Pokemon Heart & Soul

Download Pre-Patched Pokemon Heart & Soul GBA ROM Hack

• Creator: lildill01
• Version: 2.0.6
• Hack of: Emerald
• Updated: September 16, 2026
• Language: English
• Status: Completed

Pokemon Heart & Soul is a GBA ROM Hack by lildill01 based on Pokemon Emerald in English. And it is now available to download. It was last updated on September 16, 2026.

What is Pokemon Heart & Soul?​

Pokemon Heart & Soul is a modern reimagining of Johto built on the Modern Emerald decomp. It blends elements of Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, and HeartGold/SoulSilver into a fully completed, faithful-yet-fresh experience. Featuring Gen 3 mechanics, modern quality-of-life updates, and extensive playtesting, Heart & Soul delivers the definitive Johto adventure on GBA. Completely open source, it also serves as a foundation for future Johto ROM hacks.

Features

• Generation 1-3 Pokémon, plus their later gen evolutions (excluding the Regis and Jirachi)
• Full Johto story and Kanto postgame from HGSS, including the Kimono Girls and Eusine
• Following Pokémon
• Overworld background Pokémon allow you to easily see the notable encounters on each route
• Day/Night System with variable encounters
• Dynamic overworld palettes
• HGSS Music
• Highly varied trainer teams and encounters, based on Crystal Legacy
• HMs do not need to be taught to a Pokémon in order for it to be used
• Apricons replaced with berries, Kurt will use them to make unique Pokéballs
• Timekeeping does not track days of the week, Everything is progression based
• 16 Gym leader rematches
• Two Safari Zones
• Unique surfing Pokémon sprites
• Customizable shiny rate
• Physical/special split is toggleable
• Fairy type is toggleable
• AutoRun and FastSurf are toggleable
• Quick run from wild battles using button combination
• Ball prompts for quick catching
• … and much more!

NEW 2.0 Features

• Rebuilt the game and all features on pokeemerald-expansion
• This means saves from before 2.0 are not compatible with versions after 2.0. I’m sorry but the engine change was just too big to preserve compatibility.
• Restored Surf and Bike music, with option to disable
• Abilities up to Gen 9, including Hidden Abilities
• Items from up to Gen 9 available, including shiny charm (not all items)
• Randomizer has all mons Gen 1-9
• Hidden Items + Itemfinder
• Overhauled Kanto maps and tilesets
• Kanto rematch trainers
• Kanto in-game trades
• All PokéGear Rematches from GSC (and some new ones), including gift items, with option to disable
• Full PokéGear Radio with all channels from Crystal (and some new ones)
• PokéGear Condition menu
• All 92 HGSS TMs
• New postgame content
• Kurt’s Berry Balls boost catch rate by custom-defined type affinity if more impactful than the vanilla boost
• GB Player Key Item to toggle Gen 2 music and sounds
• Removed all bike reaction time puzzles
• Added ice Path boulder puzzle
• Mom’s Savings System
• Voltorb Flip
• Entei, Raikou and new kanto roamer are all independent
• Choose one lati to roam kanto. The other will be at southern island.
• Roamers no longer intentionally avoid the player’s route
• Added a sound cue and animation when the player enters the same route as a roamer
• Added clock to start menu
• Added [UNREDACTED] Optional Bonus Content: TELEPORTER, accessible from the Kanto postgame
• Room Decoration (dolls only) in New Bark Town
• Spiky eared pichu event in viridian
• Added [UNREDACTED] Optional Bonus Content: ISLES, accessible from the Kanto postgame
• Slowpokes grow their tails back when you beat the league
• Tutors and trades can utilize your pc pokemon
• Added [UNREDACTED] Optional Bonus Content: SINJOH, accessible from the Kanto postgame
• Can fly to more routes and pokemoncenters
• Rocket takeover only happens after 7th badge, no matter where you get it
• Buffed the kimono girls
• Various UI/UX improvements, including Shiny Markers for colorblindness accessibility and shiny-hunting QOL
• New Battle Backgrounds: Cave ponds, snowy routes, snowy mountain, snowy cave, volcano cave, new beach

Setting Expectations

• Heart & Soul was designed as a traditional Pokémon adventure, similar to the official mainline games. It is not a difficulty hack and does not include built-in support for alternative playstyles like infinite rare candies, randomization, or nuzlocke modes.
• This project stands on the shoulders of giants. Many of the art assets and some code come from existing open-source resources. While I’ve done my best to properly credit all contributors in the game and below, please let me know on the Heart & Soul Discord if you notice any missing credits.
• The game has been rigorously playtested (huge thanks to the testers), but small bugs may still exist. If you find any, please report them in the Discord.
• Finally, some features from GSC/HGSS were simply too complex or time-consuming to include. See the Differences section below for details.

Differences from GSC/HGSS

• Radio is a standalone Key Item with limited functionality instead of a menu in the Pokégear
• Trainers will not offer their phone numbers, no way to rematch them
• Greatly improved level curve
• Apricorns replaced with berries, berry ball catch boost is based on Type
• Strength boulder-in-hole puzzles replaced with Emerald Mach Bike puzzles
• No itemfinder and no hidden items
• Only 50 TMs (The ones from emerald)
• Swarms are replaced with a 5% Hoenn encounter on each route in Kanto
• Mom does not take your money
• Ruins of alph back room requirements are slightly altered
• No pokéathalon dome
• No trades in Kanto

Recommended Emulators (MyBoy IS OUTDATED AND WILL NOT WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!)

• For PC/Mac: mGBA
• For Android: pizzaboy, Lemuroid, Retroarch w/ mGBA core.
• For IOS: Delta, Retroarch w/ mGBA core, Ignited.
• For Linux Handheld Devices: Retroarch w/ mGBA core.

Changelog – What’s NEW in v2.0.6!

Bug Fixes

• Fixed battle background tilemaps
• Fixed ice ball animation
• Fixed synchronize on static encounters
• Updated version number
• Vacuumed the floors
• Walked the dog
• Closed the windows
• Did the laundry
• Fixed the leaky sink
• Watered the plants

Learnset changes:

• Buffed the learnsets of over 100 pokemon to elevate under-performers and fill in some of the notorious gaps in the gen 3 learnests. See the full patch notes for more info.

Gameplay:

• Added the Emerald Battle frontier, including all the improvements from Modern Emerald
• Added Trainer Hill and Battle Tents to route 41 in place of the old battle tower
• Added Contest Hall to Viridian City
• Added Kanto wild, trainer, and gym leader battle music from HGSS
• Added Jirachi
• Name your rival (new saves only)
• Redesigned Whirl Islands to make Lugia’s home as special and unique as Ho-oh’s. This includes new encounters
• Added overworld glow effects to many objects like street lamps
• New original overworld sprites for Gold and Kris
• Addressed every single bug report
• And much more…

Options Menu:

• Added ‘Gen 4 Battle UI’ option
• Added ‘Gen 1 Recharge Move’ option

Future Plans

Version 1.2 will be the final update in the 1.x series. Development of the pokeemerald-expansion port (Heart & Soul 2.0) is already underway. It’s a huge project, and even with the team’s talent, it will take time. Expect a long gap between 1.2 and 2.0, with a more detailed progress update, and ways for fans to contribute coming soon.

Screenshots

Useful Stuff

Downloads

Previous Versions

Credits

Lead Developer / Game Director

• Lil Dill

Developers

• TixoRebel
• InfiniteBacon42
• Exclsior
• Phantonomy
• DaniRainbow

For the full credits visit the PokeCommunity thread