iFixit - Answers With Device "Game Boy Cartridge"

Game Boy Cartridge: Pokémon Blue Game Problem

Thu, 18 May 2023 01:08:44 -0700

I just got an authentic copy of Pokemon Blue from eBay that I'm wanting to fix. The issue is that there is a huge black square where the characters are set to appear. How can I fix this?

Also, this is the first game boy cartridge that I'm actually going to attempt fixing, so I would like some pointers too if that's alright with you guys.

I know that the game will definitely need a new battery, but now the game won’t get to the title menu whenever I put a cartridge in.

@hellomacos here is my multimeter. What setting do I need to set it on?

Here is what the inside looks like

⟐ Answer edited May 18, 2023 at 1:08 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Pocket Monsters Crystal Version

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 05:36:43 -0700

Why won't my game data save?

⟐ Commented December 02, 2024 at 5:36 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Is this cartridge even worth fixing?

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 20:32:29 -0700

Recently my copy of Super Mario Land for the Gameboy stopped working. I opened it up, tested around with a multimeter, and the problem was obvious enough.

I don’t know how I’d go about fixing this without damaging the board as I’m fairly inexperienced, and its an inexpensive game, so maybe its not even worth trying?

⟐ Commented December 08, 2021 at 20:32 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Why Does my save randomly delete after a fresh battery change?

Sun, 12 Dec 2021 16:57:57 -0700

I've been Resoldering new batteries into my old Game Boy Cartridges to keep the save feature in working order. After the battery replacement the saving seems to work but then will end up deleting at random. I made sure to do the following

Correct polarity alignment for the battery
Desoldering the pads and adding fresh Solder of the same chemistry
Checking continuity and avoiding cold solder joints
Reflowing all chips and pins on the PCB
Cleaning the board with IPA

I've tried everything within my soldering capabilities and yet multiple freshly changed cartridges continue to lose save data at random intervals. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to get back to playing with peace of mind.

Game Boy Cartridge: Pokémon Gold doesn’t boot, scrambled Nintendo Logo.

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 19:21:13 -0700

I own a copy of Pokémon Gold that doesn’t boot. It gets stuck at the Game Boy screen with a scrambled Nintendo logo. I’ve re-soldered every chip on the board with flux yet nothing seems to fix it. Are one of the chips dead? Is there anything I can do? Thank you for any help :)

⟐ Commented December 09, 2024 at 19:21 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Pokemon gold doesn't boot, blank screen after nintendo logo

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:26:09 -0700

hi, I'm trying to get my old pokemon gold game to work, it gets past the gameboy logo after I cleaned it, but now the screen is blank and nothing happens. Anyone know what the problem could be? Here's how the inside looks:

thanks!

⟐ Commented February 21, 2025 at 16:26 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Game wont start for me

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 15:14:04 -0700

When i insert the game cartridge the words gameboy come up along with nintendo under it but doesnt actually start the game

⟐ Answer edited July 08, 2021 at 15:14 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Game Boy game boots up and goes black

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 13:46:03 -0700

I recently bought a Game Boy game on EBay. I put it in my Game Boy and turn it on. It turns on like normal, then goes black. Anyone know anything about how to fix it?

⟐ Answer edited March 14, 2017 at 13:46 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Pokémon Red goes white

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 20:57:24 -0700

Pokémon Red goes through the Nintendo splash screen and then turns white. The game doesn't start.

I cleaned the cartridge, performed a reflow, replaced the battery, checked for corroded parts, but found nothing. I traced the entire circuit and identified all components.

I don't know what to do next. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks everyone.

First - logo

Second - white

Third - Chip

Fourth - Back

Fifth - Trails (all working)

⟐ Answered February 07, 2025 at 20:57 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Cartridge frozen after start

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 20:14:47 -0700

Hi, I don't know if you can help me, I recently changed the battery in a Pokemon Crystal and everything worked perfectly, it saved and so on, the thing is that after playing for a while, the game froze and turned off, after this, I tried to start it again, the Nintendo logo has the letters correctly, but the sound is like a lightning bolt and it doesn't go past that screen, it stays blank. I don't know if it could be the oscillator or some component in bad condition, thanks in advance. Here are some photos of the cartridge.

⟐ Answer edited February 07, 2025 at 20:14 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Pokemon Blue Corrupted Cartridge

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 14:05:43 -0700

As a child my friend battled and traded with someone whose pokemon blue/red game was not an authentic copy and as a result his game became corrupted. Could anyone explain about corrupted game files and if there is any way to restore/fix it?

⟐ Answered December 12, 2024 at 14:05 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Pokémon silver only works directly after being cleaned

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 05:38:31 -0700

when trying to use the game it often either won’t load up or freeze. When I clean the board with isopropyl alcohol it works perfectly. The problem is that I have to clean it every single time I want to play even if it’s only a few hours apart. I’ve replaced the battery but it didn’t really fix anything. I haven’t noticed any broken traces so does anybody have a suggestion on what I can do?

⟐ Answer edited March 22, 2023 at 5:38 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Twenty year old CR2025 battery reads 3.02. Still good?

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 02:07:34 -0700

I’ve got my original Pokémon Red gameboy cartridge which I know I’ve never replaced the battery on (a CR2025). It’s over twenty years old, but I’m reading 3.02 volts on it with my multimeter. Can I trust it’ll still be good for a while, or should I replace it with a new battery anyway just in case? Thanks for the advice.

⟐ Answer edited October 12, 2021 at 2:07 MST

Game Boy Cartridge: Is this Chip Replaceable?

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 05:57:04 -0700

Hello i wanted to know if anyone knows if this chip is replaceable or if have to buy another cartridge (see attachment for the melted chip)

⟐ Commented March 06, 2026 at 5:57 MST