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The 6 Best DS Emulators for Android of 2022

Play your favorite classic Nintendo DS games on your smartphone

By Robert Earl Wells III Updated on January 3, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apps Best Apps Payment Services Nintendo DS emulators for Android make it possible to play DS games on your smartphone or tablet. There are several contenders for best DS emulator for Android, and most of them are completely free. To play Nintendo DS games on Android, you must download ROMs. Video game ROMs are available on the web through torrent websites, but the legality of distributing such files varies from region to region. Make sure to install antivirus software before downloading files from the web. 01 of 06

Best Open Source DS Emulator NDS4Droid

What We Like Open source with no ads. Multilingual support. Frame skip option helps offset performance issues. What We Don't Like Laggy performance and periodic crashes interrupt gameplay. No fast forward feature. NDS4droid has been around for a long time. Although it hasn't received any updates lately, the source code is readily available, and it's a treasure trove of information for developers interested in early DS emulation. NDS4droid includes many extra features, such as save states and built-in Action Replay cheats. It even supports games for the OUYA game console. Download NDS4Droid 02 of 06

Best Performing DS Emulator My NDS Emulator for Android 6

What We Like Resizeable screens. Consistent frame rate. What We Don't Like Annoying ads that can't be removed. Requires an internet connection to start up. My NDS Emulator is designed to work with devices running Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and up, but it also runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop), so it's a decent option for older phones. Not only can you customize the on-screen controls, you can also connect controllers for other systems, such as the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, to play DS games on your Android device. Download My NDS Emulator 03 of 06

Best Non-English DS Emuator The N DS Pocket of Simulator

What We Like Discover and download new games from the web. Frequent updates to improve performance. What We Don't Like The cheats menu is in Chinese. No option to customize the controls or interface. This app was made in China, which you'll likely discover as you dig through the menus. Fortunately, it's intuitive enough for anyone to figure out. Best of all, it lets you search for ROMS from within the app. Of course, you can also upload your own ROMs. It's exceptionally stable and fast performing for a free app, and you don't even have to sit through ads. Download The N.DS Pocket of Simulator 04 of 06

Best Multipurpose Emulator RetroArch

What We Like Emulates multiple handheld and console video game systems. Open source and ad-free. What We Don't Like Requires a little time and technical knowledge to set up. The interface could be more user friendly. RetroArch is a multipurpose video game emulator available for every platform, from Android to Linux. The Android version supports games for the Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and the original Game Boy, as well as console games and non-Nintendo systems. That said, you must download the core for each individual emulator. You can even play and create your homebrew games for DS with the Libretro API. Download RetroArch 05 of 06

Best Looking DS Emulator EmuBox

What We Like Exceptional graphics. Play in portrait or landscape mode. What We Don't Like Performance issues arise when too many cheats are active. No option to remove ads. Like Retroarch, EmuBox emulates a wide range of systems, including the NES and the PlayStation. Because it was coded using Google's Material Design language, EmuBox is able to reproduce the visuals of the DS flawlessly. Fortunately, there's an option to capture screenshots. On top of that, EmuBox gives you 20 save slots per ROM. Download EmuBox 06 of 06

Best Paid DS Emulator DraStic DS Emulator

What We Like Adjust the size and placement of screens. Access your save data on multiple devices. What We Don't Like Only one save slot per ROM. No free option. For $4.99, the DraStic DS Emulator is a steal. It comes with hundreds of pre-loaded cheats, and it lets you back up save data directly to your Google Drive Cloud. There's even an option to enhance the graphics. It also includes every feature found in all of the other emulators on this list, such as external controller support. While DraStic DS works on most Android devices, it performs best on higher-end phones and tablets. Download DraStatic DS Emulator Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Can I Play Nintendo DS Games on the 3DS? GBA File (What It Is & How to Open One) The 8 Best Android Emulators for Windows 10 and Windows 11 The 7 Best Chromebook Emulators for 2022 Can I Play Nintendo 3DS Games on the Wii U? The 8 Best PlayStation Emulators for Desktop PCs in 2022 The 8 Best NES Emulators for Android in 2022 The 5 Best SNES Emulators for Android of 2022 The 10 Best Reddit Apps for Android in 2022 The 6 Best Android ROMs of 2022 The 10 Best Parental Control Apps and Services of 2022 Are the Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL Backward Compatible? The 6 Best Opera Plugins of 2022 The 5 Best Android Emulators for Mac in 2022 Why Aren't Game Boy Advance Games on Virtual Console? The 8 Best Offline Games for Android in 2022 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies