Game Boy Color

This article is about the handheld gaming system. For the gamebook series that originally used the name "Game Boy Color", see Game Boy Advance (book series).

"GBC" redirects here. For the accessory for the Game Boy systems, see Game Boy Camera.

Game Boy Color
Generation	Fifth generation
Release date	October 21, 1998 November 18, 1998 November 23, 1998 November 27, 1998 December 20, 2000[1]
Discontinued	September 25, 2003 2003
Predecessor	Game Boy Virtual Boy
Successor	Game Boy Advance

“Get into it.”

—The Game Boy Color slogan

The Game Boy Color (also abbreviated as GBC) is the fourth model to the Game Boy and, in some ways, the handheld counterpart of the Nintendo 64. It is similar to its predecessors, the most notable differences being that it is lighter, it is capable of displaying multiple colors, and the processing power is twice as fast. It is the final 8-bit handheld console. Although it is popularly described as a successor to the Game Boy due to its hardware advancements and the existence of Game Boy Color games that are incompatible with a standard Game Boy, Nintendo internally categorized it as a hardware revision. This disparity is reflected in the company's public representation of the system, such as in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where the Chronicle lists Game Boy and Game Boy Color games under one section.

Some games made for the original Game Boy display more colors if played on a Game Boy Color. Other games were made exclusively for the Game Boy Color. The older versions could not play these, but the Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy Advance SP, and the Game Boy Player could. It also had the shortest lifetime of a Nintendo handheld, as it was discontinued in 2003, and the last game was released later the same year.

The Game Boy Color has identical controls to those of the original Game Boy and the NES controller. These are , , , and buttons and the . There are no compatibility issues with games made for the original Game Boy being run on a Game Boy Color. All games, accessories that are programmed for a particular game (such as a Game Link Cable), and non-standard features (such as the camera protruding out of a Game Boy Camera cartridge) will work on a Game Boy Color. Playing games that did not have any color can now be played in color using a color palette by using a combination of and , , or no additional button being pressed to select presets, similar to the Super Game Boy how someone can change the colors into the typical monochrome display.

A device known as the Game Boy Horror, modeled after the Game Boy Color, appears in Luigi's Mansion.

Some Game Boy and Game Boy Color games were once available through the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console service until the Nintendo 3DS eShop's closure on March 27, 2023.

Hardware specifications[edit]

• CPU: Zilog Z80 (customized)
• CPU Speed: 8 Mhz
• RAM: 16 kB
• Resolution: 160x144 pixels (Same as Game Boy)
• Colors: 32,768 (15-bit RGB)
• Maximum number of colors on screen: 56
• Maximum sprite size: 8x16 or 16x8 pixels
• Maximum number of sprites on screen: 40 sprites, 10 per scanline (Same as Game Boy)
• Maximum number of colors on sprite: 4 (Same as Family Computer and NES)^[2][3]
• Minimum/Maximum cartridge size: 256 kb - 64 mb^[4]
• Sound: 4 channels

Compatibility modes[edit]

All older cartridges are compatible with the Game Boy Color but not always the other way around. Here is a chart to explain.

	Example cartridge	Usual color	Game Boy mode	Super Game Boy mode	Game Boy Color mode
Original Game Boy cartridge		Gray		Varies from game to game
Game Boy Color cartridge (black)		Black		Varies from game to game
Game Boy Color cartridge (clear)		Clear

Accessories[edit]

All official accessories compatible with the Game Boy are compatible with the Game Boy Color.

Game Link Cable[edit]

The same link cable the Game Boy and its variations use can be used on Game Boy Color.

Game Boy Printer[edit]

The Game Boy Printer that was used to print pictures from the player's Game Boy. This accessory gained some extended support when the Game Boy Color was released, such as being used in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe in Toy Box image albums and in Records tables, in Donkey Kong Country for the DK Sticker Packs, and as an accessory for Game Boy Camera.

Mobile Adapter GB[edit]

Only available in Japan, the Mobile Adapter GB allowed certain games to connect to some Japanese mobile phones. The only strictly Super Mario games to utilize it were Mobile Golf and Mario Kart: Super Circuit; however, the operation software that came with it (Mobile Trainer) features references to the Super Mario franchise. This peripheral was referred to as the Mobile Game Boy Adapter in a translated Iwata Asks interview. The device was released exclusively to Japan on January 27, 2001 and was not a commercial success.

A part of the service was the Mobile System GB, which allowed players to log on to the internet to access a network for wireless play across the nation via Nintendo servers. Using this server, Mobile Golf could be played online wirelessly, a precursor to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and Nintendo Network. Just as the device was not successful, the Mobile System GB was not successful and closed down on December 14, 2002.

• 

  A version compatible with a Panasonic mobile phone

• 

  A version compatible with a Kyocera mobile phone

IR communication[edit]

There is an infrared LED, indicated by the black rectangle on top of the unit, that a Game Boy Color can use. This was the primary method in which Mystery Gift worked in the Generation II Pokémon games, but Super Mario Bros. Deluxe can make use of this feature by sending high scores and other data to other copies. This feature is exclusive to the Game Boy Color and is not present in later Game Boy devices.

BIOS colors[edit]

These colors will also work on a Game Boy Advance, a Game Boy Advance SP and a Game Boy Player when a Game Boy game is inserted, but will not work on Virtual Console on Nintendo 3DS, whereas in Game Boy - Nintendo Switch Online only the hardware-coded palette for each game can be set as a color palette.

No input	Brown	Pale Yellow[5]/Pastel Mix[6]	Blue	Green
	Red	Orange	Dark Blue	Dark Green
	Dark Brown	Yellow	Original Gray	Reverse

The Game Boy Color will display a unique hardware-coded palette of colors for some titles using an internal list of original Game Boy games. Two such instances are Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. The palettes do however fall short of being a full colorization of the games, notably in the case of Dr. Mario where the regular black and square-patterned black viruses look similar.

• 

  Comparison for the Game Boy version of Dr. Mario

• 

  Comparison for the Game Boy and native Game Boy Color versions of Wario Land II

• 

  Comparison for Donkey Kong

• 

  Official in-app comparison for Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins in Game Boy - Nintendo Switch Online

Gallery[edit]

System gallery[edit]

• 

  Boot screen

Standard colors[edit]

• 

  Berry

• 

  Grape

• 

  Kiwi

• 

  Dandelion

• 

  Teal

• 

  Clear (Japan only)

Special editions[edit]

• 

  Mario-themed Atomic Purple Game Boy Color (Japan only)

• 

  Mario-themed Clear Game Boy Color (Japan only)

Game gallery[edit]

• 

  Donkey Kong Country

• 

  Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong

• 

  Game & Watch Gallery 2

• 

  Game & Watch Gallery 3

• 

  Mario Family

• 

  Mario Golf

• 

  Mario Tennis

• 

  Mobile Golf

• 

  Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

• 

  Wario Land II

• 

  Wario Land 3

Trivia[edit]

• The Game Boy Color, the Nintendo GameCube, and the Wii U were all released on the same day of their respective years in the Americas.
• This is Nintendo of Australia's first portable console.
• Each letter from the word "COLOR" in the logo is displayed in one of the system's five launch colors.
• In Commonwealth English, the correct spelling for "color" is "colour". Despite this, the name of the console was never changed outside of America to reflect this difference.

References[edit]

[Edit] Game Boy Color games
Super Mario franchise	Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (1999) • Mario Golf (1999) • Mario Tennis (2000) • Mobile Golf (2001) • Mario Family (2001)
Donkey Kong franchise	Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong (2000) • Donkey Kong Country (2000)
Wario franchise	Wario Land II* (1998) • Wario Land 3 (2000)
Other	Game & Watch Gallery 2* (1998) • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX* (1998) • Game & Watch Gallery 3* (1999)
* Backwards compatible with the Game Boy

[Edit] Video game systems and add-ons
Nintendo home consoles	Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System (Family BASIC, Family Computer Disk System) • Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Satellaview, Super Game Boy) • Nintendo 64 (Nintendo 64DD) • Nintendo GameCube (Game Boy Player) • Wii (Virtual Console, WiiWare) • Wii U (Virtual Console) • Nintendo Switch
Nintendo handhelds	Game & Watch • Game Boy • Virtual Boy • Game Boy Color • Game Boy Advance • Nintendo DS (Nintendo DSi, DSiWare) • Nintendo 3DS (Virtual Console) • Nintendo Switch
Other	MS-DOS • VS. System • Nintendo PlayChoice-10 • Nintendo Super System • Nelsonic Game Watch • Super Mario Bros. Watch • Gamewatch Boy • Philips CD-i • Mini Classics • Triforce • Visteon Dockable Entertainment System • Classics • LodgeNet • Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo
See here for a complete list of arcade titles and games ported to Atari 2600, Commodore, ColecoVision, Intellivision, etc.