For the first time since the launch of the original Famicom, Donkey Kong has been made a big part of a Nintendo console release. Donkey Kong Bananza looks to have plenty to offer fans of the big ape, but if you feel like exploring some of his other adventures you have plenty to choose from on the Nintendo Switch 2. We’ve listed every Donkey Kong game you can play on the console and even ranked them from worst to best. Whether hero or villain, Donkey Kong never fails to make a splash. Let’s check out those games!
Not Ranked: Donkey Kong Bananza
While we don’t want to leave this game off the list, it’s not like we can rank it yet either. Developed internally at Nintendo, Donkey Kong Bananza puts a new spin on our favorite gorilla gladiator. Smash and bash your way through anything that gets in DK’s way to recover the stolen Banandium Gems. Check out our full review to see what we thought of this one.
17. Donkey Kong Jr. Math
Available in the NES Nintendo Switch Online app for subscribers, Donkey Kong Jr. Math offers practice with basic math calculations while also trying to show you a good time. It succeeds at one of these things. You can get a little entertainment out of this if you play against someone else, but it’s a meager meal.
16. Donkey Kong 3 (NES Version)
Another one from the NES Nintendo Switch Online selection. After Mario went off to become a big star with his brother Luigi, Donkey Kong had to find a new rival to butt heads with. The first one to step up was Stanley the Bugman, and it was not exactly a battle for the ages. This is a fixed-screen shoot ’em up where you have to defend plants and fire gas up DK’s hindquarters until he retreats. The NES version is a decent enough port of the game, but if you’re only going to play one Donkey Kong 3, it should probably be the arcade original.
15. Arcade Archives Donkey Kong 3
Supposing one wants to give Donkey Kong 3 a fair shake, this is the way to do it. You get the original vertically-aligned display, a more expressive and animated Donkey Kong, and more frantic shooting action overall. Donkey Kong 3 isn’t a terrible game or anything like that, and if you like fixed-screen shooters you might have a good time chasing scores here.
14. Donkey Kong Jr. (NES Version)
Donkey Kong Jr. received a more accurate port to the NES than the previous game in the series did, with all of the stages and gameplay more or less intact. This game sees Mario take a rare turn as the villain of the piece, with Donkey Kong’s son coming to the rescue of his imprisoned dad. It’s an interesting platformer due to DK Jr.’s size and weight and is notably the first time any Kong was playable in a game. You can check out this NES version in the Nintendo Switch Online app.
13. Arcade Archives Donkey Kong Jr.
Of course, if you want to experience the original game in all of its arcade glory, you have that option on Nintendo Switch 2 as well. The graphics are nicer, it has that classic Nintendo arcade audio, and since this is an Arcade Archives release you can compete on the online leaderboards as well. The levels feel less squashed in the arcade version thanks to the vertically-aligned display, too. Donkey Kong Jr. is a little more awkward than the original game, but it’s still worth playing.
12. Donkey Kong Land
You have to hand it to Rare. It takes some serious stones to look at your graphically rich, envelope-pushing Super NES game and decide to put it on a monochrome handheld device. The results were somewhat mixed, with the complex background visuals turning into a muddy mess on the Game Boy’s blurry display. Still, this is the only truly original handheld Rare Donkey Kong platformer, and that’s something that merits consideration. You can play this on the Game Boy Nintendo Switch Online app if you have a subscription.
11. Donkey Kong (NES Version)
The original Donkey Kong is the game that put Nintendo on the gaming map, and the Famicom itself was originally designed with the target in mind of creating a console that could handle a home version. With that in mind, it is a little disappointing that the NES version of Donkey Kong is missing an entire stage, along with some of the small touches that made the arcade game so charming. Still, what’s here plays well enough to help a person get their Donkey Kong fix. It’s in the NES Nintendo Switch Online app, naturally.
10. Donkey Kong Land 2
Rare’s second swing at a Game Boy Donkey Kong game demonstrated that some lessons were learned from the first go-around. It’s now much easier to see what’s going on, and it manages that without sacrificing much of the impressive-for-the-hardware graphics. Rather than making a completely new adventure, Rare attempted to adapt the hit Super NES Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest for this release. As such, it’s a very good game, but it’s a bit redundant with its big brother also available on Nintendo Switch 2 via a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
9. Donkey Kong Land III (Game Boy)
Using Arabic numbers for one sequel and Roman numerals for the next. You chose violence, Rare. At any rate, this third and final Donkey Kong Land follows loosely in the path of the previous game by attempting to adapt its Super NES counterpart. Donkey Kong Land III takes far more liberties with its level designs than Donkey Kong Land 2 did, which makes it feel more distinct from the Super NES game. Some even prefer it. Play it on the Game Boy Nintendo Switch Online app and decide for yourself.
8. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble
It would have been easy for Rare to play things excessively safe with the Donkey Kong Country sequels, but it always seemed to try to expand on the concept with each new entry. Donkey Kong Country 3 tries to open things up a little, with a bigger and less linear overworld map. It also uses a lot more gimmicks in its level designs, which can sometimes give the game a light puzzle game feel. It’s not nearly as beloved as the games that came before it, but it’s still a high quality platformer. Check it out in the Super NES Nintendo Switch Online app.
7. Arcade Archives Donkey Kong
We wouldn’t be talking about any of this if not for this game. We probably wouldn’t be talking about Nintendo at all, most likely. Donkey Kong introduced the world to Donkey Kong and Mario, paving the road for Nintendo’s global success in video gaming. It did that by being a very fun game, and it’s still great today. Since this is the arcade version, you get all four stages and the full nostalgic look and sound. You can also compete for scores on the online leaderboard, just like those guys in King of Kong. Play it now so you can appreciate just how far the big lug has come in Bananza.
6. Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong moves back into the antagonist role for this game, a remake of the Game Boy Advance follow-up to Donkey Kong ’94. It’s a little bit of platforming and a little bit of puzzling, adding up to a truly satisfying game all-around. This Nintendo Switch remake spruces things up and adds some quality of life features, and it’s a great way to play this clever, charming game. Who can’t relate to DK’s desire for the newest and hottest toy, after all?
5. Donkey Kong Country
After Donkey Kong 3 failed to match the success of the previous games, it seemed as though Donkey Kong had largely been retired to guest character status. It took more than a decade for a new game starring the amazing ape to arrive, but when he came back he did so in style. This Super NES platformer from Rare used some technical tricks to dazzle people’s senses, but all of that would have been for naught had the gameplay itself not been as good as it was. The platforming in Donkey Kong Country has a strong rhythm to it, making it fit like a glove for would-be speedrunners. It’s also packed with secrets, adding a ton of replay value to the adventure. Relive the nostalgia in the Super NES Nintendo Switch Online app.
4. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
It’s not as though Donkey Kong stopped getting games when Rare and Nintendo parted ways. There were several games starring DK, but none of them had quite the same juice that the Donkey Kong Country games did. How to get that groove back? Apparently, you get Retro Studios to head to Donkey Kong Country again. Donkey Kong Country Returns was a huge hit for the Wii, and it was great to see it get a release on the Switch. All the great level designs and exciting gameplay, none of that motion controlled rolling business.
3. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a very confident game. Having successfully relaunched the series with the previous game, Retro Studios seemed to have had the freedom to play around with the concept a little more in this follow-up. The result is one of the best platformers you can play on the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s creative, thrilling, and extremely challenging. The game originally debuted on the Wii U, received an early port to the Switch, and plays like a dream on the Switch 2.
2. Donkey Kong ’94
The other half of Donkey Kong’s big 1994 comeback was this outstanding Game Boy title, which you can find in the Game Boy Nintendo Switch Online app. What starts off as a tour through the original Donkey Kong stages quickly becomes something else entirely. Between Mario’s robust set of athletic moves and a constant stream of new stage gimmicks, Donkey Kong ’94 never fails to surprise. Sure, DK’s the antagonist, but this is one of the finest games to bear his name.
1. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
Maybe it’s a little odd that the best Donkey Kong game is one that he barely appears in, but it is what it is. Breakout sidekick Diddy Kong is joined by Dixie Kong in this incredible Super NES platformer. Rare sometimes has a tendency to overstuff games, but Diddy’s Kong Quest feels like it hits the balance perfectly. The right amount of levels, the right amount of secrets, the right amount of extra collectibles, and a satisfying difficulty curve. You can find it in the Super NES Nintendo Switch Online app.
What’s your favorite Donkey Kong game on Nintendo Switch 2? Are you getting Donkey Kong Bananza? Let us know in the comments!
