The Original Game Boy's Games: Classics, Oddities and Hidden Gems

A console is remembered by its games, and the original Game Boy had a library full of character: clever launch titles, genre-defining hits, a few legendary disasters and plenty of overlooked gems. This guide is a tour through that software and the culture around it, with a link to the full story on each.

Pick a thread and follow it, from the day-one line-up to the cartridge that quietly saved the platform.

Day One

Every console is defined by what it arrived with. See the games that launched the Game Boy and the pack-in that mattered most, Tetris and the bundle that built an empire.

Mario, Wario and the Big Hits

The platform's biggest names are also its strangest stories. Revisit Super Mario Land, Mario's weird handheld debut, watch a villain steal the series in from Mario Land to Wario Land, and read how Pokemon gave the Game Boy a second life years into its run.

Hidden Gems and Infamous Flops

Beyond the classics lie the deep cuts. Dig into underrated DMG-01 games worth collecting, then meet the other extreme: Dragon's Lair, the legend of a terrible game.

Games Off the Screen

The games spilled into the real world. Spot the plumber in Mario's cameo career on box art, play Mario on a table with the Super Mario Land board game, and read the genuinely strange official Game Boy comics.

Beating Them

Before online walkthroughs, winning meant buying a book. Explore Nintendo's official player's guides.

See the Cartridges

Many of the games and guides named here are catalogued, boxed and photographed in the collection.