GBA emulator for iPhone and iPad

Start with a .gba game file

Retropa runs supported GBA games on iPhone and iPad with iOS 18 or later. The app is free to download, but it does not include games or BIOS files. Use a game file you have the right to use, and keep the original outside the app as a backup.

• A GBA game normally uses the .gba extension.
• A .gb or .gbc file belongs to GB or GBC, not GBA.
• Changing a file extension does not convert a game to another system.

Import from the Files app

Make sure the file is available locally in Files, rather than only visible as a cloud placeholder. Open the import entry in Retropa's library and select the game. Once it appears in the library, open it and confirm that the picture, sound and default controls work before customizing the layout.

Choose the right handheld layout

A GBA layout needs room for the directional pad, A and B, shoulder buttons, Start and Select. Try the buttons as well as the artwork. Retropa supports .deltaskin import, but a DS skin is not a substitute for a GBA layout. Check that the package supports your device orientation.

• Keep the game screen unobstructed in both orientations you use.
• Pair compatible physical controllers in iOS, then check their mapping in Retropa.
• Premium skins and advanced filters require Plus; importing a file does not unlock paid features.

LCD character or clean pixels?

Begin with the original picture. A light LCD treatment can recall a handheld screen, while a CRT treatment creates a different presentation. Retropa's advanced filters account for the actual output area without an integer-scale requirement. Filters change the picture, not the game's resolution or file compatibility.

When an import or a save will not work

Check the file extension, selected system and the exact error first. If Files cannot open or download the original, finish that step before importing again. For BIOS errors, follow the selected core's requirement; an arcade neogeo.zip is not a GBA BIOS. A game's own save data and an emulator save state are different artifacts: do not rename one into the other, and retain backups before moving between cores or apps.

• Try the default skin and a simple filter when isolating a control or display issue.
• Record the app version, system, core and error for support.
• Do not attach commercial ROMs or BIOS files to a support request.