emulator: Boytacean
type: standalone + libretro
core_classification: official_port
source: "https://github.com/joamag/boytacean"
upstream: "https://github.com/joamag/boytacean"
profiled_date: "2026-03-23"
source_commit: "2eb66337ad1732087c26076ec5bd7d08fe9f6e93"
core_version: "0.11.5"
display_name: "Nintendo - Game Boy / Color (Boytacean)"
cores:
  - boytacean
systems:
  - nintendo-gb
  - nintendo-gbc

notes: |
  Game Boy / Game Boy Color emulator written in Rust by Joao Magalhaes.

  Libretro: all boot ROMs compiled into binary as static byte arrays in
  src/data.rs. load_boot_static() copies from arrays. No filesystem
  access, no RETRO_ENVIRONMENT_GET_SYSTEM_DIRECTORY. No external files.
  ref: frontends/libretro/src/core.rs:402 instance.load(true) -> src/gb.rs:1427 -> load_boot_static

  Standalone (SDL): also defaults to embedded boot ROMs via load(true).
  User can override via --boot-rom-path CLI argument with any boot ROM
  file. load_boot_file() with hardcoded ./res/boot/*.bin paths exists in
  src/gb.rs:1477 but is not called from any frontend.

  Boot ROM defaults: DmgBootix (DMG), CgbBoytacean (CGB) — open-source.

files:
  - name: dmg_boot.bin
    system: nintendo-gb
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 256
    note: "Original Nintendo DMG boot ROM"
    source_ref: "src/gb.rs:1416, src/data.rs:14"

  - name: sgb_boot.bin
    system: nintendo-gb
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 256
    note: "Super Game Boy boot ROM"
    source_ref: "src/gb.rs:1417, src/data.rs:29"

  - name: dmg_bootix.bin
    system: nintendo-gb
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 256
    note: "Open-source DMG boot ROM from Bootix (default DMG)"
    source_ref: "src/gb.rs:1418, src/data.rs:44"

  - name: mgb_bootix.bin
    system: nintendo-gb
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 256
    note: "Open-source MGB (Pocket) boot ROM from Bootix"
    source_ref: "src/gb.rs:1419, src/data.rs:59"

  - name: cgb_boot.bin
    system: nintendo-gbc
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 2304
    note: "Original Nintendo CGB boot ROM"
    source_ref: "src/gb.rs:1420, src/data.rs:74"

  - name: cgb_boytacean.bin
    system: nintendo-gbc
    required: false
    hle_fallback: true
    mode: standalone
    size: 2304
    note: "Custom open-source CGB boot ROM (default CGB)"
    source_ref: "src/gb.rs:1421, src/data.rs:177"