The Ultimate Guide to DS Emulators on Android: Top Picks for 2025


Nintendo DS emulators for Android allow you to play DS games on your smartphone or tablet. There are several contenders for the best DS emulator for Android, most of which are completely free.

To play Nintendo DS games on Android, you need to download ROMs. Video game ROMs are available on the web through torrent websites, but the legality of distributing these files varies from region to region. Make sure to install antivirus software before downloading files from the web.

You can also create ROMs from any DS cartridge you own, the legality of which also varies by region.

For $4.99, the DraStic DS emulator is a great deal. It comes with hundreds of tips preloaded and allows you to save save state data directly to your Google Drive Cloud. There is even an option to improve graphics. It also includes all the features found in every other emulator on this list, such as support for external controllers. Although DraStic DS works on most Android devices, it works best on high-end phones and tablets.

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RetroArch is a versatile video game emulator for all platforms, from Android to Linux. The Android version supports games for Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, and the original Game Boy, as well as console games and non-Nintendo systems. That said, you need to download the kernel for each emulator. You can even play and create your homebrew games for DS with the Libretro API.

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What we like

  • Resizable screens.

  • Consistent frame rate.

Fast DS Emulator is designed to work with devices running Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and above, but it also runs Android 5.0 (Lollipop), so it’s a decent option for older phones. You can customize on-screen controls and connect controllers for other systems, such as Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, to play DS games on your Android device.

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Like Retroarch, EmuBox emulates many systems, including the NES and PlayStation. Because it was coded using Google’s Material Design language, EmuBox can perfectly replicate the DS visuals. Fortunately, there is an option to capture screenshots. On top of that, EmuBox gives you 20 save slots per ROM.

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