The BrickBoy kit turns Lego’s Game Boy into a handheld emulator

Talented Game Boy modder Natalie the Nerd was the first to turn Lego’s impressive brick-built replica into a functional Game Boy. She’s currently developing a kit so anyone can upgrade Lego’s Game Boy to actually play games, but the creators of the BrickBoy have beaten her to the punch by taking a few shortcuts.

Natalie’s Lego Game Boy upgrades were all the more impressive because she had to create a custom circuit board, smaller than a Game Boy cartridge, to fit inside the replica using original chips so it could play actual cartridges. The BrickBoy is instead a custom self-contained module that slots into the Lego Game Boy’s cartridge slot and plays games through ROM files and emulation.

The BrickBoy’s creators claim it takes about five minutes to integrate the kit into Lego’s model, including installing a 2.4-inch LCD screen module, aligning magnetic sensors beneath the action buttons and D-pad, and reassembling it all. It looks easy enough, but those concerned with aesthetics may be disappointed to see that one version of the cartridge module does appear to stick out of the back of the Lego Game Boy because it houses a pair of AAA batteries.

The BrickBoy will be available for preorder through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that’s set to launch on October 28th, 2025, in three versions. The Essential Kit can play Game Boy games in grayscale and includes a mono speaker, while the Gamer Kit adds support for Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance titles, Bluetooth headphone connectivity, and a rechargeable battery. There will also be a Collector’s Edition with a permanent power supply for those wanting to display their Lego Game Boy running demos, but pricing for the various kits hasn’t been announced yet.