Visual Boy Advance has been around the longest compared to other emulators. Even though other emulators are gunning for its position, some still don’t know how to utilize all of its functions.
That’s why, when you want to jump ship and use the VBA, you have to wonder how importing saves in Visual Boy Advance actually works.
It is possible, and you can play your GBA or GBC save files from mGBA to VBA.Â
You don’t need to play the game all over again to get that save. Here’s how it is done, continue reading.
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How Does Importing Saves on the VBA Work?
Can you play your save files from other emulators when you use the VBA? In order for you to do that, you have to import your save from the emulator you previously used onto your GBA.
That’s where these steps will come in, because it’s not a hard thing to do, but people may be confused about how to do it.
Importing Saves From an Emulator to VBA on PC
If you take a look at the image below, we have a folder containing three files.
- The number 1 is the ROM file, which is Pokemon FireRed. The format says it is .GBA, so that’s the file you use to play Pokemon FireRed.
- Number 2, the one with the .SAV, is the save file that we will import. It is the save that you made in the game. That’s the save file you use to load when you boot up Pokemon FireRed. You want to transfer that save file to the VBA that came from a previous emulator.
- Number 3, the one with the .SS1, is the SAVE STATE. These are the features where you can quicksave and quickload.
The format .SS1 is used by the mGBA, so we’ll tackle that a bit later, and that is something that we cannot load up on the VBA.
These are the steps to import the save file:
Step 1: Locate the Rom File From the Same Folder
We used the mGBA as an example, and it uses the same ROM, which is Pokemon – Fire Red Version (U) (V1.1). When you want to use the VBA, locate and use the same folder where the .SAV file is.
Step 2: Load the Same Rom
It is important that you load the same ROM. Now that you’ve booted up the VBA, as long as the .SAV file is the same as the ROM, the save will automatically be available on the screen.
Step 3: Play the Game
There’s really not much tinkering here. When the save file is available for the VBA, regardless of what emulator you used previously, you should be good to go.
Importing Saves From an Android Emulator to the VBA
These steps are in case you want to import saves from your Android emulator to your VBA on the PC.
Step 1: Upload Your Save File Online
You need to upload the save file, the .SAV, to an online format. You can choose what you want, such as email, online storage websites, and others. You can even use Gmail, Messenger, and Google Docs.
Step 2: Download the Save File on Your PC
Just download them where you uploaded them.
Step 3: Save Them in the Same Folder as the Rom
It is important that both the ROM and the save file are the same. It should be the same ROM you used on your Android device.
The names of both the ROM and the save file should be the same. This is important because the VBA will not detect the save file for the ROM.
Potential Problems When Importing Saves in Visual Boy Advance
These are just several problems that may not allow the save file to work when importing it:
Corrupted Save File
Sometimes a file may be corrupted when sent online or transferred through other means. It can also happen when you try to change the name of the save file.
Incompatibility
If you’re using a different ROM, even if it is the same game, the save file may not be detected. This is why the game cannot detect it; hence, it cannot be loaded.
What About Save States?
To give a summary, a save state has a different format. This is a manual save that is outside the game, so you don’t load it through the game but just through the emulator.
You can do it with shortcut keys or by doing it the natural way.
Unfortunately, save states cannot be transferred between different emulators. In the image below, the number 4 is a save state format for mGBA emulators, which is .SS1.
Number 3 is the save state format for the VBA, which is .SGM.
You cannot just rename the format of the mGBA save state to the VBA one, since it will not be compatible, and the file will just be corrupted anyway.
However, importing save states can be done from older versions of the VBA to modern ones. Just load the save state manually, and you can save it again via shortcut keys.
FAQs
Do these methods also work for Game Boy and GBC save states?
Yes, the same steps work; compatibility is always the key. The save format for Game Boy and GBC games is still .SAV. Even the save states are the same, which is .SGM.
Game Boy and GBC games just have different ROM formats, such as .GB and .GBC.
Do these methods also work for ROM hacks?
Yes, as long as it is the same version of the ROM hack. Keep in mind that some ROM hacks have numerous versions.
An older save file will not load for a new version of the ROM hack.
In Closing
Importing saves in Visual Boy Advance isn’t really that challenging, but to the untrained mind, it may be.
For the PC, you just have to gather the same ROM file with the save file in one folder.
Load up the VBA, and if there are no issues, then the file will be detected and loaded. Even for Android devices, you can do this as well based on the steps we mentioned.
You can even connect your phone to your PC to make it easier, and you don’t need to upload files online. This is just provided that you are able to do so.
