Find out which coin cell your cartridge or console uses, what it does, and whether replacing it will erase your save.
Many cartridges from the NES to the Game Boy Color keep their saves in memory powered by a small coin-cell battery. After decades, those batteries are running out. A dead one usually means a game that can’t remember your progress, but not always: some batteries only run a clock, and some consoles use one just for settings. Pick your game or system below to see exactly what you’re dealing with.
No match. Try the system name instead, like “SNES” or “Game Boy.”
Pick a cartridge type or console to see its battery and what replacing it means for your save.
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Save battery chart
| Cartridge or system | Battery | How it’s fitted | Replacing it erases saves? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon Red or Blue | CR2025 (US) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Pokémon Yellow | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Pokémon Gold, Silver or Crystal | CR2025 | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Pokémon Trading Card Game | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Pokémon Pinball | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Zelda: Link’s Awakening or Link’s Awakening DX | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Zelda: Oracle of Seasons or Oracle of Ages | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Wario Land II | CR2025 or CR1616 | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Wario Land 3 | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Metroid II: Return of Samus | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Kirby games with saves | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Land games | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Game & Watch Gallery | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Tetris DX | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Super Mario Bros. Deluxe | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Mario’s Picross | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Mega Man Xtreme 1 or 2 | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Harry Potter (Game Boy Color) | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories | CR1616 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Other Game Boy / Game Boy Color games | CR1616 or CR2025 (CR2025 upgrade fits) | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire or Emerald | CR1616 | Soldered (tabbed) | No |
| Early GBA games with battery saves | CR1616 | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| Other Game Boy Advance games | None | — | — |
| NES cartridge with saves | CR2032 | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| SNES cartridge with saves | CR2032 | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| N64 cartridge (SRAM saves) | CR2032 | Soldered (tabbed), or a holder if one was fitted | Yes, back up first |
| Genesis / Mega Drive cartridge with saves | CR2032 | Soldered (tabbed) | Yes, back up first |
| N64 Controller Pak (official) | CR2032 | Soldered (tabbed) inside the Pak | Yes, if you remove it |
| Sega Saturn console | CR2032 | Behind a door on the back, no tools needed | Yes, if you remove it |
| Dreamcast VMU | 2 × CR2032 | Behind a cover on the back, held by one small screw | No |
| GameCube console | CR2032 | Soldered (tabbed) on the controller-port board at the front | No |
| PS2 Slim console | CR2032 | Early slims: on wires with a plug. SCPH-900xx: loose in a metal clip. | No |
How to replace a cartridge save battery
Most cartridge batteries are soldered in with metal tabs, so you’ll need basic soldering skills. The steps are the same for most Nintendo and Sega carts:
- Back up your save with a cartridge reader if you want to keep it. Once the old battery is out, the save is gone.
- Open the cartridge with the right bit. Most Nintendo carts need a 3.8mm security bit; Game Boy Advance carts use a tri-wing screw.
- Note which way the battery faces before you remove it. A photo is the easiest way.
- Desolder the old battery’s tabs and lift it out.
- Solder in a pre-tabbed battery of the same size, with the same orientation. On Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, a CR2025 can replace a CR1616 as an upgrade.
- Test it. Save, switch off, wait a minute, and check the save is still there.
Don’t solder to a bare coin cell: Heating the battery itself can damage it or make it leak. Buy batteries with tabs already attached, and keep the iron on the tabs and the board.
Test before you replace: A multimeter on the battery’s tabs tells you how much life is left. A fresh 3V coin cell reads about 3 volts; a much lower reading means it’s due.
Shop on Amazon: Tabbed CR2032 batteries · tabbed CR2025 batteries · tabbed CR1616 batteries · 3.8mm security bits · soldering irons
Frequently asked questions
What battery do Game Boy games use?
Most Game Boy and Game Boy Color games that save came with a CR1616 coin cell, soldered in with tabs. That includes Link’s Awakening, Super Mario Land 2, Metroid II and Pokémon Yellow. Some came with a CR2025 instead, such as US copies of Pokémon Red and Blue, and Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal. The size is stamped on the old battery. Most Game Boy Advance cartridges don’t have a battery. The ones that do use a CR1616: games with a real-time clock, such as Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, and a few early games that keep their saves on a battery, such as Wario Land 4 and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity.
Can I use a CR2025 instead of a CR1616 in a Game Boy game?
Yes, and it’s an upgrade. Both are 3-volt cells, so the game can’t tell the difference, but the CR2025 holds roughly three times the charge (about 165 mAh against 55 mAh), so your save lasts longer. It’s 4mm wider and about 1mm thicker, which Game Boy and Game Boy Color shells have room for. Make sure it sits flat and the shell closes before you solder it in. Game Boy Advance cartridges are tighter, so stick with a CR1616 there.
Will replacing the battery erase my save?
On most cartridges, yes. The save lives in memory that the battery powers, so it disappears when the battery comes out. Back it up first with a cartridge reader. Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald are the big exception: their saves are in flash memory, so a battery swap doesn’t touch them.
What does “The internal battery has run dry” mean in Pokémon Ruby?
The battery that runs the game’s clock is dead. You can still play and save, but time-based events, like berries growing, stop. Replacing the CR1616 battery fixes the clock, and your save stays put.
Which N64 games have a save battery?
Only the ones that save to battery-backed SRAM, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Smash Bros. and F-Zero X. Games like Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 save without a battery.
Can I use a battery holder instead of soldering every time?
Yes. Holders for CR2032 and CR1616 cells exist, so future swaps need no soldering. Check that the holder fits inside the cartridge shell before you commit to it.
Why does my GameCube or PS2 forget the date and time?
Their clock batteries are dead. These batteries only keep the clock and settings. Your saves are on memory cards and aren’t affected.
Sources
- iFixit: Game Boy cartridge battery replacement
- Game Boy hardware database (gbhwdb): cartridge board photos, including the battery fitted to each game
- iFixit: Game Boy Advance cartridge battery replacement (CR1616)
- iFixit: Super Nintendo cartridge battery replacement
- iFixit: N64 cartridge battery replacement without losing saves (CR2032)
- iFixit: Sega Saturn battery replacement (CR2032)
- iFixit: GameCube clock battery replacement (tabbed CR2032)
- iFixit: PS2 Slimline clock battery replacement (wired battery on early slims)
- iFixit: PS2 Slimline SCPH-900xx clock battery replacement (CR2032)
- Wikipedia: VMU (two CR2032 cells)
- Sega Retro: VMU (battery-free memory card use)
- Centre for Computing History: Nintendo 64 Controller Pak (battery-backed SRAM, CR2032)