Hades

GAME BOY ADVANCE EMULATOR

Hades

Hades is an open-source Game Boy Advance (GBA) emulator that aims for a balance of usability, speed and accuracy. It provides controller support, save states, shader effects, limited GPIO device emulation (RTC, rumble), and the ability to load games from common archive formats.

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Hades emulator screenshot.

game boy advancePRIMARY SYSTEM

History documentedPROJECT BEGAN

Open sourcePROJECT MODEL

WHY IT MATTERS

Why consider Hades?

Hades targets a mix of accuracy and modern usability: it includes save states, controller remapping, shader options (color correction, xBRZ, LCD effects), and can load ROMs from archives. The project is actively developed on GitHub and includes build instructions and Linux/AppImage/desktop releases.

BEST FOR

Best for

Users who want an actively developed, source-driven GBA emulator with modern front-end features (shaders, save states, controller remapping) and those who prefer building from source or using official binaries distributed by the project.

The people behind Hades

History & status

Hades is maintained as an open-source project on GitHub (repository hades-emu/Hades). The repo shows an active commit history and official releases distributed through GitHub Releases. The project describes itself as under heavy development and credits accuracy resources such as GBATEK, mGBA, and other GBA research/emulators. The developers provide build instructions (Meson/Ninja) and list required dependencies. Project activity, releases, and the source tree are hosted on GitHub and the project runs cross-platform builds and prebuilt releases per the project's download page.

What Hades supports

Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridge images (.gba)
Windows (official release binaries available)
Linux (AppImage / desktop builds and source build supported)
macOS (official releases / source build supported)
Controller input (gamepads), keyboard mapping
Save states (quick save/load), shader effects, basic RTC and rumble support

Download and availability

OFFICIAL DOWNLOADS

Get Hades

Official builds and release artifacts are published on the project's GitHub Releases page. Source code, build instructions, and platform-specific guidance are available from the repository and the project's website.

Get Hades ↗

DOCUMENTATION

Official documentation

Read the official configuration, compatibility, and troubleshooting material before changing advanced options.

Read official documentation ↗

Broken or missing download? Emulator projects move and official links sometimes change. Please contact Retro Replay so the source can be verified and updated.

Hades setup guide

Setup note: This setup guide covers obtaining an official build (or building from source), preparing a GBA BIOS if you choose to use one, and running games. Follow only official project downloads and your own legally-owned firmware/ROMs.

1) Choose download or build: Check the project's GitHub Releases for prebuilt binaries for your platform. If a prebuilt binary is not available for your OS or you prefer to compile, clone the official repository and follow the build steps.
2) Prepare build dependencies (if building): Hades uses Meson and Ninja. Typical dependencies listed in the repository include: meson, ninja, GCC/clang, SDL3 development headers, OpenGL, GLEW, and libarchive. On Debian/Ubuntu this is commonly installed via apt; on Fedora use dnf. After installing dependencies, initialize submodules, configure with meson, then run ninja to compile.
3) Download official binary (alternative to building): Download the platform-appropriate release artifact from the GitHub Releases page. For Linux, the project may provide an AppImage or tarball; for Windows a zip or installer; for macOS a dmg or zip. Verify checksums if provided.
4) BIOS / firmware note: Hades' user documentation refers to opening a BIOS file (commonly named bios.bin) from the File menu before loading a ROM. The official project does not include any proprietary BIOS/firmware — you must supply your own legally-obtained BIOS if you choose to use one. Some emulators can run certain games without a BIOS, but follow the project's instructions on the exact behavior for Hades.
5) Running your first game: Start Hades, use File → Open BIOS to load a bios.bin if you have one (per the project's docs), then File → Open to select a .gba file (or an archive containing .gba). The emulator supports loading from .zip/.7z/.rar archives.
6) Configure controls and performance: Open the input settings to map keyboard and gamepad buttons. Enable or adjust shaders (color correction, xBRZ, LCD effects) in the graphics/settings panel. Use save states/quick saves for snapshots. If you need improved performance, consult the build options and runtime settings; JIT or CPU-specific optimizations are mentioned in the repo notes for some platforms.
7) Troubleshooting and reporting issues: If you encounter problems, consult the project's README and official website for known issues and platform-specific instructions. Report reproducible bugs on the project's GitHub Issues tracker and include platform, build/release version, and log output where possible.

Software reminder: Hades does not bundle commercial games, firmware, BIOS files, or proprietary ROMs. Use only content you legally own and supply any required BIOS yourself.