Nintendo of America

Game Boy - Compatibility Chart

To tell whether a game you wish to play will work on your Game Boy system, refer to the table below:

System Game Pak Type: Game Boy micro Game Boy Advance / Game Boy Advance SP Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Player Game Boy Color Game Boy Pocket Game Boy Original Game Boy Advance Only        Game Boy Color Only        Dual Mode    Original

 

Game Boy Advance Only Games (Special Full Color)

• Wide screen games that will work with Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Game Boy micro, Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Player, and Nintendo DS. They will not work with Game Boy Color, Game Boy pocket, or the original Game Boy.
• Games display up to 512 colors from a palette of up to 32,768 colors.
• The Game Paks are about half the size of all other Game Boy Game Paks.
• Packaging clearly indicates that these games are "Only for Game Boy Advance."

Game Boy Color Only Games (Full Color)

• Games use up to 56 colors out of a palette of 32,768.
• Will only work on Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, or Game Boy Advance SP.
• These Game Paks have a transparent plastic housing.
• Even though the packaging indicates that these games are "Only for Game Boy Color," they will work on Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP. Note: The words "Only for Game Boy Color" and the icon on the back of the Game Boy Color Game Pak packaging do not appear if the game was released or re-issued after June of 2001.
• When playing these games on a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP, the screen size can be switched between standard Game Boy size and Game Boy Advance size by pressing the L & R buttons. (Changing the screen size may distort the images.)
• Due to the motion sensor in Kirby's Tilt 'n' Tumble, and the different orientation of the game pak in the Game Boy Advance SP, it may be difficult to play the game as the directions will be the reverse of the intended directions.

Dual Mode Games

• These games will work with all Game Boy systems, except for the Game Boy micro.
• When using either the Game Boy Advance or the Game Boy Color they will display up to 56 colors out of a palette of 32,768. When using the original Game Boy or Game Boy pocket they will use 4 shades of gray.
• These Game Paks have a dark gray or black plastic housing.
• When playing these games on a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP, the screen size can be switched between standard Game Boy size and Game Boy Advance size by pressing the L & R buttons. (Changing the screen size may distort the images.)

Original Games

• With the exception of the Game Boy micro, these Game Paks will work with all Game Boy systems and will display 4 - 10 colors when used on the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, or Game Boy Advance SP. You can change the color scheme using special palettes. When these games are played on the Game Boy or Game Boy Pocket, they will appear in 4 shades of gray.
• These Game Paks have a light gray plastic housing.
• A very small number of older games may not function properly on the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, or Game Boy Advance SP. Common symptoms include scrambled images, missing graphics, or sound problems.
• When playing these games on a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP, the screen size can be switched between standard Game Boy size and Game Boy Advance size by pressing the L & R buttons. (Changing the screen size may distort the images.)