About this game
Released November 5, 2002, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the final licensed game for the Game Boy Color in North America. Developed by Griptonite Games and published by Electronic Arts, this role-playing adaptation featured Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Gilderoy Lockhart as playable characters. Composer Jeremy Soule's soundtrack earned him a BAFTA award in 2003. The game marked the quiet end of the Game Boy Color era — a handheld that had defined portable gaming since 1998.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets arrived on Game Boy Color as the platform's final licensed release in North America, published nearly four years after the system's 1998 launch. By late 2002, the Game Boy Advance had already taken over as Nintendo's primary handheld — yet this quiet swan song on aging hardware earned composer Jeremy Soule a 2003 BAFTA award for his soundtrack work. The game was developed by Griptonite Games, a studio that specialized in portable adaptations.
Tricks & Tales
Jeremy Soule's score for the Chamber of Secrets game was recorded by the Philharmonia Orchestra at Air Studios in London, then awarded a BAFTA in 2003 — a rare distinction for a handheld game soundtrack. The game's status as the final licensed Game Boy Color release in North America marks it as a historical endpoint: after this, the platform continued only through unlicensed titles and regional releases elsewhere. EA later removed all Harry Potter game soundtracks from digital stores for reasons that remain undisclosed.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Like the original DMG, the Game Boy Color is fully region-free. Japanese, North American, and European GBC cartridges all share the same physical format and connector, and the hardware applies no lockout. A Japanese GBC cartridge will run on any GBC from any region without modification. The GBC is also fully backward compatible with original DMG cartridges — when a DMG cart is played on a GBC, the system automatically renders it with one of several colour palettes. GBC-specific cartridges (the 'GBC only' black-tab type) will not run on the original DMG, but will run on the Game Boy Advance as well as the GBC.
Maintenance Tips
Game Boy Color cartridges — the smaller, slightly translucent-shell format — use the same cleaning approach as original DMG carts: a cotton swab with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol wiped along the contact row, allowed to dry fully before reinsertion. The GBC console's ABS plastic shell faces the same yellowing risk as the DMG when exposed to UV light over time. Notably, several GBC titles — most famously Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal — include a real-time clock (RTC) circuit that runs continuously off a CR2025 coin cell. These batteries are now well over 25 years old; a dead RTC battery means time-based in-game events will not advance, even though the game itself will still load and save normally. This is a distinct issue from save data loss.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets copies regularly.
Will this Game Boy Color cartridge still save my progress?
Most Game Boy Color cartridges with save functions use a small coin battery inside — either a CR1616 or CR2025, depending on the game. These batteries were designed to last ten to fifteen years; by now, every copy is over twenty years old. If the game forgets your save when you turn it off, the battery is simply tired, not broken. It can be replaced, though doing so will erase any existing save data. When buying, it's worth asking if the battery has already been changed — or accepting that you may need to replace it yourself.
Is this cartridge region-free?
Yes. The Game Boy Color has no region lock — a cartridge from any region will work on any Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance, anywhere in the world. Only the language printed on the label and packaging differs; the game inside is identical. This applies to all Game Boy and Game Boy Color software.
How do I clean the cartridge contacts if it won't start?
If a Game Boy Color game won't boot, the issue is almost always dirty or oxidized contacts — not a broken cartridge. Clean the gold edge connector pins gently with a cotton swab dampened in 90%-or-higher isopropyl alcohol, wiping lengthwise along each pin. Let it dry completely before inserting it. Never blow into the cartridge: the moisture in your breath corrodes the very contacts you're trying to clean.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
A short checklist for buying a used Game Boy Color cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Good news — Game Boy Color is region-free
These cartridges are not region-locked, so a Japanese copy plays on any compatible Game Boy worldwide.
Confirm whether the title is Color-only or also works on the original Game Boy.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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