Even in the initial version, games generally played without problems. The project started in April 2013 with the goal of being fast enough to run on lower-end hardware than other emulators support, without sacrificing accuracy or portability. It is also available for many platforms including Windows, Linux, macOS, PSVita, Nintendo 3DS, Switch and Wii. It also supports Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. It aims to be faster and more accurate than many existing Game Boy Advance emulators, as well as adding features that other emulators lack.

MGBA is an emulator for running Game Boy Advance games.