When the Game Boy Advance came out, it was so much more than just a handheld. Nintendo made sure that the GBA was the pocket-sized portal to some of the best gaming experiences of everyone's childhoods. It wasn't trying to do 3D, or launch with huge, action-based games chock-full of cutscenes — that it left to the consoles. The Game Boy Advance was doing its own thing, which was nailing pixel-perfect action, giving us unforgettable RPGs and tight platformers that were often more inventive than mainline titles.

Today, it's nothing short of a sacred artifact, and if it didn't cost an arm and a leg to actually find and own one where I live, I'd have happily snagged two — one to collect, and one to carry with me everywhere. Until that time, though, I'll stick to RetroArch on my phone, and at the top of the to-play list will be nothing but 10 of the very best games the GBA had.

Ranking GBA greats is always going to ruffle some nostalgic feathers. As such, the following list is in no particular order.

Honorable Mention — Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

Portable perfection, plumber edition

Yes, it was a re-release of Super Mario Bros. 3. And yes, it had already been re-released on the SNES in All-Stars. But this version? This was the one you brought to school and took to a friend's house. This was the one that introduced an entirely new generation to Tanooki Suits and Warp Whistles, and reminded everyone that side-scrolling Mario was still peak Mario.

The physics, the level design, and the sheer inventiveness — Super Mario Advance 4 had it all, and it was all better than ever. And hey, if you were lucky enough to use the e-Reader cards? You got brand-new levels that expanded the game in brilliant ways, all on that brilliant little handheld.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

The GBA port became the definitive edition

Yes, A Link to the Past came out on the Super Nintendo first. And yet, that was a home console, and porting it over to the handheld GBA was insane at the time. Heck, it even came with improvements rather than compromises. For starters, it had QoL tweaks to the Four Swords multiplayer side-mode (which you never really played unless you had three nerdy friends and link cables). It even had a bonus dungeon and a great spin attack, making the Game Boy version of the game the definitive way to play it.

Every dungeon, secret, and mirrored moment between Hyrule and the Dark World remained just as impactful on the GBA, and the whole experience felt even more intimate on the tiny GBA screen. To anyone who played A Link to the Past on the Game Boy Advance, you were holding the gold standard in your very palms.

Metroid Fusion

So much more than a portable Metroid

There's a reason why Fusion still gives fans goosebumps, isn't there? After all, that game stripped away some of the open-endedness of Super Metroid, sure, but it also gave us one of the most atmospheric, tense, and cinematic experiences on a handheld in return. Metroid Fusion was about fear and survival, and about a haunting version of Samus stalking you like a nightmare you couldn't wake up from.

The storytelling was sharper, the environments were richer, and the controls were tight and impeccable. Every single door in the game opened into dread, and every upgrade felt earned. Now, Metroid Fusion could very well just have been 'Metroid-on-the-go'. Instead, it ended up becoming one of the best Metroids, period.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

A rather underrated Mario game

If someone were to talk about listing Mario's greatest hits, Mario vs. Donkey Kong might end up being skipped, which is a terrible slight. This game was pure puzzle-platforming bliss — the levels were compact, clever, and full of that arcade-era charm. Perhaps the best way to describe it is that it blended the spirit of the original Donkey Kong with smart, GBA-calibrated design.

Boy was this game magical, thanks to its rhythm. You were figuring out the right sequence of switches, keys, jumps, and Mini-Marios, and it all came together like a Rube Goldberg machine. And when you got it all right and pixel-perfect? It felt like you'd just solved a huge mystery. It's no wonder it was such a hit and found success.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Capcom hit it out of the park with their Zelda entry

Capcom doing a Zelda game sounded outlandish, but The Minish Cap proved all the doubters wrong. The game turned out to be a fresh take on the Zelda formula with its shrinking mechanic, and it turned everyday objects into massive dungeons, with an entire microscopic world to explore. Everything from the art style to the music felt alive and charming in The Minish Cap.

Ezlo became one of the best companions, hands down, second only behind Navi. Capcom's Legend of Zelda game on the Game Boy Advance took the epic scale of a mainline Zelda, and packed it into a bite-sized experience on a handheld, all while managing to make it feel original and clever. This one remains one of the most underrated entries in the franchise, no doubt.

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror

Cutest platformer on the GBA, hands down

Most Kirby games are about breezing through levels, floating past danger with a smile and a sword made of stars. Amazing Mirror, however, asked the question, "What if we did Metroidvania Kirby... but with four Kirbys?" The result was a chaotic and adorable game that surprised players with its depth. Instead of linear stages, you got a giant interconnected map, and solving its secrets often meant teleporting in your rainbow-colored clones for backup.

Sure, the AI teammates weren't always the brightest (and that hasn't really changed over the years), but the moment-to-moment gameplay loop of discovery made it all worth it. Plus, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror came with gorgeous pixel art, a killer soundtrack, and an ambitious design that not only pushed what a Kirby game could be, but also the limits of the Game Boy Advance.

Pokémon Emerald

The perfect version of Ruby and Sapphire

Out of the three new mainline Pokémon games on the Game Boy Advance, Pokémon Emerald stands out as the very best of the three. Ruby and Sapphire were already huge leaps in the series, but Emerald came out as the refined, complete version. This was the real 'third pillar' that made Hoenn unforgettable. Emerald took the best parts of both games, gave us a fresh story, balanced the legendary trio with Rayquaza, and introduced the Battle Frontier, an endgame challenge that held the ability to devour entire summer vacations.

The animations were slicker, the roster was deeper, it had better-designed gym leaders, you could take on both Aqua and Magma teams, and if you were a true Pokéfan, this was the game where your obsession hit a whole new level. Lastly, players will always remain grateful to Emerald for letting them catch both legendaries from Ruby and Sapphire.

Golden Sun

This RPG stands the test of time, 24 years later

If you owned a GBA and didn't play Golden Sun, you missed out on one of the most impressive handheld RPGs of all time. This game had no business being as visually stunning, mechanically rich, and narratively ambitious as it was. Psynergy powers blurred the line between combat and puzzle-solving, and the elemental Djinn system? It let you experiment endlessly with character builds.

From its sweeping overworld to its epic soundtrack, Golden Sun felt like a full-blown console RPG, and somehow, they had magic of their own to condense it to fit in our pockets. This game had heart, it had brains, and, above all, it had soul.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

One of the greatest Castlevania games ever

If Symphony of the Night made you fall in love with Metroidvanias (as it should have), Aria of Sorrow made you believe that handhelds could very well keep the magic going. This one stands out as my favorite, and my go-to for almost every long cab ride or flight. On paper, Aria of Sorrow shouldn't have worked. It ditched the Belmonts, after all, and gave us some white-haired protagonist named Soma Cruz. And yet, it worked brilliantly. The characters were immediately likable, the music kept you on your toes, and there was never a dull moment in the gameplay.

The soul system was an absolute banger — kill an enemy, and you might absorb its powers. That loop never gets old, and is just as much fun in 2025 as it was 22 years ago. Tight, addictive, and endlessly replayable, Aria of Sorrow oozed with style, and will always be my favorite Castlevania on the Game Boy Advance.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

One of the most successful GBA titles

Before Mario Kart DS perfected the formula and Mario Kart World could afford to experiment with open-world design, there was Mario Kart: Super Circuit. It wasn't underrated by any means, either. After all, we're talking about the fourth-highest-selling title on the Game Boy Advance. Super Circuit blended the SNES classic's Mode 7 charm with a few modern touches, and it packed a mind-boggling forty tracks, including every course from Super Mario Kart. This was your childhood Mario Kart fix in your packet, whether you were racing on Rainbow Road or throwing shells at your siblings via a link cable.

What made Super Circuit special was how it felt like a love letter to both old-school fans and newcomers. You had unlockables, time trials, ghost races, and that beautiful chaos of 150cc mode where every single bet was off. If you grew up with a GBA, chances are your cartridge of Mario Kart: Super Circuit is still somewhere nearby, probably covered in battle scars from one too many lightning bolts.