In 2021, modern online casinos like Mr. Bet have gained immense popularity as people look for ways to spend their time at home during the COVID-19 lockdown. While there are many high-definition animation games available, the classic Nintendo DS games still hold a special place for many people.
As such, Nintendo DS fans continue to look for ways to enjoy their favorite Nintendo DS games from their modern computers and smartphones. If you’re looking for ways to enjoy your old DS games, here are the top 9 Nintendo DS games emulators for Windows computers in 2024.
9 Nintendo DS Emulators for PC in 2024
1. DeSmuME
Top on our list, DeSmuME is arguably the leading Windows Nintendo DS games emulator out there. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems and offers a wide range of graphics customization options.
This free and open-source DS games emulator features USB controller support and a cheat code manager. It lets you continue your play from the point you left off, thanks to the save slot feature. The only major downside of this DS emulator is that it doesn’t support Wi-Fi.
2. NO$GBA
First introduced as a Gameboy Advance emulator, NO$GBA now offers native support for Nintendo DSi and DS. The standard version for Windows can run top Nintendo DS games like Mario, Pokémon, and Zelda. There is also a Windows debug version for programmers.
The latest Windows version of this Nintendo DS games emulator supports DS and GBA ROMs. It’s compatible with commercial DS ROMs and has a low resource. Other notable features include the save state function, joystick support, and cheat code support.
The emulator allows you to play Nintendo DS pokemon games at full speed with no glitches in graphics. You also can enjoy gaming in full-screen mode with the support of NO$Zoomer. On the flipside, this DS emulator has limited graphics settings.
3. MelonDS
Just like DeSmuME, MelonDS is another open-source Windows emulator that supports top Nintendo DS games such as your favorite Pokémon and Mario titles. It has plenty of impressive features, including joystick support, OpenGL renderer, JIT recompiler, and 3D upscaling, to mention a few.
The OpenGL render feature allows you to play at maximum resolutions even with a medium-performing system. It also provides fast emulation for your Nintendo DS Pokémon games, thanks to its JIT recompiler. The emulator is under active development to provide local Wi-FI support for multiplayer Nintendo DS games.
The only major drawback of the MelonDS is it doesn’t support 32-bit Windows PCs.
4. RetroArch
RetroArch is a free, cross-platform, open-source Nintendo DS emulator. It lets you enjoy playing old Nintendo DS games on a vast range of consoles and computers using its sleek graphiс interface. The settings are unified, allowing for easy configuration.
RetroArch supports both the latest and older versions of Windows and allows you to run original game discs. A few of its advanced features include shaders, 4k upscaling, next-frame response times, netplay, rewinding, machine translation, and many more. It also has Joystick support, different screen layouts, and a save slot feature.
One issue with this DS emulator is its high resource usage. But it is still one of the best options for your Windows computer.
5. Ensata
Developed by Nintendo, Ensata is another great Nintendo DS emulator for Windows PCs. It supports commercial Nintendo DS ROMs and other commercial games. One of the standout features of the Ensata emulator is its ability to emulate the physical gap between the dual screens of an original Nintendo DS console.
Its low system requirement lets you run it on any Windows PC with Intel Pentium or above processor, DirectX 9 GPU or higher, and at least 256MB RAM. The emulator provides accurate rendering, so you can enjoy your favorite DS games with minimal glitches. The only problem is its low compatibility.
6. iDeas
iDeaS is a free Windows PC emulator designed to run all your Nintendo DS simulator games smoothly. It supports an extensive range of NDS functionality and can run some commercial ROMs with ease. The graphics match higher standards, so you can play old Nintendo DS games like Super Mario 64 pretty well.
It supports settings customization with DS double-screen setup support, allowing you to take screenshots of both screens. Also, it has touchscreen support for added convenience and lets you remap keys for customized gaming controls. It is under constant development, so you can expect improved compatibility and the latest features with each release.
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7. Citra
If you’re looking for the best Nintendo DS and 3DS games emulator for your Windows PC, you can’t go wrong with the Citra DS emulator. This DS emulator lets you play old Nintendo DS games like Zelda and Pokémon with ease. You can also run some 3DS games at high resolutions relatively well.
Some useful features include cheat code support, joystick support, and different screen layouts. It also offers local Wi-Fi support for multiplayer games and has an internal screen recorder. You can adjust the graphics resolution to 4k and use an optional controller for added convenience.
8. NeonDS Emulator
NeonDS is another best emulator that enables you to run nearly all your old Nintendo DS games with high accuracy and performance. It offers fast rendering of top Nintendo DS games even on your older PC. With this emulator, you can easily capture video, thanks to its OpenGL 2.0 rendering.
This DS emulator is open-source and features a user-friendly interface for the ultimate gaming experience. It allows playing some commercial games as well.
9. DuoS
While development ceased shortly after its release, DuoS still makes one of the best Windows emulators out there for playing Nintendo DS games. This emulator stands out mainly for its hardware GPU acceleration and dynamic recompiler. It is also quite fast, allowing you to play DS games with minimal glitches. Certainly one of the best nintendo ds emulator on pc today.
Conclusion
Download any of these Nintendo DS games emulators on your Windows PC and enjoy your favorite Nintendo DS games, just like in the iconic Nintendo console. These emulators are freeware, easy to use, and bug-free, so you’ll not experience issues installing or using them on your Windows computer.
Do you know of other great Nintendo DS games emulators for Windows PC? Let us know in the comment section.