The greatest DS titles ever

It's difficult to think that when Nintendo first unveiled the handheld, it was considered somewhat of an experiment given some of the best DS games. After a few years, Brain Age was on everyone's DS, even their mother. We've narrowed down the top DS games just for you if you're in the mood for a nostalgic vacation.

After leaving this page, use our recommendations to continue traveling back in time to the greatest The top 3DS games, the greatest Game Boy games, and the finest Wii U games are all included here. We've already discussed everything there is to know about the Nintendo Switch 2, if that's more your style.

These are the Top Nintendo DS games:

Tetris DS

Tetris is a timeless game that has been elevated to the status of a war royale on the Switch. Tetris DS is a brilliant game that enhances Tetris' gameplay with an abundance of Nintendo-themed stages and music.

It remains one of the greatest iterations of the puzzle game available today, managing in some way to outperform the original.

New Super Mario Bros.

Fortunately, New Super Mario Bros. continues to be one of the greatest 2D Mario games in the series, even if the novelty of the "New" name has worn off over time. This was the first 2D Mario game since Super Mario World, so it had a lot to prove.

This one endures the test of time thanks to new power-ups, a clever design, and many fantastic mini-games.

Spirit Tracks from Zelda's Legend

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks builds on Phantom Hourglass's clever concepts and touch capabilities to provide a fully realized portable Zelda experience, even if Phantom Hourglass is still a great method to bring the Wind Waker universe to handheld devices.

Zelda follows you around in spirit form, you construct a train to take on adversaries, and the dungeons are actual challenges that cleverly use the capabilities of the Nintendo DS. Clearly superior than the other two DS entries.

Mario & Luigi: The Inside Story of Bowser

This strange RPG lets you take control of the king of the Koopas by exploring Bowser's bowels as either of the two eponymous Mario brothers, each with their own set of buttons.

Still, the Mario & Luigi series' humor, gorgeous graphics, and outstanding gameplay always balance out its more bizarre aspects. Even now, Bowser's Inside Story remains the finest installment in the series and continues to make us chuckle.

Wild World in Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing: Wild World, which was once a little, obscure game that not many people knew about, sent the series into the stratosphere, and for good cause. Living and exploring your own little world was made simpler than ever before with the DS arrival, and Animal Crossing was always designed to thrive in the convenience and portability of a handheld device.

Wild World blew everyone away when it first came out, and it still merits a visit to understand how the series really got its start. It has years of material, innumerable fascinating creatures to meet, and plenty of creative ways to design your home.

Visit our article on Animal Crossing Christmas joy to learn about the ways that Wild World helped staff writer Daz throughout their formative years.

Bryoplankton

This one, which you may not be familiar with, is more of an experiment than a game. Together with Nintendo, Japanese artist Toshio Iwai—who would go on to create the Tenori-On—created this whimsical interactive world filled with microscopic animals that all make noises.

If you can locate a copy, it's a fantastic way to unwind and we're still spellbound by the combination of lovely graphics and calming music.

Chinatown Wars in GTA:

When this game was first announced, many laughed at the notion of a return to the top-down gameplay mechanic following the enormous popularity of 3D Grand Theft Auto titles like Vice City and San Andreas.However, GTA: Chinatown Wars is an excellent game that showcases Rockstar's creative abilities and is a terrific method for the business to showcase all the lessons learnt while developing a brand-new experience that was ideal for the DS. In this amazing action game, you'll battle competing gangs, distribute drugs, and explore a portable universe.

With You, the World Ends

The DS is regarded as an RPG powerhouse after many years on the market, despite the fact that many of its best successes are remakes of already-published games, like the amazing Chrono Trigger version or the Final Fantasy remakes. But looking back, The universe Ends With You created an experience that no game could ever match by using amazing RPG components, a novel kind of universe, and some pretty cool touch-based rhythm controls.Although you can now play it on various devices, we strongly advise finding this game to enjoy it the way it was meant to be played.

Nintendogs

Okay, I know it seems strange today, but Nintendogs is proof of Nintendo's innocence and capacity to find happiness in the simplest things. Nintendogs was designed to highlight the DS's touch screen. It lets users play games with their pets, train them to turn over, and even record voice instructions using the microphone.Seeing your dog acquire new skills and sports, as well as discover many entertaining games to play with them—like little Mario Kart toys you can race around the living room—is also very fulfilling! We're still pleading with Nintendo to revive the series in some way since it's a unique experience that only they could make fun of. Maybe a Switch 2 game called Nintendogs Switch?

Curse of Kirby Canvas

Some DS games seem to exist just for the purpose of using the touch screen, while others, like Kirby Canvas Curse, seem so flawless that can't help but wonder how they were created.In Canvas Curse, you design Kirby's pathways by drawing them on the screen. The pink puffball moves about the level like a pinball, but you have the ability to direct him in the directions you need. While it's disorganized and awkward, Kirby fans should get this extremely fantastic game.

Castlevania: Ecclesiastical Order

Start by picking up any one of the three Castlevania DS games available. Good luck getting this title for less than the cost of a used automobile, to start with. However, I can't recommend this game enough if you're flush with cash or happen to find it in a discount bin someplace. Following his involvement in the filming of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Koji Igarashi had a creative explosion, creating a series of amazing platforming action role-playing games that drew inspiration from the genre.Order of Ecclesia, the last authentic Castlevania game made by Igarashi and the result of all he learnt from Symphony of the Night and every title thereafter, bookends Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, the GBA title that marked the beginning of the first actual killer title in this run of releases. There are many weapons and spirits to try out, breathtaking pixelated realms to explore, quick-witted action, a colorful cast of strange characters, and gory bosses. Eclessia is perhaps the finest DS Castlevania game out there, but you should play them all.

Priority Wars: Double Attack

Back on the GBA, the series began as a fun and colorful depiction of battle; however, the DS installments build on the gameplay and subject. Placing troops is now simpler than ever thanks to the touch screen, and this narrative demonstrates how Nintendo can tackle a ridiculous war story while still adding subtleties.Advance Wars: Dual Strike continues to be a dominant product in the tactics genre, offering an exciting tactical experience that requires considerable consideration.

Touched by Warioware

It seemed clear that Wario would do something strange with the touchscreen as soon as Nintendo unveiled it. With dozens of entertaining mini-games that take use of the two displays and touch capabilities, Warioware: Touched challenges you to launch paper airplanes into the sky, pull bogies out of nostrils, and grab toilet paper. Despite being chaotic, unsanitary, and overflowing with activities, this is nevertheless one of the greatest applications for the DS's many functions.

The Drowned Future (The Unwound Future): A Study of Professor Layton

Regardless of your feelings regarding detective games, the Professor Layton series is a huge popularity with players of all ages. It is a series of peaceful puzzle games with a humorous tale about solving mysteries..Curious Village is the original game in the series, but Professor Layton and the Lost Future boasts a compelling plot with maybe the greatest surprise ever—along with some puzzle series favorites. What a wonderful way to relax while stimulating the mind.Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver

How can one surpass the greatest Pokémon games ever created? Simply add more. Though The Pokémon Company went above and beyond to make sure that the remakes of the Game Boy Color Pokémon games had as much love, care, and atmosphere as those iconic entries, returning to Johto was always going to be a sentimental experience. I would contend that the gen 2 Pokémon, as well as this Pokémon region, have never looked better thanks to an incredibly bright pixel style that still has no equal.Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, meanwhile, bring back a mechanism first seen in Pokémon Yellow, only this time, any Pokémon you capture may follow you about and accompany you on your travels. One might argue that these are still the greatest Pokémon games ever created, even with all the improvements made to fights over the intervening years. HGSS seems like the games the second generation always should have been, and it even has the classic original Kanto map to explore once again.Pokemon Black and White 2

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While HGSS thrive on nostalgia, Pokémon Black and White aims to create something completely different. It serves as a kind of soft relaunch for the series, introducing a ton of new Pokémon and taking place in an American-based setting. Additionally, this is the first time a Pokémon area has been influenced by a place outside of Japan. Though the ideas of light and dark, yin and yang, and two opposing forces are well conveyed, the actual unification occurs in the sequels.Pokémon Black and White 2 seems like the true continuation of the series, refining new features like the underworld and pushing the quasi-3D pixel graphics to new heights. It also introduces difficulty choices, which are a first for Pokémon games. They take place years after the events of Black and White and carry on the plot in intriguing ways, serving as actual successors to that game as well. While HGSS has a strong nostalgic appeal, B2W2 demonstrates that Game Freak remains competitive. Examine our selection of the top Unova resources to learn more about the Gen 5 Pokémon.

DS

Mario KartMario Racing. nonetheless, on the internet. I could stop my explanation here, but Mario Kart DS remains one of the most memorable games in the series for still a lot of reasons. When a Mario Kart game like this was first released, it didn't seem real. It had stunning 3D graphics and some amazing new circuits. It's a plus that it's so excellent.In addition, Mario Kart DS has bosses that players must defeat in addition to real missions that test players' ability to meet objectives in creative ways on the pre-existing circuits. For such an early try, the internet component is actually very nicely done, and Mario Kart fever has returned to gamers worldwide. You may also take on the role of R.O.B., the robot. How are you not going to adore this game?To see how some of these fantastic courses seem on the Switch, check out our Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Booster Course review.

Sonic Rush

I want to give someone a hard talk and a copy of Sonic Rush if they complain that Sonic hasn't been excellent in years. As the Sonic Team started working on creating... 3D The development of the Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush video games was entrusted to a little business named Dimps. Although the Sonic Advance games are excellent in their own right, they could be a little too similar to the original games.With only a single button click, the blue blur gains the eponymous rush mechanic—an instantaneous speed boost—which drastically alters the excitement of platforming and each level's momentum. There are also some pretty unique open places made possible by the dual-screen setup, and it's always a pleasure to see Sonic spin a loop between the displays. If you've ever loved a Sonic game, any of these is worth your time; Sonic Rush Adventures is just as amazing as the original and has a ton more material.That's all the greatest DS games we can fit into our time today, but if you want to learn more about dual-screen gaming, we hope this helpful guide will get you started. Meanwhile, be sure to check out our guide on the for even more fantastic vintage gaming.finest Games for the Wii U following.