# ZamGBA: Pure Zig SDK for Game Boy Advance homebrew (v0.1.0)

**URL:** <https://ziggit.dev/t/zamgba-pure-zig-sdk-for-game-boy-advance-homebrew-v0-1-0/17344>\
**Category:** Showcase\
**Tags:** game, llm\
**Created:** [August 23, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://ziggit.dev/t/zamgba-pure-zig-sdk-for-game-boy-advance-homebrew-v0-1-0/17344 "2026-08-23T17:39:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![fuzhouch](https://ziggit.dev/user_avatar/ziggit.dev/fuzhouch/32/777_2.png) [@fuzhouch](https://ziggit.dev/u/fuzhouch)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://ziggit.dev/t/zamgba-pure-zig-sdk-for-game-boy-advance-homebrew-v0-1-0/17344/1 "2026-08-23T17:39:29Z")

</div>

# [ZamGBA](https://github.com/tsetseggames/zamgba/)

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Hi everyone! I have been working on GBA homebrew and wanted to share **ZamGBA** , a lightweight SDK and 2D engine written in pure Zig. It started as a personal learning project, but I now realize it could become a functional SDK for GBA game development.

Today it reaches **v0.1.0**. To be honest, this is an early release (no audio drivers or scrolling backgrounds yet), but it is already capable of running a playable classic [Pong game](https://github.com/tsetseggames/zamgba/blob/main/demo/engine/pong.zig).

- **Repository** : [GitHub - tsetseggames/zamgba · GitHub](https://github.com/tsetseggames/zamgba)
- **Pong Demo Source** : [zamgba/demo/engine/pong.zig at main · tsetseggames/zamgba · GitHub](https://github.com/tsetseggames/zamgba/blob/main/demo/engine/pong.zig)
- **Standalone Consumer Example** : [GitHub - fuzhouch/consumezamgba: Example of consuming [zamgba](https://github.com/fuzhouch/zamgba) · GitHub](https://github.com/fuzhouch/consumezamgba) (shows how to use ZamGBA as an external dependency)

### Design Highlights (v0.1.0)

Just clone the repo and run `zig build --optimize=fast` to generate 8 `*.gba` demo ROMs inside `zig-out/bin/`. You can run them in the [mGBA](https://mgba.io) emulator or load them directly onto a retro handheld.

Key design choices in v0.1.0:

- **2-Tier Architecture** : `zamgba.hal` maps hardware registers cleanly with type safety; `zamgba.engine` provides input polling, 2D AABB collisions, and the main game loop.
- **Comptime GBA Header (No `gbafix`)**: GBA header checksums and logo data are generated directly at compile time via Zig `comptime` functions. You do not need external patching tools like `gbafix`—a single `zig build` outputs a valid `.gba` ROM.
- **`Fixed24_8` with `comptime_float`** : The GBA has no hardware FPU. You write normal float literals in code, and Zig resolves them at compile time with zero runtime float cost.
- **Interrupt-Driven VBlank (`waitForVBlank`)**: Uses GBA hardware IRQs instead of a busy loop. This saves battery on real hardware and guarantees a tear-free 60 FPS.

Please go ahead checking my roadmaps from [README of my project repo](https://github.com/tsetseggames/zamgba#milestones)

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### Supported Zig versions

- Zig `0.16.0` (Tag: `zig-0-16`)

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### AI / LLM usage disclosure

This project heavily uses LLMs (Gemini / Zed Agents) for code generation, including HAL register mappings, engine code, and example games.

While most of the code was generated by LLMs, the system architecture (2-layer HAL/Engine split, Fixed24\_8 math with comptime conversion, interrupt-driven VBlank sync), debugging, bug fixes, and emulator testing in mGBA were designed, reviewed, and tested by me.

```zig

```