If you’ve tinkered around with melondDS’ features and settings, then you might’ve seen the GBA Slot under the File Menu. I discovered this by accident, and I was so excited, thinking that melonDS was also capable of emulating GBA games.
While it wasn’t what I expected, this is honestly one of its most underrated features that puts it above DeSmuME.
If you want to learn “how to play GBA games on melonDS,” then this is the guide that will answer all your questions.
In this article, I’ll show you how the GBA slot in this emulator works and teach you how to use it.
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How to Play GBA Games on melonDS
While it may appear at first glance that melonDS can play GBA games, this is not the case. The GBA slot under the File menu is actually an extra feature for DS emulation and not a standalone GBA emulator.
So no, you can’t play GBA games directly on melonDS. If that’s the case, what’s the use of the GBA slot?
Why melonDS Has a GBA Slot
This is melonDS’s way of emulating the features of the original DS as much as possible.
You see, back in the original Nintendo DS hardware days, the system had two cartridge slots:
- Slot 1: for Nintendo DS games.
- Slot 2: for Game Boy Advance cartridges.
What You Can Actually Do With the GBA Slot
The secondary slot allowed DS games to interact with GBA titles in special ways. For example, here are the doors that it opens up for Pokemon games:
- Unlock bonus wild Pokemon in DS games by inserting specific GBA titles.
- Access Pal Park in Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver.
- Trigger events or extra content that require GBA cartridge detection.
- Transfer Pokemon from GBA to DS, just like on the original hardware.
So, while you won’t be beating Pokemon Emerald on melonDS, you can absolutely use your GBA ROMs to enhance your DS playthroughs.
How to Set Up the GBA Slot on melonDS
So how do you use this feature? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up the GBA slot on melonDS.
Step 1: Prepare your ROMs
You’ll need both Pokemon GBA ROMs, such as FireRed, LeafGreen, Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald. Make sure they’re from the same region as your DS ROM (e.g., US with US).
Step 2: Turn Off Boot Game Directly
Open melonDS and go to Emu Settings. Here, you should uncheck the Boot Game Directly box. This allows you to insert the GBA ROM before the emulation starts.
Step 3: Insert GBA ROM
Now, go to File, and under GBA Slot, click on Insert ROM. Then, locate the ROM you want to load and hit Okay.
Step 4: Launch DS game
Open a DS game and check for new features available.
GBA Slot Features in Pokemon DS Games
The best way to explain this is with Pokemon-specific examples. Here’s what happens when you insert certain GBA games while playing DS titles:
Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum
- Insert FireRed: Growlithe, Ekans, and Elekid become available.
- Insert LeafGreen: Vulpix, Mankey, and Magby appear.
- Insert Emerald: Seedot, Surskit, Zangoose, and others can be found.
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Besides version exclusives, Pal Park also becomes accessible. You can migrate Pokemon directly from your GBA ROM into your DS save.
This is the only way to bring your GBA Pokemon into HGSS officially within the emulator.
Most Notable Pokemon
Here are some of my personal favorites. These Pokemon will only appear if a Gen 3 ROM is inserted on Pokemon Platinum, Diamond, and Pearl.
- Ruby Inserted: Mawile on Iron Island
- Sapphire Inserted: Sableye on Iron Island
- With any Gen 3 game inserted: Wild Gengar on the Old Chateau
How to Play GBA Games?
Sadly, melonDS doesn’t directly offer GBA emulation. So you can’t play any GBA games on this emulator.
If that’s what you’re planning to do, then there are actual GBA emulators for that purpose. Here are the best options we recommend.
PC (Windows/Linux)
- mGBA – The most accurate and stable GBA emulator today. Supports cheats, fast-forward, save states, and high compatibility with ROM hacks. It also offers better visuals.
- Visual Boy Advance – An older but still solid emulator. It has fewer updates than mGBA but remains user-friendly and compatible with most Pokemon titles. Great if you’re a heavy cheat user as well.
Android
- My Boy! – The most popular GBA emulator for Android. Excellent performance, link cable emulation, and support for fast-forward up to 16x.
- John GBA – Another lightweight Android emulator with cheat support and customizable controls.
iOS
- GBA4iOS – One of the most reliable GBA emulators for iPhone/iPad. Supports cheats, fast-forward, and controller compatibility.
- Delta Emulator – An all-in-one option for iOS that supports multiple systems (NES, SNES, N64, and GBA). Works great for Pokemon games too.
macOS
- mGBA – Also works seamlessly on macOS, with the same features as its Windows version.
- OpenEmu – A multi-system emulator for Mac that uses the mGBA core. It has a polished UI and acts like a library for your ROMs, making it easy to organize and play multiple games. Takes a bit of setting up to get started.
- VisualBoyAdvance-M – If you’re familiar with VBA, this is the continuation of its development. VBA-M has powerful memory viewing and cheat searching capabilities, which we use in finding and testing cheats.
Conclusion
So, can you play GBA games on melonDS? Well, not in the way you’d expect. melonDS isn’t meant to replace dedicated GBA emulators like mGBA or VBA.
Instead, its GBA Slot feature faithfully recreates the DS’s Slot 2 for GBA linking, letting you unlock hidden content, migrate Pokemon, and experience the bonus features that made the original hardware so unique.
These encounters are so unique that they are considered one of the most convoluted captures in the entire series. Thanks to melonDS, we can still experience them legitimately today.
If you’re an avid Pokemon gamer, Pokemoncoders will definitely feel like home. We are a team of passionate Trainers who curate the best Pokemon guides, tutorials, and cheats.
