Game Boy
- Manufacturer
- Nintendo
- Production
- 1989–2003
- Generation
- Gen 4
- Type
- Handheld
- Region
- JP / NA / PAL
- Launch price
- $89
- Media
- Cartridge
- Units sold
- 118.7M
About Game Boy
The Game Boy is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on April 21, 1989, and in North America on July 31, 1989. Nintendo's first handheld to use ROM cartridges, it succeeded the Game & Watch line of handheld electronic games and competed with Sega's Game Gear, Atari's Lynx, and NEC's TurboExpress in the fourth generation of video game consoles.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lifetime sales
Official manufacturer-reported figures.
118.7Munits
501.1Mgames
4.2games / console
Worldwide; Nintendo combines Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
Source: Nintendo Co., Ltd. IR — Dedicated Video Game Sales Units, as of June 30, 2026.
Library & collector facts
1,057licensed games
- North America: 1,057
Lineage
Release timeline
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- April 21, 1989
- 🇺🇸 North America
- July 31, 1989
- 🇪🇺 Europe / PAL
- September 28, 1990
- Lifespan
- 14 years on market
Pricing
Launch price (1989)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $89
- 🇯🇵 JPY
- ¥12,500
- 🇬🇧 GBP
- £70
Launch titles & exclusives
Tetris · Super Mario Land · Alleyway · Baseball · Yakuman (JP launch only) · Tennis
Tetris (NA / EU launch bundle) — credited as the system-seller
Tetris · Pokemon Red / Blue / Yellow · Super Mario Land 1 & 2 · The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening · Metroid II: Return of Samus · Kirby's Dream Land · Wario Land · Donkey Kong (1994, the puzzle remake)
Pokemon Yellow (1998, NA) was among the last major releases; some Japan-only titles released into 1999
Hello Kitty World (JP, very limited); Spud's Adventure (NA, low print run); sealed launch DMG-01 units
Variants of Game Boy
Hardware specs
- Cpu
- Sharp SM83
- Ram
- 8 KB RAM, 8 KB Video RAM
- Power
- Original: 4 × AA batteries (Up to 30 hours), Pocket: 2 × AAA batteries (Up to 10 hours), Light: 2 × AA batteries (Up to 12 hours w/ backlight on, 20 w/ backlight off)
- Weight
- 220 g
- Dimensions
- 90 × 148 × 32 mm
- Display Output
- Original: STN display, STN LCD, Pocket/Light: FSTN LCD, 160 × 144 px
Hardware revisions
- Original DMG-01(1989)
launch hardware, reflective monochrome LCD, 4 AA batteries, ~10–15h life
- Game Boy Pocket MGB-001(1996)
~half the size, true black-and-white screen (vs. green-tinted DMG), 2 AAA batteries
- Game Boy Light MGB-101(1998)
JP-only, EL backlight, the only original-line Game Boy with a lit screen
Launch colorways & special editions
- Play It Loud! line — Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Black, Transparent (1995)
- Pokemon Yellow Pikachu Edition (1999)
- Game Boy Light (JP-only, electroluminescent backlight, 1998)
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- N/A (no OS); flashcarts — EZ-Flash Junior, Everdrive GB X3 / X5 / X7
Reception & legacy
Skeptical reception inside Nintendo — staff feared the monochrome screen would lose against the color Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear, but battery life proved decisive
Tetris licensing battle with Atari/Tengen (settled in Nintendo's favor); low-contrast screen a chronic user complaint pre-Pocket revision
Defined handheld gaming for a decade; Yokoi's 'lateral thinking with withered technology' (cheap, proven parts) ethos shaped every later Nintendo handheld through the DS era
References
More from Nintendo
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Game Boy in the news
Recent coverage mentioning the Game Boy, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
Game Boy Advance Nintendo Classics Adds Metal Slug Advance, Monster Rancher Advance, and Kururin Paradise
Nintendo has announced that the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics app on Switch has been updated to feature Monster Rancher Advance, Metal Slug Advance, and Kururin Paradise. Originally released in 2004, Metal Slug Advance follows new playable characters, Walter Ryan and Tyra Elson. Unlike the...
Three More Game Boy Advance Games Added To Nintendo Classics Including North American Debut
In a sad irony, the run and gun game is owned by an autocart who favors blades for his extrajudicial killing. Another trio of Game Boy Advance games are now available on the Nintendo Classics for Switch Online subscribers at the Expansion Pack level, including one making its debut outside Japan....
3 Game Boy Advance games added to Nintendo Classics
Nintendo has added three more Game Boy Advance games to the ever expanding Nintendo Switch Online library. The follow titles are now available on Switch and Switch 2 exclusively to those subscribed to the premium Expansion Pack tier: Monster Rancher Advance (2001), Kururin Paradise (2002), and...
Nintendo Expands Switch Online's GBA Library With Three More Titles
Monster Rancher, Metal Slug & Kururin. Breaking: Nintendo has today expanded the Switch Online 'Nintendo Classics' library with three more Game Boy Advance titles. The games now available include the following: Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics adds Monster Rancher Advance, Metal Slug Advance, and Kururin Paradise
The Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics app has added Monster Rancher Advance, Metal Slug …
Nintendo Switch Online adds three new GBA games in October 2026 update
Nintendo Switch Online just added three new GBA games as part of a new October 2026 update. The lineup includes Kururin Paradise, Metal Slug Advance, and Monster Rancher. All of these can be found in the Game Boy Advance – Nintendo Classics app right now on Switch 2 and Switch. Note that a...