Best NDS Emulator For PC Windows Download 2023

The best NDS Emulator actually means Nintendo. Nintendo is a gaming console that originated in a country known as Japan. The actual Japanese video game console is headquartered in Kyoto. Nintendo was discovered on 23rd September in the year 1889, by Fusajiro Yamauchi. Nintendo or DS Emulator is one of the great and most iconic handle gaming consoles. The top selling video game branches like Mario, The Legend of Zeida,

Modern Warfare 3, Ben 10, Star Wars, The Force Unleashed, Pokemon, etc., are also made by this world’s largest video game company. Everyone loves the Nintendo gaming console very much, so the users wish to play it on Android phones and PCs. It is not an easy task to play video games on PC and Android. But emulators were able to make it easy.

NDS Emulator requirements

As we read about NDS Emulators, we must know the basic requirements for running the Emulator on PC and Android.

First, we will see the requirements for a PC:

1. CPU – The primary CPU needed is an Intel Pentium processor, preferably capable of speeds over 1 GHz.
2. Memory –  NDS emulation requires at least 256 MB of memory, with at least 1 gigabyte of memory suggested by us.
3. Video Card – It is somewhat strange, but yes, it is required. The video card does have to support the updated version, i.e., Direct X runtime files.

Now coming to the requirements for running the Emulator on android:

1. Nintendo DS game emulators – Firstly, we require the application Game Emulator to run everything smoothly.
2. NDS, which stands for Nintendo DS Games ROM – The ROM is necessary to maintain proper memory storage of games.
3. WinRAR (If required as per the device)

Now let us have a look at some of the famous emulators available:

1. Citra

The first Emulator in the list is Citra. Citra is not the simple one, but yes, it is one of the best emulators in the list of Nintendo 3D emulators because of its popularity and user-friendly features. It permits you to access Nintendo 3D games anywhere, starting from Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux. You also require a 64-bit processor and a graphics card that supports OpenGL 3.3 or higher version downloaded on your operating system. You can easily configure the games from the controller directly through the GUI. Citra can conveniently run most games at a different speed, depending on the hardware configuration. You cannot download commercial games with the help of an emulator as it is illegal. Citra is a dynamic team of open-source developers, making it more exciting and interactive.

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux.

2. NO$GBA

NO$GBA is one of the best ds emulators for PC. If we try to speak about the fantastic Nintendo 3DS emulator for PC, NO$GBA ranks first in every list. It is freeware for the version that is not the latest as you will have to give $2.5 to get the updated version, sadly. Every time there is an upgradation, the previous version becomes free. The application runs flawlessly, i.e., without any mistakes in an operating system like Windows XP and Vista, but its performance degrades when used in operating systems such as Windows 8.1 or 10. The NO$GBA was initially a GBA emulator. Therefore, DS’s 3D options are still very poorly controlled. The best thing about this Emulator is that it provides speed enhancement.

Platforms: Windows.

3. DraStic DS Emulator

DraStic DS Emulator is included in the list as it is the Best DS Emulator for Android. The application has excellent features and gives complete control to run the game efficiently. DraStic is not free software, but it is available at the Google Play Store for $5, so it is valuable and worthy of the features. You will not be sad because of the exclusive feature of any kind. You can easily change the placement and size of the DS screens for portrait and landscape options. Add-on controllers and physical controls in devices like a Shield and Xperia Play is entirely supported by the Emulator. You can also sync your saved games with the online google drive options. So one can opt for this application without any worries in their heart.

Platforms: Android

4. NDS Emulator

NDS Emulator will help you to enjoy playing your Nintendo DS game on your primary Android device at the highest speed. Speed is the foremost thing anyone searches for in any application well provided by NDS Emulator. The application supports NDS files like .nds, .zip, etc. Some exclusive features include quickly saving and loading the game states. You can see various control buttons while playing the game, and the screen is easily editable. It is compatible with Android 6.0+ and an external controller. If you want to play other games with this Emulator, you can also download and discover the games yourself. And lastly, it won’t even cause you a single penny. It is free and in working condition. Thus, it is considered one of the best Nintendo DS emulators.

Platforms: Android.

5. MelonDS

Computer users widely use the MelonDS application. It is probably the single and only Emulator that has given many signs of hope and well-being for significant competition in the PC space. StapleButter developed it, and the developers tried well to make it the best application. The first thing developers tried to do was maintain Wi-Fi capabilities; melons are the first and only Emulator that has gotten as far as it has, and it has been found to run reasonably well with a couple of games. The application also has the wish to implement DSi emulation in the future. So yes, one can surely go for this application to play Nintendo games as it is one of the Best DS emulators.

Platforms: Windows. Linux

6. NDS4Droid

The fifth application in the list is NDS4Droid. The application is not fully developed yet and is still not popular, but it supports many features you would expect in any emulator, like saving states and sound. It is also compatible with the OUYA game console. If speed was your priority, then NDS4Droid fails to reach your expectation. An essential thing amongst all other things about NDS4Droid is that the emulator application is open source, so anyone who wishes can download it without paying anything and even divert its code. Stacking ROMs is the equivalent as it would be with some other emulators. Some games, like Last Fantasy IV, run very efficiently, while others are stuck in between and don’t run properly. Still, it is one of the Best DS Emulators.

Platforms: Android.

7. RetroArch

RetroArch is one of the significant applications available throughout the e-world. The excellent Emulator is a free, open-source application, cross-platform software which is licensed under the GNU GPLv3. It can work on standard stages like Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux. RetroArch likewise keeps running on Apple and Android for tablets and phones, just as on game consoles like Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, PS Vita, Wii, and Wii U, and implanted frameworks like Raspberry Pi, ODROID, and the sky is the limit from there! The Emulator’s menu has various thumbnails and features with various animated backgrounds. The features make it a user-friendly interface. You also get a place where you can see your recently played games, just like chrome has the presence of history.

Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, Android, iOS.

8. 3DMOO

Coming to the subsequent application presence in the technology world is 3DMOO. It is also an open-source emulator, which means anyone can edit and change the edit code. The excellent DS developer team manufactured it after the application Citra was launched, but unfortunately, the development was aborted after some time. Recently, the official website is not available on the websites to download this application. Still, with the help of the given site, you can easily download this application and run various games. It does not run on Mac OS X but correctly on other operating systems like Windows and Linux. Thus, the exclusive features like open source, free of cost, make it one of the Best DS Emulators.

Platforms: PC, Linux.

9. EmuBox

The ninth application in the list but first in many hearts, is the application called as EmuBox. The Emulator will help you run various games and files like NDS, PSX, SNES, GBA, NES, and GBC. The best thing about this application is that it has a material design, and you can save and load your game states. The Emulator will help you play games faster and usually supports up to 20 save slots for each room. What else can you wish for? You can easily play the game with the external controller, like plugging in or playing with the Bluetooth gamepad. The application allows taking screenshots while playing. And lastly, it is intended to play your personal ROM backup only.

Platforms: Android.

10. TronDS

The last application and the least popular Emulator available in the list is TronDS. It functions correctly but the features included in the application are fewer. Simple 3DS programs like Homebrews can be adequately run on this app. Unfortunately, the development has been stopped for many days and is also considered a volatile application. It has support for ARM Media instructions and also for Soc: U and Cfg: U services. It also includes circle pad emulation. Being less famous and with limited features application, the information regarding the same thing is less. Still, because of the Homebrews thing, it is included in the Best DS Emulators list.

Final Words

They were wrapping up an excellent discussion! We have seen various types of fantastic emulators available for Nintendo Video consoles. However, they may not function exactly like the game console. Still, they will make you happy at a reasonable cost. Citra is one of the unstable and most active emulators available for users. Now it is your choice to download the game as per your requirement and have a try. I hope you will enjoy playing them. So ending with it, Keep playing!