Best Game Boy Advance Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: RetroArch is ranked #1 of 27 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of SkyEmu and Retra. The best-ranked option with a free plan is SkyEmu.
Choosing a Game Boy Advance emulator involves matching supported platforms with the play features you care about. Compare link multiplayer, graphics enhancements, save states, and cheat support to see which capabilities are included. Open-source status, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing offer additional ways to distinguish the options. RetroArch, RustBoyAdvance-NG, and Lemuroid are among the entries, alongside SkyEmu and GSE. Your preferred device and play habits can guide the comparison: you may want multiplayer support, visual adjustments, or convenient ways to save and resume. Check the listed platform scope and feature details together to see which emulator options align with your setup.
27 Game Boy advance emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 RetroArch iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 9.6Free
- 2 SkyEmu iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 9.3Free
- 3 Retra Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.9 Platform scope: mobileSave states: Yes
- 4 Delta iPhone only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.9Free
- 5 Lemuroid Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.9Free Platform scope: mobileSave states: Yes
- 6 GSE Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.8 Platform scope: desktop and mobileSave states: Yes
- 7 VisualBoyAdvance-M Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.3
- 8 RustBoyAdvance-NG Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.2Free Platform scope: desktop and mobileSave states: Yes
- 9 Provenance iPhone only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.7
- 10 44VBA iPhone only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.6 Platform scope: desktop and mobile
- 11 gbajs3 No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.1Free Platform scope: desktop and mobileSave states: Yes
- 12 mGBA No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.0
- 13 Sapphire iPhone only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.9 Platform scope: desktop and mobileSave states: YesLink multiplayer: No
- 14 ares No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.8Free
- 15 Gaemboy No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.7 Platform scope: desktop and mobileSave states: YesLink multiplayer: Yes
- 16 NanoBoyAdvance No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.6 Platform scope: desktopSave states: Yes
- 17 GBA Emulator No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.6 Platform scope: desktopSave states: YesLink multiplayer: Yes
- 18 OpenEmu No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.6Free
- 19 Pizza Boy C Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.6 Save states: Yes
- 20 John NESS Android only RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.5 Platform scope: mobileSave states: Yes
- 21 Mednafen No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3
- 22 EmulatorJS iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3
- 23 NO$GBA No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6
- 24 Hemulator No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 Platform scope: desktopSave states: Yes
- 25 GiiBiiAdvance No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.2 Platform scope: desktop
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 Samsung Mobile US Press?
RetroArch is ranked #1 of 27 with a score of 9.6. SkyEmu is second and Retra third.
How many of these have a free plan?
8 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.