The iconic Nintendo DS ROM console may not have been in production for a long time, but the legend lives on among gamers and tech enthusiasts. While some childhood memories have been linked to the most famous Mario and Pokémon titles, many teens also get involved in reliving a bygone era.
Regardless of which category you belong to, you can experience the magic of NDS with Nintendo DS ROM and emulators on your PC or smartphone. Here is a list of the best Nintendo DS emulators for Android and iOS.
Nintendo DS was a dual-screen device, but you don't need a dual-screen phone to play these games on an emulator. Here we list the best Nintendo DS emulators for your iPhone or Android device.
Also, most of these emulators are in active development, which means that, for the most part, they are compatible with the latest versions of Android and iOS. It also means that they should be relatively bug-free and offer wider compatibility.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at the best Nintendo DS emulators to use on iPhone and Android devices in 2021.
RetroArch – Most preferred emulator for Nintendo DS
RetroArch is a versatile, cross-platform, universal, accessible, and mobile software. Open-source (FOSS) works on almost every platform imaginable. It is not only available for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux, but it is also available for various game consoles, including PS2, PS3, PSP, PS Vita, Wii, Wii U, 2DS, 3DS, Nintendo Switch, and more.
It is one of the best emulator fronts that supports NDS and Game Boy Advance, the original Game Boy, and a wide range of consoles, both old and current.
Please note that RetroArch only provides a graphical user interface for emulators, game engines, and media players. Therefore, you must download the kernel separately for each system for it to work.
Setup requires a bit of technical expertise, but the emulator allows you to run classic games on a wide variety of computers and consoles. You can even create your NDS games using the Libretro API with RetroArch.
DraStic - Premium Nintendo DS for Android
DraStic is another fully functional Nintendo DS emulator for Android. It is one of the best Nintendo DS emulators considering that you can play games at full speed on most Android devices.
You can also enhance the game's 3D graphics to twice its original resolution on high-end phones and tablets. The emulator also supports additional drivers, as well as physical controls on devices like the Nvidia Shield.
Other notable features include support for memory status, the ability to customize the location and size of the DS displays, portrait and landscape modes, and more.
The DraStic emulator also has cheat codes with an extensive database of thousands. Finally, it also supports fast forward so that you can increase the emulation speed. On the downside, DraStic has yet to implement WiFi support, and there is currently no multiplayer mode.
SuperNDS
SuperNDS is one of the latest additions to the growing list of Nintendo DS emulators for Android. It works well on newer Android devices, offering fast gameplay, decent rendering, and relatively glitch-free graphics. It supports NDS, ZIP, 7z, and RAR file types and supports features like save states and more.
SuperNDS is compatible with all versions of Android 5.0 and later Lollipop but requires a decent amount of RAM to run. Games can occasionally crash on older devices with less RAM, requiring you to manually free RAM and restart the emulator.
However, this emulator offers great gameplay at full speed with decent graphics on newer devices with enough RAM. It is one of the best Nintendo DS emulators on our list.
iNDS - Best Nintendo DS Emulator for iOS
Apple's mobile platform is relatively thin for high-quality NDS emulators, but iNDS is pretty much the best out there. The legendary NDS4iOS is one of the best Nintendo DS emulators on the list, as it works without jailbreak. The iNDS emulator is compatible with all devices up to iOS 14 and offers gamer features like auto-save, in-app settings, video filters, haptic vibration, and more.
Please note that due to Apple's strict and draconian approval policies, iNDS is not available on the App Store. However, you can download it to your jailbroken device from TopStore, AltStore, or the Cydia Store.
It is worth noting that the game ROMs are not pre-installed with the emulator, even if you download it from unofficial sources, so you will have to obtain your ROMs from elsewhere.
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