The Best Games on Every Classic Handheld

By · October 30, 2026 · 8 min read

Handhelds have some of the best games of their eras, and many of them hold up better than their home console cousins: short levels, clear goals and games designed to be picked up for ten minutes. Here are the essentials for each classic handheld, with a line on why each one deserves your time.

Game Boy (1989)

  • Tetris: the game that sold the Game Boy, and still close to perfect. Its two-player link-cable mode is a classic too.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening: a full Zelda adventure on a tiny screen, with a dreamlike story and some of the series' cleverest dungeons.
  • Pokemon Red and Blue: where it all began. Simple by modern standards, but the hook of catching and trading is all there.
  • Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins: bigger sprites, a world map and the debut of Wario. The best Mario game on the original Game Boy.

Game Boy Color (1998)

  • Pokemon Crystal: the most complete version of the second generation, with a day and night clock and two whole regions to explore.
  • Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages: two linked Zelda games, one built around action and one around puzzles. Finish one and carry your save into the other.
  • Link's Awakening DX: the Game Boy classic in colour, with a bonus dungeon.

Game Boy Advance (2001)

Nintendo DS (2004)

Sega Game Gear (1990)

The Game Gear's backlit colour screen was impressive in 1990, but it ate batteries. Today it's a great way to play Sega's 8-bit library on the go.

Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999)

The Neo Geo Pocket Color had a short life but an excellent clicky joystick, and its fighting games are a joy.

Atari Lynx (1989)

  • California Games: surfing, skateboarding, BMX and footbag events, and the game that came with many Lynx systems.

The Lynx was the first handheld with a colour screen, and it could even flip its screen for left-handed players.

Where to start

If you only play one handheld, make it the Game Boy Advance: it plays its own excellent library and, on the original models, the whole Game Boy and Game Boy Color library too. For more ideas, see our lists of the best Game Boy Advance games and best Nintendo DS games, or let the Matrix pick one for you.

Not sure what to play? Let the Matrix pick

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