and resuming functions.
  • Multi-window support.
  • Possibility to speed up the game's action.
  • Option to generate GIFs from a video capture.
  • Simple control and hotkey configuration.

Pros

  • New features are added regularly.
  • Supports cheat codes
  • Compatible with low-end PCs

Cons

  • Plenty of bugs

 

5. Boycott Advance

Price: Free

Boycott Advance is a reliable and the most suitable GBA emulator for all macOS users. Its easy-to-use and straightforward user interface provide its users with a smooth experience of playing their favorite GBA games. Boycott Advance is a fully optimized GBA emulator supporting features like scaling and rotation for a comprehensive experience of playing GBA games. It can provide you several extra features that can be achieved with the help of Emulator Enhancer. This add-on helps you in getting features such as USB joysticks, gamepads, and full-screen modes for your games, audio effects, opening recent games immediately, and much more. 

A screenshot of the Boycott Advance emulator for macOS running the GBA title 'Final Fantasy Tactics Advance'.

Features

  • Optimized CPU Emulation
  • Scaling and Rotation
  • Supports all MacOS computers.
  • Supports USB joystick and gamepads
  • Reliable performance

Pros

  • GBA DirectSound Support
  • Gameboy PSG Support
  • Full-Screen Mode
  • Gamepads support
  • Audio Effects

Cons

  • Prevent some Titles
  • Several Bug Reports

GBA Emulators for PC: A Quick Comparison

To help you choose the best GBA emulator for your specific needs, we've summarized the key details of our top 5 picks in the table below. All the emulators listed here are completely free to use.

Emulator Best For Platform Key Features
No$GBA Multiplayer Gaming PC
  • Local Multiplayer
  • DS & GBA Support
  • Controller Support
Visual Boy Advance All-in-One Retro Gaming PC
  • Multi-System Support
  • Save States
  • Joystick Support
BatGBA Beginners & Simplicity PC
  • Extremely Lightweight
  • Simple Interface
  • FPS Counter
mGBA Modern Features PC
  • Regular Updates
  • Cheat Code Support
  • Low System Requirements
Boycott Advance macOS Users macOS
  • Full Gamepad Support
  • Full-Screen Mode
  • Optimized for macOS

Conclusion

All these emulators are selected after careful research and comparison among all the available GBA emulators for PC. These emulators will provide you with the best experience of GBA without any extra cost. Apart from all their features, these emulators also enable you to record gameplay on PC, which was impossible for GBA. You will be able to share your gameplay on social media platforms like Youtube, Facebook, and all other similar video-sharing platforms with your friends and family. Using Filmora, you can make your gameplay of GBA games more appealing and thrilling with the help of its several unique features. Filmora provides you with the ability to add seamless transitions, excellent effects, valuable elements, remarkable music, and much more into your gameplay for an excellent result.

Download button for the Windows version of Wondershare Filmora video editor.Download button for the Mac version of Wondershare Filmora video editor.

Frequently Asked Questions About GBA Emulators

What do GBA emulators for PC cost?

All five of the GBA emulators recommended in this article—No$GBA, Visual Boy Advance, BatGBA, mGBA, and Boycott Advance—are available completely free of charge. As its name suggests, No$GBA (or No Cash GBA) was specifically created to provide a cost-free way to enjoy GBA games on your PC.

Can I play multiplayer games with a GBA emulator on PC?

Yes, you can. The article highlights that No$GBA was the first emulator to support a multiplayer feature on the same PC, making it an excellent choice if you want to play GBA games with a friend.

author avatar
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
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Richard Bennett

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