How to Tell If a Game Boy Advance Cart Is Original
How to spot an authentic GBA cart and not a copy: the label, the back plastic, the screws, and Pokémon games.
Guides4 min read · Updated September 25, 2026
Why it matters
There are many Game Boy Advance copies out there, especially of Pokémon, Zelda, and Metroid. At a glance they look alike, but they can fail to save your game or stop working. These signs help you tell them apart.
1. Look at the front label
- The colors and letters look sharp, not blurry or pixelated.
- The finish is even and the label is well centered and glued on.
- Copies often have washed-out colors, badly cut edges, or letters that don't match the original box.
2. Flip the cart over
- The “Nintendo” logo is embossed in the plastic, not printed.
- It's also embossed with where it was made (for example, “MADE IN JAPAN”).
- Originals have a small sticker with a code (starting with “AGB-”).
- The screw is a tri-wing, the one Nintendo uses. Many copies use a regular Phillips screw.
3. If you open it: the board inside
Opening it requires a special tri-wing screwdriver. If you do, on an original the green board is printed with “Nintendo” and a code starting with “AGB-E”. A black blob of resin over the chip is a typical sign of a copy.
If you'd rather not open it, you don't have to: the outside signs are almost always enough.
4. The Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald trick
These original games have a battery inside for the in-game clock. Copies often don't have one, and they fail at saving or with time-based events. If starting the game tells you the internal battery has run dry, the game may be an original with an old battery: replace it and it keeps working.
At FaztGo
Every game is listed with a real photo from the listing, and the title says whether it's authentic and whether it was tested. If you have a question about a particular product, write to us before buying.