Guide
Every GBA game you can play natively on PC
11 Game Boy Advance games run as native PC programs, with no emulator. Fans rebuilt them in 4 decomps and 7 recomps, and 2 of these ports are playable now. This list is built from the PlayPorted catalog, so it changes as projects ship.
11 ports · Updated
Playable now 2
Their projects call them playable.
| Game | Project | Method | Systems | Last release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Fantasy Tactics Advance | FFTARecomp | Recomp | Windows, Linux | v2.0 Oct 2026 |
| MOTHER 3 | Mother3Recomp | Recomp | Windows, Linux | v1.0.5 Oct 2026 |
In beta 7
They run, with missing pieces or known problems.
| Game | Project | Method | Systems | Last release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury | Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury Recomp | Recomp | Windows | v0.0.3 Sep 2026 |
| Golden Sun | Golden Sun Recompiled | Recomp | Windows, Linux | 0.4.4 Oct 2026 |
| Mario Kart: Super Circuit | Mario Kart: Super Circuit Recomp | Recomp | Windows, Linux | v0.1.4 Oct 2026 |
| Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen | FireRedLeafGreenRecomp | Recomp | Windows | v0.0.3 Jul 2026 |
| Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire | RubySapphireRecomp | Recomp | Windows | v0.0.4 Aug 2026 |
| Sonic Advance | sa1 | Decomp | Not confirmed | No release yet |
| Sonic Advance 2 | sa2 | Decomp | Windows, macOS, Linux | No release yet |
In progress 2
Still in development.
| Game | Project | Method | Systems | Last release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metroid: Zero Mission | MZM-Reprimed | Decomp | Windows | v.0.0.1-poc No release yet |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap | tmc | Decomp | Windows, macOS, Linux | v0.9.5 No release yet |
How to play them
- Get the game files from a copy of the game you own. Check each project's page for the version it needs.
- Download the port from its project page. Every row above links to the port's page on PlayPorted, which links to the project.
- Point the port at your game files the way its project page describes.
Some ports take a long time to reach a release, and how they are made explains why. Decomp vs recomp covers the difference.
Questions
Is this emulation?
No. Each port is the game rebuilt as a native program, so it runs without an emulator.
Do they work on Steam Deck and Linux?
6 of these ports ship for Linux, which is what Steam Deck runs. Check each port's page for its systems.
What about Mac?
2 ship for macOS. Check each port's page for its systems.
Can I download the games here?
No. PlayPorted links to the projects and never hosts game files. Every port needs game files from a copy you own.