Series guide

All Advance Wars games in order

Advance Wars is Intelligent Systems’ turn-based strategy series — the handheld cousin of Fire Emblem, with tanks instead of swords. It is short, and it is confusing in two ways: the fourth game has two names, and the newest release is a remake of the first two. Below are all five releases in order, with the platforms linked — the GBA and DS cartridges are the copies we stock and test — and buying notes that keep the names straight.

The short answer

Advance Wars (2001, GBA) → Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (2003, GBA) → Dual Strike (2005, DS) → Days of Ruin, called Dark Conflict in Europe (2008, DS) → Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp (2023, Switch), a remake of the first two. Start with Dual Strike.

Every Advance Wars game in order

Advance Wars · 2001 · Game Boy Advance — the one that brought the Wars series to the West — Andy, Max and Sami versus Blue Moon
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising · 2003 · Game Boy Advance — direct sequel, bigger campaign, the Black Hole army
Advance Wars: Dual Strike · 2005 · Nintendo DS — two screens, two commanders, tag battles — the DS entry we stock most
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin · 2008 · Nintendo DS — a darker standalone story; sold as Advance Wars: Dark Conflict in Europe
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp · 2023 · Nintendo Switch — a remake of the two GBA games in one cartridge — not a fifth game

Before Advance Wars: the Japanese Wars games

The series is older than its Western name. Famicom Wars (1988), Game Boy Wars (1991), Super Famicom Wars (1998) and Game Boy Wars 2 and 3 stayed in Japan; Advance Wars in 2001 was the first entry to reach Europe and America, and Japan then got it years later. That is why the count depends on who is counting: five Advance Wars releases, or ten Wars games.

Do you have to play them in order?

The first three share a cast and a story, so Advance Wars → Black Hole Rising → Dual Strike is the natural run. Days of Ruin (Dark Conflict) restarts the series with a new world and a grimmer tone, and Re-Boot Camp simply retells the first two. Nothing in the gameplay assumes you know the earlier games.

Which Advance Wars should you buy now?

Most game for the money: Dual Strike (DS) — the biggest campaign, playable on every DS, 2DS and 3DS.
The originals: Advance Wars and Black Hole Rising on GBA — also in the second slot of a DS or DS Lite.
On a Switch or Switch 2: Re-Boot Camp — both GBA campaigns, with online play.
The dark one: Dark Conflict / Days of Ruin (DS) — a standalone story, either region.

Buying Advance Wars second-hand

Dark Conflict and Days of Ruin are the same game

The fourth Advance Wars was renamed for Europe: Days of Ruin (America) is Dark Conflict (Europe), with the character names changed too. The DS is region-free, so either cartridge plays on a European DS, DS Lite, DSi, 2DS or 3DS — buy whichever is cheaper.

The GBA games also play on a DS or DS Lite

Advance Wars and Black Hole Rising fit the second slot of an original DS or DS Lite — not the DSi, 2DS or 3DS. Game Boy Advance cartridges are region-free, so an American copy is fine on a European console.

Re-Boot Camp is the modern way to play 1 and 2

The Switch cartridge holds both GBA campaigns with new graphics and online play, and runs on Switch 2 as well. If you want the originals for the pixel art or the price, the GBA cartridges are the way; the content is the same.

Battalion Wars is a spin-off, not a strategy game

Battalion Wars (GameCube, 2005) and Battalion Wars 2 (Wii, 2007) share the Wars universe but are real-time action games. They are not part of the turn-based line above.

Every copy tested before it is listed

Booting, gameplay, saving, label condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.

Browse tested Nintendo games

Questions we get asked

Do I need to play the Advance Wars games in order?

Advance Wars and Black Hole Rising tell one story and Dual Strike continues it, so those three read best in order. Days of Ruin (Dark Conflict) is a standalone restart with a new cast — start there if you like.

How many Advance Wars games are there?

Four original games — two on Game Boy Advance and two on Nintendo DS — plus Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, the 2023 Switch remake of the first two. In Japan the series goes back to Famicom Wars (1988).

What is the newest Advance Wars game?

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp on Nintendo Switch, released in April 2023 after a year’s delay. The newest original game is still Days of Ruin / Dark Conflict from 2008.

Is Advance Wars: Dark Conflict the same as Days of Ruin?

Yes. Dark Conflict is the European title of Days of Ruin; the game is identical apart from the character names, and both cartridges run on any Nintendo DS.

Which Advance Wars should I start with?

Dual Strike on DS: it plays on every DS and 3DS, it is the most generous game in the series, and it is the one most often in stock. Re-Boot Camp if you want the classic pair on a Switch.

Do you ship outside the Netherlands?

We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.

Years given are the first release outside Japan; European dates were sometimes a few months later. Onze Nintendo DS-collectie in het Nederlands.