15 Game Boy Games That Are Still Fun Today

The original Game Boy should not have worked as well as it did. It was underpowered even for its time, with a blurry green screen and no backlight. And yet it outsold flashier rivals for one simple reason: the games were brilliant, and you could play them anywhere. These fifteen are the ones that still earn their place.

The all-time greats

Tetris is inseparable from the Game Boy — bundling them together was one of the smartest decisions in gaming history, and the portable version is arguably the definitive one. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a full-sized adventure shrunk onto a cartridge without losing an ounce of charm; its dreamlike island still surprises. Pokemon Red & Blue turned link-cable trading into a global phenomenon and remain wonderfully playable.

The action and platforming core

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is bigger and stranger than the original and introduced Wario. Metroid II pushed the handheld into moody, claustrophobic territory. Kirby's Dream Land is the perfect pick-up-and-play platformer. Mega Man V is the best of the handheld Mega Man entries, with an all-new cast of planet-themed Stardroid bosses.

Puzzles and oddities

The Game Boy was a puzzle machine. Kirby's Star Stacker, Mole Mania (a hidden Miyamoto gem), and Wario Land all reward patient play. Donkey Kong '94 deserves special mention — it starts as a remake of the arcade classic and then explodes into one of the most inventive puzzle-platformers ever made.

Rounding out the fifteen

Final Fantasy Adventure (the seed of the Mana series), Gargoyle's Quest, Castlevania: The Adventure, and Tetris Attack close the list. None of them needed color or power to be great — they needed good design, and they had it in abundance.

The beauty of the Game Boy library is how well it suits short sessions. Pick any of the linked games, play for ten minutes, and you will understand why a grey brick with a green screen became one of the most beloved machines ever built.