Screenshot of the NASA CAMS Meteor Shower Portal Image by Sidgan, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Meteor

GAME BOY ADVANCE EMULATOR CORE

Meteor

Meteor is a libretro core: a port of the Meteor Game Boy Advance emulator to the libretro API. It is an early/incomplete GBA core maintained in the libretro ecosystem and available as a source port you can build or install as a libretro core.

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Screenshot of the NASA CAMS Meteor Shower Portal Image by Sidgan, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Game Boy AdvancePRIMARY SYSTEM

History documentedPROJECT BEGAN

Open sourcePROJECT MODEL

WHY IT MATTERS

Why this core exists

Meteor exists as a libretro port of an independent Game Boy Advance emulator to provide a GBA-compatible core in the libretro/RetroArch ecosystem. It represents one of several GBA cores available for libretro frontends, intended for users who need an alternative core or who wish to test/compare implementations.

BEST FOR

Best use cases

Testing and comparison within RetroArch or other libretro frontends; use by developers or advanced users who want to build the libretro port from source. Not recommended if you need a fully mature, highly compatible GBA core — other cores (mGBA, Beetle GBA/Mednafen, VBA-M/gpSP ports) are generally more complete.

Gameplay from Metroid Fusion on Game Boy Advance.

The people behind Meteor

History and status

Meteor is a libretro port of a Game Boy Advance emulator that has been added to libretro's core listings. Libretro's core-info describes Meteor as a very early, incomplete Game Boy Advance emulator port. The project exists in libretro's repositories (and a libretro-specific GitHub mirror/port), and is listed in the libretro core list. Documentation and project metadata indicate the core is not on par with more actively developed GBA cores; some libretro documentation and community resources mark Meteor as incomplete or lacking in features present in other GBA cores.

What Meteor supports

Game Boy Advance (GBA) ROM images supported by libretro frontends
Builds for common libretro target formats: .so (Linux), .dll (Windows), .dylib (macOS) when built from source
Runs inside libretro frontends (RetroArch and other libretro-compatible frontends)
Platform support depends on libretro frontend availability and successful build on target OS

Download and availability

OFFICIAL DOWNLOADS

Get Meteor

Install via a libretro frontend's Core Downloader (when available) or build the core from source. The libretro documentation lists Meteor among cores and points to where libretro cores are cataloged. The libretro GitHub repository for meteor-libretro contains build instructions: build the libretro target in the libretro folder to produce meteor_libretro.so / meteor_libretro.dll / meteor_libretro.dylib.

Get Meteor ↗

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.

Meteor setup guide

Setup note: Two practical ways to obtain and run Meteor as a libretro core: (A) install the core through your frontend's core/online updater if the frontend provides Meteor; (B) build the core from source and load it into a libretro frontend such as RetroArch. The steps below focus on a precise, core-specific build-and-run workflow.

A — Check frontend core availability: Open your libretro frontend (for example RetroArch). Use its Online Updater or Core Updater feature and search the core list for "Meteor" or "Nintendo – Game Boy Advance (Meteor)". If the frontend offers the core, download it directly and load it from the frontend's Load Core menu. Note: some frontends or builds may not include this core in their online core catalog.
B1 — Clone the libretro port repository (build from source): Clone the libretro port repository (for example the libretro/meteor-libretro repository) to your machine. Inspect the repository README for build dependencies and toolchain notes. The repository contains a libretro folder; building that folder produces the platform-specific dynamic library (meteor_libretro.so, meteor_libretro.dll or meteor_libretro.dylib).
B2 — Install build dependencies: Install a C/C++ toolchain for your host OS (gcc/clang and make on Linux/macOS, MSYS2/MinGW or Visual Studio toolchain on Windows). Also install any dependencies listed in the repository README. Typical libretro core builds require a working C compiler, make, and platform development packages; follow the repository's documented instructions if present.
B3 — Build the libretro core: From the repository root, change to the libretro folder (or follow the repository build instructions) and run make. On success the build will create the core library named meteor_libretro with the platform suffix (.so/.dll/.dylib). If the project supplies a Makefile or CMake configuration, follow those specific steps; otherwise run make in the libretro target directory.
B4 — Install and load the core in your frontend: Copy the built meteor_libretro.* file into your frontend's cores/plugins directory (for RetroArch the cores directory under the RetroArch installation). Start the frontend, use Load Core and browse to the meteor_libretro library, then load the core.
B5 — Load a GBA ROM (user-supplied) and configure: From the frontend, choose Load Content and select a legally obtained GBA ROM file. Configure controls in the core's Quick Menu or the frontend's input settings. Adjust core options if available. Do not expect the Meteor core to support all GBA features; test compatibility and compare with other GBA cores if you run into issues.
Troubleshooting and notes: If the core fails to load, confirm your built library matches the frontend's ABI (32-bit vs 64-bit) and that you placed the file in the correct cores directory. Consult the core repository issues or libretro docs for platform-specific build flags. Because Meteor is described in libretro metadata as an early/incomplete port, some games or runtime features may be unsupported.

Software reminder: Meteor is a libretro core only; you must provide your own legal GBA ROMs. The core does not include commercial game ROMs, firmware, or BIOS files.

Sources and further reading

Detailed guides and tutorials

Explore step-by-step guides for Meteor as they are published.

Use Meteor on Android

An Android ARM64 Libretro build exists for Meteor. Run the core through RetroArch for Android; the standalone desktop download and Android core may have different menus and features.

Emulates: Game Boy Advance.

Verified Android core build ↗ · Browse all Android emulators →