r/GameboyAdvance Jul 13 '20

A Beginner's Guide to Authentic Cartridges

228 Upvotes

Hello everyone, as you all know GBA cartridges can be extremely difficult to find in person nowadays and even more so for some authentic ones. That being said, if you're unsure in any way how to determine a fake from real cartridge, this is the post for you!

For more help, feel free to visit r/gameverifying for all your identification needs!

Keep in mind that to ensure the best chances of an authentic cartridge, you should be wary of:

  • Unusually low prices (if it's too good to be true, chances are it's too good to be real!)
  • Products made or sent from China (enough said)
  • Sellers using stock images (NEVER purchase a product that isn't an image of the cartridge itself)

That being said, where do we start looking?

It can be a bit difficult, but there are actually some very good tells when it comes to finding real games like the color, font, positioning, and quality of the cartridge. For example, let's pretend you're looking for an authentic US copy of Pokemon Firered.

Some things you can look out for should be:

  1. Color: All Pokemon GBA games come in their respective colors (including Leafgreen and Emerald by a slight margin) with Firered being red and not orange. While most cartridges come in a singular shade of gray, two particular exceptions are the GBA video cartridges which come in light gray casings and (Classic) NES series which match the console's respective color. Interestingly enough, due to the GBA's expansive library there consist of unique games that do not fit the standard color and size of a GBA cartridge, which include games such as Yoshi's Topsy Turvy, Drill Dozer, and many other variations listed here. (1)
  2. Label: By observing a label's ESRB rating, official seal, game code, and more, you can determine its authenticity. Unlike other GBA games, Pokemon games will always have a shiny/holographic label, an indented circle in its center, and an embossed number on the right side, which is pretty much its production number. However while it is a good way to determine authenticity, there are cases where these numbers will have naturally worn away or quality repros that have embossed their own cartridges. All in all, always make sure to compare your cartridge to an authentic one online to confirm fonts, font sizes, positioning, etc.
  3. Cartridge: In the case of buying a physical cartridge yourself, this may be one on the most helpful things to know. The easiest things to look out for are the Gameboy logo on top of the label, and arrow below the label. If the logo is written in the wrong font, appears to have been cut deeper than normal, or if the arrow is too small, it's a repro. The back will always state: MODEL NO. AGB-002 / PAT. PEND. MADE IN JAPAN like its GBC predecessor. However, this is easy to reproduce so the final thing to check yourself is both the screw and board under the cartridge. GBA cartridges will only ever use a triwing screw, the same one used on all GBA consoles. More importantly (if you can), be sure to grab a flashlight and check the slot. Above the pins, there should be an official Nintendo logo and presumably its cartridge number.

In the case of Pokemon games always check for:

  • A holographic label and an embossed number if possible
  • Proper fonts and positions (FRLG and RSE labels are mildly different)
  • A battery behind the label on the right side (only applies to RSE)
  • Four squares on the back of the cartridge ( always on the left)
  • Pins on the board ( One of the easiest things to spot on faked cartridges, all GBA games will always have pins )

If there are any other questions, please feel free to leave them below and discuss!

Useful Links:

(1) https://www.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/comments/6i19k4/gba_game_cartridge_colors/


r/GameboyAdvance 11h ago

Anyone know how to fix this?

26 Upvotes

Just got a copy of Pokemon Emerald in the mail today that I won in an auction. It said it was an authentic copy of the game but going to bring it to a few shops to have it checked out. Has some issues loading sometimes but after blowing in the cartridge it loads. Noticing when I enter and exit the PC though it’s pre-loading the next screen and showing it faded out for a minute before coming into full screen. Is this normal? Possible sign of being a fake? Is it something that can be fixed?


r/GameboyAdvance 14h ago

👾My little collection👾

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26 Upvotes

Here’s my little collection I have for the SP, stuff I like to play on the go. Some fakes in here but it’s a played collection, not for show.

What do you think I’m missing? Other than Sonic advance 2 🫠


r/GameboyAdvance 9h ago

I managed to get a pearl green gba sp

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10 Upvotes

Does anyone know where I could find screen bumper replacement


r/GameboyAdvance 16h ago

I still think about one of the days that altered my gaming course forever.

17 Upvotes

It started with two things in 2004 when I was in 10th grade. Watching two people in school bring their GBA to high school and watching one play Golden Sun and the other playing Fire Emblem.

As someone very new to JRPGs, this was mindblowing. Never played Final Fantasy or anything related and always was a Nintendo kid. I got my dad to take me to GameStop.

He was feeling generous that day and I got both games as well as Golden Sun: The Lost Age. I began playing them before I even got home, starting with Golden Sun.

The profound impact these games put on me lasts to this day. The gorgeous animations, the incredible soundtracks, and memorable character designs left a permanent imprint on my gaming tastes. It awakened me as a forever fan of JRPGs.

Listening to Motoi Sakuraba's battle music for the first time was a treat. I had never heard such energetic music in my life. When I discovered Tales of Symphonia a year later, it solidified me as a permanent fan of his music. I would go after Tales of Eternia, Valkyrie Profile, Baten Kaitos, and even Eternal Sonata for the music alone.

Yeah, that was a good time.


r/GameboyAdvance 9h ago

Knowing that Masafumi Takada, composer of the Danganronpa series, composed Shining Soul II will never not blow my mind.

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4 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

What is your favorite RPG in GBA?

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189 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

My aluminium OpenSP!

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25 Upvotes

Used an old AGS 101 board I had that was broken to make an OpenSP with a CNC aluminium shell.


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Playing Shining Soul II.

4 Upvotes

Just got a few questions. I'm using Warrior.

  1. If I'm biased to the Sword, is there any point in leveling the other weapons?
  2. Are there any stats I'm better off ignoring?
  3. Any hidden things I should know about? I just cleared Giant's Graveyard and yes I did save Boken!

Game is fun so far.


r/GameboyAdvance 23h ago

About hinges replacement installation

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1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

The patina on my solid brass game boy

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710 Upvotes

Built this around 3 years ago


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Warp my consciousness back into the early-mid 2000s please.

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6 Upvotes

I miss the nights I stayed up playing Golden Sun.


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

God I love this thing.

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200 Upvotes

Installed the funnyplaying max screen last night. Wow, what an easy install.

No more tiny micro screen or forever adjusting the screen angle while playing.


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Is this copy of Fire Red legit? Looking to bid

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0 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

What’s the best cheap flash cart to buy?

1 Upvotes

I bought one off Amazon but it didn’t work so I returned it, my budget is around 65$ I’m willing to go a bit higher but not that much


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Does anyone know if this is a good gba flash cart?

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1 Upvotes

I got this for 17$ CAD and its arriving today or tomorrow so I was wondering what people other than the reviewers thought about it


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

Perfect way to end the night

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14 Upvotes

nothing beats playing a fresh save file while charging the bullet


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

I had a few questions about the GBA SP

0 Upvotes

So I basically am trying to play every single Pokémon and TLoZ games (mostly main line but wouldn't mind access to spin offs).

So I was wondering if getting 2 GBA SP's would let me do trades between the gen 1 Pokémon games (RBY) between each other and gen 2 (GSC), also between eachother, and gen 3 games (RSE and FRLG, also between eachother as gen 1 and 2 can't transfer to gen 3) using a link cable? And would the GBA SP connect to a Wii RVL model through the GC controller holes (for example for Pkmn Box Ruby & Sapphire and the Tingle Tuner for TLoZ : The Wind Waker)?

Thank you if you took the time to read and potentially answer!


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

My Second Mod

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26 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

What are the best flash cards and how do they work?

1 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

I have minimal to none Modding stuff, I did figure out how to get the games into a EZ Flash it works great

3 Upvotes

My problem now it I want to play some games that need English patches, I have no idea how to do that

I want to try Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ayanami Raising Project because I like the series and movies, is there a way to just get the ROM already patched that I can just download and be all set?


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

Game boy advance stuck screen

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2 Upvotes

Anyone got any suggestions? I’ve cleaned the pins, every time i do the squiggles change shape, replaced the batter in the cartridge, think the cartridge is a bootleg but can’t get it to run.


r/GameboyAdvance 3d ago

Gba sp battery light is flashing

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5 Upvotes

Just picked this up for 90$ and it works great and i thought all was good until it randomly shut off mid game.. the light also flashes red and green like it doesn't know if its charged or not. Ive fiddled with the on/off switch and its not loose enough to accidentally turn it off.. ive shook it around while on and nothing happens so idk why it just switches off..

Curious if i should replace and clean the battery/ battery port and on off switch or just replace it fully with the warranty i got with it and take the gamble on another sp..

Suggestions and any knowledge would be greatly appreciated


r/GameboyAdvance 3d ago

Goodboy galaxy

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10 Upvotes

I'm stuck at this level. No way out. Does somebody know?


r/GameboyAdvance 3d ago

First time 101 owner

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37 Upvotes