Best Game Boy Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: Virtual Jaguar is ranked #1 of 23 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of binjgb and GBCC. The best-ranked option with a free plan is binjgb.
Choosing an emulator starts with the Game Boy systems you want to play and the platforms you plan to use. Check supported systems and platforms alongside controller support and save states; real-time clock handling may also matter for particular games. For connected play, compare link cable emulation and netplay. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing offer additional points to weigh. Virtual Jaguar, binjgb, and GBCC are among the entries to examine, with ChillyGB and SkyEmu also listed. Use the stated features to narrow options around compatibility, play preferences, and whether you want connection features, rather than assuming every emulator supports the same setup.
23 Game Boy emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Game Boy Emulators, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 8 of the 23 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 Virtual JaguarFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 2 binjgbFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 3 GBCCFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 4 ChillyGBFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 5 SkyEmuFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 6 Coffee GBFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 7 GB Enhanced+Free plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 8 PyBoyFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 9 BGB
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 10 Gearlynx
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 11 oxGBC
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 12 RetroGBm
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 13 PHPBoy
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 14 Lynx.emu
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: yes
- 15 DocBoy
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 16 SDL2-GNUBoy
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 17 GoBoy
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 18 Pizza Boy C
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 19 GB-EMU
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 20 SameBoy
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 21 VaporBoy
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 22 Gameboy by raphamorim
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 Ocelot
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
Compare all 23 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported systems | Supported platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virtual Jaguar | 7.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Game Boy, Game Boy Color | Windows, Linux/BSD/UNIX-like systems, macOS |
| 2 | binjgb | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Game Boy (GB); Game Boy Color (GBC); Super Game Boy (SGB) | Web browser; Windows; macOS; Linux |
| 3 | GBCC | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Game Boy; Game Boy Color | Linux; macOS; Windows; Android |
| 4 | ChillyGB | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Game Boy (DMG); Game Boy Color (CGB) | WebAssembly/browser; Windows; Linux; Nintendo Switch |
| 5 | SkyEmu | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | 4 | — |
| 6 | Coffee GB | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Game Boy (GB/DMG), Game Boy Color (GBC/CGB), Super Game Boy features | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android |
| 7 | GB Enhanced+ | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | DMG/Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Pokémon Mini, experimental Nintendo DS | Windows, Linux, macOS |
| 8 | PyBoy | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Game Boy, Game Boy Color | Windows 64-bit, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi OS |
| 9 | BGB | 6.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Game Boy; Game Boy Color; Super Game Boy | Windows; Wine on Linux and macOS |
| 10 | Gearlynx | 6.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Super Game Boy | 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 |
| 11 | oxGBC | 6.6 | No | — | Yes | — | Game Boy; Game Boy Color | Windows; macOS; Linux; Android; WebAssembly/browser |
| 12 | RetroGBm | 6.5 | No | — | Yes | — | Game Boy Color | Windows, Android |
| 13 | PHPBoy | 6.4 | No | — | — | — | Game Boy, Game Boy Color | CLI terminal, browser WebAssembly, SDL2 native desktop (work in progress) |
| 14 | Lynx.emu | 6.3 | No | — | No | — | Game Boy, Game Boy Color | Android |
| 15 | DocBoy | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Game Boy (DMG), Game Boy Color (CGB) | Windows, Linux, Android |
| 16 | SDL2-GNUBoy | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Game Boy, Game Boy Color | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 17 | GoBoy | 5.9 | No | — | — | — | Nintendo Game Boy; Nintendo Game Boy Color | macOS; Windows; Linux |
| 18 | Pizza Boy C | 5.9 | No | — | Yes | — | Game Boy, Game Boy Color | Android |
| 19 | GB-EMU | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Game Boy (DMG), Game Boy Color (GBC) | Samsung Tizen TVs, desktop web browsers |
| 20 | SameBoy | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | 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) | — |
| 21 | VaporBoy | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Game Boy, Game Boy Color | Web browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari |
| 22 | Gameboy by raphamorim | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | Game Boy | WebAssembly, desktop, terminal |
| 23 | Ocelot | 4.9 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
Is your platform 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 The Geeks Club?
Virtual Jaguar is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 7.5. binjgb is second and GBCC third.
How many of these have a free plan?
8 of the 23 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.