Game Boy & Game Boy Color Repair
Screen upgrades, repairs and restoration for the original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket and Game Boy Color, sent by post and returned insured and tracked.
Backlit screens, working sound and fresh power for the Game Boy you grew up with, done by post with no fix, no fee.
- Return postage included
- Parts included
- No fix, no fee
- 12-month warranty
Choose a repair
Screen upgrades & repairs
A drop-in backlit IPS screen for your Game Boy Color, fitted in the existing shell with no cutting, so you can play without hunting for a lamp.
A laminated IPS screen with the glass bonded to the panel, fitted in a new laminated-ready shell, for the closest thing to a modern display on a Game Boy Color.
A modern backlit IPS screen for the original 1989 Game Boy, so you can see your games clearly without a lamp over your shoulder.
A modern backlit IPS screen for the Game Boy Pocket, so the smallest classic Game Boy is as easy to see in the evening as it is by a sunny window.
Vertical lines or missing columns on your original Game Boy screen, repaired by carefully reheating the ribbon connection between the screen glass and board.
Repairs & restoration
Leaked batteries corrode the contacts and nearby tracks. I clean and repair the damage so your Game Boy, Pocket or Game Boy Color powers up again.
Sticky or dead buttons, a worn power switch, or a cartridge slot that won't read your games, cleaned and repaired on any original Game Boy, Pocket or Color.
Crackly, quiet or missing sound on an original Game Boy, Pocket or Game Boy Color, traced to the cause and repaired so you can hear your games again.
New capacitors and a careful clean for an ageing Game Boy, Pocket or Game Boy Color, aimed at sound, power and display faults caused by worn parts.
A rechargeable battery pack and a USB-C port for your original Game Boy or Game Boy Color, so you charge it like a phone instead of buying batteries.
Frequently asked questions
Does Nintendo still repair the Game Boy or Game Boy Color?
How do I tell which Game Boy I have?
Will a mod affect my Game Boy's value?
My Pokémon game won't save. Is my Game Boy broken?
More about Game Boy repairs
Which Game Boy have you got? Check the label on the back. The original Game Boy from 1989 is model DMG-01, the Game Boy Pocket is MGB-001 and the Game Boy Color is CGB-001. This page covers those three. The Game Boy Advance and the Advance SP have their own page: Game Boy Advance & SP repairs. Unsure? This guide to Game Boy models helps.
Why the screens are hard to see. None of these three has a light of its own, so you need good room light. An IPS mod swaps the screen for a modern backlit IPS panel (IPS is a type of LCD that stays clear from most viewing angles). A drop-in kit fits the existing shell without cutting. A laminated kit has the glass bonded to the panel, so it looks closer to a phone screen, and it needs a laminated-ready replacement shell. Most kits have an on-screen menu for brightness and colour palettes. I fit a Game Boy Color drop-in IPS kit, a Game Boy Color laminated IPS kit with a new shell, a backlit IPS screen for the original Game Boy and a Game Boy Pocket IPS screen. Read the Game Boy Color IPS mod explained and whether a backlight mod is worth it.
Vertical lines on an original Game Boy. Lines or missing columns on a DMG-01 come from the ribbon connection between the screen glass and the board. My vertical lines repair carefully reheats that connection, which often brings the lines back, but it can't be promised in every case. If the glass connection itself has failed, I tell you, and the options are a replacement screen or an IPS mod. I won't promise the lines won't return. Read why a Game Boy screen gets vertical lines.
Repairs. A Game Boy that won't turn on usually comes down to corrosion from leaked batteries or a failing power switch. Sticky buttons, a worn power switch and a cartridge slot that won't read games are covered by one button, power switch and cartridge slot repair. Crackly, quiet or silent speakers get a sound repair, and a recap and restoration replaces ageing capacitors (the small components that smooth power and sound). Try these checks for a Game Boy that won't turn on.
The USB-C rechargeable mod. For the original Game Boy and the Game Boy Color, a USB-C rechargeable battery mod fits a rechargeable pack and a USB-C port in place of disposable batteries.
Nintendo doesn't repair these. Nintendo's UK repair booking covers the Switch family only, so independent repair is the only route.
Mods need a working console. If yours has a fault too, book the repair first or get in touch. Mods can't be undone easily, and on a boxed or rare console a mod may reduce its value to collectors.
Game won't save? Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges such as Pokémon Red, Blue, Gold, Silver and Crystal keep saves in memory powered by a small coin battery. When it dies, the save is lost and the game won't save. On Gold, Silver and Crystal it also runs the in-game clock. Replacing the battery clears the existing save unless it's backed up first. I do a cartridge save battery replacement, and this Pokémon save battery guide explains more.
No fix, no fee. I've been repairing electronics for over 25 years. Every job is tested, carries a 12-month warranty and comes back insured and tracked. You pay the postage to send it in. If I can't fix it, I refund what you paid, less return postage.