Pokémon Prism Setup
Before you start, make sure you have downloaded the latest version of Pokémon Prism.
Remember the extract the ZIP file first!
Pokémon Prism is in beta
We recommend that you keep regular backups of your save files while playing in case of unexpected failure.
If you have a bug to report, please use our Bug Report Form.
New Game
To set up the game, you will need:
Game Boy Color Emulator
BGB
If you have macOS or Linux, bgb will run with WINE or CrossOver.
SameBoy
Runs on macOS (with additional features), Windows and Linux.
Emulicious
A multi-system emulator that runs with Java runtime.
Other emulators are available but may not be supported by RainbowDevs.
English Pokémon Crystal ROM
It should have the file extension *.gbc. Both 1.0 and 1.1 versions are acceptable.
We will not tell you where to get one, so please do not ask.
Pokémon Prism on real hardware
It is possible to run Prism on real hardware, either on a Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, or through Virtual Console on Nintendo 3DS. Virtual Console may not offer the best experience, and many GBA cartridges do not support GBC games and will emulate them poorly. Due to the variety of hardware combinations and qualities available, RainbowDevs cannot guarantee that the game will run on all of them.
Do NOT use VisualBoyAdvance (VBA or VBA-m).
The developers can not and will not support any bugs or issues when using this emulator due to it lacking accuracy in emulation.
1. Load the game files into the patcher.
- Extract the ZIP file.
- Click the “Open Patcher” button on the RainbowDevs website to launch the patcher in a new window or tab, or open the “patcher_unified.htm” in the downloaded ZIP file.
- Put “pokeprism.bsp” into the Patch File section.
- Put the Pokémon Crystal ROM file into the Input File section.
2. Process the files.
- Click “Begin Patching”.
- Select “Release ROM”.
3. Download patched files.
- Click “Get file” to process.
- This is the Pokémon Prism game.
- Save it in a safe place.
4. Start the game.
Open your emulator and load the ROM!
You’re all set! Have fun!
Update an existing game
To update a copy of Pokémon Prism, you will need:
English Pokémon Crystal ROM
You will need an English Pokémon Crystal ROM file. You cannot update an existing Pokémon Prism ROM file.
Your old save file
It should have the file extension *.sav.
1. Save in a Pokémon Center.
- Save in any Pokémon Center.
You MUST save your game inside any Pokémon Center’s main room (NOT the back room).
These are designated safe spaces for patching.
Content in the world may change while patching, and if you are not within a safe area your updated game may be unrecoverable. This would result in needing to delete your current saved game.
2. Back up your existing files.
Make a copy of your Pokémon Prism ROM (pokeprism.gbc) and save file (pokeprism.sav) in a new folder.
This is in case anything goes wrong during the update process.
These backups will not be used – keep them safe if patching fails so you can revert to a previous version if needed.
Danger of data loss
Make sure that you always have copies of all of your files during the process.
If you don't, you may lose your entire game and will have to start again.
3. Load the game files into the patcher.
- Extract the ZIP file.
- Click the “Open Patcher” button on the RainbowDevs website to launch the patcher in a new window or tab, or open the “patcher_unified.htm” in the downloaded ZIP file.
- Put “pokeprism.bsp” into the Patch File section.
- Put the Pokémon Crystal ROM file into the Input File section.
NOTE: You must use a clean Pokémon Crystal ROM, NOT your existing Pokémon Prism file.
4. Patch and replace the game.
- Click “Begin patching”, then click “Release ROM”.
- Click “Get file”.
- Replace your existing “pokeprism.gbc” file with the new one that downloads.
5. Load your save file into the patcher.
- Leave “pokeprism.bsp” in the Patch File section
- Put your Pokémon Prism save file (pokeprism.sav) in the Input File section.
6. Patch and replace the save file.
- Click “Begin patching”, click “Yes”, then “Get file”.
- Replace your existing “pokeprism.sav” file.
Pay attention to any warnings – if you have missed a step, the patcher will let you know.
7. Open the game and re-save outside..
- Launch the game and immediately walk outside
the Pokémon Center without talking to anyone. - Save the game, and you’re finished!
Problems updating?
Deviating from these instructions may corrupt your save data. If this happens, delete both the save and ROM file, copy from your backup and try again.
