Best Donkey Kong Games Of All Time

28. Donkey Kong Jr. Math (NES)

Donkey Kong Jr. Math adds some arithmetic to the basic vine-swinging and platforming of Donkey Kong Jr. in a title that sucks all the fun out of both gaming and mathematics. It combines 'education' and 'entertainment' to make — you guessed it! — a terrible game. Think of the poor kid who got a launch NES console and this. There must have been at least one.

Don't feel too sorry, though. Boxed versions of Donkey Kong Jr. Math are worth a pretty penny these days, so silver linings and all that. The title makes the game sound dreary, and it very much is, but at least it delivers on the promise of its name, and a unique, surprisingly fun two-player experience is this retro curio's saving grace.

Previously available via Virtual Console and now on NSO, it's technically playable on GameCube, too, as it's one of the NES games included in the original Animal Crossing.

27. Donkey Kong Barrel Blast (Wii)

This DK racer really is bottom of the barrel. Originally a DK Bongo tie-in planned for GameCube, it got moved to its motion-controlled successor with the barmy bongo peripheral swapped for Wii Remote waggle. 'Bongo Blast' became 'Barrel Blast' and you shook your Wiimote and Nunchuk to accelerate.

Unfortunately, the racing is sluggish, the controls are hideous, and the visuals looked ropey even at the time. The fact that DK and Diddy featured in the excellent Mario Kart Wii only highlighted what a mess Donkey Kong Barrel Blast was. Developer Paon DP would do better with these characters in other games (King of Swing, Jungle Climber), but this was plain bad. The cover makes it look like the game could be fun. Trust us, it isn't.

26. Arcade Archives Donkey Kong 3 (Switch eShop)

If push came to shove, we'd personally prefer to sit down with Donkey Kong 3 over Donkey Kong Jr. purely for how it diverges from its predecessors in intriguing ways. Taking control of that most famous of Nintendo icons, er... Stanley the Bugman, you use bug spray to deflect the advances of flower fanatic Donkey Kong through your greenhouse. DK has enlisted an army of bugs and bees to keep you occupied while he makes off with your prize petunias.

Despite lacking the iconic gameplay and sound effects that have passed into video game lore, there's something oddly compelling about Stanley's battle against the headlining ape, and something a little sad in the knowledge that Stanley would vanish into obscurity afterwards. Well, that's not quite right; Stanley has had a handful of cameos over the years in games like Smash Bros. and the WarioWare series, but you rarely hear Nintendo fans clamouring for his return. Poor Stanley.

25. Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move (3DS eShop)

The first 3D entry in what to this point had been an exclusively side-scrolling affair, Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move translates the series' gameplay well to the third dimension, even if it doesn't really add anything to the basic formula.

As you might have spotted from the title, the plumber and the ape have settled their differences this time around and are simply MC-ing things alongside Pauline here, thus diminishing Donkey Kong's presence somewhat. While the gameplay can sometimes become infuriating and feel a little unfair, MADMOTM (or 'mad-mottom', as nobody has ever called it but should) is still a fun time if you've got the patience for it.

24. DK: King of Swing (GBA)

With a lovely, pastel colouring to its art, DK: King of Swing takes the essence of Clu Clu Land and makes a decent game out of it. Using the shoulder buttons to swing around and grasp onto pegs throughout the jungle, this twist on DK gameplay is quite refreshing after so many standard 2D platformers and Mini-marching games.

It's nice to see him doing something outside his usual wheelhouse which doesn't involve driving karts, smashing tennis balls, or swinging a golf club with one hand. It's not an absolute stone-cold classic, but DK: King of Swing is a fun little portable game and a breath of fresh air in amongst all his 2D platforming monkey business.

23. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars (Wii U eShop)

Putting in an appearance on both Wii U and 3DS (the latter of which also received Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge which drew heavily on this series), Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars reverted to 2D gameplay and gave us a taste of the enjoyable action-puzzler series in glorious HD for the first time.

It's more of the same, although the Miiverse integration made sharing your workshopped levels a breeze, and when the base gameplay is this fun, it's easier to forgive how frequently Nintendo has gone back to its box of DK and Mario-shaped mechanical Minis.

22. Arcade Archives Donkey Kong Jr. (Switch eShop)

The tables turned in this sequel to the arcade original, with Mario having kidnapped Donkey Kong this time, so it's up to Junior to rescue Kong Senior. We've had ports aplenty over the years, but this Hamster's version of Donkey Kong Jr. enables you to flip your Switch into vertical mode for the most authentic experience you'll get outside an arcade.

It's hard to argue that the base gameplay here hasn't aged, and you'll probably need a healthy dose of nostalgia and/or academic interest to get maximum enjoyment from it nowadays. There's definitely some retro fun to be had, but we can think of dozens of '80s classics we'd play before getting down with DKJ.

21. Donkey Konga 3 (GCN)

The final, Japan-only entry in the trilogy, Donkey Konga 3 brought another bunch of banana-banging tracks a mere eight months after its predecessor debuted on Japanese store shelves. It's more Donkey Konga, which is never a bad thing. Trilogy remaster when?

20. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Switch)

Mario vs Donkey Kong serves up a slick return to the 2004 GBA adventure that finds fresh fun in cooperative play. Yep, the new co-op mode really is the star of the show this time out and, alongside two new worlds, 'Plus' versions of each level, a Time Attack mode, and fancy new looks and sounds, there's plenty to dig into and enjoy with a core puzzle/platforming setup that has aged quite well.

Just be aware that, if you're a more seasoned player looking for platforming challenges, this game finds its strengths as an experience for younger gamers or as a co-op title to enjoy with your kids. Taken as such, it absolutely earns a recommendation.

19. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (DS)

The sequel to the GBA original, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis gave you control of mini versions of the plumber via the touchscreen rather than having them follow Mario around like the Pied Piper, and the game became more tactical as a result.

It also saw the return of Pauline for the first time in many years, someone now very familiar to even the youngest Mario fans after her super-star turn in Super Mario Odyssey's New Donk City.

18. Donkey Konga 2: Hit Song Parade (GCN)

Following on less than a year after its predecessor, Donkey Konga 2: Hit Song Parade delivered more of the bongo-bashing same and essentially functions as a second song pack. It's still worth investigating if you're a rhythm-game gamer who didn't perish under a mountain of peripherals all those years ago.

17. DK: Jungle Climber (DS)

Following the rather poor Barrel Blast, developer Paon redeemed itself a little by returning to the DK formula it started with on Game Boy Advance in DK: King of Swing. DK: Jungle Climber for DS puts you in control of your favourite tie-wearing simian as he climbs through the jungle using the shoulder buttons and it works rather well on original hardware.

The soundtrack is a little disappointing by DK's high standards, but this and its predecessor are uniquely controlled entries in the Kong canon that are worth a look, even if they don't scale the heights of his more famous adventures.

16. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (DS)

The fourth entry in the sub-series, 2010's Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! is possibly our favourite of the bunch. With crisp visuals, adorable mini versions of your favourite Mushroom Kingdom denizens, and a wonderful soundtrack to boot, the gameplay really shines on DS with its touchscreen and stylus.

There's a host of secrets and optional objectives to enjoy here and, perhaps most importantly of all, Donkey Kong is back to doing what he does best: nabbing Pauline and legging it up a tall structure.

15. Arcade Archives Donkey Kong (Switch eShop)

Available on console for the first time since being tucked away as a bonus in Donkey Kong 64, this is the original game from which this whole beautiful mess spawned — the Mario series, the DK series, and Nintendo's enormous empire of evergreen gaming.

Mario (or rather Jumpman) may seem quite limited in his abilities (and death by such short falls is very old-school), but Donkey Kong is still a fun game. Tougher than the NES port, high-score chasing can get addictive.

For fans of the game and the OG arcade cabinet's vertical orientation, Hamster's TATE mode-compatible Arcade Archives release is something of an 'ultimate edition'. Three versions of it with a few display options and the usual array of modes and online leaderboards make this a great choice and the best way to revisit this arcade classic.

The movement might feel stiff and the animation rudimentary, but give it time and DK's iconic charm is sure to win you over.

14. Donkey Konga (GCN)

After Nintendo manufactured the DK Bongos, the company supported them with a surprising number of releases. Donkey Konga predated Guitar Hero by a year, just before music-loving gamers' households were filled to the roof with plastic guitars and bulky drum kits.

The rhythm-based premise is old-hat nowadays, but Donkey Konga works very well and, provided you've got the requisite number of bongos, makes for an excellent party game for up to four players.

13. Donkey Kong Land (GB)

We remember the first time we saw Donkey Kong Country on the SNES and wondering how a 16-bit machine could pull off its 'amazing' graphics — those pre-rendered sprites felt pretty special at the time. Seeing them approximated on the lowly Game Boy hardware in Donkey Kong Land felt like actual dark magic, though.

With impressive animation and detailed backgrounds, sometimes you could get disorientated for a moment as enemies blended into the backdrop, but the way DKL managed to capture the essence of its 16-bit brethren makes it a fascinating and worthy entry in the Kongpendium.

12. Donkey Kong Land III (GB)

Donkey Kong Land III is a handsome Game Boy title which also sounds particularly lovely and caps off the Donkey Kong Land GB trilogy in fine fashion — it's arguably the pick of the portable bunch. Lucky Japanese gamers even got a version enhanced for the Game Boy Color which looked even lovelier.

This was to be Rare's final 2D platformer featuring the DK clan and Twycross' custodians of Kong certainly went out on a high.

11. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (DSiWare)

A DSiWare instalment of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong puzzle platformer series, there's nothing much wrong with Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! — it's simply 'another one of those'. If you can't get enough of this sub-series' lock-and-key gameplay, the third entry is a solid one and features a level editor similar to its predecessor.

Although these days sharing your custom levels is a lot tougher than it used to be. Poor one out for the DSi Shop.

10. Donkey Kong Land 2 (GB)

It might have his name on the box, but Donkey Kong is barely in this one! Donkey Kong Land 2 has Diddy and Dixie rescuing the captured DK from the clutches of vile crocodile Kaptain K. Rool.

By simplifying background elements in comparison to the original Game Boy rendition, it's a little easier to see what you're doing here and, as with all the DKL games, the way it captures the look and feel of the SNES DKC games on such modest hardware is impressive to this day.

9. Donkey Kong 64 (N64)

There are some who blame the collapse of the collectathon 3D platforming craze on Donkey Kong 64, and while it's hard to argue that Rare perhaps went a little too far with the huge number of inconsequential collectible doohickeys, it's a game which turns everything up to eleven and there's something admirable about its unapologetic everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach.

With five playable Kongs (you know them well), huge worlds, and an abundance of minigames (including emulated versions of the original arcade Donkey Kong and Ultimate Play the Game's Jetpac), DK64 was one hell of a value proposition back in 1999 and we think it probably deserves re-evaluation after decades of bashing. C'mon Cranky, take it to the fridge.

8. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA)

Mario vs. Donkey Kong kicked off an entire series that pitted the plumber and the ape against each other for old times' sake.

Originally, it was planned as a sequel to the excellent Game Boy version of Donkey Kong and this is the only game in the series that gives you direct control of Mario rather than his Lemming-like Minis. You still guide the Mini-Mazzas here and there, but for the most part you control the plumber in a lovely little platform puzzler which really carries the spirit of the original Donkey Kong with it.

It's a good 'un, and there's good reason Nintendo saw fit to bring it back nearly 20 years later with a Switch remake.

7. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GCN)

The first 'mainline' DK game following the end of Rare's stewardship of the character, and an under-appreciated gem from director Yoshiaki Koizumi and the EAD Toyko team that would go on to make Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo is at its best when it's doing something no one else would do — and a platformer you play with a pair of bongos is something you're unlikely to find elsewhere.

Yes, you control Donkey Kong Jungle Beat using arguably the best/silliest official controller ever made. You can play with a standard GameCube pad if you want, but it's best to keep the neighbours awake with this one. You move DK by hitting the drums or clapping, which is detected by the bongos' in-built mic, bounding through the 2.5D levels collecting bananas, bashing baddies, and building combos to score 'beats'.

It's short, but brilliant fun and is superior to the (still excellent) Wiimote-controlled New Play Control! version because bongos beat motion controls. Always.

6. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES)

Rounding off the Super NES DKC trilogy nicely, Dixie and Kiddie's adventure is still a pleasure today.

It arguably can't quite reach the highs of the second chapter in Rare's trio of DK delights, but Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! looks better than ever and gives you some choice with a non-linear map to explore and options should you hit a roadblock on your adventure.

5. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Rare's first foray into the world of DK and his cronies. Despite the visuals not wowing like they did back in 1994, the template put down in Donkey Kong Country would influence every DK title to come.

The redesigned DK looked brilliant, Dave Wise's music was incredible, and every aspect of the game demonstrated a stunning attention to detail.

While not quite as polished as you remember, DKC is still a classic that should be tracked down and played — which is much easier now that it's included in the Nintendo Switch Online Super NES library.

4. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

This revival of Rare's treasured Donkey Kong Country series came after developer Retro Studios had successfully reinvented Nintendo's Metroid as an exploratory first-person shooter, so we shouldn't have been surprised that the team was able to recapture the spirit of that 16-bit platformer series three console generations later with Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, just how good the 2010 game turned out still came as a big shock.

The 3DS port was equally impressive, although having played the excellent Tropical Freeze, it's tougher to return (ahem) to Returns these days, even Forever Entertainment's Switch port which combines the two versions into an HD dish with the tiniest dusting of tweaks.

Still, when it comes to resurrections, Retro was Nintendo's go-to studio for a long minute there and DKC swung back in fabulous form on Wii.

3. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch)

After beginning life on Wii U in 2014, we were treated to a 'Deluxe' port on Switch just four years later. Not the longest hiatus, but we couldn't wait to replay one of the best platformers we've ever encountered and the Switch version plays like an absolute dream.

Looking better than Donkey Kong ever has, veteran DKC composer David Wise returned with this sequel and caused us to have several 'moments' during our first playthrough. It was a glistening cherry on a cake so deliciously sweet we worried we'd lose a foot.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze isn't just a great platformer, it's one of the great platformers. Even if Donkey Kong isn't normally your thing, you owe it to yourself to give Tropical Freeze a go; it's totally bananas in the very best of ways.

2. Donkey Kong (GB)

It's rare that the echo triumphs over the voice, but if we had to pick between playing arcade DK or the Game Boy port, there's really no choice.

Donkey Kong on Game Boy — Donkey Kong '94 as it's often called — is far more than just a simple sequel or port. After finishing the first four levels, you might assume that's it, but with over 101 levels in total, there's a whole other game awaiting you. In fact, it laid the groundwork for spin-off series Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

Adding a metric ton of new features while still managing to keep the ‘arcadey’ feel of the original, the visuals and music are outstanding and complement this impressively expanded take on an icon. It's up there with the Game Boy's finest, and another wonderful portable title featuring Mr. D. Kong.

1. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (not Diddy Kong's Quest) is a beautiful, secret-filled game with a gorgeous soundtrack that helps create an atmosphere that sticks in the memory. You end up returning to this simply to enjoy your surroundings and have 'that feeling' again.

In fact, we've found that to be a feature of many Rare games and the second SNES entry in this series is a prime example. Debate will rage as to which of DKC games is best, but regardless, this is up there with the very, very best on the console.