The Game Boy Advance launched on July 15, 2025, in North America and officially ended production at the end of 2009. In that time, 1538 licensed games were released on the console. A handful of thosewere some really great RPGS.
The Game Boy Advance is remembered for two RPG franchises in particular:Pokemon(obviously) andFinal Fantasy. But it was actually home to quite a few more. Despite being limited by the console’s hardware, some of the best RPGs of the early 2000s were released on the humble little Game Boy Advance. Barely a year went by during which the GBA didn’t see at least one or two major releases.
The last two years of the console’s life cycle were a wasteland, and no RPGs were released; those years will not be included on this list.
Of course, Nintendo stuffed the GBA’s launch year with big-name franchises likeSuper Mario,Mega Man, andCastlevania. However, that year also saw the release ofGolden Sun, one of thebest games ever released on the console.
Golden Sunwas a brand new JRPG franchise heavily influenced by the likes ofFinal FantasyandDragon Quest. Not just a carbon copy; it had its own unique personality, was full of great characters, and featured an engaging story. It also had its own unique gameplay mechanics, like the Psynergy system, which allowed players to use spells outside of battle to solve environmental puzzles. The game was a surprise hit and was so successful that a sequel was rushed out the following year.
Metacritic: 81
Breath of Fire II
Featuring a wide range of characters and a vast world to explore, Breath of Fire II is the sequel to the hit role-playing game.Set 500 years after the original, Ryu’s father and sister are abducted but the village-folk have mysteriously forgotten them. Ryu teams up with fellow orphan Bow and they embark on an incredible adventure.The game features multiple gameplay viewpoints – such as the isometric view during battles, famous from the first game – and exciting abilities like shaman fusing and dragon transformations.
Gamers complain a lot today that every other release is a remake or a remaster, but that’s not a new trend. The GBA did it twenty years ago, and fans loved it.Breath of Fire 2was first released on the SNES in 1995, but a remake for the GBA was released in 2002. It received mostly positive reviews.
As remakes go, this was a pretty direct port. It didn’t receive the kind of upgrades the earlyFinal Fantasyports did on the system, but it did at least get a new, more modern save system. Capcom took an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach, and it worked.Breath of Fire 2on the GBA had the same great gameplay, lovable characters, and dramatic storytelling as the original. Most critics' only real gripe was that it wasn’t exactlythe most visually stunning game on the GBA, since Capcom had barely touched the graphics.
2003 was a ridiculously good year for RPGs on the Game Boy Advance. That year saw the release of the critically acclaimedFinal Fantasy Tactics(one of the best GBA Strategy Games),Pokemon Ruby and Saphire,Fire Emblem, and the supremely weirdBoktai. There could only be one winner, however, and according to Metacritic, it wasMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
Of all theMario RPGspinoffs, this is one of the most beloved. It featured a unique gameplay mechanic where players control both brothers at the same time using the A and B buttons, including during the turn-based battles. The RPG elements were surprisingly deep for a game seemingly aimed at kids, the graphics were cute, and the game had a nice slapstick sense of humor (some of the attack animations are still hilarious). It remains a fan favorite entry to this day.
By 2004, the remake trend on the Game Boy Advance was in full swing, and that year saw the first “enhanced remakes” of the early Pokemon games as well as GBA versions ofFinal Fantasy 1 and 2. On the bright side,FireRedandLeafGreengenuinely felt like massive upgrades.
The originals were genre-defining but always felt held back by the original Game Boy’s humble hardware. The power of the GBA really let these classics shine with gorgeous, full-color graphics and revamped music. On top of that, they added extra legendaries and included second and third-gen Pokemon in the mix. Despite being remakes,Pokemon FireRedandLeafGreenare widely considered to be two ofthe best Pokemon games on the GBA.
Nintendo has two big-name RPG franchises under its belt:PokemonandFire Emblem. It’s shocking then that, despite first releasing in 1990, it tookFire Emblemso long to escape Japan and see a release in the West. That release was the firstFire Emblemfor the GBA, a great outing that did an excellent job introducing westerners to the series.
It’s sequel,Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, is better by pretty much every metric, though. The main improvements were made to the already excellent battle system, while the animations and graphics are as nice to look at as ever. The biggest additions were a world map, overhauled unit promotions, and the fact that each lead character got their own chapter. People might often associate Game Boy games with kids, but theseFire Emblemgames on the GBA were some ofthe console’s hardest RPGs.
With the Nintendo DS having been released at the end of 2004, by 2006, the Game Boy Advance was beginning to struggle. That being said, it wasn’t a bad year for RPGs on the system, withPokemon Mystery Dungeon,Final Fantasy 5, andMother 3all being released.Mother 3has become something of a cult classic, but few people outside of Asia have ever gotten to play it.
Final Fantasy 5, however, was a commercial and critical success. It took the 1992 original and gave it a new coat of paint. It also added extra content like a unique dungeon and an extra boss fight not in the Famicom version. Most importantly, for life on a handheld, it included a quick save feature.
The Game Boy Advance may have limped on until 2009, but 2007 was the last year it saw any major releases. One of the most exciting of these wasFinal Fantasy 6 Advance, a port of arguablythe highest-ranked Final Fantasy game. Who wouldn’t want to carry Terra, Celes, and Locke around in their pocket?
Much like the otherFinal Fantasy Advancegames, this wasn’t just a simple port. This version gave the aging classic a new lick of paint, using remade pixel art that was true to the original but absolutely beautiful. Likewise, it added extra content with the Cave of Trials and Lunar Ruins sections, giving old fans a good reason to rebuy the game. The biggest improvement, though, was to the game’s script.Final Fantasy 6has an amazing story, and this revised script did a much better job of getting it across to those of us who can’t speak Japanese and hate wonky translations. All-in-all,Final Fantasy 6 Advanceis an excellent example of how a port/remaster should be done and was a great game for the Game Boy Advance to go out on.
