Best Pokemon DS Games

Which Pokemon console era was the best? For many, the answer is based on personal exposure and nostalgia, with their first journey to Catch ‘Em All being their favorite. For others, the Game Boy and GBA eras represent the franchise’s peak, an understandable argument considering these titles wrote the blueprint defining the concept of a Pokemon game, knowledge Game Freak still uses roughly three decades later. However, in terms of both quantity and quality, the Pokemon DS games are arguably untouchable.

Even ignoring the spin-offs and pairing together the dual releases, the franchise produced five games that are comfortably among the Nintendo DS’s best RPGs. While not reinventing the wheel to the same extent as the 3DS or Switch eras, this console generation perfected the formula cemented by Gold and Silver and Ruby and Sapphire. The best Pokemon Nintendo DS games represent the IP at its peak; that said, not everything released for the handheld console was great.

Updated February 19, 2025 by Mark Sammut: The Nintendo DS’s moment in the sun ended a long time ago, but its legacy is written in stone. While far from its only system-sellers, Pokemon’s mainline entries played a huge role in ensuring the handheld console would be remembered for decades.

Every Pokemon Nintendo DS Game (Released In North America)

The Nintendo DS has arguably one of the best lineups of Pokemon games ever, offering quantity, quality, and even variety. Admittedly, not every release was a success story, particularly concerning the spin-offs; however, the franchise at least tried to shake things up by dipping its toes into other genres like strategy and racing. One of those was even quite successful. The Generation 4 main games are all highly-regarded too.

The following table includes every Pokemon Nintendo DS game released in North America. Only two projects (Learn with Pokemon: Typing Adventure and Pokemon Card Game: How To Play DS) were not localized, and they have been left out of this discussion since they cannot be analyzed in their natural forms. That said, they are the definition of niche.

14

Pokemon Dash

A Terrible Racing Game That Has Poor Touch Screen Implementation. Just An Underwhelming Use Of The Pokemon License.

Systems

Released

March 13, 2005

How Long To Beat

2 Hours

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

ESRB

E For Everyone

Pokemon Dash is one of the more unremarkable releases for the Nintendo DS, at least in concept. It’s essentially a Pokemon-themed racing game, with players being able to race against their favorite Generation 3 creatures such as Torchic, Treecko, and Mudkip.

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The graphics and sprites for the game are charming; however, it’s weighed down by its repetitive gameplay and the fact that players can only play as Pikachu. The game is also designed around the Nintendo DS’s stylus, with players essentially guiding Pikachu around a track rather than controlling it akin to a kart racer.

Unfortunately, Pokemon Dash is almost impossible to recommend on nearly any level. The gameplay is too simplistic to be interesting beyond a few minutes, and the rest of the package offers very little to make up for its weak core loop.

13

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team

At This Point, More Of A Historical Piece Rather Than A Must-Play Title. Still, This Was A Fine First Attempt At A Pokemon Dungeon-Crawler (Along With The GBA’s Red Rescue Team).

Systems

Released

September 18, 2006

How Long To Beat

20 Hours

ESRB

E For Everyone

Expand

The counterpart to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team, which was released exclusively for the Game Boy Advance, Blue Rescue Team was released only for the Nintendo DS. The games are practically interchangeable as far as story and playable characters go, with the differences lying in certain creatures players can encounter and recruit in dungeons.

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At the time of Red & Blue Rescue Team‘s debuts, Mystery Dungeon was still a fairly unique entity for Pokemon fans, especially Western audiences who might have never heard of Shiren the Wanderer or Chocobo’s Dungeon. As such, Blue Rescue Team benefited from being the franchise’s first trip into this side world, even if the game was surpassed by its sequels in many ways.

While a decent game by most metrics, Blue Rescue Team has arguably aged the worst of all the Mystery Dungeon DS games; however, it is still charming in its own way.

12

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Darkness & Time

A Serviceable Game With A Good Story But Little In The Way Of Innovation. At This Point, This Series Was Starting To Run Out Of Steam.

Systems

Released

April 20, 2008

How Long To Beat

23 Hours

ESRB

E For Everyone

Expand

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Darkness & Time has an enchanting story, unique sprites, lovable characters, and interesting gameplay. Mystery Dungeon is built upon dungeon-crawler gameplay, and the franchise is far more expansive than just Pokemon. These spin-offs are among the license’s most famous releases, and they do offer a nice change of pace from the standard Pokemon project.

Despite the pros of the gameplay, these titles are still rather repetitive, particularly during later points in the campaign. If players found themselves under-leveled or stuck, it would take massively repetitive grinding for them to catch up to where they needed to be. Ultimately, Explorers of Darkness & Time does not do enough to differentiate itself from other Mystery Dungeon games, resulting in an experience that is hard to recommend when there are simply better options available. That said, fans who enjoy the spin-off series’ other releases are likely to have fun.

11

Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs

The Worst Pokemon Ranger Game Is Still A Decent Time, But It Feels Like A Backward Step Rather Than An Exciting Leap Forward.

Systems

Released

October 4, 2010

Developer(s)

Creatures Inc.

How Long To Beat

20 Hours

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

ESRB

E For Everyone Due To Mild Cartoon Violence

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The third Pokemon Ranger installment saw the spin-off series stagnate to an extent. That said, the entry introduced a few improvements to the gameplay style, such as adding ridable legendary creatures and a time-traveling mechanism that allowed for multiplayer. However, its story is fairly weak, and the legendary Pokemon do not add much to the experience.

The feature in Shadows of Almia that allowed players to change their partner Pokemon between a wide variety of obtainable creatures was taken away in this sequel. It was an unnecessary backward step in a subseries that did not have much forward momentum. Compared to previous console generations, Pokemon arguably sat on its laurels a bit too often during the Nintendo DS era, and this was most apparent in the spin-offs that seemed to barely bring anything new to the plate.

10

Pokemon Ranger

An Interesting Attempt To Deviate From The Standard Pokemon Formula That Made Good Use Of The DS’s Stylus

Systems

Released

October 30, 2006

How Long To Beat

11 Hours

ESRB

E For Everyone Due To Mild Cartoon Violence

Expand

The first installment in the Pokemon Ranger series is the most critically successful, at least according to Metacritic. However, it is not necessarily the best overall package in the series. Still, it introduced the concept of playing not as a trainer or another Pokemon, but as a Ranger set on maintaining peace throughout the region and saving wild Pokemon that have been put in harm’s way.

There isn’t much flexibility in the partner Pokemon that players can have; they can only choose between a Plusle and Minun depending on which gender they choose for their protagonist. However, the circle-drawing gameplay style that allowed players to capture the friendship of wild Pokemon was revolutionary for the franchise. This mechanic couldn’t have been done on the Game Boy Advance, as the Nintendo DS was the first console to introduce a touchscreen.

9

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Sky

The Best Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Game On The Nintendo DS

Systems

Released

October 12, 2009

How Long To Beat

24 Hours

ESRB

E For Everyone

The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series is just generally not well-regarded by critics, with most of the entries getting middling reviews at best. However, they obviously have their fans, and if someone likes one entry, they will probably enjoy most of the others. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is a classic example of a game that didn’t receive the most love from critics, but has become a favorite for many fans in the community.

The improved version of Explorers of Darkness & Time brought enough new ideas to the plate to justify its existence, and newcomers should pick this game above its predecessors. The additions include several new playable creatures, playable special episodes, new items, exclusive dungeons, and minor tweaks to the tear-jerking story. Speaking about the latter, this entry has the best story in the series. While that might not seem like that big of a deal for the franchise, the Mystery Dungeon games are more story-driven than the main series, and Explorers of Sky is one of the few Pokemon games that is primarily worth playing for its narrative.

8

Pokemon Trozei!

Although Nothing Amazing, Trozei Is A Fun Distraction That Caters To Both Pokemon And Puzzle Fans (Although, Mostly The Former)

Systems

Released

March 6, 2006

How Long To Beat

4 Hours

ESRB

E For Everyone

Pokemon Trozei! is a puzzle game that is very similar to Tetris and Yoshi’s Cookie when it comes to gameplay. Blocks with the faces of different Pokemon will fall from the top of the screen, but only the last row can be moved and matched with the ones above it.

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It is a relaxing experience, similar to Pokemon Pinball. Trozei is a fine option for players who aren’t that fond of the mainstream series of games or just want something to play in between more time-consuming projects. While perfectly playing, the spin-off is unlikely to appeal to anyone besides die-hard Pokemon fans.

7

Pokemon Ranger: Shadows Of Almia

The Best Pokemon Ranger Game, Period

Systems

Released

November 10, 2008

Developer(s)

Creatures Inc.

How Long To Beat

22 Hours

ESRB

E For Everyone Due To Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence

Expand

Shadows of Almia is the second game in the Pokemon Ranger series. The title made several improvements to its predecessor’s story, which was a bit lacking in this regard. This included setting the protagonist as a teenager studying to be a Pokemon Ranger, which many kids and young adults playing the game could relate to.

Despite the improvements, Shadows of Almia kept the gameplay mostly the same, albeit with the important addition of being able to swap out partner Pokemon. Still, the lack of innovation was disappointing since it seemed like a missed opportunity. While fans of the original release should check this out, Shadows of Almia won’t impress anyone who did not care for the first game.

6

Pokemon Conquest

A Very Respectable Tactical RPG That Proved Pokemon Is A Perfect Fit For The Genre. Unfortunately, It Is One Of A Kind.

Systems

Released

June 18, 2012

How Long To Beat

14 Hours

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer

ESRB

E For Everyone due to Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes

Expand

Pokemon Conquest was the first and only attempt by Game Freak’s franchise to try its hand at the strategy genre, with the spin-off introducing a unique storyline as well as a fresh turn-based battle system. Players moved different creatures across the battlefield, encountering enemies as well as harmful field hazards along the way. Pokemon Conquest is an incredibly fleshed-out game, with the main story taking roughly 15 hours to beat. There’s also a plethora of post-game missions for players to beat.

Although not everything about this peculiar diversion hits the mark, Pokemon Conquest was a very good first effort to push the franchise in a tactical RPG direction similar to something like Disgaea. Along with being a fun pick for die-hard fans, the game works well as an entry-level option due to its relatively low difficulty and somewhat goofy nature, making it a good pick for young Pokemon fans who are interested in trying a tactics project.

5

Pokemon Diamond & Pearl

A Confident Introduction To A New Genre

Systems

Released

April 27, 2007

How Long To Beat

41 Hours

ESRB

E For Everyone

Expand

The first mainstream Nintendo DS Pokemon games were Diamond & Pearl. For many players, these entries were their introduction to the franchise, giving them deep sentimental value for all who played them in their childhood. They brought quite a few new things to the plate, such as Wi-Fi support, move classes, expanded evolutions, a jump to 3D, and the Poketch. The core loop remained mostly the same, but Diamond & Pearl offered more than just a fresh coat of paint.

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Generation 4 was critically praised for its immersive story, smooth graphics, incredible soundtrack, and memorable characters that players met along their journey through the Sinnoh region. These games have developed a somewhat weird reputation over the years, being well-regarded but not extremely highly rated. As the first mainline DS entries, Diamond & Pearl were unsurprisingly massive, and they kept the Pokemon train rolling by delivering solid, if unspectacular adventures. By this point, the franchise had become a source of comfort for many people, and these entries helped introduce that aspect to a new generation.

However, Diamond & Pearl just seem slow compared to both earlier and subsequent games. So many things feel like they take a second longer than they should, and the story is structured in a way that makes it feel repetitive.

4

Pokemon Platinum

A Better Version Of Diamond & Pearl

Systems

Released

March 22, 2009

How Long To Beat

35 Hours

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

ESRB

E For Everyone

Expand

Pokemon Platinum was the third mainstream game for Generation 4, released after the success of Diamond & Pearl. Unlike many “third versions,” Platinum received quite a bit of critical praise for not simply being a carbon copy of its predecessors, even if it was still largely cut from the same cloth. Still, like nearly all “third” entries on the classic consoles, Platinum is the one to pick up nowadays, at least if somebody can actually find a copy.

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Although the storylines are relatively similar, Pokemon Platinum not only introduces new wild Pokemon, but the game also changes parts of the story. At the climax, players enter the Distortion World, face off against Cyrus, and catch Giratina. Most importantly, this release simply runs better than its predecessors, making it far easier to revisit. A more balanced game, Platinum fully earns its definitive version tag. Platinum also expanded significantly on Diamond & Pearl‘s Wi-Fi support.

3

Pokemon Black & White

Very Good Evolution Of The Pokemon Formula That Has Aged Pretty Well

• 

  Released

  
  March 6, 2011
  

  Publisher(s)

  Nintendo

  ESRB

  E for Everyone: Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence

• 

  Released

  
  March 6, 2011
  

  Publisher(s)

  Nintendo

  ESRB

  E for Everyone: Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence

Pokemon Black & White introduced several new concepts that have stayed consistent throughout the mainstream games that were released in its wake. They debatably introduced the most brand-new concepts since Generation 2 or 3, including rotation battles, triple battles, multiple rivals, and fully animated sprites. Although fans found a couple of recurring characters annoying, it’s no secret that Black & White are renowned for their incredibly strong main storyline and improved gameplay compared to their predecessors.

There is a reason Generation 5 is considered one of Pokemon‘s highest points, and Black & White are largely responsible for that reputation. At launch, the games had a more mixed reputation than they currently have, especially since they marked a switch towards a more story and dialogue-driven campaign compared to the older entries. Nowadays, Black & White are considered as high points in a franchise filled with them.

2

Pokemon Black 2 & White 2

While Not Far Removed From Their Predecessors, These Sequels Have Just Enough Improvements To Warrant A Higher Spot

The final mainstream games released for the Nintendo DS were Pokemon Black 2 & White 2. These entries were the first time any mainstream Pokemon game received an official sequel, and they presented a strong case that Game Freak should consider repeating this practice moving forward.

Black 2 & White 2 offer a refreshingly new take on the Unova region. They continue the story from the previous games, as well as including new wild Pokemon from other generations and even different gym leaders for certain towns. Overall, there is not all that much separating Black 2 & White 2 from their predecessors, but they come with quite a few new mechanics and quality-of-life adjustments, along with a great battle tower. While newcomers should start with the first games since they are also among the strongest RPGs on the Nintendo DS, they should not skip the sequels or dismiss them as rethreads. They are fantastic and contenders for the best games in the franchise.

1

Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver

The Pinnacle Of The Pokemon Franchise

Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver are some of the most beloved games in the entire franchise. These remakes of the original Pokemon Gold & Silver for the Game Boy Color satisfied both critics and fans with the charming Generation 4 graphics, updated storyline, the introduction of the Pokewalker, and Pokemon sprites that follow the player’s character.

These remakes have become so widely beloved that getting an authentic copy is almost impossible unless fans are willing to cough up some serious cash. These entries were so fantastic that they almost made the original versions obsolete, and there is very little reason to pick up the latter nowadays. HeartGold & SoulSilver represent Pokemon at its best, and they set a high bar that has arguably yet to be surpassed by any other mainline entry.

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