mGBA is an emulator for running Game Boy Advance games. It aims to be faster and more accurate than many existing Game Boy Advance emulators, as well as adding features that other emulators lack. It also supports Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. It is also available for many platforms including Windows, Linux, macOS, PSVita, Nintendo 3DS, Switch and Wii.
The project started in April 2013 with the goal of being fast enough to run on lower-end hardware than other emulators support, without sacrificing accuracy or portability. Even in the initial version, games generally played without problems. mGBA has only gotten better since then, and now boasts being the most accurate GBA emulator around.
Available in 3DSX and CIA formats.
- CIA - Install the .cia with the CIA manager of your choice.
- 3DSX - Use the .3dsx provided with the Homebrew Launcher.
ROMs can be placed anywhere on your SD card.
Supported formats
Supported formats include GBA, GB, GBC, ELF, AGB, MB, ROM, BIN and SGB.
It can also load games that are in ZIP and 7z formats.
Compatibility List
mGBA compatibility list for 3DS can be found here.
FAQ
Q. On loading a game I only get a white screen.
Try changing the audio driver in settings.
If all else fails turn on Sync to video and off Sync to audio.
Q. I did something and now the game always runs too fast!
Make sure Fast forward is unchecked under emulation and at least one of Sync to audio or Sync to video is checked.
It is recommended to use Sync to audio only.
Q. Gameplay or audio is stuttery.
Try adjusting your sync settings (Sync to audio only is recommended) or your audio buffer settings.
Sometimes switching the audio driver also helps.
Q. Audio isn’t working in the 3DS version.
Current versions of mGBA for 3DS require the DSP blob to be dumped for audio to work. You can use DSP1.
Q. What does the m stand for?
It doesn't. mGBA was originally going to be named miniGBA but as the project grew the "mini" appellation became less accurate.
Initially the name was intended to be temporary, other working names for mGBA included GBAc and Gerboa, but nothing else stuck.
Menu:
D-Pad/Circle Pad - Navigate
A - Run ROM
In game:
X - Settings
Y - Change screen scaling
