How do you import a Pokémon GBA save on Retroid Pocket 5?

Keep the software path explicit

This guide concerns RetroArch mGBA on the Android Pocket 5. A standalone GBA emulator may use different folders or an import command. Infinite Fusion uses a separate runtime and save format; see its installation guide instead.

If RetroArch is not installed, follow Libretro's Android installation instructions and the Pocket 5 overview. No particular app build was tested on a physical unit here.

Create a destination save to find the real file

1. Back up the source game and save. Record the exact hack release and source emulator.
2. On Retroid, load the same compatible game with the mGBA core. Make a temporary in-game save using a disposable copy if existing progress needs protection.
3. Close the content normally. Inspect Settings → Directories for the configured Save Files location.
4. Find the newly created file and note its exact filename and folder. Keep a copy of that temporary file before replacing anything.

Libretro's directory guide explicitly says paths vary by platform and should be verified in settings. Do not assume a Steam Deck path, an Onion SD-card folder or a guessed Android location applies.

Copy progress only after checking the format

Quit the game before replacing its save with a copy of your backed-up file. Match the name expected by the destination. If your source file has a different extension or wrapper, consult that emulator's export instructions; changing the suffix alone does not prove the underlying data is compatible.

For an Onion source, use the Onion save guide to distinguish cartridge files from automatically loaded states. For other software, use its own save documentation. The mGBA core reference is the destination format starting point.

Verify before retiring the old device

1. Launch without relying on a previous auto-loaded state and select Continue.
2. Check team, location and recognizable progress against the source.
3. Save in-game again, exit normally and reopen through Continue once more.
4. Keep the original game and save until the new file repeatedly loads as expected.

If Continue is absent, check filename, selected core, configured directory and build compatibility. If Continue is old but a resumed state is newer, investigate the two file types separately. Preserve readable copies rather than overwriting them while diagnosing.

Changing devices is separate from updating the hack

Move the same build first. Investigate a game update only after that transfer works, using the creator's save-migration instructions. Combining a new device, emulator and hack version makes a failed import much harder to interpret.

GBA handheld setup paths · Unbound requirements · Emerald Rogue editions. These game links are setup starting points, Retroid transfer test results.

Worked example: find the destination before naming a copy

Suppose the game you load is named Adventure.gba, and your temporary session creates Adventure.srm in the configured save folder. Those names are illustrative. Your own generated file is the evidence for the filename and directory your setup expects.

1. Copy the temporary destination save somewhere safe and close the game.
2. Identify the source cartridge save and confirm its format through the source emulator's documentation.
3. If it is compatible, place a working copy at the observed destination with the expected name. Keep the source original untouched.
4. Launch that same game and core through Continue. Compare a known location, team member and progress milestone.
5. Save in-game, close normally and reopen. The second launch checks that you can continue using the destination, not merely read an imported file once.

If the source is named differently, resolve naming and format separately. A matching filename helps the emulator locate data; it does not make an incompatible file readable. Avoid renaming every save in the folder while investigating one game.

Missing Continue, old progress or a failed import?

A successful temporary save is a useful baseline: it demonstrates where this setup writes progress. If even the temporary save cannot be found or reopened, fix that baseline before importing your important playthrough. Reinstalling or changing several directory settings at once obscures what you learned.

For support, record the source emulator, source file type, exact game release, destination core and the observed filename. Share the symptom and those details rather than distributing your game files.

Separate progress from states and control files

Libretro's mGBA reference places cartridge saves in the frontend Save directory and emulator states in its State directory. Its override reference separates configuration files (.cfg), remaps (.rmp) and core options (.opt). A control file is not a second copy of your adventure.

Example: a copied adventure loads the expected party, but confirm and cancel now feel reversed. Your progress check has produced one result; your control check is a different task. Keep the working save and investigate the remap rather than replacing the save again. Conversely, familiar buttons do not establish that Continue opened the correct trainer.

If you are copying a whole folder, make an inventory before selecting files for import. Keep the complete backup untouched and use a working copy for the documented destination format. For another game build, settle the creator's migration requirements separately.

References: mGBA file categories and configuration and remap files, checked 7 Oct 2026.

Continue changed after choosing another save directory?

Libretro's directory guide says save locations can differ across platforms and distributions. Treat the path shown in your installed RetroArch as an observation, not a promise that an existing file moved when a setting changed.

Example: a disposable session created its cartridge save in folder A. You selected folder B and the next launch offers New Game. Before importing again, compare the two locations. Finding your known file in A and a newly generated file in B would explain two destinations; it would not show that your old adventure was erased.

1. Stop the game and preserve readable copies from both locations.
2. Record the selected game filename, mGBA core and current Save Files directory.
3. Use a disposable game copy to observe where this configuration writes a temporary in-game save.
4. Match the intended backed-up cartridge save to that observed destination using the format checks above.
5. Reopen through Continue, check a recognizable milestone, save normally and reopen once more.

Keep the destination unchanged during this comparison. If the same game later appears to use a different path, record the path while that content is loaded and investigate the active configuration separately. Do not repeatedly move every file until something happens to load.

Libretro save-directory reference, checked 8 Oct 2026. For a setting that fails to persist, use the configuration-type diagnosis.

Two copies have the same filename: which adventure is intended?

A filename alone cannot distinguish two copies of one playthrough at different points. When both backups contain Adventure.srm, label the folders by the source you actually observed, such as “old device before transfer” and “temporary destination.” These are example labels; keep the real files' identities intact.

Choose one candidate for one controlled import. After opening it, compare more than one detail: for example trainer identity, a recognizable party member and the current location. Record the result alongside the candidate's folder label. If it is the wrong adventure, close normally and return to your preserved candidates rather than overwriting the source backup with the destination's new save.

Use the file-content comparison to check whether the copied bytes match the selected candidate. That check and the in-game comparison answer different questions. The transfer planner can organize your filename observations; it does not read a trainer's progress or choose a compatible save.

Did the working copy change before the first launch?

If you only copied or renamed the ordinary save, use the local byte-for-byte comparison to compare the source backup with the working copy. It reads your two selected files in the browser and does not upload or modify them. Identical bytes establish an unchanged copy, not the right trainer, accepted format or compatible game build.

Compare before launching when your question is whether copying changed the contents. After an in-game save or a documented conversion, different contents may be expected. Keep originals, record which stage you are comparing and use Continue to check recognizable progress. A byte difference alone does not establish corruption or identify the newer adventure.

Record a transferred adventure before retiring the source

Once you have established the ordinary-save format and the game/build compatibility, use the save-transfer observation record. For Retroid RetroArch mGBA, include the exact core, observed cartridge filename and expected trainer/team. Give the expected checkpoint a recognizable detail rather than recording only “the game opens”.

Keep independent backups, open Continue without relying on a state, then save inside the intended game and check Continue after closing normally. The tool keeps a missing or different result separate from a matching result and lets you download the attempt. It records what you report; it does not locate files or establish compatibility.

Record the imported adventure, not just the copied file

Before copying, note the source game build and the progress you expect: trainer name, party or last saved location. Keep the source file and record the destination emulator, ordinary-save filename and launch route. After loading, describe what Continue actually opens. If you have only reached the title screen, write “Continue not checked” rather than “transfer successful”.

For example: the destination recognises a save but opens an older location. That narrows the question to which ordinary save was selected or last written; it does not establish that a different game build is compatible. If Continue is absent, record that result and revisit naming, save type and destination selection. One record per attempt keeps later filename changes from obscuring the first result.

Use the local GBA session notebook to download a plain-text record of your attempt. Blank fields stay unrecorded; the notebook does not diagnose your setup.

Continue with your setup

Retroid Pocket 5 (Android): full overview · All Pokémon handheld paths