There is no better feeling for most gamers than enjoying their favorite retro games on a bigger screen. The fact that emulators make this experience possible means that emulators are very much cherished in the gaming community.
Avid Nintendo fans, for one, can’t do without the Nintendo ds emulator for PC. Not when it brings Pokémon, Mario, Kirby, Final Fantasy IV, among others, to life.
If you are trying to figure out the best DS emulator for PC to use, check out the list below.
1. DeSmuMe Emulator
DeSmuMe ranks as one of the best NDS emulators for PC because of the following reasons:
- It can run all Nintendo DS games
- Allows gamers to change graphics and emulation settings depending on their system’s configuration. This lets you control how you experience the game.
- A save slot feature enables you to pick up from where you left off.
- There is a cheat code manager feature and USB controller support.
- Gamers can scale the game depending on their preference.
- It is available on both Windows and Mac
- It is available for free
Some of the pros of DeSmuMe Emulator include its high compatibility, easy installation, user-friendly interface, mic support, and allowing gamers to play lots of commercial games. Its open-source software allows for constant improvement, resulting in a better gaming experience.
The only downside is that some people may experience drops. However, this depends on your PC configurations. Therefore, it can be fixed.
Read Also: The best Nintendo DS emulators for iOS
2. MelonDS Emulator
MelonDS Emulator supports almost all the Nintendo DS games. It ranks here as a good DS Emulator because of its many beneficial features. They include:
- Allowing gamers to save their progress whenever they want to.
- It has a new OpenGL render that will allow you to render 2D & 3D games in high resolution while using medium-performing systems without hindering its performance.
- The MelonDS Emulator uses your system’s hardware resources to provide fast and accurate emulation.
- Other useful features include joystick support, 3D upscaling, local multiplayer, and online connectivity through Wi-Fi support.
- It is available for Windows and Linux systems.
- It is open-source software that is free to use.
- Completely ad-free.
- It supports an external controller.
Those are enough reasons to download the MelonDS Emulator immediately and enjoy your favorite Nintendo DS game.
However, you should also know that the Emulator does not support Mac OS and Windows 32-bit systems.
3. No$GBA
While many of the Nintendo DS Emulators will require a high-performance system to work well, No$GBA does not. Its best feature enables people with old PC systems to enjoy Nintendo games without glitches.
Other attributes include:
- It has joystick support, cheat code support, and a save state option.
- Can be installed on a Windows 10, Windows XP, and MS-DOS computer system.
- It supports Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, and GBA. Gamers are also able to run Nintendo DS homebrew with this emulator.
- It uses very few system resources.
The shortcomings of No$GBA Emulator are that it only works on Windows, has no screen layout feature, and cannot play multiplayer titles.
4. RetroArch Emulator
RetroArch stands out from the other DS Emulators because it is an all-in-one emulator. This means that it can be used to play games on almost all mainstream retro consoles. From SNES, DS, NES, 64, DSi, 3DS, MAME, Atari, you name it.
Some of RetroArch’s amazing features include:
- You can increase the graphics to 4K and apply shaders to improve rendering.
- It supports all platforms and operating systems. From Windows, Linux, and Mac to home consoles (PlayStation 3, Wii u, Xbox, etc.)
- Joystick support, a save slot option, and different screen layouts are all supported.
- You can record game sessions and stream on twitch.
- There are several default games executed on RetroArch.
- Other outstanding features are next-frame, netplay, rewinding, shaders, run ahead, machine translations, response times, and blind accessibility features.
- The interface is easy to use
- There are regular updates.
Now, for the RetroArch emulator to have its amazing features running at peak performance, it is likely going to use more PC resources than the other DS emulators.
5. Citra (Nintendo 3DS Emulator)
Next on the list of the best DS emulator for PC is Citra. This emulator is a great choice because of its ease of use and other amazing features listed below.
- It is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux OS.
- It supports screen layout, cheat code, and joystick.
- Gamers can use external controllers.
- An in-house screen recorder and Wi-Fi connection make it possible to use multiplayer.
- Graphic resolutions can be adjusted up to 4K (it depends on your device).
Before downloading Citra, make sure your Windows is 64-bit.
6. NeonDS Emulator
The next best Nintendo DS emulator is NeonDS. It is known for its ability to run almost all games with ease. Even though there are no more new updates, this DS emulator for PC is still highly used because of the following features.
- You can play commercial games with the emulator.
- It provides high performance and accuracy for all Nintendo DS games.
- Has a user-friendly interface.
- It has been designed with a freeware open-source program.
The only challenges with NeonDS Emulator are the lack of new updates to fix bugs and only supporting Windows systems.
7. iDeas Emulator
iDeas Emulator has many customizable features that will significantly boost your gaming experience.
- You can easily run all the Nintendo DS games on iDeas Emulator.
- Gamers can customize settings to their liking.
- Updates regularly with the latest features and improvements of the overall software. The quality of emulation goes up, and the games run fast.
- The interface is well-aligned.
- It’s a freeware program
iDeas Emulator works on Windows OS only.
8. Project64 Emulator
Last on the list of best Nintendo DS Emulators for PC is Project64. It is a favorite among gamers because of the following features.
- High-quality audio and video.
- Offers joystick support.
- It is a freeware program that is constantly improving.
- It can run all the ROMs and supports zip files.
- You can save and load your state while playing.
With these Nintendo DS emulators for PC, it shouldn’t be hard to enjoy some of your favorite retro games on a bigger screen.
Follow the link(s), download your preferred DS emulator, and get started immediately. Feel free to share your discoveries about the emulator or the DS game.
Melvin is a senior writer at iMentality. A DIYer at heart, Melvin loves to craft things in the tech space. He has amassed over a decade of experience in tech writing with special focus on apps and tech guides.