by Brad Linder
No Comments on This Game Boy Cartridge puts a Windows 3.1 clone on your handheld (Minesweeper and Paint clones included)
GBS Windows is what happens when retro computing and retro gaming collide. Developer RubenRetro has created a Windows 3.1 clone for the Game Boy Color, complete with Minesweeper and MS Paint clones, as well as a few other apps including a media player.
Perhaps the weirdest/coolest thing about GB Windows? It’s sold as an actual Game Boy cartridge that you can insert into a Game Boy Color or other compatible systems like the Game Boy Advance. But you might have a hard time getting your hands on one of those cartridges – they’re sold in small batches via the RetroGamesShopES store on Etsy, and the first two batches sold out almost as soon as they were stocked.
GBS Windows isn’tactuallya version of Windows that’s been ported to run on Game Boy hardware. Instead it’s basically a game created using GB Studio thatlooks like classic versions of Windows, complete with a fake BIOS screen that loads during startup.
Once it’s running you’ll be greeted with a command prompt and you can use the Game Boy buttons to type “cd windows” followed by “win” to load the user interface, which is preceded by a splash screen proclaiming that you’re running “GBS Windows Version 4.1.3.”
The main menu is basically a fake Windows screen with app icons for Paint, Piano, and Media apps in the “accessories” section, and Minesweeper and Missile Command clones in the Game section.
There’s even a mouse cursor, but navigation is handled by the D-Pad and buttons since the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance don’t have touchscreens or support for mouse input. Drawing in the Paint app looks kind of tedious, but that was also true of the real MS Paint for Windows 3.1.
GBS Windows sells for €40 (about $45) plus shipping, which feels kind of pricey for a game cartridge that’s more of a novelty than anything else. But if you’re the sort of person that’s still using a Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance in 2025 rather than an emulator, then maybe the idea of spending that much on a novelty cartridge isn’t so ridiculous.
View this post on Instagram
via Retrododo, rubenretro(IG), and @rubenretro_ and EL SPECTRUMERO (YouTube)
Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).
But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.
Contribute to our Patreon campaign
or...
Contribute via PayPal
* If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it.
Subscribe to Liliputing via Email
Join 9,526 other subscribers
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
