The Game Boy Advance offered some of the most brilliant graphics for a handheld console at the time due to its stark resemblance to the SNES. The SNES was full of ground-breaking, revolutionary 2D platformers, and the GBA continued this trend. The best Game Boy Advance platforming games offer experiences that rival and even go beyond what the SNES and other platforming-centric consoles did.
Here, find the best Game Boy Advance platforming games based on revisiting (or visiting for the first time) these nostalgic retro handheld experiences. In no particular order, these Game Boy Advance platforming titles impressed gamers the most in terms of run-and-jump action, the crucial environmental levels, the sheer variety of graphics, the intelligent use of the GBA limited controls, and more.
1. Super Mario Advance
This launch title for the Game Boy Advance showed the instant potential for the handheld as a platformer juggernaut. This Super Mario Bros. 2 remake featured colorful graphics and much better visuals than the original NES title. It also stood out among the other platformers for using four different protagonists to play.
2. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
This game airs more on the action side of the platforming genre with its high emphasis on combat (often ranged) and exploration. It reaches near the heights of the Konami series in terms of the futuristic rendition of Dracula’s castle, which looks stunning and far more freeing than other similar platform-centric games.
3. Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3
This port of the SNES title puts players in Yoshi’s shoes for a much different platforming style. It often feels a bit slower and more methodical how players line up their eggs to throw at enemies, which Nintendo made work well on the small GBA. Its whimsical style appeals to the eyes.
4. Shaman King: Master of Spirits
This video game adaptation of the popular anime series opted for an intriguing 2D action platformer style, not too dissimilar to the Metroidvania genre. The abilities of the main character, Yoh Asakura, often feel limited and a bit dull. Still, it makes up for that with its solid use of colorful platforming exploration and effects.
5. Wario Land 4
The wacky style of Wario’s fourth platforming game never gets old. It has such a weighty but chaotic nature to its gameplay that it feels so different from Mario’s adventures. Wario charges and blasts through enemies like a mustached train, which GBA players should try.
6. Sonic Advance
This entire series of GBA Sonic the Hedgehog games captures the look and feel of the Sega Genesis titles, but the first one stands out in particular for its simplicity. It puts players in the shoes of Sonic, with the potential to have Tails follow along with a cheat code, and its six worlds for players to zip across have impeccable detail for this system, from the sunsets to the intricate bosses.
7. Rayman Advance
This port of the classic Ubisoft platformer shrinks Rayman’s first 2D adventure onto the GBA screen. It loses some of the broad environments in the process with the smaller screen compared to a TV, but it makes up for that with its smooth and fast run and jump mechanics.
8. Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland
Kirby offers variety, unlike any other platformer on the GBA. The pink fluff ball makes the best use of the few buttons on the GBA with the ability to fly and inhale foes to transform into various forms like fire Kirby, sword Kirby, and so on. This makes the pretty easy levels much more fun for us.
9. Donkey Kong Country 2
Let’s be real on this port of this SNES platforming classic: the smaller screen and limited power of the GBA don’t do its graphics justice. That said, the gameplay still feels a league above most other games with how players navigate the complex levels using objects and obstacles. It plays well, even if it doesn’t look the greatest.
10. Super Monkey Ball Jr.
This GBA game takes some of the levels and inspirations of the first game in this Sega series for one of the most surprising 3D-like experiences on the platform. Players navigate a monkey within a marble-like ball across twisty and challenging levels. This game’s addition of direct control over the player’s tilt speed gives so much more power to the player.
11. Mega Man Zero
An element of some platformers on the GBA that bothers us at times remains the easy, breezy difficulty. Players who agree with us should check out what we consider one of the most difficult Mega Man games of all time. Some of the death traps feel a bit unfair at times with this action game, but the Cyber Elf system provides some relief from the challenge.
12. Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
Super Mario World stands out as one of our favorite platformers of all time in terms of world design, the various powers Mario has, and the unbelievable amount of secrets. It feels like the pinnacle of the exhilarating platforming experience, and this GBA port continues the trend but, fortunately, on the go.
13. Drill Dozer
The core developer of Pokémon, Game Freak, used the GBA for one of its most experimental titles, which resulted in this underrated action platformer. Players take on the role of Jill, a girl who uses her titular drill dozer to spin forwards or backward to defeat enemies. Its fast-paced action and intriguing controls warrant a look.
14. Mega Man & Bass
This port breathed new life into the late SNES action platformer. It has the classic styling of the 16-bit Mega Man games but with the addition of Bass as a playable character. The familiar hook of defeating each boss to steal their powers remains its defining trait, but the intense differences between how Mega Man and Bass play, such as Bass’ unique dash jump, make it worthy of a couple of playthroughs.
15. Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament
This entry gives the platforming mascot Klonoa one of his most thrilling adventures yet. Its straightforward accessibility paves the way for solid gameplay, which involves pulling in enemies to throw them to defeat others or to use as a way to reach higher obstacles in a level. This provides the game with just enough depth.
16. Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure
Crash‘s first platforming adventure on a handheld system removed the third-person behind-the-shoulders viewpoint often seen in the previous games for a traditional side-scrolling adventure. It still retains the classic tornado-like spin Crash has for fighting and the incredible amount of collectibles that involve great side features like time trials and more.
17. Spyro 2: Season of Flame
This handheld version of the Spyro the Dragon series opted for a unique isometric-style perspective. This gives a much more exploratory focus to the game, which helps with the goal of finding all of the fireflies in the vast levels. The addition of an ice breath for the little dragon offers some welcome variety.
18. Tak and the Power of Juju
The level design looks pretty forgettable at times with the basic aesthetic of this GBA platformer, but it makes up for that in how the main character, Tak, uses animals to help him out. Sheep help open doors; rhinos smash walls; emus help Tak jump higher, and so on. This gives the player such solid choice on how to approach puzzles and combat in this platformer.
19. Super Ghouls’ n Ghosts
This port of the SNES spooky action platformer isn’t perfect with its zoomed-in viewpoint, but it makes up for that with the addition of player-driven stages. We liked being able to choose more complicated or easier routes in levels through the new Arrange mode based on whether we found the Golden Armor and so on.
20. Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge
This third game in the series transitions to a more top-down, 2D-style exploration rather than 3D, but it doesn’t lose any charm and content. It still retains the high number of collectibles and brilliant focus on exploration with relatively smooth graphics. It also has so much for the player to do, such as minigames like fishing and target shooting.
21. Earthworm Jim
This port of the SNES action platformer falls short in the performance department at times, but it still has the solid gameplay of the original but on the go. Players run and blast their way through various alien environments, which feel quite different from the brighter styles of other games.
22. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
It took far too long for this Mario remake series to address the NES classic Super Mario Bros. 3, but the wait was worth it. It provided a richer look at the beloved kingdoms with a style more in line with Super Mario World. The new e-reader levels and multiplayer mode elevate this to be our favorite rendition of this must-play platformer.
23. Justice League Heroes: The Flash
This action-packed brawler-meets-platformer puts players in the shoes of The Flash. It does a solid job of presenting his supersonic speed within the confines of the limited handheld hardware. Players zip from bad guy to bad guy, defeating them. The speedy movement feels a step above and much more exhilarating than other GBA platformers.
24. Jet Grind Radio
This GBA version of the graffiti rollerblade series opted for an isometric viewpoint. However, it sacrificed none of the engaging rollerblade movement and exploration. Players still have vast neighborhoods to explore and tag up with customizable graffiti art. It also has a fantastic four-player multiplayer mode, letting players grind, do tricks, and skate alongside others.
