GB, GBC, and GBA Link Cable

Link Cable connects compatible Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games for trading, battling, and linked multiplayer from separate devices.

Before You Start

Each player needs a compatible game in their library. GB and GBC rooms use two players; supported GBA games can use two, three, or four. A GB/GBC game cannot join a GBA room.

Use the same game revision where the game requires it. Some games intentionally link with a different compatible title, such as paired Pokémon versions. Rebit's room connection does not replace the game's own compatibility rules.

Save inside your game, then export the in-game save before hosting or joining. Link Cable starts from each player's latest exported in-game save. If none exists, that player may start with a blank save.

  1. Start a GB, GBC, or GBA game.
  2. Open the in-game menu and select Link Cable.
  3. For GBA, choose 2P, 3P, or 4P as supported by the game.
  4. Choose Lockstep or Rollback when offered.
  5. Choose an available Transport: P2P or Edge Link.
  6. Review Allow other screens if shown.
  7. Select Start Host and share the Room Code.

The host is Player 1. Guests receive the remaining seats. Big Picture also offers Link Cable creation for supported games.

Lockstep or Rollback?

Lockstep waits for coordinated gameplay across the devices. Start with this mode for a game you have not tried linking before. A slow connection or device can pause the room.

Rollback is available for GBA on supported devices. It predicts input briefly and corrects the linked session when late inputs differ. You may see a small correction; a longer interruption can pause play while the room recovers.

Rollback has a Delay setting. Start with the value shown in the app; lower input delay is not always smoother on a variable connection. GBA Rollback rooms with three or four players require Edge Link when offered.

A Lockstep room and a Rollback room are separate modes. If one cannot start, leave it and create a new room with the other mode.

Choose a Connection Mode

Transport When to try it
P2P Direct connections between nearby players on networks that allow them.
Edge Link P2P cannot connect, a player uses mobile data or restrictive Wi-Fi, or a supported room needs a relay.

For Lockstep Edge Link, leave the region on Auto initially. If necessary, recreate the room with a region suitable for the players. Distance and device speed still affect gameplay.

Guests use the host's transport. Create a new room to change the mode or transport.

Other Player Screens

On supported GBA rooms, the host chooses Allow other screens before starting:

  • On: players can view other player screens; supported rooms may offer live Watch.
  • Off: each player sees only their own screen and live Watch is unavailable.

This choice stays fixed for the room. It does not make a saved replay URL private. Read Watch and Multiplayer Replays for recording visibility.

Join by Room Code

  1. Open Netplay and find the host's Room Code in the room list.
  2. Select Join on that Link Cable room.
  3. Choose a compatible game from your library.
  4. Wait for Rebit to prepare the linked session.
  5. Use the game's own link menu to trade, battle, or start multiplayer.

The current Link Cable drawer is used to host and manage a session; use the room list to join.

Join from Discover

Select Join on a Link Cable room when it appears in Discover's active rooms, or open the dedicated Netplay tab. Choose the game for the room's system family. Upload one first if no eligible game is available.

  1. Complete the game's own save routine.
  2. Open Link Cable and select Save when enabled.
  3. Wait for Link Cable in-game save stored before leaving.

This stores your own in-game save, not a normal save state. In Rollback, saving coordinates the players at a confirmed point and can pause the room briefly. Let the save finish on every device.

Save export is available in current Lockstep Edge Link sessions when the room is ready; it can be disabled temporarily during recovery or a restart. Loading a solo save state during a linked session is not supported.

Pause, Resume, or Leave

Use Pause or Resume when available. Rollback may wait for the group before completing these actions. The host can also use Restart when the room supports it; the confirmation explains that it restarts the linked consoles together.

Select Leave to disconnect. Tell the other players first, and avoid leaving during a trade or save.

  • No eligible game: check the room's system family and the game's multiplayer compatibility.
  • P2P stays connecting: recreate the room with Edge Link.
  • Rollback is missing or disabled: read the availability message; use Lockstep if your device cannot run it.
  • The room pauses: keep every device awake and wait briefly for recovery. Restart the room if it cannot recover.
  • Desync reported: stop trading or saving and create a fresh room.
  • A large room will not work: test the game with two players first and confirm its supported player count.

Some GBA sessions can produce public replays. GB and GBC Link Cable sessions are not currently supported by that replay capture system.