The Ultimate Ranking of Every Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy (Color) Title
By Revised with Donkey Kong and Mario’s Picross following the March 2025 update.
Bear in mind, this list changes as participants rate the games included, so feel free to visit the game profiles and score them out of 10 if you’d like to see the rankings below change. Enjoy!
Game Boy and Game Boy Colour titles made their debut on Nintendo Switch Online in February 2023, delighting numerous gamers who have been Nintendo enthusiasts since the early days of handheld consoles. The various Game Boy models—the original, Pocket, and Colour—boast a vast library of exceptional games, many of which hold up remarkably well today. Thus, witnessing some of those classic treasures finally arrive on Switch was a long-awaited joy.
It also offers players who missed out on those golden handheld years decades ago an opportunity to catch up. But where should you begin? What are the top Game Boy games on NSO?
With assistance from Nintendo Life readers and the User Ratings they’ve assigned to the games listed in our Games Database, we can guide you in the right direction if you’re uncertain about where to start. While the Game Boy library on Switch is somewhat limited at the time of writing, if you want to know which of the available games ranks at the very top, the following list will help.
The subsequent ranking of the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy and Game Boy Colour titles is compiled using the User Ratings (out of 10) given to each GB(C) game available on Switch in the West. Please note that this ranking is not set in stone and may fluctuate over time depending on the assigned User Ratings—and, as time goes on, new additions to the NSO library, without a doubt.
If you believe a game deserves a higher position in the list below, feel free to click on the ‘star’ button and rate it yourself. Your personal rating may potentially boost its standing in the overall rankings!
Ready to dive into the 8-bit realm? Let’s take a look at the Game Boy titles playable on Nintendo Switch, as ranked by you wonderful people. We begin at the bottom of the list…
35. Baseball (GB)
Baseball was never a standout title, but the option to play it with friends made it a fitting addition to any Game Boy collection. Any fond memories you may have of Baseball likely involve a second player, we can assure you. Without a second player, even the nostalgia may not help; this isn’t the game you remember fondly.
While you’ll likely appreciate the mechanical simplicity given the hardware, and a certain charm owing to the limited portable baseball options in 1989, this one isn’t worth pursuing at the moment.
34. Quest for Camelot (GBC)
An overlooked game based on an unappreciated Warner Bros. animated film, Quest for Camelot launched on Game Boy Colour in the final weeks of 1998. Its inclusion as part of Nintendo’s Switch Online selection might be attributed to the platform holder’s co-publishing of the original game (alongside developer and publisher Titus Interactive).
This top-down action RPG could be reminiscent of Zelda, but it’s an exceptionally mediocre entry in the handheld’s library, even by the standards of licensed film adaptations.
33. Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (GBC)
This title was a flawed platformer that also had versions on PlayStation, PC, and Dreamcast, and while the diminutive handheld likely wasn’t the best platform for an immersive Resident Evil-inspired survival horror experience, developer Pocket Studios did a commendable job scaling down the pre-rendered environments to fit on Game Boy Colour, delivering a decent approximation of the game as it existed on the significantly more powerful systems.
However, that’s not to say GBC’s Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare is the best of the ports, for sure. But, as far as greatly downscaled 8-bit ‘demakes’ go, it’s certainly not a bad one and can be quite spooky given the constraints of the platform. Not one we’d rush to play over Game Boy classics like Super Mario Land 2, though—still, it isn’t entirely dreadful.
32. Blaster Master: Enemy Below (GBC)
The blend of familiar and novel elements provides Blaster Master: Enemy Below with enough fresh twists to make it a worthy sequel to the beloved original. Sure, many of the same audio/visual components have been carried over fairly unchanged, but the new bosses and open environments present a completely new experience for fans to enjoy.
If you haven’t yet given the Blaster Master series a try (and Switch owners have no valid excuse considering both this and the NES original are included with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription), this fantastic Game Boy Colour title is as compelling a reason as any to dive in.
31. Mega Man II (GB)
Mega Man II is not necessarily the best installment in the Blue Bomber’s collection. Removed from the unavoidable comparisons to the NES versions of Mega Man 2 and 3, evaluating this game on its own clunky merits doesn’t do it any favors either. The unique setting is tied to an unremarkable new boss and weapon, and possibly the briefest Wily stage in history.
Unless you happen to be an absolute completionist—or share our peculiar curiosity—there’s little reason to select this entry over the many superior iterations of Mega Man available on Game Boy. Definitely prioritize playing the others first.
30. Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge (GB)
Mega Man: Dr. Wily’s Revenge was a noteworthy
Your initial experience with a handheld Mega Man game is quite enjoyable, yet you may perceive it as a diluted rendition of the NES classics, which might leave you yearning to revisit them instead.
The game concludes rather swiftly — with merely six levels, it falls short compared to other titles in the series. Thankfully, Capcom recognized this, and the final four Game Boy editions boast 10 or more levels, proving to be overall more impressive than this initial effort. Not terrible for a unique (mega)man, though.
29. BurgerTime Deluxe (GB)
Significantly longer than Data East’s original arcade experience, BurgerTime Deluxe features 24 entirely new stages that are sure to amuse, but it also doesn’t demand an extensive time commitment.
You assume the role of Peter Pepper, a chef whose eatery has been overrun by various animated food items, including sausages and eggs. Somehow, the most effective way to eliminate these nuisances is to create giant burgers by walking over the ingredients — the buns, meat, lettuce — scattered across various platforms connected by ladders.
It might not win any awards for authenticity, but its gameplay remains enjoyable to this day, requiring strategy to outsmart the burger-averse foes. Quite satisfying fast-food entertainment, indeed.
28. Alleyway (GB)
Aside from the appearances of Mario (if you listen closely when starting the game, you’ll notice Mario himself jumps into the paddle and controls it, and several bonus stages feature characters reminiscent of Mario), there isn’t much to say about Alleyway. You use your paddle to bounce the ball and break all the blocks on the screen, in traditional Breakout style.
At its core, it’s simply Arkanoid stripped of all the extra features. If you grew up playing it or are in search of some engaging block-breaking action, you’ll likely find it enjoyable.
27. Castlevania Legends (GB)
Launched following the phenomenal critical acclaim of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania Legends introduces the first mainline female protagonist, Sonia Belmont, who technically, chronologically was the primary-ev