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Game Boy Color

ConsoleHandheld game console1998

Game Boy Color

The Game Boy Color (abbreviated as CGB or GBC) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and in international markets the following month.

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First released
1998
Made by
Nintendo
Generation
5
Units sold
118.69 million (including all Game Boy v

Overview

The Game Boy Color (abbreviated as CGB or GBC) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and in international markets the following month. Compared with the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT screen instead of monochrome, a CPU running at up to twice the speed, and four times as much memory. It is backward compatible with games developed for its predecessor. The Game Boy Color was released during the fifth generation of video game consoles and competed with Bandai's Japan-only WonderSwan and SNK's Neo Geo Pocket Color.

The handheld is slightly thicker, taller and has a smaller screen than its immediate predecessor, the Game Boy Pocket, but is significantly smaller than the original Game Boy. As with its predecessors, the Game Boy Color has a custom 8-bit processor made by Sharp. The American English spelling of the system's name, Game Boy Color, remains consistent throughout the world.

The Game Boy Color received positive reviews upon release, and was praised for its backwards compatibility with games from its predecessor. It had a relatively brief lifespan, being succeeded by the Game Boy Advance after less than three years on the market. The Game Boy and the Game Boy Color combined have sold 118.69 million units worldwide, making them the fourth best-selling system of all time. Its best-selling games are Pokémon Gold and Silver (1999), which shipped 23 million units worldwide.

Specifications

Manufacturer
Nintendo
Developer
Nintendo Research & Engineering
Type
Handheld game console
Generation
Fifth
Discontinued
2003-03-31
Launch price
US$79.95
Units sold
118.69 million (including all Game Boy variants)
Media
Game Boy Color Game Pak; Game Boy Game Pak
Processor
Sharp SM83
Memory
32 KB RAM, 16 KB Video RAM
Video output
Reflective TFT LCD 160 × 144 px
Connectivity
Infrared
Online service
JP Mobile System GB
Backward compatibility
Game Boy
Predecessor
Game Boy
Successor
Game Boy Advance
Best-selling game
Pokémon Gold and Silver (23 million) (list)

Models

  • Initial version

Model names as listed by IGDB.

Games

23 Game Boy Color games are written up here, with trophies, patches and what still works online.

See the Game Boy Color games

More from Nintendo

Sources

The overview is adapted from Wikipedia and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.

Checked October 2026.

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