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Emulator mGBA

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digdat0 edited this page Jul 23, 2026 · 2 revisions

Systems: Game Boy Advance (gba), Game Boy (gb), Game Boy Color (gbc) · Runs as: homebrew NRO · Get it: mgba.io/downloads

Best effort: this guide is community-maintained and may lag behind new releases. The emulator's own site (linked above) is the authoritative source — if anything here doesn't match what you see, trust their instructions.

mGBA is the reference Game Boy Advance emulator, and the Switch build is an official port maintained by the mGBA project itself. It's widely preferred over the RetroArch mGBA core on Switch — lighter, and with rock-solid audio/video sync.

Install

  1. Download the Nintendo Switch build (a .7z) from mgba.io/downloads.
  2. Extract and copy mgba.nro to sd:/switch/.
  3. Launch from the homebrew menu.

Point it at your HaulNX library

mGBA opens with a file browser — no library/playlist system, no scanning:

  1. Download games with HaulNX — they land in sd:/roms/gba/, sd:/roms/gb/, sd:/roms/gbc/.
  2. In mGBA, browse to the folder (SD root is /, so /roms/gba) and pick a game. The browser remembers where you were, so after the first time your library is one press away.

Zipped ROMs load directly — no need to extract.

BIOS (optional but recommended)

mGBA runs everything without BIOS files via high-level emulation, but a real gba_bios.bin gets you the authentic boot sequence and fixes a handful of edge-case titles. Point Settings › Paths › GBA BIOS at the file wherever you keep it (e.g. a bios folder alongside the app, or sd:/roms/gba/). Equivalent optional entries exist for GB/GBC boot ROMs.

Saves and tips

  • In-game saves are written as .sav next to the ROM file — so your saves live inside sd:/roms/gba/ alongside the games. Keep that in mind before deleting a game from HaulNX's Installed tab: removing the folder contents takes the saves with it. Back up .sav files first.
  • Save states are separate (.ss0–.ss9 slots) and also sit next to the ROM.
  • Fast-forward, rewind, and per-game overrides are all in the in-game menu (press − while playing).
  • Solar-sensor games (Boktai) and rumble/tilt carts are supported — look under the game-specific settings.

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