Best RPGs Only Available On The Game Boy Advance, Ranked

The Game Boy Advance had a shorter life than the original Game Boy but it truly had some bangers on the handheld. Their legacy has not been forgotten too as many have been ported to other consoles with enhanced editions or even remakes. There are also the various digital stores that Nintendo has set up on their consoles from the 3DS to the Switch.

3:26

Related

The Best RPGs On Game Boy Advance, Ranked

The Game Boy Advance had some of the best RPGs of its era in its library. These are the best you can play on the console.

The Switch’s GBA selection is modest but mighty and there are even some great RPGs in the mix like Golden Sun and Mother 3, but only in Japan for that one. These other GBA RPGs have never left the system though.

7

Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban

A Golden Sun Clone

Most games based on the Harry Potter movies were action platformers with puzzles. The GBA adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was different though as it was a turn-based RPG. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the Game Boy Color was also a turn-based RPG and then that was it until Hogwarts Legacy for RPG adaptations.

The combat is similar to Golden Sun and the presentation which is surprisingly well thought out for a movie game. Puzzles can be solved via spells in the environment, again, similar to the ones found in Golden Sun.

6

Lufia: The Ruins Of Lore

A Forgotten RPG Series Overall

• Developer: Atelier Double
• Publisher: Atlus (NA)
• Released: May 6, 2003 (NA)
• Platform: GBA

Lufia: The Ruins of Lore takes place after Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals and is the only entry on the GBA. Like most entries, it is turn-based with a few twists to the gameplay. Characters can be assigned classes that they can learn abilities from and keep across other classes.

Related

10 Sequels You Didn’t Know Existed On Game Boy Advance

The Game Boy Advance is home to some great games, and surprising sequels. Theses sequel titles are pretty obscure, but they’re out there.

There’s also a monster-catching mechanic in the game to add monsters to the party and there are a lot to collect. Players can even fuse with monsters temporarily for special attacks which is not a mechanic used in RPGs often.

5

Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen

Will A Retro Mainline Pokemon Game Ever Make It To The Switch?

Your changes have been saved

My List

My Favorite Games
My Played Games
My Games Wishlist

Pokemon FireRed

Systems

Released

September 7, 2004

Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen were the GBA remakes of the original two Pokemon games. Like the other mainline entries on the GBA, these two have never made it onto a digital storefront. There’s only one platform that has featured past games digitally.

On the 3DS, players could purchase all 6 mainline Pokemon games on the Game Boy and Game Boy Color but now that eShop is closed for good. It would be a big nostalgia play if Nintendo ever released Pokemon FireRed, Pokemon LeafGreen, Pokemon Ruby, Pokemon Sapphire, or Pokemon Emerald on the Switch or Switch 2 digitally.

4

Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories

Polygons Can’t Match These Pixels

Your changes have been saved

My List

My Favorite Games
My Played Games
My Games Wishlist

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Action RPG

Digital Card Game

Systems

Released

December 7, 2004

Developer(s)

Square Enix
, Jupiter

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories has technically been re-released many times but only as its remade counterpart called Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories. First released on the PS2, it was recreated to look like the original game but still featured card-based gameplay.

While that is a better version for story lovers since it features voice acting, it’s not the best way to experience the game as a whole. The pixel art in the original GBA version is out of this world. Hopefully, Square Enix can port it to a digital storefront someday or perhaps remake it as an HD-2D game which would be closer in scope to the GBA graphics than the polygonal versions on home consoles.

3

Sword of Mana

Let It Not Be A Fantasy

Your changes have been saved

My List

My Favorite Games
My Played Games
My Games Wishlist

Sword of Mana

Systems

Released

December 1, 2003

Developer(s)

Brownie Brown

Publisher(s)

Square Enix
, Nintendo

Sword of Mana is another Square Enix game that is technically available on other platforms. It first came out on the Game Boy as Final Fantasy Adventure which was called Seiken Densetsu in Japan, the beginning of the Mana franchise.

Sword of Mana goes through the same basic beats but adds a lot more story and two playable characters. Players can choose to be the male protagonist who has a stronger physical attribute or they can be the female heroine who is better with magic. The original game did get a more 1:1 remake via Adventures of Mana but it too is trapped on old platforms via mobile devices and the PS Vita.

2

Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hands

Kill Vampires With The Literal Sun

Your changes have been saved

My List

My Favorite Games
My Played Games
My Games Wishlist

Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand

Systems

Released

September 16, 2003

Developer(s)

Konami
, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan

Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hands was one of the most unique games to have ever been released on the GBA. There was a mini-solar panel attached to the cartridge which could capture sunlight needed to fight vampires and other monsters in the game. That’s probably why none of the three GBA games have left the platform.

Related

10 Console Games You Never Knew Were Ported To The Game Boy Advance

The Game Boy Advance had a ton of great exclusive titles, but it also received some unexpected ports as well.

However, fans have modded the game to make solar energy more viable through processed emulation. So, if Konami wanted, it is possible to resurrect this trilogy or even the DS spinoff that didn’t need real solar energy which is called Lunar Knights.

1

Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis

Clinging To The GBA

Systems

Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis is an entry in the Ogre series that time has seemingly forgotten. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, its predecessor, has been re-released on too many platforms to count since it launched on the SNES. It’s a worthy game deserving of every chance it gets but so is this lost GBA gem.

Like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, the presentation is more kid-friendly despite some darker tones in the political story. Players can go through grid-based maps to fight tactical battles, collect soldiers, level up classes, and so on. It would be perfect on the Switch even in just its original form.

More

7 Best Tactical JRPGs That Are Not Part Of A Franchise

There are plenty of amazing one-off games that fans of tactical JRPGs will enjoy. Here are the best of the genre outside franchises.