5 Classic Game Boy Games That Are Unplayable Today

When it comes to the greatest handheld consoles of all time, the original Game Boy set the standard that its successors followed. Launched in 1989, Nintendo kept its hardware relatively cheap and accessible through its monochrome display and longer battery life than its competitors, like the Sega Game Gear and Atari Lynx. Many of the company's popular franchises received their own Game Boy titles, letting fans take that action on the go. Several of these titles have resurfaced in modern compilations or through services like Nintendo Switch Online.

However, not every beloved Game Boy title has since been resurrected for modern gamers, at least not through an official re-release. We're highlighting some of our favorites from Nintendo's iconic handheld that still aren't available on current platforms. Keep in mind, this does not count unauthorized emulations, with these games officially only available through working cartridges and hardware. 

Here are five classic Game Boy games that are unplayable today through legal means on modern platforms.

While it may not be recognized among the best Batman games, 1990's "Batman: The Video Game" is a movie tie-in done right. Like the Nintendo Entertainment System game released the year before it, the Game Boy title loosely adapts the 1989 movie, complete with images from the film. The game is also a side-scrolling action game, with prominent platforming elements and various power-ups Batman can use. One of the bigger departures is the heightened emphasis on Batman regularly using a gun, which may understandably put off Dark Knight purists.

While still boasting a considerable challenge, "Batman: The Video Game" feels relatively more accessible to its NES counterpart. The level design is surprisingly intricate for a handheld title and the platforming gameplay mechanics handle well. Being a licensed property, neither the NES nor Game Boy versions of the movie tie-in are available on Nintendo Switch Online. But proof positive that good movie tie-ins can exist, "Batman: The Video Game" gets the job done.

When the 1994 game "Bomberman GB" was localized for North American and European audiences, it swapped out the narrative's overarching antagonist and premise. Rather than pitting White Bomber against Black Bomber and his gang, the explosive protagonist took on Nintendo's new rascal Wario. To reflect this change and give the game some added name-brand recognition, the North American and European release was retitled "Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!" The gameplay stays largely the same, with White Bomber seen from an overhead perspective as he plants bombs to obliterate obstacles and enemies to progress.

While the inclusion of Wario feels as forced as it apparently was, "Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!" is a solid "Bomberman" game. The overhead perspective and grid-based maps suit the Game Boy's capabilities well and it's the perfect sort of action to experience portably. Because of its unusual localization history, the game hasn't been re-released since compilations of the franchise's handheld titles in 1996 and 2003. An odd crossover moment between two video game franchises, "Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!" is a fun, though unorthodox, entry in the series.

While Kirby almost didn't become a video game character, he certainly made waves for Nintendo once he did. The pink puffball got his start on the Game Boy with 1992's "Kirby's Dream Land" and quickly launched his own franchise. Among the many spin-offs starring the adorable protagonist was 1995's "Kirby's Block Ball," essentially a Kirby-led take on block-busting games like "Breakout." While avoiding spikes on the sides of the screen, Kirby can use his signature copy ability to temporarily power himself up and aid in busting blocks faster.

Several Kirby games are available to play on Nintendo Switch Online, including the mainline titles and the spin-offs "Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble" and "Kirby Star Stacker." However, "Kirby's Block Ball" currently remains conspicuously absent on the platform, though it was available on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console until 2023. While featuring a relatively simple premise, the game itself is surprisingly fun and the developers do a good job in utilizing elements from the main Kirby series. A deceptively deep take on the genre, "Kirby's Block Ball" is worthy of joining its counterparts already available on the Switch.

Not even games by legendary Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto are guaranteed a place on Nintendo Switch Online. Among Miyamoto's more obscure projects is "Mole Mania," which was released for the Game Boy in 1996. The game provides players with a top-down perspective like "Bomberman," while they control a mole trying to bring a ball to a target destination in order to proceed. Given the premise, the mole can dig underground paths to get past various obstacles, though it presents its own strategic thinking.

While certainly peculiar, unlike "Devil World," Shigeru Miyamoto's banned NES game, "Mole Mania" did secure a North American release. Likely due to its unusual premise and gameplay, the game certainly wasn't as successful as more marquee Game Boy titles. The game wasn't even particularly successful in its native Japan, selling less than 90,000 copies in the country during the Game Boy's lifecycle. Despite this, the game was released for the 3DS Virtual Console in 2012 but hasn't come over to the Switch since the Virtual Console's shuttering.

Before "Stardew Valley" became one of the best indie games of all time, it was preceded by the "Harvest Moon" series. The farming simulation franchise's first handheld title was "Harvest Moon GB," which was released for the console in 1997. As with many titles in the series, the game begins with the player character inheriting a farm from their late grandfather. Players reverse the farm's fortunes as they plant and harvest crops as well as raising livestock on the property.

Compared to its home console counterparts, "Harvest Moon GB" is a significantly stripped down experience, and that's not just with its technical presentation. This iteration of the series doesn't feature a romantic subplot, and it keeps its community-based mini-games to a relative minimum. That streamlined focus highlights how much fun the simple farming gameplay can be even with its bare-bones approach. However, while "Harvest Moon GB" was offered through the Nintendo 3DS' Virtual Console, it remains unavailable after the service was shut down in 2023.