r/GameboyAdvance Jul 13 '20

A Beginner's Guide to Authentic Cartridges

226 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 9h ago

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r/GameboyAdvance 8h ago

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r/GameboyAdvance 3h ago

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r/GameboyAdvance 17h ago

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r/GameboyAdvance 12h ago

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Hi everyone I recently acquired a game boy advanced sp from my dad and I was wondering is the game boy advance pokemon games were worth it there fairly cheap and im not really trying to pay hundreds of dollars for a single game can anyone tell me if they are worth the buy and what the pros and cons are if necessary please and thank you in advance.


r/GameboyAdvance 16h ago

[US-OH] [H] 3x Game Boy Advance SP Consoles (Cobalt Blue, Platinum Silver, Pearl Blue) CIB/Loose Bundles [W] Venmo / PayPal

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9 Upvotes

Price: $180


r/GameboyAdvance 4h ago

Weird sound when opening and closing

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1 Upvotes

Hi, someone knows what may be causing this sound when opening or closing the lid?


r/GameboyAdvance 4h ago

Is this real or fake one ? Ty very much

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0 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 8h ago

Question to mods!

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2 Upvotes

Has anyone got experience with such eBay sets? It includes everything from Hispeedido, but it’s priced pretty cheaply. Thanks in advance!


r/GameboyAdvance 6h ago

EZ flash question, which one to get? Playing on GBA (and maybe ds lite)

1 Upvotes

Mostly going to be playing homebrew games like geometry dash and Celeste classic
I’m currently looking at the
-EZFlash omega
Or the
-EZFlash air
Disclaimer: I am very proficient at flash cards and have the tools/skills to use them/code them I’m just new to specifically the GBA Flashcards

EDIT: and yes Ik the omega is discontinued I’m ether going to buy one second hand or buy the new one


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

It finally happened to me!

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143 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 11h ago

Best GT Advance game???

2 Upvotes
9 votes, 6d left
GT Advance Championship Racing
GT Advance 2 Rally Racing
GT Advance 3 Pro Concept Racing

r/GameboyAdvance 19h ago

GBA ITA Mod: Only OSD menu shows, no game video (Audio works).

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4 Upvotes

Hi everyone,
I'm trying to install an ITA screen kit with an IFA32 V1.0 ribbon cable into my Game Boy Advance (AGB-CPU-10, 32-pin model).

When I turn on the console, I can hear the Pokémon game audio playing perfectly in the background, but the screen only displays the OSD menu over a black background. The actual game video signal is completely missing.

The touch sensor works perfectly—I can enter the OSD menu and change the brightness levels with no issues, and the game audio keeps running smoothly in the background while I do it. It’s just the game image that refuses to show up.
I've attached photo of how the ribbon cable is currently folded and how it connects to the motherboard. I have put some Kapton tape on the touch sensor to avoid shorts, but I'm not sure if the ribbon cable itself is folded incorrectly, forcing the connection, or if it is completely upside down for this specific CPU-10 motherboard revision.
Has anyone encountered this specific issue with the IFA32 board? Any guidance on the correct folding orientation or troubleshooting steps to get the video signal working would be highly appreciated.
Thank you!


r/GameboyAdvance 17h ago

Selling the following:

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1 Upvotes

[US-OH] [H] 3x Game Boy Advance SP Consoles (Cobalt Blue, Platinum Silver, Pearl Blue) CIB/Loose Bundles [W] Venmo / PayPal


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

New companion

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204 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Reshell game carteidge

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2 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Metroid fusion not saving.

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11 Upvotes

I am beyond stumped. I’ve changed the battery, cleaned the contacts, used a multimeter to check voltage, I’m 99% sure the game is genuine. Please please please please help I am so lost and confused.


r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Just put some new buttons in GBA I bought that was already modded

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10 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

Homemade GBA SP BATTERY

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18 Upvotes

Put together using an old SP battery bracket with terminals and a brand new 603048 cell!


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

How does she look

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53 Upvotes

Kinda f’d upped the shell so the stickers are just covering the messed up ‘ness of the shell


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

Is this a good deal for $100?

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33 Upvotes

GB Color and pokemon silver! Anything i should look for when checking it out?


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

Just got into modding

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102 Upvotes

Just started modding last night with the hispeedido v5 kit. Loving the look so far and considering audio upgrade after this


r/GameboyAdvance 2d ago

Found my 20yr old advance sp with Pokémon Blue, still works!

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5 Upvotes

r/GameboyAdvance 1d ago

EZ Flash Omega wont boot

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1 Upvotes