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Patching ROM Hacks

Overview

This section will walk through the process of patching ROM hacks so they can be played in mGBA. We will go over the basic steps for creating a properly patched ROM that works correctly in the emulator on Windows 11. By the end of this section, you should understand which patch type to use, how to apply it, and how to troubleshoot common issues if a patch does not work as expected.

What Are ROM Hacks?

ROM hacks are fan-made modifications of existing video games that change or expand the original experience. They can include things like new levels, altered gameplay mechanics, visual improvements, bug fixes, difficulty adjustments, or unofficial translations of games that were never released in certain regions. ROM hacks allow players to revisit familiar games in new ways or experience content that was never part of the official release.

What Is Patching?

Patching is the process of applying a small file containing modifications to an original game ROM in order to create a ROM hack. The patch file only includes the differences between the original game and the modified version, rather than the full game itself. Once the patch is applied, the newly created ROM can be played in an emulator such as mGBA.

Warning

This section is going to assume you have one or many ROM files installed, or at the very least you know how to install and access a ROM file.

Patching ROMs

There are two main ways to modify ROMs with patch files:

Auto Patching

Auto patching (also referred to as "soft-patching") allows the emulator to apply a patch file automatically when the game is launched, while the original ROM remains unchanged.

Why Would I Choose Auto Patching?
  • You want to keep your original ROM unchanged
  • You may want to easily remove or change the patch later
  • You want a quick and simple setup with minimal file modification

  1. Load the ROM you want to hack.

    File > Load ROM

    rom

  2. Load the ROM hack patch.

    File > Load Patch

    patch

Success

Super easy right? That is the simplest method to patch your ROM hacks.

Manual Patching

Manual patching (also referred to as "hard-patching") refers to the process of directly modifying a ROM by applying a patch file, resulting in a permanently updated game file.

Why Manual Patching?
  • It is the most widely supported and commonly used patching method
  • Many ROM hacks specifically expect the ROM to be pre-patched
  • It creates a single ready-to-play file that works in most emulators
  • The process is reliable and easy to follow for beginners

Installing Lunar IPS

The first step is to install the tool we will use to hack the ROMs.

  1. Visit the official downloads page of Lunar IPS.

  2. Download the WinZip file.

  3. Open the downloaded archive and locate the Lunar IPS application file.

  4. Extract the contents of the archive to a convenient location on your computer.

Success

You have successfully install Lunar IPS and this is what you should see:

lunarips

Using Lunar IPS

  1. Download the ROM hack patch file. Obtain the patch file provided by the hack's creator. This will usually be in .ips format.

  2. Download the correct base ROM. Make sure the ROM version matches the one required by the hack. Using the wrong version may cause the patch to fail or the game to crash.

  3. Open Lunar IPS Launch the Lunar IPS application.

  4. Click 'Apply IPS Patch'.

    Apply ips

  5. Open the .ips hack file.

    Open ips file

  6. Open the ROM file you want to hack.

    Open ROM file

Success

Successful ips

All done! now when you load that ROM, it will be loaded pre-hacked.

Conclusion

By finishing this section, you should know how to do the following:

  • How to auto patch a ROM
  • How to manual patch a ROM
  • How to install and use Lunar IPS

Congratulations ☘, you now know the basics of ROM hacking!

Go to the next section to go over troubleshooting.