Animal Crossing GameCube Port Hits PortMaster + GBA Turns 25

Two big things happened in the retro handheld community this weekend, and both deserve your attention: the original Animal Crossing GameCube game is coming to PortMaster, and the Game Boy Advance just turned 25 years old. Let’s dig in.

Animal Crossing GameCube PC Port Is Coming to PortMaster

A developer named Dia has ported the Animal Crossing: Population Growing GameCube decompilation to run on ARM handhelds via PortMaster — and early reports confirm it’s playable right now on devices like the R36S running ArkOS. It should also work on Anbernic H700-based devices (RG35XX H, RG40XX H, and friends).

This is a big deal. Animal Crossing for the GameCube has never had an official portable version, and the decompilation project behind this port (originally developed for PC) represents years of reverse-engineering work by the community. Dia’s ARM adaptation brings it to the handheld-sized screens where it arguably belongs.

What You Need

• A retro handheld running ArkOS or compatible custom firmware (Anbernic H700-based devices are the current sweet spot)
• An ISO or CISO disc image of the US version of Animal Crossing (GameCube)
• PortMaster installed on your device

The port is currently in the testing-n-dev channel on the PortMaster Discord — it hasn’t rolled out to the main PortMaster library yet, so you’ll need to grab it manually from Dia’s GitHub repository. Some tweaks to graphics settings may be needed for a smoother experience.

Once it graduates to the official PortMaster library, it should be a one-click install on any supported device.

Which Devices Can Run It?

Based on early testing, H700-chip devices are the current target:

• Anbernic RG35XX H — the budget H700 device, widely available
• Anbernic RG40XX H / V — slightly larger screen options
• R36S — confirmed working with ArkOS (graphics tweaks recommended)

If you’re shopping for a device to run PortMaster ports, the RG35XX H remains the best value entry point into the ecosystem.

Game Boy Advance Turns 25

Yesterday, March 21st, marked the 25th anniversary of the Game Boy Advance launching in Japan. The GBA hit store shelves on March 21, 2001, and became one of the greatest gaming platforms of all time.

The GBA library is a treasure chest the retro community keeps rediscovering — Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Mother 3 (fan-translated), Golden Sun, Advance Wars, Mega Man Battle Network. Thanks to modern retro handhelds and flash carts, the GBA library is more accessible now than at any point since original hardware was in stores.

r/SBCGaming celebrated with a wonderful thread, hundreds of enthusiasts sharing their favorite hidden gems — many discovered not on original hardware in 2001, but on Miyoo Minis and Anbernic devices years later. That’s the power of this hobby.

If you want to play through the GBA library on original or near-original hardware, the EverDrive GBA Pro ($129 direct from Krikzz) and the Analogue Pocket ($249.99) remain the gold standards.

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