Summary

  • Game Boy revolutionized handheld gaming with a vast library of original titles that set it apart from earlier devices.
  • Nintendo Switch Online offers classic Game Boy games, expanding the selection over time for subscribers to enjoy.
  • Some Game Boy titles, like Tetris and Super Mario Land 2, stand the test of time with engaging gameplay and nostalgic charm.

Handheld gaming has been around since the late '70s, but it wasn't until Nintendo developed and launched the Game Boy in 1989 that it became a global pheno🦹menon. While companies like Mattel and Milton Bradley produced cheaper devices with singular games on them, the Game Boy had a massive library of original games to choose from.

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168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Nintendo Switch Online is a subscription-based service that allows you to access online play, cloud saves, and a wide selectio♔n of classic games. Game Boy and Game Boy Color games were added to the service in early 2023, and it seems like more are on the horizon. Each title has something unique to offer, but some are more fun than others.

Updated on March 19, 2025, by Kyle Chamaillard: Donkey Kong and Mario's Picross have been added to the service recently, so we've decided to revisit this article to see where they rank against the other Game Boy games on Nintendo Switch Online.

Quest For Camelot

A knight attacks someone with a mace.

Released
ꦓ December 8, 1998 ཧ
ESRB
💫 E for Everyone
Developer(s)
🌼 Titus Interactive
Publisher(s)
Titus Interactive 🍒
Platform(s)
Nintendo Game Boy Color ಌ

Quest for Camelot is one of the rare licensed games a🌺vailable on Nintendo Switch Online. Based on the animated film of the same name, this Game Boy Color title was actually co-published by Nintendo, which means that they mostly own the rights to it.

There were a t𝓰on of licensed games that plagued both home consoles and handhelds during this era, and Quest for Camelot is a brutal reminder that most of th🦄em weren't very good. Dull gameplay, repetitive music, and more nullify any chance this title had for success. If you're curious, it might be worth playing for a bit before you decide to hop into something more worthwhile.

Baseball

A pitcher prepares to throw the ball at the batter.

Released
𓃲December 7, 1983
Developer(s)
Nintendo
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
Multiplayer
๊ 🍃 Local Multiplayer
Platform(s)
Nintendo Entertainment System, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Nintendo Game Boy

When the Game Boy launched in 1989, it had something for everyone. Tetris was available for puzzle lovers, Super Mari🗹o Land was there for a traditional platforming experience, and Baseball was one of two titles available for sports fans. One of the game's best features was the local multiplayer, which allowed two people to play against each other using a Game Link Cable.

It was certainly fun at the time, but it's hard to get back into 🦂the swing of Baseball's slow pacing and frustrating gameplay. If you really want a baseball game for your Nintendo Switch, investing in something modern like Super Mega Baseball or MLB The Show is 💮a much better play.

Yoshi lays on a platform with an egg behind it in Game and Watch Gallery 3.
Game & Watch Gallery 3
Platformer

Released
April 8, ꧅1999 💞
Developer(s)
Nintendo
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
Platform(s)
💜 Nin꧋tendo Game Boy Color
How Long To Beat
1.5 Hours
How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
17.5ꦺ Hours

Nintendo had been in the handheld market long before the Game Boy came out with its fairly popular line of Game & Watch machines. The first one launch🐈ed in 1980, and as the n♓ame implies, it featured a simple yet fun game and a clock as its main features.

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Over 60 Game & Watch devices were created within a decade. Af💖ter the Game Boy became a success, Nintendo began compilin✨g some of them together with remastered graphics, new playable characters, and more. You can play the classic or modern versions of these games, but many of them might not hold your attention for longer than a few minutes.

Mega Man 2

Mega Man runs through a hallway.
Mega Man 2
Platformer
Action

Released
🍰 December 24, 1988 🦩
ESRB
e
Developer(s)
Capcom
Publisher(s)
Capcom
Engine
ꦇ ♎ MT Framework
Franchise
Mega Man
Platform(s)
Nintendo Entertainment System, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Nintendo Game Boy, PS1, Mobile
How Long To Beat
3 Hours
How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
3 Hours

The original 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Mega Man 2 is regarded as one of the🐎 best games for the NES, but the Game Boy title with the same name fails to live up to its legacy. While Minakuchi Engineering developed every other Mega Man for the Game Boy, Meg♔a Man 2 was the only title outsourced to a company unfamiliar with the series.

Instead of containing original content or just existing as a port of the excellent Mega Man 2 for the NES, this Game Boy game simply reuses bosses and stages from Mega Man 2 and Mꦿega Man 3 to create a hollow and forgettable experience. You're much better off playing the NES versions of these games if you're looking for a pure Mega Man adventure.

Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge

Mega Man jumps into the air to attack an enemy.
Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge
Action
Platformer

Released
🅘 July 26, 1991
ESRB
E
Developer(s)
🙈 Minakuchi Engineering 🍬
Publisher(s)
Capcom
Franchise
Mega Man
How Long To Beat
2 Hours
How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
2.5 Hours

Similar to Mega Man 2, Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge mostly consists of reused content from the first two games for the NES. The first four bosses you𝕴 face a൩re from the original title, while the latter half are from Mega Man 2. Despite the familiar stages and enemies, this game also has some new content that makes it worth checking out if you're a long-time Mega Man fan.

As you approach the end of the game, you'll eventually face a new boss in the series - Enker. His powerful Mirror Buster allows him to absorb Mega Man's attacks and ♚unleash them back at him. Dr. Wily's Revenge suffers from downg𒀰raded visuals and a crunchier soundtrack compared to its predecessors, but it's still interesting to hop into from a legacy perspective.

Alleyway

A ball bounces off a platform toward a Mario-like figure.

Released
🍰 August 11, 1989 🅺
ESRB
🔯 E For Everyone
Developer(s)
Nintendo R&D1, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
How Long To Beat
2 Hours

Breakout was one of the most popular and influential games of the 70s that continues to appear in different forms to this day. You likely had🐈 a version of it pre-installed on your iPod or cell phone, and its simple yet satisfying gameplay is still a blast ♐in small doses.

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Alleyway launched alongside the Game Boy and is essentially just Nintendo's Breakout. Your main objective is to move a paddle so you can bounce a ball toward rows of bricks to destroy them.ℱ The game's biggest appeal is the stages designed after characters like Mario and a Koopa Troopa, but it's not enough to make you want to play it over and over again.

Castlevania Legends

Sonia Belmont jumps in the air to attack an enemy.
Castlevania Legends

Released
March 11, 1998 ꦰ
ESRB
e
Developer(s)
Konami
Publisher(s)
Konami
How Long To Beat
2 Hours

Castlevania Legends is a strange entry in the long-running series. It was designed as a prequel and follows Sonia Belmont on her quest to vanquish Dracula. The setting and characters are fascinating, but Castlevania Legends was difficult to play when it originally launched, and it's not any better by today'ꦦs standards.

Its status as the official first chapter in the Castlevania series made Legends an essential title for completionists, but even long-time producer Koji Igarashi has claimed the game is non-canonical and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:removed it from the official timeline. If you're struggl🉐ing to complete this adventure, there is a light mode that makes the game significantly easier by giving you 🍃a fully-powered whip.

Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario throws a pill on the board in Dr. Mario.
Dr. Mario
Puzzle

Released
ꦺ 𓃲 July 27, 1990
ESRB
e
Developer(s)
Nintendo
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
Multiplayer
L🥃ocal Multiplayer 🦹
Franchise
Dr. Mario
How Long To Beat
3 Hours

The Game Boy and NES versions of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dr. Mario were developed simultaneously and launched a couple of months apart from each other. While the portable version allowed you to play Dr. Mario anywhere you wanted, the lack of color originally made it much more difficult and less fun than ඣthe alternative.

You can still challenge yourself with the Game Boy version of Dr. Mario on Nintendo Switch Online, but꧙ you might be better off playing either the NES or N64 titles which are also available on the sꦓervice. They play much more smoothly and even allow you to challenge a friend to a match locally or online.

BurgerTime Deluxe

Chef Peter Pepper runs away from sentient hamburgers.
BurgerTime Deluxe
Puzzle
Platformer

Released
1991
Developer(s)
Nintendo
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
How Long To Beat
2 Hours
How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
3.5 Hours

The Game Boy's library is full of excellent and original first-party titles🍒, but it also has a decent amount of games like BurgerTime for classic arcade fans. The original version of this delicious-looking platformer originally launched in 1982♈ before becoming a sensation and finding a home on the Intellivision in 1983.

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As Peter Pepper, you must run around an elaborate stage to collect ingredients for hamburgers. The tricky part is you'll be chased by sentient sausages, pickles, and more as you run around the level. BurgerTime Deluxe is just as fun as Pac-Man or 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Donkey Kong, so if you're looking for a new g💦ame to claim a high score on, flip it on and see how far you can go.

Blaster Master: Enemy Below

The SOPHIA shoots an enemy from behind in a cave.

Released
F🎐ebruary 24, 2000
ESRB
E For Everyone: Mild Animated Violence ꦐ
Developer(s)
Sunsoft
Publisher(s)
Sunsoft
Platform(s)
🌃 Nintendo Game Boy🍰 Color
How Long To Beat
4 Hours
How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
8 Hours

Despite multiple entries and reboots, the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Blaster Master series has always struggled to become as popular as Contra or 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ghosts 'n Goblins. Blaster Master: Enemy Below was one of the last games to be developed by Sunsoft, and while it's an interesting Metroidvani꧒a to revisit, certain issues hold it back from being as great as the current run of Blaster Master games.

One of the more unique aspects of the series is that you can alternate between playing a🍒s the human protagonist - Jason - or controlling his tank. Not only does this open up options for taking down enemies, but each has its own upgrades to collect as well. This feature, plus multiple perspectives, helps Enemy Below stand out, but its difficulty shouldn't be underestimated.