Game Boy Advance
- Manufacturer
- Nintendo
- Production
- 2001–2010
- Generation
- Gen 6
- Type
- Handheld
- Launch price
- $99
- Media
- Cartridge
- Units sold
- 81.5M
About Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance (GBA) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and in other regions in June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advance. Compared to the Game Boy Color it succeeded, the console offered a significantly more powerful ARM7 processor and improved graphics, while retaining backward compatibility with games initially developed for its predecessor.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lifetime sales
Official manufacturer-reported figures.
81.5Munits
377.4Mgames
4.6games / console
Worldwide Game Boy Advance family (incl. SP, Micro).
Source: Nintendo Co., Ltd. IR — Dedicated Video Game Sales Units, as of June 30, 2026.
Library & collector facts
1,538licensed games
- North America: 733
- Japan: 773
Lineage
Release timeline
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- March 21, 2001
- 🇪🇺 Europe / PAL
- June 22, 2001
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- August 23, 2000
- Lifespan
- 9 years on market
Pricing
Launch price (2001)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $99
Launch titles & exclusives
Super Mario Advance · F-Zero: Maximum Velocity · Castlevania: Circle of the Moon · Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 · Rayman Advance · Pinobee: Wings of Adventure · GT Advance Championship Racing · Tweety and the Magic Gems
None standard; various retailer-specific Super Mario Advance bundles
Metroid Fusion · Metroid: Zero Mission · Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow · Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance · Fire Emblem (NA debut of the series) · Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones · Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga · Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald/FireRed/LeafGreen · Mother 3 (JP-only) · Drill Dozer · WarioWare series · Golden Sun 1 & 2 · Advance Wars 1 & 2 · Sonic Advance trilogy
Final Fantasy VI Advance (2006/2007) was among the last major releases; production continued into 2008
Drill Dozer CIB (~$200+); Lufia: The Ruins of Lore CIB (~$200+); JP-only Mother 3 sealed; Pokemon Box GameCube tie-ins; Nintendo Power-distributed cartridge variants
Variants of Game Boy Advance
Hardware specs
- Cpu
- ARM7TDMI @ 16.8 MHz, Sharp SM83 @ 4.2 / 8.4 MHz
- Ram
- 288 KB RAM, 98 KB Video RAM
- Power
- 2 × AA batteries
- Weight
- 140 g
- Dimensions
- 144.5 × 82 × 24.5 mm
- Display Output
- Reflective TFT LCD, 240 × 160 px
Hardware revisions
- Original GBA AGB-001(2001)
horizontal form factor, non-backlit reflective TFT (the platform's signature flaw — terrible visibility without external light)
- Game Boy Advance SP AGB-101 (NA late) / AGB-001 (frontlit early)(2003)
clamshell, rechargeable battery
⚠ AGB-001 had a frontlit screen (dim), AGB-101 had a backlit screen (gold standard for the platform)
- Game Boy Micro OXY-001(2005)
compact final revision, drops backward compatibility with original GB/GBC titles
Launch colorways & special editions
- Pokemon Center JP variants
- Hello Kitty Edition (JP)
- Tribal Edition
- Spice Orange (JP)
- GBA SP NES Classic (red/gold)
- GBA SP Famicom Classic (JP)
- GBA SP Pikachu Edition
- Mario vs Donkey Kong Edition
- Tribal SP
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- N/A (ROM-based); flashcarts: EZ-Flash Omega Definitive Edition, Everdrive GBA X5
Reception & legacy
Strong — finally delivered SNES-class hardware in a handheld; criticized for terrible non-backlit launch screen, addressed years later with the AGS-101
Original AGB-001 screen visibility was so poor that third-party 'Afterburner' frontlight kits became a cottage industry — Nintendo addressed it only with the AGS-101 backlit SP
Defining handheld of the early 2000s; the GBA library is widely considered one of the strongest in handheld history; backward compatibility preserved GB/GBC playability through 2005
References
More from Nintendo
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Game Boy Advance in the news
Recent coverage mentioning the Game Boy Advance, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
AYANEO Finally Shows Off The Pocket Advance Alongside Some Specs
The Pocket Advance is an upcoming retro handheld by AYANEO that looks just like the GAME BOY Advance. Instead, it will likely come with some decent power, an Android OS and a sprinkling of AYASpace, AYANEO's custom front-end allowing you to organise and manage your ROM files
Mini Review: Turnip Mountain (Switch) - A King Of Swing-Style Climbing Puzzler With Charm & Challenge
Reach for the stars. The 2026 bingo card continues to expand with another unexpected surprise: a spiritual successor to Donkey Kong's King Of Swing. Released on Game Boy Advance in 2005, this beloved puzzle platformer saw DK traversing vertical walls and avoiding hazards along the climb. Luke...
Pokémon Heart Gold & Soul Silver Is Now On GAME BOY Advance
🤝 Don't want to see ads? Become a premium member for $3 a month and support an independent publication today! Let's be real, Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver is one of the best games ever made, it took the franchise to a whole
More Mario Kart World Free Roam tracks have been added to Nintendo Music
Nintendo continues its mission to complete the stunning Mario Kart World soundtrack as it has added more tracks from the Free Roam mode. The company has now included tracks from the GameCube title, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Game Boy Advance game, Mario Kart Super Circuit. Here’s the latest...
Developer creates a password-cracking Game Boy Advance that is 'about thirty million times slower than a modern cracking rig'
Why? Why not?
AYANEO Reveals First Look At KONKR Pocket Advance
🤝 Don't want to see ads? Become a premium member for $3 a month and support an independent publication today! Well, it looks like we were right, and indeed the KONKR Pocket Advance looks nearly identical to that of the popular Nintendo GAME BOY Advance, and in all