The following ranked list of the NSO GBA library is compiled using the User Ratings (out of 10) given to each GBA game available to play on Switch in the West. This ranking is not set in stone and will automatically fluctuate over time depending on assigned User Ratings (and new additions to the NSO library, of course — we’ll add those in as they are released).
Think a game below deserves to be higher up on the list? Simply click on the ‘star’ button and score it yourself — your personal rating could boost its placement in the overall ranking. The number of GBA games is small at the moment, but there’s no denying the quality and there are more on the way.
Note. Expecting to see Mother 3 on this list now it’s technically available via Switch Online? Well, it’s Japan-only at the moment, and this list only covers GBA games released in the West. We’ve still got our fingers crossed for an official localisation at some point.
So, let’s dive into the GBA games playable on Nintendo Switch, as ranked by you…
If you haven’t played any of the Densetsu no Starfy titles, you really owe it to yourself to give this unique platformer a try. It starts off a little slowly and might be on the easy side, but it’s a fun ride and there’s a lot to be said of the charm and personality that these games exude. Couple that with such a solid control system and what you have is one of the most enjoyable, addictive Game Boy Advance adventures around. A gem.
Returning to the flat tracks and tight power-sliding gameplay of the original Super Mario Kart, the GBA was capable of replicating SNES-like performance — it certainly wasn’t up to the tech standard of the N64 or GameCube — so Mario Kart Super Circuit ended up feeling like the Super Mario Kart sequel we never got on Nintendo’s 16-bit console. Sure, the visual style has arguably aged worse than the SNES version, but this pint-sized speed-fest packs in plenty of content. The fun foundation was there at the very beginning of the series and it’s definitely present in the GBA entry.
While the 3DS Ambassador and Wii U Virtual Console re-releases lacked the multiplayer features of the original, the Nintendo Switch Online version thankfully rectifies that situation if multiplayer is your thing (which, with Mario Kart, it really should be). No need for link cables these days! Super Circuit still holds up well and serves as a great ‘successor’ to the SNES original, if that’s your favourite MK flavour.
As great as the original Densetsu no Starfy was, this sequel manages to improve upon it in just about every single category. The new moves make the game more enjoyable to control, and the enhanced boss fights and ability to upgrade vehicles add even more depth to an already solid platforming experience. Add all these upgrades and polish to a much longer adventure and a host of bonus levels to tackle and what you have is everything you could possibly ask for in a sequel.
The first handheld entry in the series, F-Zero Maximum Velocity still holds up today as a result of its smooth, skill-based gameplay. There may only be four cups in which to compete, but the varied difficulty and surprisingly steep learning curve when it comes to mastering the vehicles and tracks make this a game you want to keep coming back to. It doesn’t rank with the absolute best of the series, perhaps, but this is undoubtedly well-made and impresses in the technical department, delivering an enjoyable dose of the franchise that also really highlights what the last Game Boy could do.
The first sequel took the series to new heights, but with the introduction of Starfy’s sister, Starly, TOSE knocked one out of the park with their third and final Game Boy Advance Starfy entry. Densetsu no Starfy 3 is bigger and better and easily one of the most playable platformers on the GBA or any system — one of the best ever created, in fact. While the game’s still a bit on the easy side during the first half, if you love platformers, you absolutely must play this game. It would be difficult to say that any video game is perfect, but this one’s pretty damn close.
This GBA launch title may start off a little too easy but that’s about all you can fault with Kuru Kuru Kururin. It won’t take you long to clear every level, but doing it without error is a challenge and you’ll love every minute as you guide a big ol’ constantly rotating stick (sorry, Helirin) around tricky, colourful courses.
With plenty of environmental variety and some terrific music, there’s a lot of enjoyment from simply improving your times on the various courses. Kuru Kuru Kururin is one of the GBA’s most delightful treats and perfect for portable play — a brilliantly fun little game that’s a bit different from the norm.
While the Metroid-esque gameplay is a refreshing change of pace for the Kirby series and works well in some parts, it also fails in others. The Metroid games have backtracking as well, yes, but it’s not nearly as frequent and annoying as it is in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.
The multiplayer features are optional, but the game was arguably designed around the multiple Kirby aspect and it’s at its best with other people.
Until its arrival on Nintendo Switch Online, F-Zero Climax was unfortunately only officially available to GBA owners in Japan, which was a shame because it’s a more-than-solid third effort for the franchise on Nintendo’s humble li’l Boy.
It might have felt like a mere expansion to GP Legend to some folks, but it demonstrated beautifully developer Suzak’s prowess when it comes to handheld racers. Don’t miss out on this one; more people need to experience F-Zero Climax.
If the story missions in F-Zero: GP Legend become too gruelling, there’s always the option of tackling Grand Prix mode across a variety of difficulty tiers, which helps scale up the challenge as your skills improve.
Before long you’ll be snaking your way around eye-watering turns and hazards in an unblinking state, where your muscle memory kicks in and nothing can break your concentration. That’s the true F-Zero experience.
That the format endures is testament to the series’ gripping, yet savage design. And with hours of content and challenge, GP Legend is a stellar handheld F-Zero.
The first of the GBA’s Super Mario platformer ports (and the one that kicked off the most convoluted naming convention in gaming history), Super Mario Advance brought Super Mario Bros. 2 to the GBA in the 16-bit style of Super Mario All-Stars.
With the ability to choose between four characters carrying over from the original, it gained a point system in addition to its facelift, as well as several collectibles to find throughout each stage.
Overall, it’s still one of the best ways to revisit the game, and you also get the remake of original Mario Bros. bundled in — that little multiplayer bonus would feature on multiple other entries in this GBA port series going forward.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team may have lacked some of the DS version’s useful features, but we enjoyed how these games bridged the GBA/DS hardware divide in an interesting way. Missions tend to play similarly to one another, but a variety of locations and Pokémon (friendly and otherwise) help dull the sense of sameness in this Chunsoft dungeon crawler.
As with many games in this genre, the repetitive nature can still drag things down at times, although an interesting plot development usually grabs your attention. It has its faults, but Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is still an enjoyable game — and one that’s easier to find these days on Switch in the form of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX.
This, however, is arguably the best version of the game.
With its deep exploration-based gameplay and gorgeous art style, Yoshi’s Island is still a joy to play all these years later — it’s a platformer with considerable depth and challenge.
Exploring is made fun thanks to Yoshi’s egg-based abilities and collecting everything will require a gargantuan effort, but it’s never less than immensely entertaining (provided you can put up with Baby Mario’s whining).
The smaller canvas of the handheld screen inevitably reduces the impact of the SNES original’s incredible pastel-shaded world, but this remains one of Nintendo’s 2D platforming finest efforts.
If you’ve never played it before (or have a hankering to go through it all again), the GBA version is a fine one.
The following ranked list of the NSO GBA library is compiled using the User Ratings (out of 10) given to each GBA game available to play on Switch in the West. This ranking is not set in stone and will automatically fluctuate over time depending on assigned User Ratings (and new additions to the NSO library, of course — we'll add those in as they are released).
Think a game below deserves to be higher up on the list? Simply click on the 'star' button and score it yourself — your personal rating could boost its placement in the overall ranking. The number of GBA games is small at the moment, but there's no denying the quality and there are more on the way.
Note. Expecting to see Mother 3 on this list now it's technically available via Switch Online? Well, it's Japan-only at the moment, and this list only covers GBA games released in the West. We've still got our fingers crossed for an official localisation at some point.
So, let's dive into the GBA games playable on Nintendo Switch, as ranked by you...
If you haven't played any of the Densetsu no Starfy titles, you really owe it to yourself to give this unique platformer a try. It starts off a little slowly and might be on the easy side, but it's a fun ride and there's a lot to be said of the charm and personality that these games exude. Couple that with such a solid control system and what you have is one of the most enjoyable, addictive Game Boy Advance adventures around. A gem.
Returning to the flat tracks and tight power-sliding gameplay of the original Super Mario Kart, the GBA was capable of replicating SNES-like performance — it certainly wasn't up to the tech standard of the N64 or GameCube — so Mario Kart Super Circuit ended up feeling like the Super Mario Kart sequel we never got on Nintendo's 16-bit console. Sure, the visual style has arguably aged worse than the SNES version, but this pint-sized speed-fest packs in plenty of content. The fun foundation was there at the very beginning of the series and it's definitely present in the GBA entry.
While the 3DS Ambassador and Wii U Virtual Console re-releases lacked the multiplayer features of the original, the Nintendo Switch Online version thankfully rectifies that situation if multiplayer is your thing (which, with Mario Kart, it really should be). No need for link cables these days! Super Circuit still holds up well and serves as a great 'successor' to the SNES original, if that's your favourite MK flavour.
As great as the original Densetsu no Starfy was, this sequel manages to improve upon it in just about every single category. The new moves make the game more enjoyable to control, and the enhanced boss fights and ability to upgrade vehicles add even more depth to an already solid platforming experience. Add all these upgrades and polish to a much longer adventure and a host of bonus levels to tackle and what you have is everything you could possibly ask for in a sequel.
The first handheld entry in the series, F-Zero Maximum Velocity still holds up today as a result of its smooth, skill-based gameplay. There may only be four cups in which to compete, but the varied difficulty and surprisingly steep learning curve when it comes to mastering the vehicles and tracks make this a game you want to keep coming back to. It doesn't rank with the absolute best of the series, perhaps, but this is undoubtedly well-made and impresses in the technical department, delivering an enjoyable dose of the franchise that also really highlights what the last Game Boy could do.
The first sequel took the series to new heights, but with the introduction of Starfy's sister, Starly, TOSE knocked one out of the park with their third and final Game Boy Advance Starfy entry. Densetsu no Starfy 3 is bigger and better and easily one of the most playable platformers on the GBA or any system — one of the best ever created, in fact. While the game's still a bit on the easy side during the first half, if you love platformers, you absolutely must play this game. It would be difficult to say that any video game is perfect, but this one's pretty damn close.
This GBA launch title may start off a little too easy but that's about all you can fault with Kuru Kuru Kururin. It won't take you long to clear every level, but doing it without error is a challenge and you'll love every minute as you guide a big ol' constantly rotating stick (sorry, Helirin) around tricky, colourful courses.
With plenty of environmental variety and some terrific music, there's a lot of enjoyment from simply improving your times on the various courses. Kuru Kuru Kururin is one of the GBA's most delightful treats and perfect for portable play — a brilliantly fun little game that's a bit different from the norm.
While the Metroid-esque gameplay is a refreshing change of pace for the Kirby series and works well in some parts, it also fails in others. The Metroid games have backtracking as well, yes, but it's not nearly as frequent and annoying as it is in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.
The multiplayer features are optional, but the game was arguably designed around the multiple Kirby aspect and it's at its best with other people.
Until its arrival on Nintendo Switch Online, F-Zero Climax was unfortunately only officially available to GBA owners in Japan, which was a shame because it's a more-than-solid third effort for the franchise on Nintendo's humble li'l Boy.
It might have felt like a mere expansion to GP Legend to some folks, but it demonstrated beautifully developer Suzak's prowess when it comes to handheld racers. Don't miss out on this one; more people need to experience F-Zero Climax.
If the story missions in F-Zero: GP Legend become too gruelling, there's always the option of tackling Grand Prix mode across a variety of difficulty tiers, which helps scale up the challenge as your skills improve.
Before long you'll be snaking your way around eye-watering turns and hazards in an unblinking state, where your muscle memory kicks in and nothing can break your concentration. That's the true F-Zero experience.
That the format endures is testament to the series' gripping, yet savage design. And with hours of content and challenge, GP Legend is a stellar handheld F-Zero.
The first of the GBA's Super Mario platformer ports (and the one that kicked off the most convoluted naming convention in gaming history), Super Mario Advance brought Super Mario Bros. 2 to the GBA in the 16-bit style of Super Mario All-Stars.
With the ability to choose between four characters carrying over from the original, it gained a point system in addition to its facelift, as well as several collectibles to find throughout each stage.
Overall, it's still one of the best ways to revisit the game, and you also get the remake of original Mario Bros. bundled in — that little multiplayer bonus would feature on multiple other entries in this GBA port series going forward.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team may have lacked some of the DS version's useful features, but we enjoyed how these games bridged the GBA/DS hardware divide in an interesting way. Missions tend to play similarly to one another, but a variety of locations and Pokémon (friendly and otherwise) help dull the sense of sameness in this Chunsoft dungeon crawler.
As with many games in this genre, the repetitive nature can still drag things down at times, although an interesting plot development usually grabs your attention. It has its faults, but Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is still an enjoyable game — and one that's easier to find these days on Switch in the form of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX.
This, however, is arguably the best version of the game.
With its deep exploration-based gameplay and gorgeous art style, Yoshi's Island is still a joy to play all these years later — it's a platformer with considerable depth and challenge.
Exploring is made fun thanks to Yoshi's egg-based abilities and collecting everything will require a gargantuan effort, but it's never less than immensely entertaining (provided you can put up with Baby Mario's whining).
The smaller canvas of the handheld screen inevitably reduces the impact of the SNES original's incredible pastel-shaded world, but this remains one of Nintendo’s 2D platforming finest efforts.
If you've never played it before (or have a hankering to go through it all again), the GBA version is a fine one.
