Authenticity guide
How to spot a fake Pokémon cartridge
Pokémon is the most counterfeited series on Game Boy and Nintendo DS. These are the checks we run on every cartridge before it goes in the shop — the same six that make us reject roughly 12% of everything we buy.
The 30-second version
Look at the screw. A genuine Game Boy or Game Boy Advance cartridge has a tri-wing screw — a Y-shape with three points. A Phillips (+) screw means it is either opened or not Nintendo. On a Nintendo DS card there is no screw at all: check the printing on the back and, for HeartGold or SoulSilver, whether the Pokéwalker actually pairs.
Game Boy Advance — where most fakes are
GBA is the battleground, for three reasons: Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed and LeafGreen are enormously popular, the cartridges are relatively simple to replicate, and the second-hand market keeps asking for them. This is the order we check in.
The screw — the fastest test that exists
A genuine Game Boy Advance cartridge is held together by a tri-wing screw: a Y-shape with three points. A regular Phillips (+) screw means someone opened it, or it was never Nintendo. Originals use coloured metal — dark grey or a subtle bronze tint; fakes are usually plated silver steel.
Label finish and the batch stamp
Originals have a semi-matte finish with fine dot-matrix printing, and a stamped two-digit number in the bottom right corner — the production batch. Counterfeits come out too glossy or too flat, and either miss that stamp or print it crooked.
Weight — 4.2 grams
Pick the cartridge up. A genuine GBA cartridge weighs 4.2g, give or take 0.1g. Fakes feel hollow and typically come in at 3.5g or less. A kitchen scale that reads tenths is enough.
Hold it against the light
Original shells are slightly translucent grey or black — hold one up and you can vaguely make out the board inside. Counterfeit shells are usually solid opaque brown or grey, with nothing showing through.
The board — this is the proof
Open it with a tri-wing bit. The board must carry "(c) Nintendo" or "NINTENDO" printed on it, plus an AGB prefix code — AGB-IBME-USA for the US Emerald, AGB-AXVE-EUR for the European Ruby, and so on. A dark green board is right. Light green or blue means walk away.
Save battery type — the giveaway on FireRed
Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald use a CR1616 coin cell for their real-time clock. FireRed and LeafGreen use EEPROM and have no save battery at all. So a "FireRed" with a CR1616 soldered in is counterfeit, no further checking needed.
Nintendo DS — and the HeartGold test
DS cartridges are harder to fake: they are smaller and the chip encryption is stricter. They exist all the same, concentrated on the titles people want most.
HeartGold and SoulSilver have an infrared sensor
These two shipped in a special black cartridge, slightly larger than a standard DS card, with an infrared sensor in the top edge for pairing the Pokéwalker. Counterfeits leave the sensor out. The game boots and plays normally — but open the Pokéwalker pairing screen and nothing happens, or it freezes after about 30 seconds. That single test settles it.
Colour and back printing
Genuine DS cartridges are dark grey powder-finish plastic. The back carries sharp Nintendo printing and patent information, with "Made in Japan" or "Made in EU" legible. Faint or blurry printing is a counterfeit.
The serial has to match the region
DS serials start with NTR, DSi-enhanced ones with TWL. HeartGold is NTR-IPKE-USA or NTR-IPKE-EUR. If the serial says USA and you were sold a European copy — or the other way round — something is wrong.
A DSi or 3DS is a free counterfeit detector
Those consoles run stricter integrity checks than a DS Lite. If a cartridge boots happily on a DS Lite but refuses on a DSi or 3DS, it is almost certainly not genuine.
What a counterfeit actually costs you
Rarely your console — the risk is your save file and your money. Counterfeits lose saves, break time-based events, and often refuse to boot on a DSi or 3DS. And a copy has no resale value, so you paid an original price for nothing.
Or let someone else do the checking
Every cartridge we sell has been through this list before it was listed — label, screw, board, save battery and a play test on real hardware. We have been at it since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. If something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested Pokémon gamesQuestions we get asked
Which Pokémon games are faked most?
Game Boy Advance is the battleground: Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed and LeafGreen are wildly popular, the cartridges are relatively simple to replicate, and second-hand demand is high. On DS the counterfeits concentrate on HeartGold, SoulSilver and Platinum. Game Boy and Game Boy Color use the same tri-wing screw as GBA, so the same first check applies.
How can I tell a fake Pokémon Emerald?
Start with the screw (tri-wing, not Phillips) and the weight (4.2g). Emerald has a green-and-red Rayquaza label; the green should be Pantone 354, where counterfeits tend to run slightly neon or too dark. If you open it, the board carries an AGB prefix code and a CR1616 save battery — Emerald genuinely uses one, unlike FireRed.
Is my HeartGold cartridge real?
Try a Pokéwalker pairing. Genuine HeartGold and SoulSilver cartridges have an infrared sensor in the top edge; counterfeits do not, so the pairing screen does nothing or freezes after roughly 30 seconds. Also check that the serial reads NTR-IPKE-EUR (Europe) or NTR-IPKE-USA, and that the cartridge is the slightly larger black shell rather than a standard grey one.
Does a counterfeit cartridge damage my console?
Not usually — the risk is your save file and your money, not your hardware. Counterfeits frequently lose saves, break time-based events, or fail to run on a DSi or 3DS. And you paid an original price for a copy that is worth nothing on resale.
Do you check the games you sell?
Yes — every cartridge goes through a six-point authenticity check before it is listed, and we reject about 12% of what we buy. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★. If a cartridge ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Your parcel is sent from the Netherlands, so it crosses a border — that is why it takes a little longer than a domestic delivery — but there are no customs charges within the EU. The exact rate for your country appears at checkout before you pay.
Collecting sealed TCG as well? Best Pokémon booster packs & boxes to buy in 2026 — with the five checks that catch fake vintage packs.
Buying the hardware too? Buying Nintendo DS & 3DS games in 2026 — compatibility, region locks and the second-hand checks.
Dutch reader? Deze gids in het Nederlands — met alle platforms, ook Nintendo 64, Wii en sealed games.
