Build, contribute, and extend the most accurate Game Boy Advance emulator. Access developer tools, API documentation, source code, and contribution guidelines.
mGBA is an open-source project built by a community of developers. Whether you're interested in contributing code, building custom tools, or creating platform ports, the developer platform provides all the resources you need to get started.
Powerful tools and APIs for extending and customizing mGBA
Full Lua 5.4 scripting support enables you to create custom tools, trainers, automation scripts, and game modifications. Access memory, CPU registers, inputs, and emulator functions programmatically.
Built-in debugging capabilities for analyzing game behavior, inspecting memory, and testing emulation accuracy. Perfect for game development and ROM testing.
Advanced save state system with analysis tools. Inspect, modify, and convert save states between formats. Export and import functionality for cross-platform compatibility.
Comprehensive ROM testing tools for verifying game compatibility and identifying issues. Automated testing framework for regression testing and compatibility verification.
Built-in profiling tools for analyzing emulation performance. Identify bottlenecks, optimize rendering, and measure accuracy vs. speed trade-offs.
Programmatic access to emulator configuration. Create custom configuration tools, manage settings programmatically, and build automation scripts.
Everything you need to start developing with mGBA
Access the complete mGBA source code on GitHub. Browse the codebase, read commit history, and understand the architecture.
Learn how to build mGBA from source on Windows, macOS, Linux, and other platforms. Step-by-step guides for each platform.
Complete API reference for Lua scripting, configuration, and internal APIs. Examples, tutorials, and best practices.
Understand mGBA's internal architecture, design decisions, and code organization. Essential reading for contributors.
Learn how to contribute to mGBA. Coding standards, pull request process, and development workflow.
Track upcoming features, planned improvements, and development priorities. See what's being worked on.
Port mGBA to new platforms or optimize existing ports
Windows development with MSVC or MinGW. Direct3D and OpenGL backends. MSI installer and portable builds.
Native Cocoa interface with Metal rendering. Universal binaries for Intel and Apple Silicon. Xcode project included.
Multiple frontend options: Qt, GTK+, SDL2, or command-line. OpenGL and Vulkan support. Distribution packages available.
Android NDK development with Java/Kotlin frontend. JNI bindings for core emulation. Touch-optimized controls.
Native iOS development with Objective-C/Swift frontend. Metal rendering backend. Xcode project included.
Port mGBA to embedded systems like Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, and other platforms via homebrew.
Interested in creating a new port? Check the porting guides or discuss your idea with the community.
Connect with other developers, get help, and contribute to mGBA
Primary development platform. Report bugs, submit pull requests, and track issues.
Visit GitHub →GitHub Discussions for questions, ideas, and general discussion about mGBA development.
Join Discussions →Report bugs, request features, and track development progress on GitHub Issues.
View Issues →All code contributions go through peer review. Learn from code reviews and contribute to reviews.
View Pull Requests →Track changes, improvements, and new features in each release. Review release history and changelogs.
View Releases →See who's contributing, track contributions over time, and recognize community members.
View Contributors →Quick examples to get you started with mGBA development
Simple Lua script to display player coordinates:
-- Display player X and Y coordinates
local core = require("core")
core.addFrameCallback(function()
local x = core.cpuRead32(0x02000000)
local y = core.cpuRead32(0x02000004)
print(string.format("Player Position: X=%d, Y=%d", x, y))
end)Quick start commands for building mGBA:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mgba-emu/mgba.git
cd mgba
# Configure with CMake
cmake -S . -B build
# Build
cmake --build build
# Install (optional)
cmake --install buildSystem requirements and dependencies for building mGBA
Common questions about developing with mGBA
Building mGBA from source depends on your platform. On Windows, install CMake and MSVC or MinGW. On macOS, install Xcode and use CMake. On Linux, install build-essential and development libraries. See the building guide for detailed platform-specific instructions.
Contributions are welcome! Start by reading the contributing guidelines. You can contribute code, documentation, bug reports, or feature requests. Fork the repository, make your changes, and submit a pull request. All contributions go through code review.
The Lua scripting API provides full Lua 5.4 support for creating custom tools, trainers, automation scripts, and game modifications. You can access memory, CPU registers, inputs, and emulator functions programmatically. See the Lua Scripting API documentation for complete reference and examples.
For building mGBA, you need a C/C++ compiler (GCC 4.9+, Clang 3.5+, or MSVC 2015+), CMake 3.1+, Git, and platform-specific dependencies. Windows requires DirectX SDK, macOS requires Xcode Command Line Tools, Linux requires development libraries for SDL2, Qt, or GTK+ depending on your build configuration.
Yes! mGBA's codebase is designed for portability. The core emulation code is platform-independent, and platform-specific code is isolated in separate modules. See the porting guides in the developer documentation for instructions on creating new platform ports. You can also discuss your porting plans in GitHub Discussions.
mGBA includes built-in debugging tools including a memory inspector, register viewer, and breakpoint support. You can use external debuggers like GDB, LLDB, or Visual Studio Debugger. The emulator also supports Lua scripts for debugging. See the troubleshooting guide for more information.
mGBA is released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL 2.0). This is a copyleft license that allows you to use, modify, and distribute mGBA, but requires you to share source code for mGBA-specific changes. See the LICENSE file for full details.
Use the GitHub Issues page to report bugs or request features. For bugs, include detailed reproduction steps, system information, and logs if available. For feature requests, explain the use case and expected behavior. Check existing issues first to avoid duplicates.
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