{"id":45247,"date":"2024-01-17T14:48:31","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T14:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/?p=45247"},"modified":"2024-01-17T14:48:31","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T14:48:31","slug":"install-vba-m-play-gba-gbc-games-ubuntu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/2024\/01\/install-vba-m-play-gba-gbc-games-ubuntu\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Install VBA-M to Play GBA\/GBC Games in Ubuntu"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gameboy-icon.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-45248\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gameboy-icon-250x250.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gameboy-icon-250x250.webp 250w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gameboy-icon-300x300.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gameboy-icon-700x700.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gameboy-icon-768x768.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gameboy-icon.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Got GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, or GameBoy Color ROMs? It&#8217;s easy to play them in your Linux PC through VBA-M emulator.<\/p>\n<p>There are quite a few game emulators for Linux. You can use <a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/2020\/06\/install-ppsspp-1-10-ubuntu-20-04\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PPSSPP<\/a> to run PSP games, and <a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/2023\/03\/retroarch-1-15-0-released-install-ubuntu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RetroArch<\/a> for multiple consoles support. For Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Advance, VBA-M is a good choice.<\/p>\n<p>VBA-M, stands for VisualBoyAdvance-M, is the continued development of the now inactive VisualBoy Advance project, with many improvements from various forks.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-supermario.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45250\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-supermario-700x511.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-supermario-700x511.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-supermario-300x219.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-supermario-768x561.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-supermario.webp 1252w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a free open-source emulator app that included in system repositories for many Linux, including Fedora, Arch, Manjaro, and so forth.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>Install VBA-M in Ubuntu<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/visualboyadvance-m\/visualboyadvance-m\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">VBA-M<\/a> is available to install in Ubuntu through either Snap or Flatpak package.<\/p>\n<h4>Option 1: Snap package<\/h4>\n<p>For all current Ubuntu releases, including Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 20.04, Ubuntu 23.04\/23.10, and next Ubuntu 24.04. Either open Ubuntu Software or App Center, then search &amp; install &#8216;visualboyadvance-m&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-snap.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45251\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-snap-700x443.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-snap-700x443.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-snap-300x190.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-snap-768x486.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-snap.webp 1092w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h4>Option 2: Flatpak package<\/h4>\n<p>Linux Mint 21 users can easily install the emulator as Flatpak from Software Manager.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vba-m-mint.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45252\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vba-m-mint-700x449.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vba-m-mint-700x449.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vba-m-mint-300x192.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vba-m-mint-768x492.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vba-m-mint.webp 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While Ubuntu users can install the package by running 2 commands below one by one:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>First, press <code>Ctrl+Alt+T<\/code> on keyboard to open terminal. When terminal opens, run command to enable Flatpak support:\n<pre>sudo apt install flatpak<\/pre>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/apt-flatpak-jammy.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-39141\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/apt-flatpak-jammy-600x229.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/apt-flatpak-jammy-600x229.webp 600w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/apt-flatpak-jammy-300x115.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/apt-flatpak-jammy-768x294.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/apt-flatpak-jammy.webp 777w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Then, install VBA-M as flatpak package via command:\n<pre>flatpak install https:\/\/dl.flathub.org\/repo\/appstream\/com.vba_m.visualboyadvance-m.flatpakref<\/pre>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/flatpak-vbam.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45253\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/flatpak-vbam-700x454.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/flatpak-vbam-700x454.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/flatpak-vbam-300x195.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/flatpak-vbam-768x498.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/flatpak-vbam.webp 822w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After installing the emulator, search for and launch it from start menu or Gnome overview depends on your desktop environment (<i>Log out and back in if app icon not visible<\/i>).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/launch-vgam.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45254\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/launch-vgam.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"543\" height=\"305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/launch-vgam.webp 543w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/launch-vgam-300x169.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 543px) 100vw, 543px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Set up VBA-M for gaming<\/h3>\n<p>When it opens, simply go to menu &#8220;<code>Options -&gt; Input -&gt; Configure<\/code>&#8221; to configure your Joypad or keyboard keys.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-input-configmenu.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45255\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-input-configmenu.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"643\" height=\"343\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-input-configmenu.webp 643w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-input-configmenu-300x160.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 643px) 100vw, 643px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the pop-up dialog, click focus any input field, then either <code>press a key<\/code> on keyboard or <code>move joystick<\/code> to add. Or, use <code>backspace<\/code> to delete last added, <code>clear<\/code> to delete all the keys for corresponding input.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-joypad-config.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-45256\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-joypad-config.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"599\" height=\"541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-joypad-config.webp 599w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-joypad-config-300x271.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now, you can use menu &#8220;<code>File<\/code> -> <code>Open<\/code>&#8221; to load your ROMs. Then, go menu &#8220;<code>Options -> Video<\/code>&#8221; to either toggle full-screen mode, or scale the game window.<\/p>\n<p>And, you can press <b>Ctrl+G<\/b> to switch between pixel filters for better gaming experience.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-ctrlg.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-ctrlg-700x511.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"610\" height=\"445\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-45257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-ctrlg-700x511.webp 700w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-ctrlg-300x219.webp 300w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-ctrlg-768x561.webp 768w, https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/vbam-ctrlg.webp 1252w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Uninstall VBA-M<\/h3>\n<p>Depends on how you installed the emulator, do either method below to remove it:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For snap package, remove it either from Ubuntu Software (App Center) or by running command in terminal:\n<pre>snap remove visualboyadvance-m<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<li>For the Flatpak package, simply open terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run command:\n<pre>flatpak uninstall com.vba_m.visualboyadvance-m<\/pre>\n<p>Also, run <code>flatpak uninstall --unused<\/code> to remove useless runtime libraries that can free up some disk space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That&#8217;s all. Enjoy!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Got GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, or GameBoy Color ROMs? It&#8217;s easy to play them in your Linux PC through VBA-M emulator. There are quite a few game emulators for Linux. You can use PPSSPP to run PSP games, and RetroArch for multiple consoles support. For Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Advance, VBA-M is a good [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1189],"class_list":["post-45247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-howtos","tag-game"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ubuntuhandbook.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}