5 best Nintendo DS emulators for smartphones

A list of the best Nintendo DS emulators can help retro gaming fans looking to replay their favorite titles on mobile devices. Launched in November 2004, the Nintendo DS introduced some iconic games, including Mario Kart DS and Tetris DS. While the device was discontinued in 2013, popular NDS emulators still allow players to enjoy beloved retro releases.

This article lists some of the best Nintendo DS emulators for smartphones that players can use to revisit their favorite games anytime.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the writer's opinion.

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The best Nintendo DS emulators for smartphones

While there are many NDS emulators for Android, very few run on iOS without requiring a jailbreak. This article features the best Nintendo DS emulators for both Android and iOS users.

1) DraStic DS Emulator

Despite not being available on the Google Play Store, DraStic DS Emulator has remained one of the best DS emulators for over a decade.

Launched in 2014, a year after the official discontinuation of the original Nintendo DS, this emulator continues to offer controller support, save states, cheats, cloud saving, and more. It also runs Nintendo DS titles smoothly.

DraStic can help you enjoy your favorite classic games on mobile (Image via Exophase)

However, DraStic DS Emulator is no longer in active development. Additionally, it was recently removed from the Google Play Store, meaning users must download it from an external source.

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2) NDS Boy!

Designed for Android 5.0 and above, NDS Boy! is another popular emulator for Nintendo DS games. It supports file extensions such as .NDS and .zip, making it compatible with titles like Castlevania and Super Mario. However, since it lacks ROM, users have to source their own game files.

NDS Boy! provides virtual buttons (Image via Can Tho Emulator)

The free version of NDS Boy! has also been removed from the Google Play Store, so players can only download it from a trusted external source.

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3) RetroArch

RetroArch is a free, open-source, multi-platform software that works on Android, iOS, Windows, and gaming consoles such as the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Wii. It is ad-free and offers a range of features, making it one of the best Nintendo DS emulators available for smartphones.

Since RetroArch serves as a front-end GUI for emulators, game engines, and media players, players must download the required system cores separately to ensure proper functionality. While this may seem like a hassle, the effort is worthwhile once players begin enjoying their favorite retro games on handheld devices.

This emulator is not available on the Google Play Store, but it can be downloaded from its official website.

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4) EmuBox

EmuBox is one of the best Nintendo DS emulators for smartphones and is currently available for free on the Play Store. It runs ROMs of classic games on Android and offers up to 20 save slots for each ROM. It has a great UI, multiple controller support, and compatibility with various classic controllers.

EmuBox is among the best Nintendo DS emulators (Image via EmuBox JSC, Google Play Store)

Despite its many advantages, EmuBox sometimes experiences lag when multiple cheat codes are active, which could impact gameplay.

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5) Delta - Game Emulator

There are many game emulators for Android devices, but Delta is the only one on this list designed specifically for iOS users. It allows iOS players to run Nintendo DS, SNES, N64, and more titles without requiring a jailbreak.

Delta is only available for iOS devices (Image via Riley Testut, App Store)

Delta provides native support for both iPadOS and iOS, online multiplayer functionality, and additional features that make it one of the best Nintendo DS emulators for iOS. However, since it has no built-in ROM, players must source their own game files.