The Game Boy Advance may be a handheld system, but it hosted a surprising number of deep, time-intensive games. Whether through tactical complexity, open-ended progression, or massive amounts of side content, these titles go far beyond a quick playthrough. If you’re looking for games that last dozens (or even hundreds) of hours, here are the longest experiences on the GBA.
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Main Story: 30–35 hours
Completionist: 100+ hours
With over 300 missions, dozens of job classes, hidden characters, and branching events, this tactical RPG offers immense depth. Fully mastering the mechanics, building varied teams, and clearing every side quest can stretch gameplay well into triple-digit hours.
Fire Emblem (Blazing Blade)
Main Story: 25–30 hours
Completionist: 40–50 hours
This classic turn-based strategy game is already lengthy on its first run, but seeing all support conversations, training every unit, and playing on hard mode adds substantial replay time.
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Main Story: ~25 hours
Completionist: 40+ hours
This entry introduces branching campaigns and optional dungeons, encouraging multiple playthroughs. The randomized nature of stat growth and permadeath means each run can feel different.
Pokémon Emerald / Ruby / Sapphire
Main Story: 30–35 hours
Completionist: 100–200+ hours
Capturing every Pokémon, completing the Pokédex, breeding, exploring every route, and conquering the Battle Frontier all add up to one of the longest gameplay loops on the GBA.
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Main Story: Open-ended
Long-term goals: 100+ hours
Farming sims are built for long-term play. Between seasons, festivals, relationships, and upgrades, there is no official end. Many players spend months refining their farm and exploring new choices.
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis
Main Story: ~30 hours
Completionist: 60–80 hours
Another tactical gem, this game features class customization, alignment-based decisions, secret endings, and many optional battles. Each route reveals new narrative threads.
Golden Sun + Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Each title: 25–30 hours
Combined: 60–70 hours total
Together, these form a complete RPG saga. Exploration, Djinn collection, puzzle-solving, and turn-based battles stretch playtime significantly. Linking data between the two games extends the adventure.
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
Main Story: ~25 hours
Completionist: 50+ hours
While the core campaign is already long, unlocking every CO, achieving S-ranks, and building custom maps with the in-game editor can keep players busy for a long time.
Riviera: The Promised Land
Main Story: ~25 hours
Completionist: 50+ hours
A unique blend of RPG and visual novel, Riviera includes multiple endings based on player choices, different character pairings, and lots of unlockable content. Replaying with different decisions significantly changes the experience.
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 1 & 2
Main Story: 20–25 hours
Completionist: 40+ hours
These action RPGs combine real-time combat with a weapon crafting system and branching dialogue paths. Different guardians and endings encourage replays, while dungeon grinding extends the runtime.
Conclusion
These GBA titles aren’t just long for the sake of it — they’re rich with meaningful content. Whether you’re customizing parties, exploring multiple endings, or grinding through complex systems, they offer hours of engaging play. For players seeking deep and lasting handheld experiences, these games deliver exceptional value.
