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Preserving a Game Boy project means keeping more than its ROM: archive the editable source and assets, a known-good .gb or .gbc build, build notes, saves, emulator settings, and enough documentation to understand how the pieces fit together. The ROM lets someone play that particular build; it does not preserve the project in an editable, rebuildable form. Likewise, an emulator save state is not the same as a cartridge battery save.
This guide lays out a practical preservation package for a homebrew project, explains what each item is for, and shows how to make and check an archive without assuming that emulator profiles or save states will transfer between programs.
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What should I keep to preserve a Game Boy project?
Keep a complete project archive and a separate, identified copy of the exported ROM. Add the development-tool information, build materials, saves, emulator context, and a short readme. Each item protects a different use: future editing, playing a known build, recovering a playthrough, or recreating the environment.
- Editable project: all source files and assets, including graphics, sound, and documentation. This is the material needed to continue development or attempt a new build.
- Known-good ROM: the exported
.gbor.gbcfile. This is a playable build, not a replacement for its source. - Build context: application or toolchain name and version, build scripts, instructions, and relevant outputs such as map or symbol files if the toolchain produces them.
- Game saves: cartridge battery-backed save data, when applicable, kept apart from emulator save states.
- Emulator context: emulator and version, core or plugin if relevant, controller mapping, display settings, and information about any required BIOS or boot ROM.
- Documentation: a readme explaining the release, source revision or snapshot, file relationships, and anything a future maintainer needs to know.
GB Studio’s homebrew tutorial describes exporting a ROM into the project’s build directory for emulator play and other uses. GBDK’s manual documents a source-based development toolchain and libraries. These illustrate why a useful archive keeps both the editable project and its exported build, along with the toolchain context needed to understand them: Adafruit’s GB Studio tutorial and the GBDK manual.
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The preservation target should be explicit. A developer who wants to rebuild needs source, assets, and toolchain notes. Someone who only wants to replay a finished release needs the ROM and a tested emulator context. A player preserving progress needs the right save artifact tied to the right build. Hardware testing adds a cartridge-flasher workflow but does not replace any of the digital records.
| Goal | Primary artifact | Important context |
|---|---|---|
| Rebuild or edit | Source, assets, project files | Application or toolchain version, scripts, source snapshot |
| Play a known release | Identified .gb or .gbc ROM |
Release name, export date, emulator used for checking |
| Preserve progress | Battery save or emulator state | Exact ROM; emulator and version for a state |
| Test on original hardware | ROM plus compatible writable cartridge | Flasher, cartridge type, console model, and loading process |
How do I make a preservation archive?
Start with the complete project as it exists now, then add a clean, labeled ROM export and a written record of how it was made. Do not reorganize or delete project files just to make the archive look tidy; instead, document what is present and make a separate preservation copy.
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- Gather the full project directory. Include the source, art, audio, project files, and documentation. If a file is needed to edit or build the game, it belongs in the archive. Keep the directory’s existing organization unless there is a clear reason to change it.
- Export and identify a known-good ROM. Use the project’s development application or toolchain to export the build. Keep the resulting
.gbor.gbcfile as a separate, clearly named artifact; do not assume that it will always be easy to recreate from an old project. - Record what produced that build. Note the project or release name, export date, development application or toolchain and its version, and the source revision or snapshot used. If there is no revision-control identifier, describe the source snapshot plainly, for example, “project folder archived on [date].” Avoid implying that a date alone identifies exactly which files were used.
- Keep build materials that may help later. Preserve build scripts and any useful map or symbol outputs generated by the toolchain. Their value varies by workflow; the gbdev resource index, for example, lists ROM-usage tools that can use
.map,.noi, or.ihxfiles. Do not label a file as required if your toolchain did not create it. - Copy saves into a separate, labeled area. Record whether each file is a cartridge battery save or an emulator save state, and identify the game ROM and emulator associated with it when known. Keep the original file intact rather than renaming its extension or converting it as part of the archive.
- Record emulator settings and dependencies. Write down the emulator name and version, any core or plugin, controller mapping, display choices, and relevant BIOS or boot ROM requirements. If the emulator offers a supported way to export configuration, include that export, but also write down the settings in human-readable form.
- Write a readme and make independent copies. Explain the archive layout, which ROM is the intended build, what toolchain was used, and where saves and emulator notes are located. Store copies in more than one location and periodically check that files remain readable.
A practical layout can make the differences visible without dictating a particular tool’s folder names:
Project-Name-archive/
README.txt
source-and-assets/ (complete project directory or a clear pointer to it)
rom-builds/
Project-Name-v1.0.gb
build-notes.txt
build-files/ (scripts and generated map/symbol files, if any)
saves/
battery-saves/
emulator-states/
emulator-notes/
settings.txt
exported-configs/ (if available)If the original application expects a specific project layout, preserve that intact rather than moving its contents into this example layout. The layout is an organizational suggestion; it is not a GB Studio or GBDK requirement.
How should I name and identify files?
Names should carry enough context when a file is separated from the archive. Include the project or game name, release or build label, and the extension. For example, a ROM might be named Project-Name-v1.0.gb, while a save could include the same release label and a note identifying it as a battery save or state. Do not change an emulator’s save-state extension merely to make it look like a battery save.
Use the readme to define the relationship between files. State which ROM is the intended release, which builds are tests, and which save belongs to which build. If the project has source-control revisions, record the revision identifier. If it does not, describe the archived folder and date as a snapshot, while acknowledging that the description may not identify every file uniquely.
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When provenance is uncertain, preserve the uncertainty. “Created by an unknown emulator” is more useful than an invented emulator name. Keep an untouched copy before trying to open, convert, or repair a save in a different environment.
What should the build notes say?
Build notes should let a future reader identify a ROM and understand what would be needed to try to reproduce it. They need not promise that an old build can be recreated perfectly: software, operating systems, assets, and toolchains can change.
For each ROM build, record:
- the project and release name, plus the ROM filename and extension;
- the date exported and the exact source snapshot or revision, if one exists;
- the development application or toolchain and version;
- the build or export steps, including scripts or non-obvious settings;
- any warnings, known limitations, or reason this particular ROM is kept as the known-good build;
- related save files and the emulator setup used to play or check the build, if known.
Keep the note close to the ROM and also in the project’s main readme. A ROM copied away from its original folder can otherwise lose the context that identifies which source and settings belong with it. If there are multiple builds, label them so a later maintainer can distinguish releases from test or development exports.
For a simple handoff, the readme can answer five questions: What is this project? Which file should be played? Which source snapshot produced it? What toolchain and version were used? Where are the saves and emulator notes? Add any known limitation, such as a build that runs in an emulator but was never checked on original hardware.
How are battery saves different from save states?
A cartridge battery save stores a game’s save data; an emulator save state captures the emulator’s execution state. They are different artifacts and should be labeled and backed up separately. Libretro’s SameBoy core documentation distinguishes a cartridge backup save from the frontend’s state directory, illustrating why one file should not be treated as a substitute for the other.
A battery save is the relevant artifact when the goal is to keep ordinary in-game progress associated with a game. A save state is a snapshot associated with an emulator’s ability to resume an emulated session. Since save states may depend on emulator implementation and version, keep the emulator and version information with each state. The available documentation does not establish general compatibility across emulator brands or versions, so do not assume a state will load elsewhere.
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For each save file, use a note or folder structure that answers three questions: Is it a battery save or a state? Which exact ROM or game build does it belong to? Which emulator and version created it, if it is a state? If the provenance is unknown, record that uncertainty rather than guessing. Keep an untouched copy before attempting to load or convert a save in another environment.
When making a backup of a game save, copy the file while the emulator is closed or after the game has finished writing, when practical. Then retain the original alongside the labeled preservation copy. A battery save and a state can represent different moments in the same playthrough, so do not overwrite one with the other or collapse them into a single “saves” file.
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How do I preserve an emulator profile?
There is no universal emulator-profile format established for this guide. Preserve a supported configuration export if the emulator has one, but do not rely on a profile file alone: record the emulator’s name and version and describe the important settings in a readable note.
Include the core or plugin name where applicable, controller mapping, display settings, and any required BIOS or boot ROM information. Note where a configuration file came from and which emulator version it was used with. Keep an original copy of any exported profile and avoid editing it unless you also retain the untouched version.
Think of the profile as context, not a guarantee of portability. A configuration export may be useful in the same emulator, but there is no basis here to promise that another emulator will import it, interpret every setting identically, or restore a save state. If a setting is important, write it down in plain language as well—for example, describe the controller mapping instead of preserving only an opaque configuration file.
Record dependencies separately from preferences. A BIOS or boot ROM may be required by an emulator setup, but documenting that requirement does not establish that the file can be redistributed. Note where a future maintainer should obtain it under the applicable rules rather than silently bundling an unverified dependency.
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How can I check that the archive is still useful?
Check that the archive can be opened and that the key files are present, then verify the ROM independently in the emulator environment intended for it. The goal is to catch missing or unreadable files and to retain context—not to treat one successful launch as proof that the entire project can be rebuilt.
- Open the archived project and check that its source, assets, and documentation are present.
- Confirm the named ROM file is present and its extension and release label match the readme.
- Open the ROM in the target emulator, if available, and confirm it starts as expected for that build.
- Check saves separately. Identify each as battery save or state, and try it only with the associated ROM and documented emulator context where possible.
- Confirm the build notes identify the toolchain and source snapshot. If a build script or map file is included, make sure it is labeled and not mistaken for the ROM itself.
- Repeat a file-readability check after copying the archive to another storage location. Keep more than one copy; the available guidance does not prescribe a particular storage medium or number beyond independent copies.
A working ROM does not prove the source tree is complete, and an intact source tree does not prove that a historical toolchain can still reproduce the exact same output. Record what was actually checked and what remains uncertain rather than conflating those outcomes.
Test the exported ROM in the emulator environment the project targets. If the archive is handed to another person, give that person the intended ROM filename, emulator name and version, and the location of the readme. This prevents a test build or an unrelated save from being used accidentally.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do I need a cartridge flasher?
No. A cartridge flasher and compatible writable cartridge are optional: they are relevant only if you want to test the homebrew build on original Game Boy hardware. They are not required to preserve the source, ROM, saves, or emulator setup.
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Keep the digital ROM and build notes even when hardware testing succeeds. A cartridge test demonstrates one use of the build; it does not preserve the editable project, emulator profile, or the exact state of a playthrough. If a writable cartridge is used, document which ROM release was loaded and whether the test was performed on original hardware or through another device.
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What are the ROM backup and sharing limits?
For a homebrew game you created, retain the ROM and source under the project’s own distribution terms. Commercial game ROMs raise separate copyright and anti-circumvention questions; personal backup and distribution rules vary by jurisdiction. Do not assume that permission to make one kind of backup also permits downloading or sharing someone else’s copyrighted game files.
Provenance’s ROM-ripping documentation warns that rules differ across regions and cautions against downloading or sharing copyrighted game files. That is general project guidance, not jurisdiction-specific legal advice. Check the law that applies where you are before making, obtaining, or distributing a commercial ROM backup.
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The package is organized around the outcomes a maintainer may need: rebuilding from source, playing a known ROM, preserving a playthrough, restoring an emulator setup, or testing on original hardware. The cited development and emulator documentation supports the distinctions between source and build, battery saves and states, and the optional cartridge route. Where the sources do not establish a standard—especially profile portability or cross-emulator save-state compatibility—the guide recommends recording names and versions rather than promising transfer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Game Boy ROM be rebuilt from the ROM file alone?
No. A ROM is the compiled game build, not the editable source, assets, or build instructions. If the source materials are missing, keep the ROM as a playable artifact, but do not describe it as a complete, rebuildable project.
Should I keep the emulator’s BIOS or boot ROM in the archive?
Record whether the emulator setup requires one and where its dependency is expected to come from. The preservation material here does not establish that you may redistribute a BIOS or boot ROM, so document the requirement without assuming it can be bundled.
Can I share a save file with someone who has a different ROM version?
Do not assume it will work: saves can be associated with a particular game build, and the available documentation does not establish universal compatibility between versions. Label the save with the ROM filename or release and preserve the original before anyone attempts to load it elsewhere.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhat if I no longer know which emulator created a save state?
Preserve the state unchanged and label its emulator provenance as unknown. You can retain it as a recovery possibility, but without its originating emulator and version there is no reliable basis to promise it can be resumed.
Is a GB Studio project enough without the exported ROM?
It preserves editable material, but keeping a known-good exported ROM is still useful because it records a playable build that may be difficult to reproduce exactly after tools or operating systems change.
The Bottom Line
Keep the editable project, a labeled known-good ROM, build and toolchain notes, separately identified battery saves and emulator states, emulator settings, and independent readable copies. Test the ROM in its intended emulator, document uncertainty, and treat cartridge flashing as optional hardware testing rather than as preservation itself.
