How to Play Gameboy Advance Games on Computer for Free

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Are you looking for the best ways to play GBA games on PC? This guide will explain precisely how to play Gameboy Advance games on computer for free.

Do you want to know how to play GBA games on PC?

Well, you can play any GameBoy Advance game on your PC within a few minutes. All you will need are basic software and an active internet connection. The process itself is straightforward and there are no a lot of complications you may encounter while playing Gameboy Advance games on your computer.

how to play gameboy advance games on computer

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Anyway, all you have to do is to follow the instructions explained below and you will start playing GBA games you like within 5 minutes. This is a free type of gaming and you won’t have to purchase anything.

Step (1): Download VisualBoyAdvance

VisualBoyAdvance is an emulator and in order to play these games, you will need one. We chose the VisualBoyAdvance due to the fact it is free to use, it supports Game Boy Advance, Game Boy and GameBoy Color games. Once you download it, run it and you will see that the software is basic and comes with a few options only.

An emulator is a special software that can be used to emulate or mimic the operating system of another device, Game Boy Advance in this case scenario. VisualBoyAdvance is available for Windows, Mac and several other operative systems. It can also be used for AmigaOS, Wii and many other platforms.

At first, this may sound complicated, especially if you don’t have experience with the matter. But, after just a few minutes you will see how easy and simple it is to use an emulator. It is basic software with several options and the user interface which is simple, easy to use and highly intuitive. The next best thing is the fact you can download all sorts of emulators.

We mentioned this one due to its easy to use interface but there are almost countless options out there. Some are free while others will require subscription or some sort of payment. There is no need to pay for them because you can always find a free emulator. In addition, you can find emulators for iOS, Android, Linux, and many other platforms.

Step (2): Download ROMs

You will need GameBoy Advance ROMs as well. Perhaps they sound like a complicated development that is unknown or rare but this isn’t the case. In reality, ROMs are games that are copied from their cartridges into a digital form.

You get the same game, with the same features, graphics, and music, but you can use it on any device with an emulator and you can send it via Dropbox or using a thumb drive. It is up to you.

Pick all the games you like and download them. Place them in the same folder and you are almost ready to start playing. The size of the ROMs will vary and this matter cannot be generalized. All we can add is that with an average internet connection you can download a single ROM within 3 minutes. Other games may require 5 minutes but it is still a simple and fast process.

Create a list of games you want to download and let it do its job. Leave them overnight and in the morning, you will have games ready to be mounted to the emulator and played. It is another free step here and the one that is probably the most familiar.

Don’t forget that you can also download rare games that are impossible to find on the market and that cost more than an actual console.

There are no limits in this case scenario and you can use the entire web to find the best and the most desirable ROMs for this platform. Yes, ROMs for other platforms do exist but they are available in a different format.

Step (3): Load the Game

Now, open the emulator we revealed in the beginning and click open. You will be presented with the browser window and all you have to do is to find the ROM file of the game you want to play and load it. The game will start immediately.

After this step, you are ready to start playing and you can play as long as needed. You will see that the gaming is identical to the one with an actual Game Boy Advance device and you can experience the same level of thrill.

Step (4): Close the Game and Open a New One

Once you are done with a specific game, simply close the emulator, open it again and load a new game. Repeat this step as often as needed and you will be able to play all the possible games that were ever developed for GBA.

In some cases, you can load a game without closing the old one. The emulator will close the current game immediately and load a new one.

The best part is the fact you cannot make a mistake here. ROMs are read-only files so they cannot be corrupted or damaged. Even if that happens, which is impossible all you can do is to download it again and continue playing.

Step (5): Try Advanced Features

The emulator we mentioned at the beginning is more advanced than you may believe. You can use controllers such as joypads to play the games and you can save and load saved files. This allows you to load any progress of any game or to save your own one and continue later on.

Here we cannot generalize the matter. There are all sorts of advanced features you can use and each one will have a separate purpose. Don’t forget that the advanced features are based on the emulator and they will depend on which version you use. Some emulators are more advanced but also more complicated to use, while others are simple yet come with basic features and capabilities.

Conclusion

Playing Game Boy Advance games on a PC is a 5-minute task that is so simple a child can do it. Keep in mind that you need three things. You will need a PC, emulator and ROM file. If we assume that you have a PC already, you will need the last two things which are completely free and available online. Try to discover new GBA games and new possibilities using this method.

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2 thoughts on “How to Play Gameboy Advance Games on Computer for Free”

  1. I still play some of my gab games like buu’s fury, Pokemon red and yugioh games on my pc. With emulators you can play most console games from the past. In away this ensure the classic we grew up on never leave our memories. Great post!

  2. What can I use to emulate 3DS games like Pokémon X and Y? Where can I get the Pokémon X and Y ROM?

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