9 Best Pokemon GBA ROM Hacks of 2024 (2024)

If you’re looking for the best Pokemon GBA ROM hacks to play, you’re in luck This article will be breaking down all the top Pokemon ROM hack games for the GBA and which you need to try out today.

The Game Boy Advance was home to some fan-favorite Pokemon games and these hacks help breathe new life into the titles, allowing you to play them in ways never before possible. You’ll see tons of quality-of-life improvements, increases in difficulty, and new story and gameplay elements added.

We recently wrote a list of the best Pokemon GBC ROM hacks, but today we’ll be covering the best GBA ROM hacks!

That’s enough of an introduction. Let’s get into the games so you can get to playing!

What Are The Best Pokemon GBA ROM Hacks?

1. Pokemon Unbound

Pokemon Unbound is undoubtedly one of the best Pokemon ROM hacks ever created. Pokemon Unbound is a GBA ROM hack created by Skeli based on the original Pokemon Fire Red English version. It was last updated back in November of 2022.

In Unboard, the game takes place in the Borrius Region, an area with tons of rich history. Years ago, the Borrius region fought a tough war against the Kalos region during which, the people of the Borrius region summoned a dark force to help them try to win. They still ended up ultimately losing the war when the king of Kalos unleashed the well known ultimate weapon.

When the war was over, the dark force was sealed away and was never to be used by the people again. That is until years later when a mysterious organization known as The Shadows was bent on releasing it from its cage. It up to you, the player, to stop The Shadows and save the Borrius region from certain destruction.

Some features included in Pokemon Unbound are the following:

• A custom battle engine on par with Gen 8, as well as many quality of life improvements
• Catch all Pokemon from the games from Gen 1 – 8
• Unlimited Bag Space, Auto-Run enabled, DexNav, Daily Raids, Inverse Battles, and tons more!
• Access to all of your favorite HMs without needing to carry HM slaves
• Over 50 unique songs created specifically for Pokemon Unbound
• Gen 4 graphics in the overworld and Gen 5 style interfaces
• The game’s difficult ranges from Easy to Insane
• Pokemon Unbound contains over 75 unique Missions to complete!
• Choose from up to 300 different character combinations – skin tones, hair colors, and outfit colors!
• Events all over Borrius to experience
• Cool new mini-games
• Challenging Puzzles
• Hours of additional content post-game to play through

There’s a reason why this ROM hack is beloved by so many Pokemon fans. It’s a must play on this list without a doubt.

Check out more details on this hack and download it on this website.

2. Pokemon Radical Red

Pokemon Radical Red is a GBA ROM hack created by Yuuiii that is based on the original Pokemon Fire Red English version game. It was last updated in August of 2023.

The creator of this ROM hack is someone who played Pokemon ROM hacks ever since they were a child. They began with all the classics they really helped fuel their passion for ROM hacks. After years of tinkering and learning about creating mods, they finally released their own.

Pokemon Radical Red is a very difficult hack that comes loaded with extra features. It provides access to nearly all Pokemon available and also adds additional buffs and quality of life improvements. Thankfully, it removes some of the more grindy and tedious tasks and helps them become simpler and less tedious.

It uses the Complete FireRed Upgrade engine and Dynamic Pokemon Expansion.

Some notable features found in Pokemon Radical Red are:

• Difficulty level is significantly raised
• Bosses have max IVs with proper EV spreads
• AI has been improved drastically
• Battle style forced to Set
• You’ll be unable to access your bag against Gym Leaders and some other bosses in the game
• The game will soft level cap players based on the next boss battle
• Bosses near the end will randomly choose between three different teams
• Elite Four Members each use a Legendary Pokemon on their team
• Gym Leaders are able to use Mega Evolution before you can
• Some optional side bosses have their levels scale according to your team
• New abilities
• An additional rival Brendan
• And much more!

The list of features for Pokemon Radical Red was so long that we had to condense it down into what you see above, but if you’d like a full breakdown of everything included along with a link to download the hack, be sure to check out this website.

3. Pokemon Mega Power

If you’re a fan of Pokemon Emerald, you’ll love Pokemon Mega Power. The story of this game is based around a scientist who wants to create the world’s strongest Pokemon. After securing the funds necessary to bring their dream to reality, players will have to work through uncovering the mystery behind the plot through all the twists and turns that appear before them.

This game features some awesome quality of life improvements such as improved battle scenes and game music, improved designs and visuals, and combat enhancements as well.

There’s no denying that Emerald is a fantastic game, however Mega Power takes it to the next level. Originally created by Wind1158 based on the English version of Emerald, this hack features three new regions known as Ivara, Lande, and Sevii Islands.

You also can unlock Mega Evolutions and some additional Pokemon from Gens 4-7. It’s a really fun playthrough and one we can’t recommend enough that you check out. You have hours of enjoyment here.

Check out more information and download the hack from here.

4. Pokemon Light Platinum

What you may not expect from this ROM hack’s name is that this game actually isn’t based on Pokemon Platinum version at all, but instead is based on Pokemon Ruby version. If you look online, you’ll see mixed opinions of this game. Some praise it, calling it one of the greats, while others nitpick about certain features and lack thereof.

In terms of quality, Pokemon Light Platinum paved the way for more impressive ROMs that popped up because of it down the line. It has a somewhat basic linear storyline similar to most mainline Pokemon games and doesn’t try anything too out of the ordinary.

Where this hack really shines though is in the graphical department and the amazing new tiles it adds. When judging this game based entirely on its visuals and looks, it scores very highly.

It has seriously impressive tile work and designs, the sprites look fantastic, the new Pokemon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoah, and Kalos are another nice addition, and the new regions are absolutely stunning.

The story is relatively ambitious and you’ll encounter plenty of Legendary Pokemon, a secret language, and lots of new rivals. There’s a lot of fan service here and the plot itself took some serious work to pull off well. The game takes placy in both the Zhery region and the Lauren region which do admittedly feel a lot like Kanto and Johto, which make sense because they both technically are neighboring regions.

If you’re looking for a new Pokemon experience, definitely give Pokemon Light Platinum a shot. It’s a fun time and the fan service here is high along with the quality of visual and storyline.

5. Pokemon Dark Rising

Pokemon Dark Rising is a GBA ROM hack created by DarkRisingGirl based on the original Pokemon FireRed game that was last updated in April 2017.

This hack starts out with the player having a dream where a Pokemon appears and chooses you to save not only it but the rest of the world as well. You wake up confused and wondering what your dream meant. You hop out of bed and ignore the dream for now, but later find that your best friend also had the same dream you did. They come to your house and let you know of an emergency message they got from the town’s professor.

When you meet up with the professor, they let you know of all the disasters and climate changes that are happening in the Core Region. He and his employees are panicking and ask you to go to the delivery station to pick up a package for them from Professor Oak.

Your journey begain and you must travel through the Core Region, leaving your hometown of Felis in search of a creature from your dream named Darugis. You’ll embark on a quest filled with many mysteries and powerful Pokemon. The game is filled with fun challenging gameplay.

There’s 386 Pokemon in this hack from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and the Unova region. Newer generation moves show up here along with Dream World abilities. Pokemon can learn some of the egg moves by leveling up and not breeding and you can even battle Nurse Joy for experience points.

For more information and to download Pokemon Dark Rising, check out this website.

6. Pokemon Gaia

In Pokemon Gaia was a GBA hack created by Spherical Ice based on Pokemon Fire Red. In it, players explore the Orbtus region, a civilization that now is in ruins after being ravaged by natural disasters.

The people of Orbtus created monuments for their gods and guardians and today all that remains of their city are the temples, idols, and story that serve as relics of its past. Fast forward to present day, Pokemon Professor Redwood notices an increase in the region’s seismic energy.

Out of concern for the area’s safety, he ask for help from some newer local Pokemon Trainers. You along with the help of Professor Redwood must prevent the earth from being destroyed.

The game features Pokemon from Johto, Hoenn Region, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos. It has updated move sets accurate to Omega RUby and Alpha Sapphire. Modern competitive items make an appearance along with more modern abilities. Mega Evolutions are also in this hack as well as a fairy type and new type chart.

Beautiful new Pokemon sprites and updated Trainer sprites as well are also included with some fantastic new music created specifically for the game. Pokemon Gaia is a great rom hack and one that we can’t recommend enough. Definitely give it a playthrough, it’s a blast!

7. Pokemon Emerald Rogue

Pokemon Emerald Rogue is a ROM hack that many classify as being unique. What we mean by that is it’s not your standard ROM hack, all of the game’s routes, items, and encounters are all procedurally generated depending on your progress in the game. This makes it extremely difficult to plan ahead as things can change at a moment’s notice.

As you progress in the game, both Pokemon Trainers and Gym Leaders become more powerful and their difficulty levels increase. Progressing in a run will allow you to unlock new NPCs and buildings in the game’s hub area that you will need to interact with before going onto your next runs.

Individual playthroughs of runs typically take a few hours in total, but the game does allow you to save your progress mid runs. Pokemon Emerald Rogue is very unique and unlike any other ROM hack you’re likely to come across. It has many new age elements included in it and at times feels like a completely new game genre than most of the other ROM hacks on this list.

It’s a fresh new take on the classic Pokemon formula and one that is a lot of fun to experience.

8. Pokemon Ultra Shiny Gold Sigma

Pokemon Ultra Shiny Gold Sigma is based on the Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal games. Along with Johto and Kanto regions, the Orange-Alola islands and Hoenn also make an appearance.

The game features over 807 Pokemon from Generations 1 – 8 with both Alolan and Galar forms available. It has improved graphics and Mega Evolutions also make an appearance.

Trade evolutions are included, but Battle Frontier locations are available at different areas in the game. EVs and IVs are on-screen and Gym Leaders can be replayed in Johto, Kanto, Orange Islands, and Hoenn.

The soundtrack has also been completely remastered and sounds fantastic. An instant classic and super fun one to play through, you definitely need to give Pokemon Ultra Shiny Gold Sigma a shot.

9. Pokemon Glazed

Some may be surprised to see Pokemon Glazed at the end of this list, however this doesn’t necessary mean that we believe it should be placed in “last place”. Pokemon Glazed is a beloved ROM hack for many and it really is a super fun experience.

It’s a ROM hack of Pokemon Emerald with a super engaging story that will keep you wanting to play through until the very end to see what happens.

In the game, your character turns 12 years old and it’s the day they get their very first Pokemon. As you set out across the Tunod Region, you find that a mysterious power is sending the Pokemon world and the real world on a collision course – Digimon vibes anyone?

A mysterious team is lurking around in the ruins of the ancient Tunod area with purposes not yet know. You’ll find and befriend allies as you progress through the story and find that they’re originally from the Johto region. You’ll also find companionship with a Pikachu wearing a scarf that’s fueled by rage and revenge.

It’s a great game is definitely worth a playthrough. Content wise, the game’s sprites has been revamped, Mega Evolutions make an appearance although mega evolving can’t be reversed. A nice little addition is the inclusion of all Pokemon now having their proper cries.

There’s a lot of small quality of life improvements here in terms of core gameplay and mechanics, but the real selling point here is the storyline. You’ll have a lot of fun playing through this gem.

Summary

That sums up our list of the best Pokemon GBA ROM hacks and which you absolutely need to try out and play today on your choice of GBA emulators. Whether you start from the bottom of the list and work your way up is up to you, but regardless of which game you pick, you’re bound to have loads of fun. Not only do some of the games in this list have extremely unique storylines and plots that clearly took tons of work to craft, but the fact that one of the hacks is entirely procedurally generated is nothing short of impressive.

It just goes to show the level of care that fans are willing to put in to make great experiences for a franchise they love and hold dear. Happy playing all!

Be sure to also check out our list of the best Pokemon 3DS ROM hacks.