10 Greatest RPGs On Game Boy Advance (& How To Play Them Now)
When the Nintendo Game Boy Advance was released in 2001, it ushered in a new era of gaming on the go. Its graphics were an improvement over the 1998 Game Boy Color, but still simple enough to allow developers to craft lengthy stories.
The GBA's handheld nature meant you could take longer titles on the go with you, instead of having to be at home with your TV. And more powerful hardware ensured the handheld console could actually withstand running these games. The GBA was home to plenty of classic games, including entries in the Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Castlevania franchises (to name just a few).
But in a nutshell, the console was simply perfect for RPGs. Many Game Boy Advance games still hold up even today, over two decades later. Best of all, you can still play many GBA games through a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. We'll note below where you can play every game today.
Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand
Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand is the only game on this list that's not available to play in any way other than its classic GBA iteration. But it would be a shame not to mention this unique action RPG from 2003, which utilized the console's light sensor in a novel way.
Botai was produced and designed by Hideo Kojima and published by Konami, so you already know you're in for something different. In Botai, you follow a vampire hunter who uses a weapon that draws power from the sun.
The title encouraged players to play parts of it in the actual sunshine, and used the light sensor to detect when they were in direct sunlight. It was an adventure that was tailor-made for the GBA console, and a great example of a Kojima title.
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis is a prequel to the original 1995 Tactics Ogre. The tactics RPG was published by Nintendo in Japan and Atlus in NA, and was developed by Quest a short while before the studio was acquired by Square.
The GBA entry into the Tactics Ogre franchise was just as grand as the original. It followed a soldier caught in the middle of a military and political conflict, with battles spanning across countries and continents.
Although you can't play The Knight of Lodis today without a Game Boy Advance, a remaster of the 2010 PSP entry in the franchise is available as Tactics Ogre: Reborn for the Switch, PS4/5, and PC.
Riviera: the Promised Land
Riviera: The Promised Land is one of the lesser-known GBA RPGs, but those who played it often hail it as one of the best the console had to offer. Developed by Sting and published by Atlus, this game was actually a port of a title for Bandai's equally lesser-known WonderSwan Color.
Riviera is a story- and character-driven RPG about a demon hunter, his four companions, and his cat-like familiar. It draws on world mythologies for an epic story that's made more personalized by the focus on character interactions. It combines a traditional turn-based RPG with elements from strategy and dating sim games, with the choices you make during dialogue affecting everything from the characters' relationships to the ending.
You can easily play this title today: an HD remaster of Riviera is available on the Switch, PC, iOS and Android.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
The Super Mario brothers may have gotten their start in platforming and villain-stomping, but they've since gone on to try their hands at countless other genres. One of these is, of course, the RPG genre.
Developed by AlphaDream in 2003, the game had the titular brothers travel to Beanbean Kingdom. Here, instead of having to rescue Princess Peach, they merely had to rescue her voice. Silly writing and an engaging timing-based combat system made Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga an RPG that's still hailed today as one of the best GBA games of all time, and a worthy addition to the Mario Bros. roster.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online membership.
Mega Man Battle Network
Mega Man is another franchise that's known for especially brutal platforming. This franchise, like the Mario brothers, made a leap to RPGs in a surprisingly successful way. The Mega Man Battle Network series was developed and published by Capcom between 2001 and 5, and consisted of six main entries (or 10 if you count the different versions as one game each).
The game took players into the digital world, where they navigated around a cyber network as MegaMan.EXE, stopping cyber crime and foiling the evil plans of the WWW criminal organization. The games used a 6 by 3 grid for a mix of tactical and traditional RPGs that took characters' positions on the grid into account in battles.
All the games in the Battle Network series can be played through Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, which is available for the PS4, Switch, and PC.
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Calling Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories an RPG is admittedly a bit of a stretch. In place of action platforming and adventuring, the Square Enix title uses a real-time card system for combat and maneuvering around the game world.
Still, the unique system used elements of RPGs like experience points and skill tree, and, as with all Kingdom Hearts titles, was heavy on JRPG-like story. The game takes place between the first and second titles and follows Sora and his Disney companions through a castle as they go against the nefarious Organization XIII.
The title was remastered for the PS2, and you can now access it through the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix Collection for the PS3/4, Xbox One, and PC.
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem is a classic tactical RPG that influenced many tactical titles that followed. The Game Boy Advance version was developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, and serves as a prequel to The Binding Blade.
This is the title that brought the series to a Western audience, and it remains a great entry into the franchise. The game followed a group of lords traveling across a continent in search of a missing father, and getting involved in the politics and conflicts of each region along the way.
Fire Emblem and another GBA title, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, are available through the Nintendo Switch Online membership.
Pokémon FireRed And LeafGreen (And More!)
The GBA was home to quite a number of Pokémon games, all of which were excellent in their own right. The classic FireRed & LeafGreen remastered the original games, and have since been remastered again as part of the franchise's 30-year celebration.
Besides these two, the GBA was also home to the Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald, which introduced the third generation and remain some of the most beloved games in the franchise to date. Sadly, these are harder to come by as they haven't been remastered since 2014.
Final Fantasy Advance
If we listed all the Final Fantasy games available for GBA, they would take up half the list. Instead, we'll bunch them all into one entry. The Game Boy Advance ported many of the classic titles to the handheld console:
- Final Fantasy 1 & 2: Dawn of Souls
- Final Fantasy 4 Advance
- Final Fantasy 5 Advance
- Final Fantasy 6 Advance
- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
These included bug fixes, graphical upgrades, new localization scripts, bug fixes, and a sltew of new content including spells, summons, and even dungeons.
Although you can no longer play the GBA versions without an actual console, there are plenty of ways to play the titles today. You can enjoy the original games in a few forms across many consoles, or you can play them in a brand-new but still retro style through the games' Pixel Remaster versions. The Tactics RPG was remade in 2025 as well, as Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.
Golden Sun
The Game Boy Advance might have been home to many excellent RPGs, but one name always rises to the top when discussing the best of the best: Golden Sun. This 2001 RPG and its 2002 sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, are two of the most beloved RPGs of all time.
Developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo, the games took players on a journey to stop a group of people from releasing the potentially devastating force of Alchemy into the world. The game elevated classic RPG design with beautiful and colorful graphics, fun gameplay, and a story that's stuck with many fans to this day.
You can play Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age through a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.