How to Play Pokémon ROM Hacks on PC and Mac (2026)
Playing GBA Pokémon ROM hacks on PC or Mac is straightforward with mGBA, the most accurate and well-maintained desktop GBA emulator. This guide covers installation, loading ROMs, and getting the most out of your setup on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Contents
What You Need
You need mGBA (free, open source) and a .gba ROM file. mGBA runs on Windows, macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), and Linux — no additional software required.
Downloading and Installing mGBA
mGBA is available at mgba.io — download the installer for your OS.
- 1Go to mgba.io and click Downloads.
- 2Download the installer for your OS — Windows (.exe), macOS (.dmg), or Linux (.tar.gz).
- 3On Windows: run the installer and follow the prompts. On macOS: open the .dmg and drag mGBA to Applications. On Linux: extract the archive and run the binary.
- 4Launch mGBA — you'll see an empty window with a menu bar.
Downloading a ROM from PokeHacks
Download any hack from PokeHacks — it saves as a .gba file to your Downloads folder.
- 1Open a hack page on PokeHacks — for example, Pokémon Glazed or Pokémon Unbound.
- 2Click the Download ROM button. The .gba file saves to your Downloads folder.
- 3You now have the ROM file ready to load.
Loading the ROM in mGBA
Loading a ROM in mGBA takes one step:
- 1In mGBA, go to File > Open ROM.
- 2Navigate to your Downloads folder and select the .gba file.
- 3The game starts immediately.
Controls and Keyboard Mapping
mGBA's default keyboard layout works well for most players, but you can remap everything:
Default keyboard controls
Arrow keys = D-pad, Z = A, X = B, A = L, S = R, Enter = Start, Backspace = Select. These match the standard GBA layout for most players.
Gamepad support
Any USB or Bluetooth gamepad works — plug it in, then go to Tools > Settings > Controllers to map buttons. PlayStation and Xbox controllers are detected automatically in most cases.
Remapping keys
Go to Tools > Settings > Keybindings to remap any button. If you're used to a different layout (for example, A/B on specific face buttons), set it here.
Save States and Speed Controls
mGBA has several features that make ROM hacks more manageable:
Save states
File > Save State (Shift+F1 through Shift+F9 for slots 1–9). Load with File > Load State (F1–F9). Use these to checkpoint before difficult battles — ROM hacks often have significantly harder trainer AI than vanilla games.
Fast forward
Hold Tab to fast forward at 3× speed while held, or press Shift+Tab to toggle it on permanently. Useful for grinding and skipping dialogue.
Frame advance
Press . (period) to advance one frame at a time. Useful for precise RNG manipulation if you're playing a randomizer and want to control your starter outcome.
Playing NDS ROM Hacks on PC
GBA hacks (.gba files) run in mGBA. For Nintendo DS hacks (.nds files), use melonDS instead — it's the most accurate DS emulator for desktop and has a nearly identical setup: download from melonds.kuribo64.net, open it, and load your .nds file via File > Open ROM.
