A lightning-fast GBA/GBC/GB emulator with Link play and RetroAchievements
4.30·1,285 reviews·100,000+ downloads
Linkboy is a fast, feature-rich GBA/GBC/GB emulator that supports Link play and RetroAchievements, delivering modern emulation with a lightweight interface. It holds strong ARCADE rankings in multiple regions and a solid rating of 4.31 from 993 reviews. With 100,000+ total downloads and 15K new installs in the last 30 days, it remains a popular choice for multiplayer retro gaming.
Pros & Cons
Efficient emulation delivering smooth performance with low battery drain
Very high compatibility across GBA, GBC, and GB titles
Reliable local multiplayer through Link cable emulation
Cloud save and cheat data sync via Google Drive
Lacks explicit ROM hosting or built-in ROM management features
Uses a broad set of permissions which may raise privacy concerns for some users
Performance and features may vary by device and network conditions for multiplayer
About Linkboy
Linkboy is an entertainment app developed by Pixel Respawn LLC.
How many times has Linkboy been downloaded?
Linkboy has been downloaded 240 thousand times. In the last 30 days, the app was downloaded 15 thousand times.
What is the rating of Linkboy?
Linkboy is rated 4.30 out of 5 stars, based on 1.3 thousand ratings.
Is Linkboy free?
Linkboy is free to download. The APK download size is 7.87 MB. The latest version available is 3.11.0. The last update was on July 19, 2026.
What are the requirements for Linkboy?
The app has a content rating of Everyone. The app has been available on Google Play January 2025.
Description
Linkboy is the successor to the popular My Boy! emulator series, offering fast and efficient GBA, GBC, and GB emulation with a modern interface and advanced features like Link play and RetroAchievements.
KEY FEATURES • ⚡ Optimized performance — smooth, efficient emulation with minimal battery use • 🎮 High compatibility — runs nearly all games flawlessly • 🔗 Link cable emulation — play up to 4 players via local network or on the same device • 🏆 RetroAchievements support — unlock achievements while you play • ⏩ Speed control — fast-forward up to 100× or slow down for detailed play. • 🧩 Cheat support — codes for multiple systems • 📱 Cartridge features emulation — gyroscope, light sensor, rumble, and GB Camera • 🎮 Controller & keyboard support — flexible many-to-many button mappings • 🎛️ Customizable virtual controls — move, resize, and configure buttons freely • 💾 Save states — multiple slots, save and load anytime • ☁️ Google Drive sync/backup — keep saves and cheats safe across devices • ✨ Visual enhancements — apply multiple GPU shaders for a new look • 📁 Manage game folders — easily add, remove, or organize your game collection • 🖌️ Modern UI — clean design with Material You styling
DISCLAIMER This app is not affiliated with, authorized, endorsed, or licensed in any way by Nintendo, its affiliates, or subsidiaries. No games are included. Screenshots feature either public domain titles or copyrighted works owned by their respective rights holders.
Recent changes: • Added the "GBC palettes" option to enable enhanced colorization for supported GB games. • Fixed rendering slowdowns on certain devices, especially when screen recording. • Fixed controller trigger button mapping for fast-forward. • [GBA] Fixed alpha blending in bitmap background modes. • [GBA] Fixed an opcode implementation issue. • [GBA] Fixed a sound timer issue.
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This is awesome, a perfect successor to My (Old)Boy. Link cable emulation (local, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) is easy and works well, this alone makes Link boy and its predecessors exceptional, and now it's even cross-platform! The improved UI and features like shaders, built-in file manager, switching between GB, SGB, GBC, GBA (if applicable), palettes (defaults AND game-specific), are all excellent. There are no ads, no nag screens, no bloat. This is THE BEST option for phones (including libretto cores).
★★★★★Hippo Pilot· Jul 7, 2026
The my boy emulators were my main until updates halted and Pizza boy became the hot new emulator. BUT, I am happy to say the developers have turned Link boy into a genuine competitor that outperforms pizza boy in features and design. If I had to choose one app I would choose link boy and not find myself wanting. The developers are attentive to user feedback and suggestions and deserve your money. A suggestion: some games have both an SGB and GBC enhanced mode, there should be a preference toggle
★☆☆☆☆Dr. hany· Jul 11, 2026
It asks for money to unlock the save feature. Really, save has become a feature right now. no, thanks
★☆☆☆☆Ivan Federico· Feb 2, 2026
Locking saves behind a paywall is a dealbreaker. Of all the things you could have put behind a paywall, you chose this one, which is also one of the most essential features and is present in all other emulators.
★☆☆☆☆Allysa Thompson· May 30, 2026
It plays nice (no skipped frames), but for some reason it's not recognizing the cheat codes that have 12-characters per line (and are legit codes as they have worked on the actual Game Shark device they're for--I still have the device and checked to make sure they work, and they do). This needs to be fixed, as otherwise it will limit how much I will be using this app.
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Trust & Safety: Linkboy requests a broad permission set to enable multiplayer, cloud saves, and device integration, along with Google Play Billing and license verification. It includes a disclaimer noting no affiliation with Nintendo. Review the requested permissions and ensure they are necessary for your use case.
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