An open-source Game Boy Advance emulator.
Publisher’s description
What is mGBA?
mGBA by Jeffrey Pfau is open-source Windows software in the pc games category. It ranks 34th by popularity among pc games in this catalogue. It is written in C. Besides Windows, it is available for Linux.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (Inno Setup) installers for 64-bit and 32-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 0.10.5, released on March 9, 2025. The version history goes back to August 4, 2025: 19 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 3 releases a year. The last update is more than a year old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 5,565 times. The source code on GitHub (mgba-emu/mgba) has 7,518 stars. Similar programs include RetroArch, OpenTTD and Steam.
Project description on GitHub: “mGBA Game Boy Advance Emulator”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Also runs on Linux
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
- No update for more than a year
In short: mGBA is an open-source pc game tool for 64-bit and 32-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is mGBA safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
EDD0454B8FE69F20DC2F0B47F2CFC32A14E3848550762FFBB3D782E649669C6B· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the mgba-emu/mgba repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Actively maintained10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared10
- Fuzzing10
- Code review2
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Signed releases0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 19 versions ›19 versions over 6 years · about 3 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.10.5Latest | March 9, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.10.4 | December 8, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.10.3 | January 8, 2024 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.10.2 | April 24, 2023 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.10.1 | January 11, 2023 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.10.0 | October 12, 2022 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.9.3 | January 7, 2022 | — | 64-bit EXE (Inno Setup)32-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
| 0.9.2 | July 12, 2021 | — | 32-bit EXE (Inno Setup)64-bit EXE (Inno Setup) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id JeffreyPfau.mGBA -echoco install mgba -ymGBA-0.10.5-win64-installer.exe /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install --cask mgba-appflatpak install flathub io.mgba.mGBAInformation
- Publisher
- Jeffrey Pfau
- Category
- PC games
- Licence
- Mozilla Public License 2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/mgba-emu/mgba
- Written in
- C
- Content rating
- All ages
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, 32-bit
- Installer
- EXE (Inno Setup)
- Other platforms
- Linux
- Version
- 0.10.5
- Released
- March 9, 2025
- Added to the catalogue
- July 4, 2021
- Versions listed
- 19
- Updates / year
- 3
- Chocolatey downloads
- 5,565
- GitHub stars
- 7,518
- GitHub forks
- 1,139
- Website
- mgba.io
- winget ID
- JeffreyPfau.mGBA
- Chocolatey package
- mgba
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is mGBA free?
Yes. mGBA is open-source software under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 licence.
Is mGBA safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install mGBA with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can mGBA be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does mGBA run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit and 32-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of mGBA?
The versions page lists all 19 versions with links to their official installer files, back to August 4, 2025.
What are alternatives to mGBA?
RetroArch, OpenTTD, Steam, PPSSPP and ScummVM. The alternatives page compares them.