The release of theNintendo Switch 2brings Nintendo one more console away from one of the most innovative handheld platforms, the Nintendo DS. Released in 2004, the console consisted of two screens (hence the name DS, aka Dual Screen), with the lower portion acting as a touchscreen. The handheld predated the iPhone by three years, and what has now become standard practice was revolutionary at the time.
The new touchscreen tech added a fun twist to gaming and many games made great use of the innovative idea. Thanks to the unique its unique design and the portable nature of the small device, the Nintendo DS gave rise to some of the best games of the 2000s. Unfortunately,many of these games have remained firmly in the DS era, getting left behind by the passage of time and newer, shinier consoles. With the recent uptick in reboots and remakes, though, it might be time tobring back some of the best Nintendo DS games for the Nintendo Switch 2.
10Luminous Arc (2007)
It’s Time To Bring Back The Golden Age Of Tactical RPGs
Tactical RPGs—featuring turn-based battles on a grid—aren’t as popular these days, but games likeFire EmblemandFinal Fantasy Tacticspopularized the genre in the 90s and 2000sdue to the limitations of the tech of the age. TheLuminous Arcseries from the now-defunct Imageepoch never reached the same level of popularity, but itbrought to life an interesting story with a memorable cast of characters.
The tactics RPG follows a group known as the Garden Children, brought up by the church to wage war against evil “Witches.” The characters quickly discover that there’s more to Witches than what they’ve been taught, leading to anabout-face that turns them against the very church that raised them. A remake would give Nintendo a chance to bring the Japan-exclusive sequel,Luminous Arc Infinity,to Western audiences for the first time.
9Rhythm Heaven (2008)
Quirky Rhythm-Based Mini-Games
TheRhythm Heavenfranchise is whatWarioWaremight look like if it had a rhythm game. The titles consisted of acollection of quirky mini-gamesthat required players to interact with a scene to the beat. One mini-game inRhythm Heavenfor DS, for instance, had players time the applause and jumps of a group of monkeys cheering for a singer performing on stage, while another had players throwing mochi balls into the mouth of a monk.
The Rhythm Heaven franchise is what WarioWare might look like if it had a rhythm game
Although the first title was released on the Game Boy Advance, the subsequent titles found their homes on the Nintendo DS, 3DS, and even the Wii. The DS was the perfect platform for these games, thanks to its touchscreen mechanics. ANintendo Switch 2 entry into the series,Rhythm Heaven Groove,has beenofficially announced for a 2026 releaseand already has a trailer on theNintendo of AmericaYouTube channel.
While it looks likeGroovewill carry on the game’s oddities onto the next-gen platform, itmight be time to revisit where the series started. To this day, “Something something I suppose—I suppose, hey!” lives rent-free in my head, and I’d love to replay it on a modern console.
8Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero (2009)
Solve Electrifying Puzzles As You Dimension-Hop
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zerowas an adorable and very fun puzzler developed and published by Konami. The Nintendo DS game was actually a sequel to the Wii titleElebits,which used the Wii controller to capture little electric creatures called Elebits. The DS version switched out the motion control for a touch-based one, and simplified the artistic style to apixellized, top-down version with beautiful character art.
The Adventures of Kai and Zerofollows the young boy Kai and his Elebit pet Zero as they dimension-hop through different worlds. Each world features different conflicts for Kai and Zero to resolve by collecting Elebits and solving puzzles. The game was charming, andthe puzzles were challenging enough to make their resolutions satisfying,making this a great contender for a remake for the Nintendo Switch 2. It would be fun to see a remaster that combines the physics and 3D nature of the original game with the puzzling and charm of the DS sequel.
7Feel the Magic XX/XY (2004) and The Rub Rabbits! (2006)
More Quirky Mini-Games With A Unique Art Style
The unfortunate names of these Nintendo DS games were apparently the result of the word “rub” sounding similar to “love” in Japanese. Silly names aside, thesetwo incredibly stylized gameswere created by Sega at the height of the mini-game craze on the platform. The games loosely followed the story of a mainmale character attempting to romance and win the heart of a female love interest.Sometimes this entails trying to impress her with daring feats of mathematics while skydiving, sometimes it means making sure she can still smell a rose while she does yoga, and sometimes it simply means saving her—or being saved by her—from a ridiculously precarious situation.
The gamesmade full use of the Nintendo DS system, asking players to tap, blow, swipe, and yes, rub to progress through each mini-game (with well-placed “Break Time!” giving players a chance to breathe and regroup). Both games feature eye-catching pops of color and silly, fun gameplay, and would make excellent additions to the Switch 2’s roster of remakes.
6Solatorobo: Red The Hunter (2011)
Exciting aRPG Featuring Anthropomorphic Animals And Mechs
Releasing a little later in the Nintendo DS’s lifespan,Solatorobois a visually impressive game with 2D and 3D elements, published by Namco Bandai and localized in North America by Xseed Games. The action RPG takes place onSteampunk-style fictional sky islands of anthropomorphic dogs and cats.Players control the main character, Red, as he battles and pilots a flying mech around the vibrant setting to uncover the secrets of his home world.
Unlike some Nintendo DS game developers who ceased operations before the era of the modern consoles,Solatorobo’sdeveloper CyberConnect2 is still around and making games to this day, including theDemon SlayerandNarutoseries. The team is also still continuing theFugafranchise of tactical RPGs, which was born out of the Little Tail Bronx series, of whichSolatorobois the second title. The game even had anonline multiplayer mech-racing elementthat would carry over well to the community-centric Nintendo Switch 2.
5Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland (2007 in Europe)
Shenanigans With Zelda’s Beloved Creepy-Cute Character
Tingle is one of theZeldafranchise’s most divisive characters. The weird elf-like character wears a skin-tight green suit and flies around the variousZeldagames with his red balloon, selling his wares to Link. The character is much more popular in Japan, which explains whythe West never got to play his own Nintendo DS game,Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland.
And that’s a real shame, as the game mixes the quirkiness of the green-suited character with elements from theZeldagameplay loop. To progress, players mustgather Rupees by advancing through dungeons and solving puzzles. These Rupees can then be used to help Tingle build a tower next to his home to help Tingle reach the paradise world of Rupeeland. The game mixes belovedZeldaelements with Tingle’s signature oddities, and would be a fun title to introduce to Western audiences through the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.
4Radiant Historia (2010)
Unique Time-Based Mechanics
Radiant Historiamay seem like a typical turn-based fantasy RPG at first glance, but its unique use of alternate timelines gave it an incredibly memorable play style. The main character, Stocke, has the power to use the White Chronicle, a book which records key moments in the story. However, besides recording what happens, the book also records what might have happened,branching off into alternate timelines at moments where key decisions are made.
Players can navigate between these timelines, seeing what might have happened if a different decision was made, and leading to a wide variety of playthroughs and endings. The game wasdeveloped by a team from Atlus who had worked on theShin Megami TenseiandRadiata Storiesseries,and the strong dev team can be seen in the execution ofRadiant Historia,which was one of the most unique RPGs on the Nintendo DS. A 3DS remake already exists, so the possibility of a current-gen reboot isn’t completely out of the question.
3Ookamiden (2010)
The Perfect Companion To The Upcoming Ookami Sequel
Ookamiis a gorgeous game with a unique art style and story, both of which draw on Japanese culture and mythology. Asequel to the 2006 title was announcedduring the 2024 Game Awards presentation, marking the return of thewolf goddess Amaterasu and her brush-wielding, magic sumi-e powers.
Although it never received as much acclaim as the original title, a remake of the spinoff gameOokamidenwould make the perfect companion to the upcoming, long-awaited sequel. The DS title follows Amaterasu’s celestial wolf cub, Chibiterasu, with the children of several of the original game’s characters. Like its source title,Ookamidenhas playersuse the Celestial Brush to change world elements by drawing symbols—a system that would work as well on the Switch 2 as it did on the touchscreen-enabled DS.
2Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (2007)
Solve The Mystery Of A Strange Hotel
Out of all the titles in this list,Hotel Dusk: Room 215is the most likely to get a remake,based on arecent trademark filing from Nintendofor the title. The game, developed by the no-longer-existing Cinq, was a point-and-click title that used a striking sketch-like style mixed with 3D environments. Players held the DS sideways like a book, with the two screens forming a full image, and interacted with the touchscreen side to navigate around the hotel, take notes, and complete puzzles.
Room 215’sbest part was its story, though, whichcentered on ex-NYPD detective Kyle Hyde, now a salesman.Hyde checks into the hotel in search of his missing partner, but the mysteries of the hotel’s murky past soon pull him in. Something sinister lurks in the hotel’s history, and somehow it ties back to Hyde’s own past. The game also has a sequel,Last Window: The Secret of Cape West, which was never released in North America, making this a perfect pairing to bring to the Switch 2 and finally letting North American fans of the original game play its sequel for the first time.
1Nintendogs (2005)
The Perfect Virtual Companion
Hotel Duskmay be the most likely reboot, butNintendogsis the most highly requested.The adorable game lets players raise their own pup, feeding, bathing, and playing with their very own virtual puppy. The game used the DS capabilities, letting players interact with their digital dogs by taking them on walks, playing frisbee with them, and even calling to them and having them do tricks by using the console’s built-in microphone. Players could also customize their puppies by dressing them up in a range of fun accessories like sunglasses and collars.
Nintendogsremains a favorite Nintendo DS game among fans, capturing fans' hearts with its simple premise and cute presentation. It might be a straightforward idea, but somehow, no other game has managed to capture the magic formula that madeNintendogssuch a fun and beloved title. Many fans remain hopeful that Nintendo will recreate the simple joys of the game in its upcomingNintendo Switch 2console.
