11 Best Pokemon GBA ROM Hacks (2023)

The GBA had a great featured set of Pokemon games in the franchise. With so many amazing games like FireRed and LeafGreen as well as Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and we couldn't forget Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue Rescue Team and how could we forget Emerald!

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If you've explored all of these great titles and are looking for something new and fresh, there's a ton of rom hacks available for the GBA in the Pokemon universe that bring you quality of life improvements, buying new items, new pokemon moves and not having to teach your Pokemon HMs.

So pick up your backpack full of Pokeballs, we're going to introduce you to the best Pokemon GBA rom hacks of all time where you can catch em all!

Be sure to check out our other ROM hacking articles:
Best Zelda ROM Hacks | Best Metroid ROM Hacks | Best SNES ROM Hacks
Best NES Rom Hacks | Best GBA Rom Hacks | Best Castlevania Rom Hacks

11 - Pokemon Sors

Created by Vytron, Pokemon Sors has an all new storyline. Everything plays just fine, just be careful with a bit of the dialogue it's somewhat unrealistic to how people actually talk to one another.

The difficulty is what you would expect, grinding your way and levelling up your Pokemon in order to make it to the next city. Most of the bosses are better than the city battles. New battle mechanics from the earlier to present generations are here. You got the physical special split, the repel system, reusable TMs and up to all generation 7 Pokemon. There's also no HMs to find and waste a spot, that's right there's no fly here.

Graphically, this is where Sors really shines. The fancy effects and attention to detail is on point. Walking through each of the towns really felt like this was an official release by Nintendo.

The music in Pokemon Sors had some really nice beats and sounds. There are 62 sounds and sure some of them we didn't like but overall it's a fantastic soundtrack.

Pokemon Sors is a modern rom hack for the GBA and we had a blast playing through it while grinding our way to Pokemon supremecy. Sure, the writing could have been a bit better but Vytron showcased his abilities as a rom hacker.

10 - Pokemon Inclement Emerald

Next on our list of Best Pokemon GBA ROM Hacks, we're bringing you Pokemon Inclement Emerald. If you were looking for the answer to Radical Red, look no further than Emerald's fantastic rom hack. It's got various difficulties in Challenge, Normal and Hard mode as the difficulty in this hack is notoriously hard.

Some of the quality of life improvements are the ability to carry up to 999 of each item. This helps with the increased difficulty in order to be able to carry additional items.

You won't be able to breeze through Pokemon Inclement Emerald in one sitting. You'll be faced with tons of grinding if you up for the challenge!

9 - Pokemon Gaia

Considering everyone loves Pokemon Gameboy Color games, it's no doubt that Pokemon Gaiai is a wonderful option as one of the best Pokemon GBA ROM hacks. This hack is a collaboration between Pokemon Gaia and the hacking group, The Pokemon Hackers. It was released in late 2000 as a ROM hack for Game Boy Color and has since been ported to other platforms.

In addition to being able to play through all 151 Pokemon available in the original Red/Blue version, it also includes a new area called New Island that allows players to battle and trade with other Pokémon from the Mystery Dungeon series.

Pokemon Gaia is one of the better rom hacks in our opinion. It's extremely polished and the difficulty is only slightly ahead of the other original games. Couple that with an incredible story and excellent dialogue and you're in for one of the better rom hacks available for the Pokemon franchise.

8 - Pokémon Flora Sky

Pokemon Flora Sky stands out by having tons of additional features not found in other RPGs on the GBA. You play as a boy who has to save the world from the evil organization called Team Rocket.

The game features new types of Pokémon, including some that were never featured in any other game before this one! There are also some other cool features like finding out what was happening in the past when you played the original games.

It doesn't actually end once you beat the Elite 4, it's also got the battle frontier from Emerald and you can visit tons of hidden locations with an incredibly tough boss battle at the completion of the game. Pokemon Flora Sky is a great choice if you're looking for an introduction to the wonderful world of the best Pokemon GBA ROM hacks.

7 - Pokemon Dark Rising

If you want something deeper than the original game then look no further than Pokemon Dark Rising. This hack adds a ton of new content including two new regions (Sinnoh and Unova), new enemies that can be encountered during battles with your rival or Gym Leader, and much more!

It has been made to look like a Game Boy Advance game and has many features that make it fun to play. For example, you can fly around on your Pokemon's back and battle wild Pokemon in the overworld. It also has new moves for all of your favorite Pokémon.

6 - Pokemon GS Chronicles

Coming in at number 6 of our best Pokemon GBA ROM hacks list is Pokemon GS Chronicles. This is another fun hack that lets you play through the entire series of Generation I games using your favorite characters! Explore Kanto and Johto as you battle your way through each region and its many regions in order to win their hearts.

GS Chronicles constantly receives updates which helps the player receive constant new features and there's always help available from the community who created the game in case you get stuck or need help patching the game.

This is a more approachable game in the Pokemon franchise as it's not intended to be considered a difficulty hack. If you're new to Pokemon rom hacks, we suggest giving Pokemon GS Chronicles a go in order to dip your feet in the rom hacking world!

5 - Pokemon Emerald Multiplayer

Pokemon Emerald Multiplayer is highly regarded as one of the best Pokemon GBA ROM hacks. If you were looking for a strictly multiplayer version of the Pokemon Emerald GBA rom, look no further! Battle head to head in a showdown against your friends. Pokemon Emerald lets you choose from 44 different starters with up to 6 Pokemon Supporting you.

We really enjoyed being able to face off against other trainers with a friend in a doubles co-op mode. This brought an entirely new element to Pokemon training we haven't seen before.

All of your favorite Gen 1-3 Pokemon are available right off the get go. You won't have to do any trades between games in Pokemon Emerald Multiplayer. You can even watch the game alongside other players in case you wanted to sit out a challenge!

4 - Pokemon Ultra Shiny Gold Sigma

This Pokemon hack tackles another side of the original Gold, Crystal and Silver which are fantastic games in their own regard. While the storyline might be the same as the three predecessors, you've got entirely new aspects to the game that have been modified or brought to the table.

There's new areas you can explore with your team and travel from town to town. This hack is incredibly sought after due to what it brings to the table. Sure, we did see some bugs from the developer but nothing really prevents it from being enjoyed.

You've also got the Alolan forms and over 800 unique Pokemon you can choose from. Talk about catching all of the best Pokemon GBA ROM hacks!

3 - Pokemon ROWE

Brought to you in 2022, Pokemon ROWE has been in the works for over two years but finally saw the light of day. It's build up an incredible amount of steam in the rom hacking community!

So many quality of life improvements are here, no longer do you need to use HMs, multiple difficulty modes, Use of the re-usable TMs, Flying taxi's right off the bat and many others.

Every single Pokemon is available in Pokemon ROWE, making it one of the largest collections of Pokemon on handhelds ever!

Face off against so many legendaries such as Mewtwo, Entei, Shaymin and Volcanion to name a few.

You get to fight off against the gym leaders daily in order to level up your favorite Pokemon rather easily. This prevents the gameplay from being too easy by replaying the same fight over and over again.

We love the open world aspects Pokemon ROWE has to offer and hope we see further enhancements from the development team! We loved everything that Pokemon ROWE brings to the table fundamentally, it's no wonder it made our list of best Pokemon GBA ROM hacks.

2 - Pokemon Radical Red

If you're up for a real challenge, check out Pokemon Radical Red. It's the ultimate difficulty hack that you can really sink your teeth into.

If you're familiar with some of the developers other hacks, you'll notice some of the enhancements Pokemon Radical Red brings to the table.

Clearing the gym leaders over and over again. That's right, return to face off against your favorite gym leader in another showdown!

If you're looking for the same old Pokemon stats and abilities, look further ahead this time. Pokemon Radical Red features an entirely new set of features for each of the Pokemon.

You'll also have to train your Pokemon in specific areas in the game in order to get the best stats for your Pokemon as possible.

Radical Red gives you a ton of new Legendaries, Ultra Beasts and Mythicals you can square off against. Be careful as you'll need to have high stats in order to face off against Mewtwo, Terrakion, Moltres and Celebi just to give you a bit of insight!

1 - Pokemon Unbound

The number one option for the absolute best Pokemon GBA ROM hack is Pokemon Unbound. The first five minutes of playing this game will reveal its complexity. A nice feature is that you can fully customize your character, choosing between a two different types a normal and dark storyline is a great way to unravel the core gameplay features.

There are four difficulty modes to choose from, Easy, Difficult, Expert and Insane. Why anyone would want to put up with the endless amounts of grinding in the insane mode is beyond us!

With a ton of new features such as missions that are somewhat like achivements as you make you're way throughout the game like walk 150 000 steps! boy that'll get your step counter going!

All of the assets are brought to you from the ground up. You'll really enjoy the hard work that the developers have put in to bring you some fresh feeling sprites and maps.

Pokemon Unbound also has some fresh tunes you can enjoy when you're grinding away at leveling up your party.

Overall Pokemon Unbound is a masterpiece. It could have easily been an official Nintendo released game with an amazing storyline, some fantastic artwork, amazing quality of life improvements and a rock solid soundtrack.

We hope you enjoyed all of the Pokemon rom hacks that are available for the GBA and hopefully this helped you decide where to level up your favorite Pokemon next. Be sure to let us know what you think on Twitter