What are GBA files?

This article explains what a GBA file is and how to open or convert it on your computer.

What are GBA files?

The file with the .GBA extension is a Game Boy Advance ROM file. It was an exact replica of the Game Boy Advance video game.

If you have a GBA file on your computer, it means that the game has been copied from a read-only memory (ROM) chip located on the console. You can use it on your computer or mobile device with an emulator, just as if it were being played on a Game Boy Advance.

Some Game Boy Advance ROM files may use other file extensions, like GB or AGB, but they will still function like GBA files.

Note : GBA is also an abbreviation for generic bootstrapping architecture and graph-based algorithm , but those terms have nothing to do with Game Boy Advance files.

 

How to open GBA file

Emulators like KiGB can be used to open GBA files. That program works on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers.

Some other options for playing GBA games on your PC include Visual Boy Advance, DreamGBA, RascalBoy Advance, Boycott Advance, mGBA, and BatGBA.

Note : Some of those GBA players may be in an archive format like 7Z, so you'll need a program like 7-Zip to open them.

To open GBA files on Android, there are several options in the Google Play Store. The Game Boy Advance ROM can also be in ZIP format - it will open the same way with many emulators.

As for the GBA emulator for iPhone, you might have luck using GBA4iOS. It's not available from the official App Store, but if you can install it on your device, you can use it for free to play GBA games on your iPhone without having to jailbreak your phone.

One way to copy GBA4iOS to your iPhone for free is to download the GBA4iOS IPA file and copy it to your phone using Cydia Impactor or Diawi. However, those methods don't always work and are rarely compatible with the latest iOS release.

If your iPhone is jailbroken, try GBA.emu.

How to convert GBA files

The free Ultimate GBA VC Injector for 3DS tool can convert GBA to CIA. There is a file in the CTR Important Archive format that allows you to install the game on the Nintendo 3DS. This program is small and completely portable so no installation is required to use it.

You can also convert GBA files to NDS, which is another file extension used for Nintendo DS game ROM files. So you might have some luck using the free, portable NDStation program.

Instead, some Game Boy Advance ROM files use the .AGB or .GB file extension, but they must still be in the same format as the GBA file. So instead of needing a GBA to AGB converter, you can try renaming the GBA file to use the AGB file extension. Technically this is not a conversion but it should work in this case since file extensions are often used for the same format.