Best Game Boy Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: Virtual Jaguar is ranked #1 of 23 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of GBCC and SkyEmu. The best-ranked option with a free plan is GBCC.
Choosing a Game Boy emulator starts with checking supported systems and platforms against the games and devices you have in mind. The ranking also compares controller support, save states and real-time clock handling. Link cable emulation and netplay distinguish options for connected play, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context. Gearlynx and oxGBC are among the first entries, alongside Virtual Jaguar and BGB; GBCC and SkyEmu also appear near the top. Compare the listed features to find an emulator suited to your setup, whether you care most about controls, timing, saved progress or connecting with others.
23 Game Boy emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Virtual Jaguar Top pick · 7.5 Free plan · Free
#2 GBCC Runner-up · 7.3 Free plan · Free
#3 SkyEmu Also great · 7.3 Free plan · Free- Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Supported systems
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- Windows, Linux/BSD/UNIX-like systems, macOS
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan AndroidLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy; Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- Linux; macOS; Windows; Android
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatformsFree About GBCCVisit site - Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- 4
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy (DMG); Game Boy Color (CGB)
- Supported platforms
- WebAssembly/browser; Windows; Linux; Nintendo Switch
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- DMG/Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Pokémon Mini, experimental Nintendo DS
- Supported platforms
- Windows, Linux, macOS
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - AndroidapiextensioniOSLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Super Game Boy
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD, RetroArch/libretro, iOS, Android, Raspberry Pi, tvOS, webOS, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo WiiU, Nintendo Switch, Emscripten, OpenDingux, RetroFW, QNX
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - AndroidLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy; Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- Windows; macOS; Linux; Android; WebAssembly/browser
- Save states
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy; Game Boy Color; Super Game Boy
- Supported platforms
- Windows; Wine on Linux and macOS
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - AndroidWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- Windows, Android
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - AndroidiOSLinux
- Free plan
- No
- Supported systems
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- Android
- Save states
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid
- Supported systems
- Game Boy (GB/DMG), Game Boy Color (GBC/CGB), Super Game Boy features
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsLinuxAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy (DMG), Game Boy Color (CGB)
- Supported platforms
- Windows, Linux, Android
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- Windows 64-bit, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi OS
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Supported systems
- Game Boy (GB); Game Boy Color (GBC); Super Game Boy (SGB)
- Supported platforms
- Web browser; Windows; macOS; Linux
- Save states
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Supported systems
- Nintendo Game Boy; Nintendo Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- macOS; Windows; Linux
- Save states
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Android
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- Android
- Save states
- Yes
- Link cable emulation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinuxiOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy (DMG), Game Boy Pocket/Light (MGB), Game Boy Color (CGB), GBC-mode Game Boy Advance/Game Boy Player (AGB), Super Game Boy (SGB), Super Game Boy 2 (SGB2)
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy (DMG), Game Boy Color (GBC)
- Supported platforms
- Samsung Tizen TVs, desktop web browsers
- Save states
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported systems
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- Web browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari
- Save states
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebLinuxmacOS
- Supported systems
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color
- Supported platforms
- CLI terminal, browser WebAssembly, SDL2 native desktop (work in progress)
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - macOS
- Supported systems
- Game Boy
- Supported platforms
- WebAssembly, desktop, terminal
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which Game Boy emulator is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
Virtual Jaguar is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 7.5. GBCC is second and SkyEmu third.
How many of these have a free plan?
5 of the 23 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.