The LEGO Game Boy Launched This Week — And Someone’s Already Modded it to Play Actual Games

LEGO’s life-like Game Boy set has already been modded to play actual Game Boy cartridges, after going on sale earlier this week (it’s $59.99 and available at Amazon).

Talented modder Natalie the Nerd showcased her quick work on the project via her blog today, which actually began before the set arrived based on LEGO’s own pre-launch photos.

No stranger to tinkering with retro hardware, the modder said her work on modifying the Game Boy’s innards was relatively straightforward, though it had to fit inside “a very space conscious build”, within the LEGO model.

“I incorporated the power circuit I use for my Safer Charger boards, changed the power switch to a soft latching power button, added pin outs for the button matrix and audio,” Natalie the Nerd wrote, explaining her process. To be clear, this involves creating a custom Game Boy circuit board to fit within the design and also use the LEGO model’s own cartridge slot — so there’s no emulation going on here.

“I didn’t really know what the buttons on the LEGO would be like, but the fact that they could be pressed was enough for me to know I could implement them. At the moment I have them wired up to custom 3D printed toy brick parts. Same with the USB C.”

The result? Already there’s a working build, though with slightly more time, Natalie the Nerd says she’ll be refining the project before ultimately releasing her plans for others to try themselves.

https://twitter.com/natalie_thenerd/status/1973447167047245848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Launched this week, the LEGO Game Boy reproduces Nintendo’s classic handheld and comes with several LEGO game cartridges — including Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. The overall set is reasonably priced at $59.99, and you can go ahead and pick it up right now.

“At 421 pieces, the LEGO Game Boy is the smallest of the available video game console sets LEGO has issued over the years, but in spite of a relatively small brick count, its efficiency of parts still makes for an exceptional whole,” IGN wrote, putting the LEGO Game Boy set together. “When it’s fully assembled, it looks everything the part of the original, although it’s just a touch smaller.”

Image credit: Natalie The Nerd.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social