# SameBoy — Friendly, Powerful GB Emulator

> Accurate, open-source Game Boy emulator with advanced features and controller support. (iPhone/iPad app by Lior Halphon.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sameboy/id6496971295 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Lior Halphon](https://appshunter.io/developer/1741211844)
- Category: Entertainment, Developer Tools
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 105 App Store ratings · 122 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 7 MB
- Released: 2024-05-21
- Data updated: 2026-07-08
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sameboy/id6496971295/reviews.md

## What is SameBoy?

SameBoy is a user friendly, powerful and open source Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Super Game Boy emulator.

Features:
- World's most accurate Game Boy emulation core
- Save states, with gesture support for quick saving and loading
- Rumble support, even for games without a Rumble Pak
- Play on your Apple Watch
- A wide range of scaling filters
- Game Boy Camera emulation
- Motion controls emulation
- Fast forward, rewind, and slow motion
- Game Boy Printer emulation
- Use cheat codes
- Support for MFi, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox controllers
- Interface themes
- No ads, no tracking
- A lot more!

Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://sameboy.github.io/privacy/
SameBoy is in no way affiliated with Nintendo. Game Boy is a trademark of Nintendo.

## Key features

- Accurate Game Boy emulation
- Save states with gesture support
- Rumble support
- Apple Watch playability
- Scaling filters
- Game Boy Camera emulation
- Controller support

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supporter Plus | $2.99 | per month |
| Supporter | $0.99 | per month |
| Supporter Premium | $7.99 | per month |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Theme Access | $4.99 | one-time |
| SameBoy for Apple Watch | $4.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of SameBoy?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 No ads or intrusive monetization
- 🎮 Highly accurate Game Boy/GBC emulation
- 💡 Innovative gesture controls (swipe to save/load/fast-forward)
- 🎨 Beautiful, authentic design with multiple themes
- ⚙️ Extensive customization and emulation options
- 🔄 Rewind feature for gameplay convenience
- 📱 Low battery consumption and resource-efficient
- 🎯 Super Game Boy support with colorization
- 🖼️ Game Boy Camera and Printer support
- ⚡ Fast, smooth gameplay performance
- 🎮 Multiple hardware emulation modes (GB, GBC, Pocket, SGB)
- 💾 Automatic save functionality
- 🎮 Rumble and controller support
- 🌍 Multilingual interface support

**Cons**

- 💰 Apple Watch support requires paid subscription
- 🐛 iPad portrait mode menu bug
- ❌ No Game Boy Advance emulation despite claims
- 🎮 Small button sizes for large hands
- ⚠️ Cheats feature limited or non-functional
- 🔌 Turbo/speed boost features inconsistent
- 📱 ROM import issues with certain file formats
- 🎮 Rewind can cause game glitches in some titles
- 🔧 Confusing initial setup for ROM loading
- 💳 Expensive Apple Watch subscription pricing
- 🎨 Theme customization locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Occasional crashes on specific devices

**Commonly reported bugs**

- iPad portrait mode triggers menu on A button/Up arrow press
- Game Boy Camera crashes on iPhone 17 Pro Max when switching cameras
- Rewind function causes game data loss in some titles
- 200% and 400% speed boost settings don't work
- Cheats don't function properly for certain games
- ROM import fails with .zip files
- GBA ROM files show 'not in ROM archive' error
- Auto-save/auto-load switches between emulator cores unexpectedly
- Turbo feature doesn't work without screen swiping
- Tips popup appears too frequently during gameplay
- PS4 controller recognized but non-functional in games
- ROM sharing from Files app doesn't always work

**Most requested features**

- Game Boy Advance emulation support
- Cheat code functionality
- Multiplayer/wireless linking for Pokémon games
- Online multiplayer support
- Adjustable screen and button sizes
- Separate save/load toggle options
- Slow-motion feature (free version)
- Game Boy Printer output to photo gallery
- iCloud synchronization
- Retro achievements system
- One-time theme purchase option instead of subscription
- Apple Watch complication support
- Turbo button hold functionality
- ZIP and 7z file format support
- Fullscreen mode with scaling options
- Language selection for interface
- Super Game Boy border display
- PS4/Backbone controller improvements

## Recent user reviews (10 of 122)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sameboy/id6496971295/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Please add built-in ROMs

*2026-06-30, version 1.0.3*

I see the potential in this game, but my parental controls don’t let me have the Internet therefore I can’t get any ROMs on it I somehow managed to get just one game on it from a different app but it took me almost an hour, and that game was flappy bird you may be thinking then why did you download the game? and the reason is, I didn’t exactly know what an emulator is because I’m i’m a kid and I never really learned it because I never needed to know

### 5/5 — Great emulator

*2026-05-04, version 1.0.3*

It is one of the best gb emulators. I would love to see portrait lock and fast forward icon being hidden, it covers an important part of the battle hud in my games.

### 5/5 — love it

*2026-04-18, version 1.0.3*

no ads, really love the design 👍 5/5

### 5/5 — mopeds

*2026-02-02, version 1.0.2*

Adar

 Question.

### 1/5 — Trash

*2026-02-01, version 1.0.2*

This is a complete waste of time I am so done with IPhone this is by far the worst phone you can get the apps and games are trash the phone itself is trash when I had my Samsung I was able to download a game boy advance emulator and for 30 dollars I had unlimited access to tons and tons of awesome games and all the emulators available to down load on this trash phone are also trash those of you who gave this a high rating you are also trash and to the makers of this emulator your are trash waste of my time garbage

### 4/5 — Seems ok

*2026-01-19, version 1.0.2*

I’m not sure how to get the files and get the emulator to work but it seems decent

### 5/5 — Best emulator for gb and gbc

*2026-01-19, version 1.0.2*

I’ve tried many emulators for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, but SameBoy is by far the best. It lets you switch between the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color models in real time, which is such a nice touch. Sometimes I want to enjoy the nostalgic monochrome look, and with SameBoy, I can instantly toggle it while playing.

### 5/5 — Great

*2026-01-15, version 1.0.2*

I love the super GameBoy functionality

### 5/5 — The perfect color experience

*2026-01-13, version 1.0.2*

Very good game boy color experience, works great and the original shell colors are delightful

### 4/5 — Molto bello

*2026-01-08, version 1.0.2*

È molto bello però non va Game Boy Advance, vi prego aggiustatelo 🙏🥺

## Frequently asked questions about SameBoy

### What is SameBoy?

SameBoy is an open-source emulator that allows you to play games from the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Super Game Boy systems on your device. It is designed to be highly accurate and offers a user-friendly experience.

### What are the key features of SameBoy?

Key features include the world's most accurate Game Boy emulation core, save states with gesture support, rumble support, the ability to play on Apple Watch, a wide range of scaling filters, Game Boy Camera and Printer emulation, and support for various external controllers.

### Is SameBoy free to use?

The application is free to download and use. While the description mentions in-app purchases, the specific nature of these purchases is not detailed, but the core emulation functionality is available without cost.

### What devices is SameBoy compatible with?

The application is available for Apple devices, as indicated by its presence on the App Store and the mention of playing on an Apple Watch. It also supports a variety of controllers including MFi, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox controllers.

### Can I use cheat codes with SameBoy?

Yes, the emulator supports the use of cheat codes, allowing you to enhance your gameplay experience with classic Game Boy titles. This feature is part of the extensive functionality provided to replicate the original hardware experience.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.0.3 — 2026-03-04

New features and fixes in this release:
- Support for more game controllers, including singular Joy-Cons
- Better handling of save conflicts using a dialog, making syncing saves across different machines and emulators easier
- It is now possible to adjust the maximum rumble strength
- Controller buttons can now be assigned to one of 4 hotkey commands
- Major improvements to noise emulation accuracy
- Fixed an issue where rewinding could reset the ROM under some circumstances
- Fixed a bug where the Game Boy Camera could not be emulated correctly on some iPhone models
- Various other bugs fixes and improvements

Complete change log: https://sameboy.github.io/changelog/

### 1.0.2 — 2025-08-01

New features and fixes in this release:
- Rapid A and Rapid B buttons can now be configured on game controllers
- Improvements to Turbo Mode and its settings
- Major improvements to audio quality
- All GameShark cheats are now correctly imported
- Various UI improvements
- Various other improvements and bug fixes

Complete change log: https://sameboy.github.io/changelog/

### 1.0.1 — 2025-04-04

Plenty of new features in this release:
- Joysticks on game controllers can now be used as faux analog inputs
- Improved audio quality
- Fixed compatibility issues with some iPad models
- Various improvements to stability and speed
- Minor accuracy improvements

Complete change log: https://sameboy.github.io/changelog/

### 1.0 — 2024-12-11

Plenty of new features in this release:
- Play your ROMs on your Apple Watch
- Cheats support
- Game Boy Printer emulation
- Put your ROMs and saves on iCloud
- Create, import, and share palettes for use with monochrome Game Boy models
- Many other improvements and bug fixes

Complete change log: https://sameboy.github.io/changelog/

### 0.16.7 — 2024-10-03

- It is now possible to cycle between different main cameras while emulating the Game Boy Camera
 - ZIP archives can now be directly imported
 - ROMs in the library can now be deleted using a context menu as well
 - The Homebrew Hub was moved to a tab
 - A new flat CRT filter is now available
 - Retouched icons, including new dark and tinted icons
- Fixed a bug caused turbo/slow-motion/rewind modes to unexpectedly exit when using a game controller
- Fixed a potential crash involving haptics

Complete change log: https://sameboy.github.io/changelog/

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-08.*