Best Nintendo DS Games of All Time: Critic Ranked, With Kids Picks
12 Nintendo DS games ordered by the Metacritic score each one holds. Chrono Trigger (Nintendo DS) leads at 92, and 9 of the 12 are rated E by the ESRB.
Top Nintendo DS games of all time
The best Nintendo DS games of all time on this list are Chrono Trigger (Nintendo DS), Mario Kart DS, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, New Super Mario Bros.. These top Nintendo DS games are ranked by critic score, and scores in that group run from 89 to 92 out of 100, which leaves a narrow margin between a game in first place and one in fifth.
The five span four genres: two role-playing games, a racer, an adventure and a platformer. Each page names the developer and publisher as sources give them, because they differ for some ports.
Best Nintendo DS games ranked by critic score
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Chrono Trigger (Nintendo DS)
The 2008 DS card plays on any DS or 3DS family system and, as a single-player game, needs no online service.
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Mario Kart DS
The cartridge runs on any DS or 3DS family system; the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online races ended on 20 May 2014, while local wireless play still works.
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Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
The original card runs on DS and 3DS family systems; it is single-player, and a separate 3DS remake exists but is a different release.
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The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
The card plays on any DS or 3DS family system, but the online battle mode ended with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on 20 May 2014.
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New Super Mario Bros.
The cartridge needs no download and runs on every DS and 3DS family system; the game has no online mode, so nothing was lost when the Wi-Fi service closed.
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Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
The card runs on any DS or 3DS family system; the single-player quest and local multiplayer work, while the 2014 Wi-Fi shutdown ended the online functions.
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Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Both game cards run on DS and 3DS family systems; internet trading and battling ended with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on 20 May 2014.
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The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The card runs on all DS and 3DS family systems, and since multiplayer used Download Play only, no feature depended on a server.
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Animal Crossing: Wild World
The card runs on DS and 3DS family systems and the village still works offline, but visiting other towns online ended with the Wi-Fi Connection on 20 May 2014.
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Professor Layton and the Curious Village
The card plays on all DS and 3DS family systems, but the extra weekly puzzles delivered over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection can no longer be downloaded.
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Nintendogs
Every Nintendogs card runs on a DS or 3DS family system; the game used local wireless Bark Mode rather than an online service.
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Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!
The card runs on every DS and 3DS family system; the game was built around touch and the microphone and has no online mode, so it plays as it did at launch.
Best Nintendo DS games for kids
Games rated E by the ESRB make up the shortlist for kids: Mario Kart DS, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, New Super Mario Bros., Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Nintendogs, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!. Mario Kart DS, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, New Super Mario Bros., Animal Crossing: Wild World list more than one player in the sources used here.
Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest IX and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks are rated E10+, one step up, and are not in this shortlist. The Storm City puzzle and word games written for young players, from the Jewel Master series to Happily Ever After, are on the Nintendo DS games list with their own scores.
How the top Nintendo DS games are ranked
This ranking of the best Nintendo DS games of all time covers only the 12 handheld games profiled in this library, a curated selection. The order follows the aggregate critic score on Metacritic. Where a single score is printed for two games sold together, such as Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, one entry carries both. Ties break alphabetically by title. The scores were read in October 2026.
The top Nintendo DS games lists elsewhere can differ, because an aggregate score favours games that many outlets reviewed in 2005 to 2010, and it cannot tell a child from an adult which game will hold attention. Each page links its sources so the number can be re-checked, and the genre list shows where the best Nintendo DS games sit next to lesser-known releases.
The handheld catalogue by genre is on the Nintendo DS games list, and console picks are on the best Wii games page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Nintendo DS game of all time?
On Metacritic score, Chrono Trigger leads this list at 92, followed by Mario Kart DS at 91 and two games tied at 90.
What are the best Nintendo DS games for kids?
The games the ESRB rated E, ordered by score, with Mario Kart DS first. The kids section above lists each with its player count where a source gives one.
Can a 3DS play the top Nintendo DS games?
Yes. A Nintendo 3DS family console plays DS cards in DS mode. The Wii U and Switch do not.
How are the top Nintendo DS games chosen?
By the Metacritic score for each game, covering the handheld games profiled in this library rather than every release.