The 45 Best Game Boy Advance Games of All Time

By YPB TeamOct 25

Handheld heavyweights sit beside cult oddities and Japan-only imports here, with platformers, RPGs and tactics games all chasing the same crown.

1
Metroid Fusion
Nintendo's 2002 Metroid sequel in which an infected Samus is hunted through a space station by her own parasitic double, SA-X.
1000pts
2
Rhythm Tengoku
Nintendo's 2006 Japan-only rhythm game that started the Rhythm Heaven series.
673pts
3
Wario Land 4
Nintendo's 2001 platformer in which Wario raids a golden pyramid against the clock.
612pts
4
The Minish Cap
Capcom-developed 2004 Zelda adventure in which Link shrinks to the size of the tiny Minish people.
573pts
5
Mother 3
Shigesato Itoi's 2006 Japan-only RPG and EarthBound sequel, a cult favourite through its fan translation.
573pts
6
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Game Freak's 2004 remakes of the original Kanto adventures with the new Sevii Islands.
573pts
7
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams
Namco's 2001 puzzle platformer in which Klonoa grabs and throws enemies to get through dream levels.
529pts
8
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
The 2001 launch-era Mario Kart that included every original SNES track.
529pts
9
WarioWare, Inc.
Nintendo's 2003 rapid-fire collection of five-second microgames, the start of the WarioWare series.
529pts
10
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Nintendo's 2004 puzzle platformer and spiritual successor to Donkey Kong '94, which introduced the Mini-Mario toys.
529pts
11
Astro Boy: Omega Factor
Treasure's 2004 beat-'em-up starring Osamu Tezuka's robot boy, with a time-travelling story.
529pts
12
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team
Chunsoft's 2005 roguelike in which the player is turned into a Pokémon and runs a rescue team.
480pts
13
DBZ: The Legacy of Goku II
Webfoot's 2002 action RPG that follows Dragon Ball Z from the Androids to the Cell Games.
480pts
14
F-Zero: Maximum Velocity
The 2001 launch-day F-Zero racer, with Mode 7 tracks set 25 years after the SNES original.
480pts
15
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
The 2002 enhanced remake of Kirby's Adventure, with a Meta Knight mode added.
480pts
16
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Vicarious Visions' 2001 isometric port, praised as a technical showpiece for the handheld.
480pts
17
A Link to the Past & Four Swords
The 2002 port of the SNES Zelda classic bundled with the new four-player Four Swords adventure.
423pts
18
Sonic Advance 2
Dimps' 2002 high-speed Sonic sequel that introduced Cream the Rabbit.
423pts
19
Gunstar Super Heroes
Treasure's 2005 run-and-gun sequel to the Mega Drive cult classic Gunstar Heroes.
423pts
20
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
HAL's 2004 Kirby game set in an open maze world, where four Kirbys can team up.
423pts
21
Mega Man Zero 3
Inti Creates' 2004 Mega Man Zero entry, often called the high point of the series.
423pts
22
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
Quest's 2001 side story to the Ogre Battle saga, a deep isometric tactics RPG.
423pts
23
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
AlphaDream's 2003 comedy RPG that sends both brothers to the Beanbean Kingdom, with timed button attacks.
423pts
24
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Square's 2003 tactical RPG set in the storybook land of Ivalice, governed by Judges and laws.
358pts
25
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
The 2004 card-based action RPG that links the first two Kingdom Hearts games.
358pts
26
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Konami's 2002 Castlevania starring Juste Belmont across two mirrored versions of the castle.
358pts
27
Super Mario Advance 4
The 2003 port of Super Mario Bros. 3, with extra levels that came on e-Reader cards.
358pts
28
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
The 2001 launch title that brought the Symphony of the Night formula to handhelds, with the DSS card system.
358pts
29
Sonic Advance
The 2001 2D Sonic game for the GBA and the first Sonic platformer on a Nintendo system.
358pts
30
Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand
Hideo Kojima's 2003 vampire-hunting game whose cartridge has a real solar sensor.
282pts
31
Fire Emblem
The 2003 tactics RPG starring Lyn, Eliwood and Hector, the first Fire Emblem released outside Japan.
282pts
32
Riviera: The Promised Land
Sting's 2002 RPG mixing visual-novel exploration with item-based battles.
282pts
33
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Camelot's 2002 sequel that follows Felix's party and completes the Golden Sun story.
282pts
34
Metroid: Zero Mission
Nintendo's 2004 remake of the original Metroid with a new stealth section in Samus's Zero Suit.
282pts
35
Advance Wars 2
The 2003 Black Hole Rising sequel adding new commanders, units and CO Super Powers.
282pts
36
Mega Man Zero
Inti Creates' 2002 spin-off that revived Zero for a darker and harder action series.
282pts
37
Drill Dozer
Game Freak's 2005 platformer about Jill and her drill mech, sold on a rumble-equipped cartridge.
192pts
38
Advance Wars
Intelligent Systems' 2001 turn-based war game that brought the Wars series to the West.
192pts
39
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
2003 Konami action RPG set in 2035, where Soma Cruz absorbs enemy souls for his abilities.
192pts
40
Golden Sun
Camelot's 2001 RPG built around Psynergy puzzles and summoned Djinn, with some of the handheld's best visuals.
192pts
41
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
The 2002 port of Yoshi's Island, in which Yoshi escorts Baby Mario through crayon-drawn levels.
192pts
42
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
The 2004 Fire Emblem following twins Eirika and Ephraim, with a world map and optional grinding.
192pts
43
Pokémon Emerald
The 2004 definitive third-generation Pokémon game, adding the Battle Frontier to Hoenn.
0pts
44
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
The 2002 Pokémon pair that introduced the Hoenn region, abilities and double battles.
0pts
45
Mega Man Battle Network 3
The 2002 Blue and White entry, widely seen as the peak of Capcom's net-battling RPG series.
0pts