Graphics
160×144
- Colors on screen
- 56
- Palette
- 32,768 colors
- Sprites
- 40
- Screen
- 2.3″ Reflective TFT color LCD
Below: Master System 32 colors · Above: Genesis 61 colors
Game Boy Color
Also known as GBC · CGB
- Nintendo
- Handheld
- Fifth generation
823 Game Boy Color games, all playable free in your browser.
Nintendo released the Game Boy Color in Japan on October 21, 1998 and in North America, Europe and Australia the following month. Compared with the original Game Boy it added a color TFT screen, a processor able to run at twice the speed and four times the memory, while keeping the same custom 8-bit Sharp processor family and remaining compatible with earlier Game Boy cartridges.
- First released · Japan
- 1998
- CPU
- 8-bit
- Games in the library · all playable
- 823
TIMELINE
1998–2003
- JPJapan
- NANorth America
- EUEurope
- AUAustralia
- ENDDiscontinued
Games per release year
| Year | Games |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 26 |
| 1999 | 125 |
| 2000 | 226 |
| 2001 | 145 |
| 2002 | 17 |
| 2016 | 1 |
- PS1PlayStation: Dec 3, 1994 – Mar 23, 2006
- N64Nintendo 64: Jun 23, 1996 – 2002
- CPS-3Capcom CPS-3: Nov 21, 1996 – end not recorded
- NAOMISega NAOMI: 1998 – end not recorded
- GBCGame Boy Color: Oct 21, 1998 – Mar 31, 2003
- NGPCNeo Geo Pocket Color: Mar 19, 1999 – Oct 30, 2001
- PS2PlayStation 2: Mar 4, 2000 – Jan 4, 2013
- WonderSwanWonderSwan Color: Dec 9, 2000 – 2003
- GBAGame Boy Advance: Mar 21, 2001 – 2010
All 36 systems
- Atari 2600Atari 2600: Sep 1977 – 1992
- SpectrumZX Spectrum: Apr 23, 1982 – 1992
- ColecoColecoVision: Aug 1982 – 1985
- Atari 5200Atari 5200: Oct 1982 – May 21, 1984
- VectrexVectrex: Oct 1982 – Feb 1984
- NESNintendo Entertainment System: Jul 15, 1983 – Sep 25, 2003
- SG-1000Sega SG-1000: Jul 15, 1983 – Oct 1985
- MSXMSX: Oct 21, 1983 – 1993
- Amstrad CPCAmstrad CPC: Jun 21, 1984 – 1990
- Master SystemSega Master System: Oct 20, 1985 – 1996
- Atari 7800Atari 7800: May 1986 – 1992
- X68000Sharp X68000: Mar 28, 1987 – end not recorded
- PC EnginePC Engine / TurboGrafx-16: Oct 30, 1987 – Dec 16, 1994
- CPS-1Capcom CPS-1: May 13, 1988 – May 11, 1995
- GenesisSega Genesis / Mega Drive: Oct 29, 1988 – 1997
- PCE CDPC Engine CD / TurboGrafx-CD: Dec 4, 1988 – end not recorded
- Game BoyGame Boy: Apr 21, 1989 – Mar 31, 2003
- LynxAtari Lynx: Sep 1, 1989 – 1995
- Neo GeoNeo Geo: Apr 16, 1990 – 2004
- Game GearSega Game Gear: Oct 6, 1990 – Apr 30, 1997
- SNESSuper Nintendo: Nov 21, 1990 – Sep 25, 2003
- Sega CDSega CD / Mega-CD: Dec 12, 1991 – 1996
- CPS-2Capcom CPS-2: Sep 10, 1993 – Dec 22, 2003
- Neo Geo CDNeo Geo CD: Sep 9, 1994 – 1997
- 32XSega 32X: Nov 1994 – 1996
- PS1PlayStation: Dec 3, 1994 – Mar 23, 2006
- N64Nintendo 64: Jun 23, 1996 – 2002
- CPS-3Capcom CPS-3: Nov 21, 1996 – end not recorded
- NAOMISega NAOMI: 1998 – end not recorded
- GBCGame Boy Color: Oct 21, 1998 – Mar 31, 2003
- NGPCNeo Geo Pocket Color: Mar 19, 1999 – Oct 30, 2001
- PS2PlayStation 2: Mar 4, 2000 – Jan 4, 2013
- WonderSwanWonderSwan Color: Dec 9, 2000 – 2003
- GBAGame Boy Advance: Mar 21, 2001 – 2010
- OpenBOROpenBOR: 2004 – today
- TIC-80TIC-80: Mar 22, 2017 – today
A bar that fades out means the end date is unknown. Fantasy consoles and game engines are still available.
UNDER THE HOOD
Technical specifications
Processor
8.39MHz
- CPU
- Sharp SM83 (in the Nintendo CPU CGB system-on-chip)
- Core
- custom Intel 8080 / Zilog Z80 hybrid
- Word size
- 8-bit
Runs at 4.194304 or 8.388608 MHz (up to twice the original Game Boy speed)
Memory
32KB
- Main RAM
- 32 KB
- Video RAM
- 16 KB
Below: Atari 5200 16 KB · Above: Spectrum 48 KB
Sound
4channels
Two pulse-wave channels, one wave channel and one noise channel; built-in mono speaker, stereo headphone output
Media
Cartridge
- Cartridge
- up to 8 MB
Launch price
$79.95
- North America
- $79.95
Power
10h
- Batteries
- 2 × AA
- Battery life
- about 10 hours
Family line
- Before
- Game Boy
- This system
- Game Boy Color
- After
- Game Boy Advance
THE STORY
About the GBC
Three kinds of cartridge ran on it: original Game Boy games, which the system could tint with built-in or user-selected palettes; dual-mode cartridges carrying both monochrome and color versions; and color-only cartridges that used up to 56 colors at once from 32,768. It also introduced an infrared port. It competed with Bandai's WonderSwan and SNK's Neo Geo Pocket Color.
The Game Boy Color had a short life, succeeded by the Game Boy Advance after less than three years. Combined with the original Game Boy it sold 118.69 million units, and Pokémon Gold and Silver, shipping 23 million copies, are its best-selling games. Later commentary has treated it partly as a transitional model, while also recognizing a library that includes Wario Land 3 and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel.
- Backward compatible with original Game Boy games, with default color palettes for more than 90 titles and 12 selectable palettes for the rest.
- Displays up to 56 colors simultaneously from a palette of 32,768.
- CPU can run at twice the original Game Boy's speed (8.39 MHz) with four times the work RAM.
- Added an infrared port for short-range communication.
- Pokémon Gold and Silver shipped 23 million units worldwide.
THE LIBRARY
823 GBC games on Back2OldGames
823
games, all playable right in your browser
Release years 1998–2016
<p class="lib-span">205 developers</p>Genres
Top developers
Players
121 games with a known number of players.
Regions
THE GAMES
The GBC library
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Sources
Specifications and history from the sources below (Wikipedia text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; facts summarized in our own words). Library numbers come from the Back2OldGames catalog.
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