Galar in 32 Bits: Pokémon Sword & Shield Ultimate Plus as a GBA Demake
Pokémon Sword and Shield arrived on Nintendo Switch in 2019 as a big-screen adventure through the Galar region. Ultimate Plus asks a very different question: could that whole game fit on a Game Boy Advance? The community answer is a demake that recreates the story, the Gym Challenge and the post-game on a cartridge with 32-bit pixel art.
The project's download listing credits AStartGaming, PCLG and Phantonomy, and describes it as the latest, most refined iteration of the hack. Version 1.2.1.2, dated March 2025, is marked as complete yet still in active development, and the source code is published on GitHub.
At a glance
- Based on: Pokémon Sword and Shield (Nintendo Switch, 2019)
- Created by: AStartGaming, PCLG and Phantonomy (per the hack's listing)
- Released: actively updated; v1.2.1.2 dated March 2025
- Genre: Role-playing game
- What sets it apart: the full Galar story and DLC regions squeezed onto the Game Boy Advance
What is in the demake
- The complete Sword and Shield story and Gym Challenge.
- Recreations of the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra expansion content.
- Pokémon from Generations 1 to 8, plus some later additions such as Hydrapple, Archeludon and the Hisuian starters.
- Dynamax, Gigantamax, Mega Evolution and Z-Moves, along with Ultra Beasts.
- New music, new side quests and a post-game Legendary Hunt.
- Quality-of-life tools such as an auto-run on the L button and a DexNav in the menu.