36 reasons to love the original Game Boy

If you know anything about gaming, you’ll have witnessed the unbelievably committed user base of Valve’s Steam Deck, and the looming release of the Nintendo Switch 2. Long story short, there are plenty of options for handheld gaming in 2025. But, gamers didn’t always have it so good. If we rewind to the 1980s and the era of 8-bit gaming, the idea of playing Mario on the go was still hard to fathom. 

But on April 21, 1989, everything changed. This was the day Nintendo released the Game Boy, a truly paradigm-shifting moment: Nintendo helped handheld gaming go fully mainstream (the device sold 120 million units worldwide) so consoles could move from under the TV to the inside of your pocket. The launch sparked a lot of rivals ( like Sony’s PSP, and the short-lived Sega Game Gear), and it evolved with future variants like the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. 

To celebrate 36 years of the Nintendo Game Boy, we’re counting down 36 reasons why the iconic Japanese developer’s original grey handheld remains so alluring. By the end of this feature, you might be persuaded to pick up a refurbished one. If you do, just make sure you have plenty of AA batteries to hand (a round on a Gameboy can get pretty addictive), and a strong set of thumbs for Tetris.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

One of the most underrated titles in the Zelda franchise, Link’s Awakening was the first of the iconic Hyrule-based adventures to debut on a handheld console. Whether encountering the mysterious ‘Wind Fish’, or experiencing the romantic chemistry between Link and Marin down the bottom of a well, the 2D visuals do not stop this one from being a pure joy to play. 

2. Great battery life

While the Game Boy’s immediate rivals like the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear boasted color displays and more sophisticated hardware (compared to the Game Boy’s smaller Z80-based CPU), their sacrifice was zapping away at user battery life. Even though the 2.5-inch screen of the original Game Boy could only handle four different grey colors, the more conservative use of hardware meant you got games that didn’t keep crashing, and an impressive 30 hours of gameplay on four AA batteries. 

3. Wario Land

For Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Nintendo took a big risk, exchanging their loveable red-hatted plumber for his evil doppelganger the mischievous Wario. But doing Wazza’s shoulder charge and butt stomp was a welcome exchange from Mario only being able to jump on an enemy’s head – it’s a game that made you fall head over heels for the bad guy. 

4. Easy to use

The Game Boy’s eight-way D-Pad and four buttons (A, B, Start, Select) were a continuation of the simple set-up on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) controller. This meant it was easy to pick up and play, and developers could comfortably convert landmark games from the NES over to the Game Boy system. 

5. Pokémon Red and Blue

The games that kick-started the global Pokémon phenomenon. Red and Blue remain compelling experiences, even if you will need to squint at the dark screen far more than you remember doing as a child. Catching all 151 Pokémon remains a highly addictive experience, and by the time you attain a Charizard as well as a bicycle, you’ll feel like nothing can stop you. Just don’t believe all the rumors about where Mewtwo is hiding out. 

6. Worm Light

In the era before high-res OLED screens, the Game Boy’s 160 x 144 pixels screen resolution was very grainy indeed. However, the strangely shaped third-party add-on, the Worm Light, ensured it was much more playable at night, and you didn't have to strain your eyes to see a Bulbasaur. Nintendo also released the official Light Boy screen overlay, but it was sadly only available in Japan.

7. Ducktales

A port of the iconic NES game, you take control of Scrooge McDuck as he travels the Earth and beyond to locate rare treasures. Few things are more satisfying than this veteran duck attacking an enemy with his cane, and Ducktales remains probably the best-ever video game adaptation of a Disney cartoon. 

8. Game-Link cable

This nifty little lead allowed you to play multiplayer with other Game Boy owners, essentially connecting up your various devices. It meant intense score battles on Tetris with your older brother, the ability to trade Pokémon with strangers. And with F-1 Race, you could even do a four-player grand prix (even if group playing did result in lots of tangled wires). If you have a pal with a Game Boy, then this lead remains essential. 

9. Chiptune music 

There’s a whole generation of musicians who believe the sound of cutesy synths coming out of a Game Boy is unbeatable, with many using bootleg cartridge programmes like Nanoloop to utilize the handheld to make fresh, ambient harmonies. The resulting genre is called ‘Chiptune,’ and well worth checking out. Especially if – like me – you think the soothingly nostalgic music of Pokémon’s Lavender Town level deserved to win a Grammy. 

10. Metroid 2: Return of Samus 

The original Metroid on the NES hasn’t aged very well, but this Game Boy exclusive sequel betters it in every conceivable way. The levels are more interactive due to fresh special abilities, like the iconic Spider Ball and the Plasma Beam. Many would like this space shooter to be remade in next-generation graphics, and it’s easy to see why! 

11. A genderless console 

Certain game consoles feel tailor-made for teenage boys (cough… the OG Xbox, and all its space marine shooters). But the Game Boy was much more diverse. In 1995, Nintendo revealed that 46% of its Game Boy users were female – definitive proof that the best consoles aren’t defined by testosterone.

12. Super Mario Land

A classic. The closest thing to the original Super Mario Bros available on the Game Boy, this 1989 title introduced the world to Princess Daisy, and exploding koopa shells.

13. The Game Genie cartridge 

Released in 1990, the Game Genie from developer Codemasters allowed you to cheat on difficult Game Boy games and give yourself helpful perks like unlimited lives or ammo. In a pre-Internet age where finding out how to cut corners was incredibly difficult, this was a real game-changer. 

14. Pokémon Yellow

Essentially an improved version of Pokémon Blue and Red, this game offered better visuals and even a mini game built around Pikachu catching waves on a surfboard. Team Rocket also appeared far more regularly as a foil, making this version have a lot more in common with the much-loved TV cartoon series. 

15. Pocket Sonar

One of the strangest accessories ever released for the Game Boy, the Pocket Sonar was a gadget that helped fishermen locate their prey. It could scan the local area (at depths of up to 20 meters) to locate fish, then it would display their correct location on your Game Boy screen. It was only ever released in Japan, but it is well worth importing should you want something truly bizarre and niche to show off to your fishing-loving friends. 

16. The birth of Kirby

Nintendo’s adorably round, candy floss pink fluffball Kirby started out their life on the Game Boy with the brilliant Kirby’s Dream Land. It’s a game where you float past gormless trees in the pursuit of sparkly stars, and it’s lost none of its charms despite being 33 years old. 

17. Game Boy Camera 

Years before smartphone selfies were even a thing, the Game Boy Camera was one of the only ways to take this kind of snap on a handheld electronic device. Released in 1998, the Game Boy Camera allowed you to combine your snaps with a series of mini games that basically let you shoot at your family members’ heads, like a slightly messed-up version of Space Invaders.

18. Game Boy Printer

There’s something endearingly kooky about taking a distorted photo of your grandma on your Game Boy Camera and being able to print it immediately through the Game Boy Printer. Polaroids? Who needs them! Just don’t expect that holiday sunset to look anywhere near as colorful as you remembered. 

19. Harvest Moon GB

Years before Animal Crossing: New Horizons allowed the world to feel comfort during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was Harvest Moon GB, where you looked after a family farm and sowed seeds to make your late grandpa proud. It remains a heart-warming experience today, and is well worth picking up should you want to explore the blockier roots of the Animal Crossing franchise. 

20. Space travel

The Game Boy is the first-ever gaming console to leave the Earth, with cosmonaut Aleksandr A. Serebrov taking it on the Soyuz TM17 space mission. Serebrov said using it for escapist sessions of Play Action Football stopped him from being lonely while stranded in deep space. 

21. Motocross Maniacs 

My first memory of doing a backflip on a game was on the racer Motocross Maniacs – riding off its many jump platforms was an endlessly fun experience. Yes, racing games are more life-like today, but they don’t have ramps that float in the air now, do they? 

22. Konami Hyperboy

Essentially transforming your Game Boy into an arcade slot machine, this crafty little accessory gave users a joystick, improved screen resolution, plus clearer sound. Donkey Kong was suddenly a whole lot easier, even if the awkward size of the add-on made the Game Boy so chunky it would struggle to fit in a clown’s pocket. 

23. Avenging Spirit

The only paranormal crime noir game on the system, the plot of this one is truly bizarre. You play the ghost of a murdered man hunting down his killers to locate a kidnapped girlfriend. Being able to possess enemies remains a forward thinking game skill, and the game’s dark tone is a welcome tonic for a system filled with cutesy characters.

24. Rare games

One of the best things about owning a Game Boy is the hunt for its most-rare games, which you might just be lucky enough to spot at a local flea market. For an unopened version of Beethoven, the scarcely produced game about that movie based on a gigantic dribbling family dog, you will need about $5,000. Perhaps the rarest of them all – a game called Amazing Tater, more like $10,000. Better get saving.

25. Durability 

In the 90s, people often laughed about how indestructible their Game Boy devices were. Case in point: I remember dropping one outside of a moving car, and there being no damage. More evidence – in New York City’s Nintendo World Store, a Game Boy that survived a bombing at a Gulf War barracks is proudly on display (it still works despite being slightly mangled). Durability rarely gets better than that.

26. Dr. Mario

Although very similar to Tetris, the puzzler Dr. Mario’s core premise of destroying viruses by matching them with similar coloured pill capsules was arguably much more entertaining. This is cathartic to play whenever you catch a cold, especially if you’re a bit of a germaphobe, and want to experience diseases being wiped off our planet in real-time. 

27. Neil Young is a fan

Rock god Neil Young used the aforementioned Game Boy Camera to produce the artwork of his 2000 album, Silver and Gold. If your Dad still needs convincing to buy one, this is the one fact to tell him.

28. Kid Dracula 

A parody of the Castlevania series, this cutesy vampire game, with all its witch and bat enemies, is one of the most overlooked games ever released on a Nintendo console. Cartridges are rare, so be prepared to cough up a wad of cash.

29. Booster Boy

The equivalent of adding an Iron Man suit to your Game Boy, this nifty yet awkwardly large device improved your handheld in every conceivable way. My favorite part was the magnifying glass you could put over the screen, so you could spot hard-to-see details hidden in the background of games.

30. Batman

One of the few video game experiences to make you truly feel like the Caped Crusader, this Batman platformer remains a thrill today, especially the Bat Wing levels. Yes, the Joker’s hair is grey rather than green. But shooting all his minions with your Batgun is a real rush, especially after a hard day at the office. 

31. It could hook up to a SNES

While true cordless handheld gaming was the biggest benefit of the Game Boy, some still wanted the option to play its games on their TVs. This is something Nintendo sorted out with the Super Boy peripheral, which allowed you to slot Game Boy cartridges right into your Super Nintendo Entertainment System. 

32. …as well as a GameCube 

The Game Boy Player for the Nintendo GameCube offered a similar capability, but also supported GBA and GBC cartridges. With the GameCube offering better resolution than the SNES, this is perhaps the best way to see your original Game Boy games sparkle.

33. Use your Game Boy as a TV remote

While the video game adaptation of the iconic Tom Cruise spy movie Mission: Impossible was hardly anything to shout about, its bonus features were very quirky indeed. One allowed you to turn the Game Boy into a controller for your TV and, due to the handheld’s solid size, this meant losing the remote down the sofa was suddenly much less of a problem. 

34. A connection with The Simpsons 

In the Series 8 episode of The Simpsons, In Marge We Trust, fisherman Captain Horatio McAllister bemoans losing his Game Boy at sea, and how this has made him lonely and depressed. The fact that the Game Boy was referenced during The Simpsons’ golden era is further proof of its timeless cool. It also offers an invaluable lesson: don’t hold your Game Boy too close to the water.

35. Game and Watch

The Game Boy isn’t technically the first handheld system that Nintendo put out. The company also released the more rudimentary Game and Watch in 1980, where each of its games had its own specific console variant (graphics weren’t too far off the visuals on a calculator). With 1997’s Game and Watch Gallery for the Game Boy, Nintendo re-jigged these historic handheld games, ensuring the Japanese company’s roots were proudly on display. 

36. Tetris 

Arguably the Game Boy’s most important game. This iconic puzzler sold 35 million units on the Nintendo Handheld alone, and remains easy to get addicted to. In many ways, 2025 has a lot of similarities to the 1980s – existential uncertainty, and all that jazz. But this social backdrop only adds to Tetris’ powers: a rare game where you have full control over life’s building blocks, and can directly shape the path ahead.