How Many Games Released for the Original Game Boy? The Definitive Count

The original Game Boy (1989–2003) saw over 1,100 licensed games released worldwide—excluding Game Boy Color (1998) and Game Boy Advance (2001) titles, which are separate libraries.

Breakdown by Region

• Japan: ~800+ unique releases (many Japan-only: Wizardry ports, Sangokushi, Pocket Monsters variants)
• North America: ~600+
• Europe/PAL: ~550+

Many titles launched in multiple regions with different packaging/languages. The 1,100+ figure counts distinct game codes (DMG-XXX).

Notable Milestones

• Launch (1989): Tetris, Super Mario Land, Alleyway, Baseball, Tennis
• Peak year (1995): 150+ releases (Pokémon effect)
• Final licensed release: Pokémon Yellow (JP, 2003) / Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (NA/EU, 2002)

Why the Count Varies

• Unlicensed carts (Wisdom Tree, Sachen, etc.) add 50+ more.
• Multicarts (4-in-1, 16-in-1) inflate numbers if counted separately.
• Revisions (v1.0 vs v1.1) and region variants complicate databases.
• Sources: GameFAQs (~1,050), MobyGames (~1,150), Nintendo's own records (~1,046 licensed).

For collectors, the DMG-XXX model number on the cartridge label is the gold standard for identifying unique original Game Boy releases.