Best Game Boy Advance Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: RetroArch is ranked #1 of 29 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of RustBoyAdvance-NG and SkyEmu. The best-ranked option with a free plan is RustBoyAdvance-NG.
Choosing a Game Boy Advance emulator can depend on the devices you use and the features you want during play. Compare platform scope with link multiplayer, graphics enhancements, save states, and cheat support. Open-source status, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing provide further points of comparison. RetroArch and SkyEmu lead the ranked entries, with GSE and mGBA also among the first names shown. VisualBoyAdvance-M, Retra, NanoBoyAdvance, and Delta follow among the early entries. Consider whether playing with others, visual options, or saving and resuming matters most for your use, then weigh those needs against the listed platform and plan details.
29 Game Boy advance emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
7 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RetroArchWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 2 | RustBoyAdvance-NGWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 3 | SkyEmuWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.7 | |
| 4 | aresWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 5 | gbajs3Web · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 6 | LemuroidAndroid | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 7 | OpenEmuMac | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.3 | |
| 8 | GSEWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 9 | GBA EmulatorWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 10 | Ghost CommanderAndroid | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 11 | MednafenWindows · Linux | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 12 | 44VBAWeb · Windows · Linux · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 13 | RetraAndroid | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 14 | GaemboyWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 15 | HemulatorWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 16 | mGBAWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 17 | NanoBoyAdvanceWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 18 | SapphireWeb · Mac · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 19 | VisualBoyAdvance-MWindows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 20 | EmulatorJSWeb · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | GiiBiiAdvanceWindows · Linux | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 22 | John NESSAndroid | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 23 | Lynx.emuLinux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 24 | DeltaMac · iPhone | No signal | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 25 | EclipseWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which Game Boy advance emulator is ranked first on Freedom251?
RetroArch is ranked #1 of 29 with a score of 6.8. RustBoyAdvance-NG is second and SkyEmu third.
How many of these have a free plan?
7 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.