The 14 Best 'Pokemon' DS Games, Ranked

Dash is a game that even the most hardcore fans of Pokémon will have done their best to forget. It’s essentially a racing game where you’re playing as Pikachu (and only Pikachu) and uses the DS stylus to sort of… drag the beloved Pokémon across a track. It’s not the most flattering mechanic and the game falls flat largely because of it. Even if this were a free-to-play mobile game, it would leave a lot to be desired.

Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness are a pair of roguelike games released (in North America) in 2008. The Pokémon spin-off games are basically dungeon crawlers where you enter dungeons to complete missions while encountering other Pokémon with bad intentions. If you or your partner run out of health, you’ll lose your money and at least half of your items. This isn’t a bad game per se, just a little repetitive.

Blue Rescue Team is the counterpart to Red Rescue Team, but that game was only released on the Game Boy Advance. Both games are very similar, but the two different ports were actually a point of criticism for many, with the visuals on Blue Rescue Team falling short of expectations a little. The game was well received amongst fans though, perhaps partly because of how new this kind of game was to certain audiences.

This is the second of three Pokémon Ranger games released on the DS and is ranked last for us from that trilogy mostly because it doesn’t change so much from the first game. With that being said, it’s still a worthy game for Pokémon fans to try out. As the name suggests, Shadows of Almia sees players begin training to become a Pokémon ranger in the "Almia" region. The game does introduce mini-quests where you can help out residents of the region.

Released in 2010, Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs closed out the Ranger trilogy and isn’t one of the better Pokémon games out there, but is remembered fondly. This game still didn’t hit the heights of the first for most, but the improvements it finally made in gameplay put it above Shadows of Almia. In this game, you were able to interact with legendary Pokémon and play with friends. 

Explorers of Sky is a game that tanked when it came to official reviews but is still revered amongst most gamers and Pokémon fans. It’s the sequel to the aforementioned Explorers games and is similar in its premise, but adds new playable creatures and special episodes, exclusive dungeons, and even slight changes to the story. Relative to its predecessor, not much changes here but as a standalone, this is a solid game and arguably a cult classic.

Pokémon Ranger is the predecessor to Shadows of Almia and Guardian Signs, which isn’t quite in the same tier as a main series Pokémon game, but only falls slightly short. The gameplay is RPG-like with a circle-drawing feature for capturing Pokémon that fans liked. Interestingly, the game is also compatible with Diamond and Pearl, Platinum and HeartGold, and SoulSilver, which all appear later on the list. You can transfer Manaphy’s egg to any of them.

Despite only being a Pokémon-themed puzzle game, Trozei! is still one of the better Pokémon games on the DS. The game is similar to Tetris and an old Nintendo title called Yoshi’s Castle. The game is a simple concept executed so well that it’ll appeal to those not even fans of Pokémon at all. It’s a fun, addictive challenge.

If you’re not only a Pokémon fan, but a fan of tactical games where strategy comes into play, Pokémon Conquest is what you’ve been dreaming of. This game is a crossover between Pokémon and Nobunaga’s Ambition too. It’s a turn-based game with a unique story that has a lot of replay value, giving it a spot as one of the best Pokémon spin-offs out there.

Black and White kicked off the fifth generation of Pokémon in a big way, being revered for introducing a bunch of fantastic features to the game, including but not limited to rotation battles and multiple rivals. The game follows you as a trainer in "Unova," with the enemy being "Team Plasma." The game did what everyone wants from every big franchise, takes what’s great, and improves upon it in meaningful ways that make it a top pick among gamers debating over the best Pokemon DS games.

This was the first pair of main series games to appear on the DS, way back in 2007. It was this game that saw the introduction of internet play, key changes to "Pokémon Contests," and the addition of over 100 Pokémon. These new features were enough to keep the classic old formula fresh overall and made this one of the most well-rounded Pokémon games of all time.

Next up on our list of the best Pokemon DS games is Platinum, which is the third version after Diamond and Pearl and it got high praise upon its 2009 North American release for not being just a simple re-do or copy of previous games like a lot of third versions were. It’s incredibly engrossing, even having already played Diamond or Pearl. The main criticism of this game is that the "HM" system could have been better.

Though this game didn’t get the same rave reviews as the last few entries, you’ll find a large subsect of the Pokémon community who have Black 2 and White 2 as their favorite Pokémon game. These are sequels that continue the Black and White stories, introducing Pokémon from other generations and new gym leaders too. 

Finally, the remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver are not only the best Pokémon games on the Nintendo DS but in the top tier of Pokémon games since the franchise kicked off in the mid-90s. HeartGold and SoulSilver kept the quality and feel of the 1999 games but brought in pretty much everything everyone loved about the feel of the newer fourth gen of Pokémon for a perfect marriage.