Every Game Boy Game On Nintendo Switch Online, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Game Boy revolutionized handheld gaming with a vast library of original titles that set it apart from earlier devices.
• Nintendo Switch Online offers classic Game Boy games, expanding the selection over time for subscribers to enjoy.
• Some Game Boy titles, like Tetris and Super Mario Land 2, stand the test of time with engaging gameplay and nostalgic charm.

Handheld gaming has been around since the late ’70s, but it wasn’t until Nintendo developed and launched the Game Boy in 1989 that it became a global phenomenon. While companies like Mattel and Milton Bradley produced cheaper devices with singular games on them, the Game Boy had a massive library of original games to choose from.

Nintendo Switch Online is a subscription-based service that allows you to access online play, cloud saves, and a wide selection of classic games. Game Boy and Game Boy Color games were added to the service in early 2023, and it seems like more are on the horizon. Each title has something unique to offer, but some are more fun than others.

Updated on November 26, 2024, by Kyle Chamaillard: Donkey Kong Land and Donkey Kong Land 2 have been added to the service recently, so we’ve decided to swing back to this article to see where they rank against the other Game Boy games on Nintendo Switch Online.

31 Quest For Camelot

Quest for Camelot is one of the rare licensed games available on Nintendo Switch Online. Based on the animated film of the same name, this Game Boy Color title was actually co-published by Nintendo, which means that they mostly own the rights to it.

There were a ton of licensed games that plagued both home consoles and handhelds during this era, and Quest for Camelot is a brutal reminder that most of them weren’t very good. Dull gameplay, repetitive music, and more nullify any chance this title had for success. If you’re curious, it might be worth playing for a bit before you decide to hop into something more worthwhile.

30 Baseball

When the Game Boy launched in 1989, it had something for everyone. Tetris was available for puzzle lovers, Super Mario Land was there for a traditional platforming experience, and Baseball was one of two titles available for sports fans. One of the game’s best features was the local multiplayer, which allowed two people to play against each other using a Game Link Cable.

It was certainly fun at the time, but it’s hard to get back into the swing of Baseball’s slow pacing and frustrating gameplay. If you really want a baseball game for your Nintendo Switch, investing in something modern like Super Mega Baseball or MLB The Show is a much better play.

29 Game & Watch Gallery 3

Nintendo had been in the handheld market long before the Game Boy came out with its fairly popular line of Game & Watch machines. The first one launched in 1980, and as the name implies, it featured a simple yet fun game and a clock as its main features.

Over 60 Game & Watch devices were created within a decade. After the Game Boy became a success, Nintendo began compiling some of them together with remastered graphics, new playable characters, and more. You can play the classic or modern versions of these games, but many of them might not hold your attention for longer than a few minutes.

28 Mega Man 2

The original Mega Man 2 is regarded as one of the best games for the NES, but the Game Boy title with the same name fails to live up to its legacy. While Minakuchi Engineering developed every other Mega Man for the Game Boy, Mega Man 2 was the only title outsourced to a company unfamiliar with the series.

Instead of containing original content or just existing as a port of the excellent Mega Man 2 for the NES, this Game Boy game simply reuses bosses and stages from Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3 to create a hollow and forgettable experience. You’re much better off playing the NES versions of these games if you’re looking for a pure Mega Man adventure.

27 Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge

Similar to Mega Man 2, Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge mostly consists of reused content from the first two games for the NES. The first four bosses you face are from the original title, while the latter half are from Mega Man 2. Despite the familiar stages and enemies, this game also has some new content that makes it worth checking out if you’re a long-time Mega Man fan.

As you approach the end of the game, you’ll eventually face a new boss in the series – Enker. His powerful Mirror Buster allows him to absorb Mega Man’s attacks and unleash them back at him. Dr. Wily’s Revenge suffers from downgraded visuals and a crunchier soundtrack compared to its predecessors, but it’s still interesting to hop into from a legacy perspective.

26 Alleyway

Breakout was one of the most popular and influential games of the 70s that continues to appear in different forms to this day. You likely had a version of it pre-installed on your iPod or cell phone, and its simple yet satisfying gameplay is still a blast in small doses.

Alleyway launched alongside the Game Boy and is essentially just Nintendo’s Breakout. Your main objective is to move a paddle so you can bounce a ball toward rows of bricks to destroy them. The game’s biggest appeal is the stages designed after characters like Mario and a Koopa Troopa, but it’s not enough to make you want to play it over and over again.

25 Castlevania Legends

Castlevania Legends is a strange entry in the long-running series. It was designed as a prequel and follows Sonia Belmont on her quest to vanquish Dracula. The setting and characters are fascinating, but Castlevania Legends was difficult to play when it originally launched, and it’s not any better by today’s standards.

Its status as the official first chapter in the Castlevania series made Legends an essential title for completionists, but even long-time producer Koji Igarashi has claimed the game is non-canonical and removed it from the official timeline. If you’re struggling to complete this adventure, there is a light mode that makes the game significantly easier by giving you a fully-powered whip.

24 Dr. Mario

The Game Boy and NES versions of Dr. Mario were developed simultaneously and launched a couple of months apart from each other. While the portable version allowed you to play Dr. Mario anywhere you wanted, the lack of color originally made it much more difficult and less fun than the alternative.

You can still challenge yourself with the Game Boy version of Dr. Mario on Nintendo Switch Online, but you might be better off playing either the NES or N64 titles which are also available on the service. They play much more smoothly and even allow you to challenge a friend to a match locally or online.

23 BurgerTime Deluxe

The Game Boy’s library is full of excellent and original first-party titles, but it also has a decent amount of games like BurgerTime for classic arcade fans. The original version of this delicious-looking platformer originally launched in 1982 before becoming a sensation and finding a home on the Intellivision in 1983.

As Peter Pepper, you must run around an elaborate stage to collect ingredients for hamburgers. The tricky part is you’ll be chased by sentient sausages, pickles, and more as you run around the level. BurgerTime Deluxe is just as fun as Pac-Man or Donkey Kong, so if you’re looking for a new game to claim a high score on, flip it on and see how far you can go.

22 Blaster Master: Enemy Below

Despite multiple entries and reboots, the Blaster Master series has always struggled to become as popular as Contra or Ghosts ‘n Goblins. Blaster Master: Enemy Below was one of the last games to be developed by Sunsoft, and while it’s an interesting Metroidvania to revisit, certain issues hold it back from being as great as the current run of Blaster Master games.

One of the more unique aspects of the series is that you can alternate between playing as the human protagonist – Jason – or controlling his tank. Not only does this open up options for taking down enemies, but each has its own upgrades to collect as well. This feature, plus multiple perspectives, helps Enemy Below stand out, but its difficulty shouldn’t be underestimated.

21 Mega Man 3

After Mega Man 2 for the Game Boy failed to attract new or old fans of the Blue Bomber, Capcom recruited Minakuchi Engineering – the developers behind Dr. Wily’s Revenge – to come back to work on the rest of the series. Mega Man 3 fuses content from the original Mega Man 3 and Mega Man 4 to create a seamless adventure with some wonderful quality-of-life improvements.

Compared to the first two Mega Man games on Game Boy, Mega Man 3 is very beginner-friendly and gives you the time and resources to complete a stage before you perish for the fiftieth time. This is also the first game in the handheld series that lets you charge a shot for extra damage, which is an absolute game-changer against certain enemies and bosses.

20 Kirby’s Dream Land

Kirby is one of the few major Nintendo mascots that first appeared on the Game Boy before making their way to home consoles. While it’s nice to see the adorable hero’s origins, Kirby’s Dream Land feels more like a blueprint for what the series would eventually become than something worth playing through.

Kirby’s Dream Land is the first game designed and directed by Masahiro Sakurai, who wanted to create a more relaxing platformer that casual gamers could enjoy. It’s fun to jump around as Kirby, but his infamous copy abilities wouldn’t appear until Kirby’s Adventure for the NES, so the only way to attack is by sucking in enemies and spitting them back out. Dream Land has plenty of the core concepts of a Kirby game, but nearly every sequel is more fun than the original.

19 Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare

Aside from platformers and JRPGs, the Game Boy and Game Boy Color also had a surprising amount of survival-horror games in its library. Alone in the Dark helped shape the genre when the first game was released on PC in 1992, so it was a welcome surprise when a Game Boy Color port of Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare launched in 2001.

Heavily inspired by Resident Evil, The New Nightmare features two playable protagonists who must fight monsters and solve puzzles to escape the deadly Shadow Island. While the Game Boy Color version doesn’t have the FMV cutscenes from the console versions, it’s still a haunting adventure unlike anything else available on Nintendo Switch Online.

18 Mega Man 4

Mega Man 4 for the Game Boy follows the same formula as its predecessors but also has enough new content and features to help it stand out on its own. While the core experience mostly reuses stages and bosses from Mega Man 4 and Mega Man 5 for the NES, the introduction of P Chips, a new stage select screen, and more allows this Game Boy game to stand out from the crowd.

The Mega Man series has a reputation for its high difficulty, but new items such as Weapon and Mini Energy Tanks allow you to recover more energy and health more frequently. Plus, you can use P Chips at Dr. Light’s lab to create more lives for yourself, recharge your weapons, and much more. Mega Man 4 is a great starting point for new fans and a great treat for long-time players.

17 Kirby Tilt ‘N’ Tumble

There is nothing quite like Kirby Tilt ‘N’ Tumble for the Game Boy Color, mostly because the cartridge came with a built-in accelerometer that allowed you to swing your console around and control the pink protagonist as he rolled around a stage. It was a huge surprise when it came to Nintendo Switch Online, and, of course, you can move your Switch around or use the face buttons to play through this excellent spin-off.

It’s nice that you can enjoy Tilt ‘N’ Tumble without having to use motion controls, but it is an essential part of the experience that increases the enjoyment of navigating Kirby around and completing a level before time runs out. It’s a shorter title, but its inclusion on the Switch opens the doors for more gimmick-based games.

16 Super Mario Land

The Game Boy was a big risk for Nintendo, and while it had secured Tetris as a launch title, the company knew it needed its biggest mascot to make an appearance to guarantee success. Super Mario Land takes Mario to a world far away from the Mushroom Kingdom with new enemies and difficult obstacles.

Super Mario Land isn’t remembered as kindly as its predecessors on the NES, but like The Adventure of Link or Return of Samus, its unique style and tone allow it to stand out from the other games in the series. Some highlights include Mario using a submarine and airplane to navigate certain levels and the introduction of the princess of Sarasaland – Princess Daisy.

15 Metroid 2: Return Of Samus

After making her debut on the NES, Samus Aran’s next adventure could be played anywhere after Nintendo decided to develop the sequel to Metroid for the Game Boy. Metroid 2: Return of Samus begins shortly after the first game’s events and sends Samus to SR388 – the home planet of the Metroid species – to investigate the disappearance of several research teams.

Metroid 2 is often considered the black sheep in the family, especially its original iteration. It was later remade for the 3DS as Metroid: Samus Returns, but the original is still one of the best Game Boy games available. Few titles offer the same tense atmosphere and action as Metroid 2, and its non-linear design makes exploration feel unlike anything else on the console.

14 Donkey Kong Land 2

Donkey Kong Land 2 takes everything from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest and somehow squeezes it into a Game Boy game. While the original Donkey Kong Land included original content like new bosses, this game unfortunately just feels like a stripped-down version of its SNES counterpart.

Though it’s not nearly as fleshed out as other Donkey Kong Country titles, the platforming is still spectacular and fun. Despite its similarities to Diddy’s Kong Quest, the levels in Donkey Kong Land 2 have new layouts, so the game still feels kind of fresh even if you’ve played the superior version of it.

13 Gargoyle’s Quest

Gargoyle’s Quest is one of the few third-party titles in Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy catalog and is likely one of the lesser-known titles on the service. Heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda 2: Link’s Adventure, this Ghosts ‘n Goblins spin-off stars Firebrand as he attempts to save the Ghoul Realm from peril.

For a Game Boy game, Gargoyle’s Quest is incredibly ambitious and is still a blast to play today. The exploration is fun, there is a surprising amount of action throughout, and the feeling of going from a lowly minion to an unstoppable force of nature as you unlock new abilities keeps the adventure interesting until the end. Sometimes, it feels good to be a bad guy.

12 Donkey Kong Land

After the immense success of Donkey Kong Country for the SNES, it would’ve been bananas not to put a condensed version of the title on the Game Boy. Launching only a year after the original adventure, Donkey Kong Land features everything that makes the series so special, from impressive visuals to a funky and unforgettable soundtrack.

While Donkey Kong Land shares a lot of DNA with Country, it has completely different levels and bosses to conquer. It never reaches the same magical heights as the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, but it’s still worth checking out if you like challenging platforming, blasting out of barrels, or Expresso the ostrich.