What is Sonic Advance 2?

Sonic Advance 2 is an open-source decompilation of Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2. Source code reconstructed from the original game's compiled binary, so the game can be understood, rebuilt and ported.

Do I need the original game files to run Sonic Advance 2?

Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy. Requires a Sonic Advance 2 ROM file named baserom_sa2.gba in the repository root to build.

Sonic Advance 2

DecompilationActiveSemi-playableWindowsLinuxOSXPS2GBAPSP

Source code reconstructed from the original game's compiled binary, so the game can be understood, rebuilt and ported.

Based on Sonic Advance

Based on Sonic Advance 2

Links, repository & details

About

Sonic Advance (2001) and its sequel Sonic Advance 2 (2002) are Game Boy Advance platform games developed by Sonic Team and Dimps, in which players complete levels as Sonic and friends, collecting Chaos Emeralds and battling Dr. Eggman. This is a work-in-progress matching decompilation of Sonic Advance (SA1) and Sonic Advance 2 (SA2), with an eventual Sonic Advance 3 planned, covering multiple regional GBA ROM versions. Beyond the original GBA builds, it can also produce SDL-based Linux/macOS/Windows ports, a PlayStation 2 port, and a PlayStation Portable port; a Win32 OpenGL port exists but isn't yet functional. The SA2 build currently compiles entirely from C, with around 60 functions still not byte-matching.

Getting started

Follow the project's setup instructions to configure and build; the repository builds directly to the original regional GBA ROMs as well as the SDL desktop ports, and requires a legitimate copy of the base ROM.

Known issues & limitations

The project is incomplete and still under active development.
The Win32 OpenGL port is not functional.

What you need to run it

Original game files required. The project ships code only; you provide your own copy of the game. Requires a Sonic Advance 2 ROM file named baserom_sa2.gba in the repository root to build.

Media

Credits & contributing

The project has a strict no-LLM policy for issues and pull requests — maintainers only accept human-authored contributions.

FAQ

What is Sonic Advance 2?: Sonic Advance 2 is an open-source decompilation of Sonic Advance and Sonic Advance 2. Source code reconstructed from the original game's compiled binary, so the game can be understood, rebuilt and ported.
Do I need the original game files to run Sonic Advance 2?: Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy. Requires a Sonic Advance 2 ROM file named baserom_sa2.gba in the repository root to build.