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How can I tell which version of Sapphire/Ruby I have?

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I remember seeing something in a video a while ago talking about 1.0 and 1.1 Ruby/Sapphire and that you can tell by the title screen? But I don’t remember the details.

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i dont think you can with the title screen, but google ai says you can look at the number stamped into the right side of the front label. if it only has two numbers (eg 22) its 1.0, two numbers followed by the letter a is 1.1 (eg 22A) and numbers followed by a B is 1.2 (eg 22B). this is based off of ai though
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i did see some reddit pages that i think said the same as ai but i didnt click into them
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2 Answers

3 votes
 
Best answer

You cannot tell from the title screens. The international versions updated the text but they are the same across all revisions.

The best way to tell is the number embossed on the right side of the label (on an authentic cartridge). If this number is just two digits, it is Version 1.0. If it has an 'A', it is Version 1.1. If it has a 'B', it is Version 1.2.
(Click each version to see its respective reference image . . . I couldn't find a picture of Revision B)

If you have a missing or illegible label, you will have to scout for in-game signs.

If you’re playing Ruby, you can quickly tell if you have Mawile in your Pokédex. Mawile’s ‘Dex entry misspells its name as MAWHILE in 1.0. Although this won’t help you distinguish 1.1 from 1.2.

The easiest way I can tell, which works for both games: Enter a Pokémon Center, go upstairs, and talk to the third lady (for mixing records). On Version 1.0, she will refer to this place as the “Record Center”. On Version 1.1, she will call it the “Record Corner”.
Other changes have been documented on this page.

As far as I can tell, the only change made from 1.1 to 1.2 is the fix of the Berry Glitch. Which is obviously more tedious to test for.

(Note this is in reference to English versions of the game. Other versions apparently only got a 1.1 update for the Berry Glitch)

Sources: Chieftan20's authenticity guide, Glitch City archive, Reddit, TCRF

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edited by
2 votes

There aren't many major differences, and from what I've seen, there are only a few ways to tell the difference between 1.0 and 1.1. Sadly, you cannot tell the difference in the title screen from what I've seen. There are also a lot of videos covering these differences in versions.

  • Paras is referred to as “the bug Pokémon host” rather than "this bug/grass Pokémon host."
  • Mawile is referred to as "Mawhile" in its dex entry.
  • The record lady who allows you to mix records in the Cable Club Record Corner refers to it as the "Record Center" in version 1.0. It was changed to "Record Corner" in version 1.1.
  • Other texts in version 1.0 call it the "Record Corner," such as two NPCs in Mauville City Pokémon Center and the record lady herself if the corner is under preparation.
  • In version 1.0, if you try to use Softboiled as a field move, the move cannot be used, and then the game will state, "This item can’t be used on that Pokemon." The text was changed to "This can’t be used on that Pokémon" in version 1.1.
  • In version 1.0, the description of the Secret Base Togepi doll is called "A TOPGEPI doll. Place it on a mat or a desk." The typo was fixed in version 1.1.
  • In Generation 3, there is a menu where the game states that a save failed. A clock is shown, and the game requests that the player wait. It will attempt to save the game three times and will tell the player that the backup memory is damaged or the internal battery has run dry if it fails.

I'm sure there's a lot more than those, but these are the ones I've seen talked about the most.

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The answer should specifically say where the info comes from. Looks like this is from the description of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9NUMK6N4F0
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you failed to distinguish ruby from sapphire. the MAWHILE typo is exclusive to Ruby
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