The Best RPGs On Game Boy Advance, Ranked

It’s hard to deny that portables are the perfect system for RPGs. To be more specific, turn-based RPGs like Final Fantasy and tactical RPGs like Fire Emblem flourish at a slower pace. This makes it easy to multitask while watching a show. An action game would make it tricky to pay attention to something else while grinding, for example. Whether one agrees with that sentiment or not, the Game Boy Advance has a great library of RPGs. Most of them are still trapped in the system, unfortunately.

Whether they get ported off anytime soon is hard to say, but fans are hopeful that the advent of Nintendo Switch Online on the system will ensure that players will have access to these old, classic games from Nintendo’s library. All of these games are pretty engaging in their own right and do a great job of keeping players invested with a mix of great stories, memorable characters, and classic RPG systems that let players enjoy a palpable sense of progression.

Updated on January 2, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: The Game Boy Advance is one of the most legendary consoles of all time. Bringing a level of technical excellence and fidelity that was unheard of in handhelds at the time, the GBA housed some of the best gems in gaming, with many fans still spewing rhetoric about the greatness of this handheld. RPGs were a pretty popular genre on the console, with many amazing games stemming from this genre and establishing themselves as classic titles that fans of the genre would love to mess around in.

21 Mother 3

Metascore: N/A (Japan-Only Release)

Earthbound is one of the most charming and underrated video games of all time. The fact that this series is still influencing modern video games shows just how ahead of its time this game was.

The same applies to Mother 3 as well, so it’s downright criminal that this game never received the English localization it deserved all those years ago.

20 Dragon Ball Z: Buu’s Fury

Metascore: 62

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
• Developer(s): Webfoot Technologies
• Release Date: September 14, 2004

The Dragon Ball Z action RPG trilogy that came out on the Game Boy Advance was pretty spectacular. The first game in this Legacy of Goku series was pretty rough, with the second game making a valiant effort to address the faults of the original and make the game way more accessible.

Buu’s Fury is the final chapter of this trilogy, and it’s a mighty fine game that perfects the formula established by its predecessors. It might be a bit easy and has its fair share of flaws, but most fans with nostalgic memories about this game won’t care. There aren’t many great games that cover the official story of Dragon Ball Z, making Buu’s Fury a must-play for hardcore DBZ fans!

19 DemiKids

Metascore: 62 (Light Version)

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
• Developer(s): Multimedia Intelligence Transfer
• Release Date: October 6, 2003

Most people who picked up DemiKids assumed that it was nothing more than a game for kids. This assumption couldn’t have been more erroneous… especially once they found out which series this title belonged to.

DemiKids is also known as Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children, which is a surprising fact for many people. The Game Boy Advance saw the release of both DemiKids Light And DemiKids Dark, with the latter being slightly more challenging.

18 Sword Of Mana

Metascore: 72

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
• Developer(s): Brownie Brown
• Release Date: December 1, 2003

This was a remake of the first game in the Mana series, Final Fantasy Adventure. The biggest change, other than the graphics, was adding the ability to choose a gender.

That’s not the only change, as the scenario was reforged as well, adding in more story content, for example. It’s not the best of the Mana games, but it is indeed a fine action RPG on the GBA.

17 Lufia: The Ruins Of Lore

Metascore: 76

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
• Developer(s): Atelier Double
• Release Date: June 5, 2003

Lufia has always been an RPG series most forget about since it debuted on the Super Nintendo. Lufia 2 is considered the best of them all, but this GBA entry is right up there with it.

The game is a classic turn-based RPG with a world map and everything. The easy-to-understand mechanics, catchy music, and colorful graphics make it well worth looking into — even now.

16 Riviera: The Promised Land

Metascore: 76

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable
• Developer(s): Sting
• Release Date: June 28, 2005

Riviera: The Promised Land is a unique RPG that combines traditional role-playing elements with dating sim mechanics, allowing players to develop relationships with their party members and shape the game’s narrative in meaningful ways. The game’s story follows a group of heroes on a quest to seal the Accursed, the antagonist of this game.

The game’s combat system is fast-paced and challenging, requiring players to think strategically and use the OverDrive Gauge in creative ways. Overall, Riviera: The Promised Land is a refreshing and memorable take on the RPG genre that even has an updated version on the PSP!

15 Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories

Metascore: 76

While some lauded it for rehashing the areas of the first game, Chain of Memories is a top-notch card RPG. Why did Square Enix need to put them in there in the first place when a normal action RPG like its predecessor could have worked just as easily?

No one knows the answer to that question, but one thing is for sure — this was a fun way to wait things out until the proper sequel. It is better than the PS2 remake thanks to the gorgeous pixel art.

14 Lunar Legend

Metascore: 79

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
• Developer(s): Media Rings Corporation
• Release Date: December 10, 2002

Lunar Legend is a fun and classic JRPG that follows the adventures of a young boy named Alex as he sets out to become a legendary Dragonmaster. The game features a charming story filled with memorable characters and engaging turn-based gameplay that many players will be familiar with.

The game’s colorful graphics and catchy soundtrack add to the sense of adventure and wonder that permeates the entire experience. It may be a simple game, but Lunar Legend is pretty entertaining.

13 Final Fantasy 1 & 2: Dawn Of Souls

Metascore: 79

The Final Fantasy 1 & 2: Dawn of Souls compilation offers players the chance to experience two classic Final Fantasy games in one package. The first game features a simple story and engaging gameplay, while the second game offers a more complex narrative and a… unique leveling system, to say the least.

Both games feature new content in this version, making them a great choice for RPG fans who want to experience the inception of one of the greatest JRPG series of all time. These titles may have their fair share of flaws (especially the second one) but it’s still a blast to play through them regardless.

12 Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen

Metascore: 81 (FireRed)

Both these games and the actual generational entries of Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire were good. All five, including Pokemon Emerald, were not huge leaps forward for the series though which is why the GBA games are usually ranked lower for fans.

Still, the nostalgic pull of these remakes did have some significance. Besides, how could one make an RPG list without putting Pokemon on it? The game was a great way for fans of the series to check out what made the original releases on the Game Boy such masterpieces in the first place.

11 Breath Of Fire 2

Metascore: 81

Breath of Fire 2 is one of the best games in this illustrious JRPG series. It’s also one of the most underrated titles around, with most players only familiar with the Breath of Fire games on the PlayStation.

Breath of Fire 2 is a brilliant game with a classic story and engaging combat. Fans of old-school JRPGs will have a blast with this title. Players will be more than pleased after checking out this amazing chapter in Capcom’s forgotten JRPG series.

10 Final Fantasy 5 Advance

Metascore: 83

Final Fantasy 5 is a game that is beloved for its in-depth job system, allowing for a deep and satisfying gameplay experience that rewards experimentation. This allows players to customize their characters’ abilities and create unique party compositions

The game’s story may be one of its weakest traits, but it still has several highlights courtesy of its memorable characters and epic set-pieces. The Advance version also includes additional content not found in the original release, and it’s a shame that the excellent Pixel Remaster lacks any of this additional content.

9 Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Metascore: 85

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
• Developer(s): Intelligent Systems
• Release Date: May 23, 2005

For the longest time, the Fire Emblem series hadn’t made it out of Japan. This changed when The Blazing Blade was localized under the simple name of Fire Emblem, and the immense success of this title helped Fire Emblem establish itself as one of the greatest strategy RPGs on the market.

This encouraged the developer to release Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones on Western shores as well, which proved to be a rather profitable decision. Just like its predecessor, The Sacred Stones was a massive hit that fans loved, with the combination of epic storytelling and tough-as-nails strategic gameplay merging to let players enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience that has contributed to the legacy of this series being a constant on Nintendo’s lineup of consoles.

8 Final Fantasy 4 Advance

Metascore: 85

Final Fantasy 4 is a game that many players love for its amazing plot, which integrates the classic tropes of the series in a captivating narrative with high stakes. It tells a sweeping story of love, betrayal, and redemption that is still wildly enjoyable to this day.

The game features a memorable cast of characters, each with their motivations and backstories, and a rich world filled with wonder and danger. The Advance version adds two new dungeons, the Cave of Trials and Lunar Ruins, and it’s quite puzzling that fans who play the Pixel Remaster won’t be able to access this additional content.

7 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

Metascore: 87

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
• Developer(s): Square Product Development Division 4
• Release Date: September 8, 2003

This may not have been the sequel most fans of the original were expecting. It wasn’t as dark and was instead more lighthearted. Plus, the Judge system could be frustrating.

If one were to look past all that stuff, though, they would discover this GBA sequel was worthy of the name of Final Fantasy Tactics after all.

6 Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

Metascore: 88

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
• Developer(s): Intelligent Systems
• Release Date: November 3, 2003

This is another case where two games are almost tied with each other. The 2003 release, just titled Fire Emblem, should be applauded the most for being significant to the West.

It was the first game introduced over here since the series debuted on the Famicom, or NES, in 1990 in Japan. This and its sequel though, The Sacred Stones, are some fine strategy RPGs for the handheld.

5 Tactics Ogre: The Knight Of Lodis

Metascore: 88

• Platform(s): Game Boy Advance
• Developer(s): Quest
• Release Date: May 7, 2002

This entry in the Tactics Ogre series is perhaps the first one that caught any sort of widespread attraction. That’s because it fell more in line with tactical RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics.

Most of the other Nintendo entries released in the West before this felt more experimental. To hammer it home, this is Final Fantasy Tactics but without the name and not as bloody as that first game.

4 Mario And Luigi: Superstar Saga

Metascore: 90

Paper Mario was an interesting spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG on the SNES. However, some fans felt it lacked that true RPG feeling of the original. There wasn’t much of a story and the party characters were a bit lackluster and didn’t participate as much.

Even though the party only consisted of Mario and Luigi for this, it still felt a lot meatier. Everything from the visuals to the humor to the actual gameplay makes it one heck of an RPG. Play this one and not the 3DS remake.

3 Golden Sun

Metascore: 91

It’s hard to pick between this game and its sequel since they are both tied so integrally to each other. Either way, both games are often considered top-tier Nintendo RPG exclusives. It’s a shame the last game was over a decade ago on DS and that there hasn’t been any word of a sequel since.

What’s more — it never made its way into consoles outside of the Virtual Console, but there is always hope. Sad news aside, this mix of classic gameplay and puzzle dungeons akin to The Legend of Zelda made it stick out.

2 Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow

Metascore: 91

This might not be what one thinks of immediately when considering RPGs on the GBA, but this technically fits. Most Metroidvanias that fall more in line with Castlevania are RPGs, thanks to leveling up.

It is the best entry in this series on the GBA and may even rival what some consider to be the very best, Symphony of the Night. Either way, this game was great no matter where that argument falls.