Every Pokémon Game on Nintendo DS in Chronological Order

Quick answer: Sixteen Pokémon games came out on Nintendo DS between 2004 and 2012: five from the main series (Diamond/Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold/SoulSilver, Black/White, Black 2/White 2) and eleven spin-offs (Mystery Dungeon, Ranger, Conquest, Dash, Trozei!, known as Pokémon Link! in Europe). The highest rated are HeartGold/SoulSilver and Black/White, at 87 out of 100 on Metacritic. The worst is still Pokémon Dash, at 46.

The DS is the console that hosted two complete Pokémon generations, the fourth and the fifth, plus a pile of spin-offs, some of which became cult classics. Here is the full list in release order, with the exact European dates, the press scores and what each game actually brings. We finish with two points nobody covers: how to play them today, and how much they are worth.

How many Pokémon games came out on Nintendo DS?

Sixteen Pokémon titles were released on Nintendo DS, fifteen of them in Europe. Five belong to the main series, eleven are spin-offs. The first one, Pokémon Dash, was a console launch game in Japan in December 2004. The last one, Black 2 and White 2, reached us in October 2012.

Two useful clarifications before we get to the list, because they are badly written just about everywhere. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team is not a DS game, it is the Game Boy Advance version of the pair, only Blue Rescue Team is on DS. And Pokémon Ranch, often slipped into DS lists, is really a WiiWare game that simply talks to the Diamond and Pearl cartridges. Only one title never left Japan: Pokémon Card Game: How To Play DS, an educational program about the trading card game.

The complete list of Pokémon DS games in release order

The table follows the Japanese release order, with the European date alongside. The scores are the Metacritic ones, checked in July 2026. Watch out for a trap several websites repeat: Black and White really do date from March 2011 in Europe, not 2012, and Black 2 and White 2 from October 2012, not 2013.

The five main series games, in order

These are the ones that carried the console. On their own they add up to more than 62 million copies, and three of them sit in the top 10 best-selling DS games across all franchises.

Diamond and Pearl (July 27, 2007): the big move online

Off to Sinnoh, a region inspired by Hokkaidō, with Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup. Metacritic 85, jeuxvideo.com 15 out of 20, and 17.67 million copies sold: this is the best-selling Pokémon game on DS, and the console's fifth best seller.

Its most structural contribution is not visible on screen: the physical/special split. Before Diamond/Pearl, a move was physical or special depending on its type. Since then, it depends on the move itself. All of modern Pokémon strategy comes from that. It is also the first Pokémon game online, with the worldwide GTS. On the other side, the game drags: sluggish pacing, a regional Pokédex almost empty of Fire types. The 15 out of 20 from jeuxvideo.com, the lowest score of the main series on DS, comes from that.

Platinum (May 22, 2009): the definitive version of Sinnoh

Metacritic 83, 7.60 million copies sold. Platinum fixes what was stuck in Diamond/Pearl: regional Pokédex widened by 59 entries, the Fire type shortage filled in, Gym Leader teams rebalanced, pacing tightened. Above all it adds the Distortion World, a sequence with altered physics that remains one of the most memorable moments in the whole franchise, and Giratina in its Origin Forme.

HeartGold and SoulSilver (March 26, 2010): the benchmark remake

Metacritic 87, the best Pokémon score on DS, tied with Black/White, and 9.1 out of 10 on the player side. Twelve and a half million copies sold, eighth best-selling DS game. The first Golden Joystick in the series' history, in 2010.

The remakes of Gold and Silver offer two complete regions, Johto then Kanto, and ship the Pokéwalker in the box: a pedometer shaped like a Poké Ball, with infrared transfer. Your Pokémon follows you on screen. A small translation footnote: French-speaking fans had got into the habit of saying "Cœur d'Or" and "Âme d'Argent", literal translations that were never official and that caused a stir when the real titles were announced.

Black and White (March 4, 2011): the boldest gamble

Metacritic 87 and above all 40 out of 40 from Famitsu, a perfect score: it is the highest mark the Japanese magazine has ever given a Pokémon game, and only the fifteenth 40 out of 40 in its history. Gamekult gave 9 out of 10, which is rare from them. Fifteen and a half million copies sold.

The gamble: 156 new Pokémon, an absolute franchise record, and above all no Pokémon from previous generations before the end of the adventure. New ones only. No other game in the series has dared that. A tasty detail for us: Black and White are the only main series games released in Europe before the United States, two days early.

Black 2 and White 2 (October 12, 2012): the only real sequels

Metacritic 80, 8.52 million copies sold. These are the first real narrative sequels in the series: not a remake, not a third version, a story that takes place two years later. The Pokémon World Tournament lets you face the Gym Leaders of every previous generation, and the Key System finally introduces a Hard mode.

It is also the game that split the press the most: IGN gave 9.6 out of 10, calling it "far more than a mid-generation release", while GameSpot stopped at 6.5. You rarely see such a gap on the same game.

The DS spin-offs: Mystery Dungeon, Ranger and the rest

Eleven titles, from excellent to skippable. The three series that matter are Mystery Dungeon, Ranger and the oddball Conquest.

Mystery Dungeon (Blue Rescue Team, Explorers of Time/of Darkness, Explorers of Sky) starts from a strong idea: you no longer catch Pokémon, you are one. A personality test decides your species. Developed by Chunsoft, the series is a roguelike with generated dungeons. It is also the biggest critic/player gap in the whole DS catalogue: Explorers of Sky shows 54 out of 100 from the press but 9.0 out of 10 from players, a 36-point gap. IGN grumbled that "the only reason this game has a third version is that Nintendo knows kids expect it". Players turned it into a cult game for its writing and the bond with your partner. Explorers of Time and of Darkness is still the best-selling Pokémon DS spin-off, at 4.88 million, and was even nominated RPG of the year against Fallout 3.

Pokémon Ranger (69), Shadows of Almia (68) and Guardian Signs (68) throw Poké Balls and turn-based combat in the bin. You capture with the stylus by drawing circles around the Pokémon with the Capture Styler. Fun fact: the first one is developed by HAL Laboratory, the studio behind Kirby and Smash Bros. The criticism is always the same, the circle mechanic quickly goes round in circles.

Pokémon Conquest (80) is the most improbable crossover in the franchise: a Pokémon tactical game merged with Koei Tecmo's Nobunaga's Ambition. Seventeen kingdoms for seventeen types, Warlords bonded to a Pokémon. IGN gave 9 out of 10 and the game is regularly named among the best on DS. It did come out in Europe, on July 27, 2012, contrary to what several lists claim.

Then come the curiosities. Pokémon Trozei! (74) is the best puzzle game of the bunch. Learn with Pokémon: Typing Adventure ships with a real Bluetooth keyboard and has you catch Pokémon by typing their names: never released in the United States, a very rare case. And Pokémon Dash, the race where you rub the screen with the stylus with Pikachu as the only character, remains the worst Pokémon game ever released on the console, at 46 out of 100.

Which Pokémon DS games are the highest rated?

Four games share first place at 87 out of 100 on Metacritic: HeartGold, SoulSilver, Black and White. Then come Diamond and Pearl at 85, Platinum at 83, then Conquest and Black 2/White 2 at 80. The gap between the best and the worst of the catalogue reaches 41 points, between HeartGold's 87 and Dash's 46.

One counter-intuitive figure to finish: despite nearly 79 million Pokémon games sold on the console, none was the number one DS game. Diamond/Pearl tops out in fifth place, almost 13 million copies behind New Super Mario Bros. and its 30.80 million. Out of roughly 154 million DS units sold, that works out at about one Pokémon game sold for every two consoles.

How to play the Pokémon DS games in 2026?

This is the point competing lists forget, and it changes everything if you want to get back into them. DS cartridges work on DS, DS Lite, DSi, 3DS and 2DS. But some of the features are dead or out of reach depending on the console.

The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online service shut down on May 20, 2014. The GTS, online battles, event distributions, the Wi-Fi Plaza and the Dream World no longer work. Community replacement servers exist, such as Wiimmfi, but that is not official.

Above all, if you plan to bring your Pokémon over from Game Boy Advance to Diamond, Pearl or Platinum through Pal Park, you absolutely need an original DS or a DS Lite. They are the only ones with both the DS slot and the GBA slot. The DSi, the 3DS and the 2DS have no GBA cartridge slot: migrating from the third to the fourth generation is physically impossible on them. Poké Transfer, which moves things up from the fourth to the fifth generation, needs two DS consoles at the same time.

One last point to kill a received idea: unlike Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, Pokémon DS games have no save battery. They use flash memory, and the DS has its own internal clock. Your save will not wipe itself because a battery died. The only battery involved is the CR2032 in the HeartGold/SoulSilver Pokéwalker, and it can be replaced.

How much are the Pokémon DS games worth today?

The prices below come from the PrixRetro price guide, checked on July 15, 2026, for complete in-box copies. They are based on 2272 real sales analysed across the franchise.

Two lessons. The Pokéwalker almost doubles the value of HeartGold and SoulSilver: €270 with it, €139 without. And the irony of the ranking is that Pokémon Dash, the worst game on the list, trades at around €49, roughly the price of Pearl. Quality has nothing to do with it, only rarity counts.

How to spot a fake Pokémon DS cartridge?

This is the real issue on the second-hand market. Journal du Geek wrote in April 2026 that "more than 90% of all the counterfeits in circulation are Pokémon games". The trap is nasty: a fake cartridge boots, you play for ten hours, then its faulty flash memory corrupts the save. Here are the checks that work.

• The console test: a fake, even a well-made one, will not boot on an original DS or a DS Lite. Take one to the flea market, it is the ultimate test.
• The HeartGold and SoulSilver shell: it is black, not grey. A grey HG/SS is fake, no question.
• The lamp test: real HG/SS cartridges are semi-transparent because of the Pokéwalker's infrared sensor. A real HeartGold lets a purple glow through. Fakes are opaque.
• The serial number: the four middle letters of the code on the front label must match the first four characters of the serial number on the back.
• The label corner: cut at 45 degrees on the real ones, rounded on the fakes.
• The yellowing: counter-intuitive but reliable, real cartridges yellow over time, fakes stay pristine white.
• The Pokéwalker test: a real SoulSilver connects to the Pokéwalker without a problem, most fakes cannot manage it.

The simplest reflex is still to go for complete in-box copies from serious sellers. An abnormally low price on eBay or Vinted almost always signals a fake.

FAQ: Pokémon games on Nintendo DS

What are all the Pokémon games released on Nintendo DS?

Sixteen Pokémon games came out on DS. Five from the main series: Diamond/Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold/SoulSilver, Black/White and Black 2/White 2. Eleven spin-offs: three Mystery Dungeon, three Ranger, Conquest, Dash, Trozei!, Typing Adventure, and Pokémon Card Game: How To Play DS which stayed exclusive to Japan.

What is the best Pokémon game on DS?

Four games are tied at the top on Metacritic with 87 out of 100: HeartGold, SoulSilver, Black and White. HeartGold and SoulSilver also have the best player score, 9.1 out of 10, and the 2010 Golden Joystick. Black and White hold the franchise's only 40 out of 40 from Famitsu.

What is the order of the Pokémon games on DS?

In European release order: Dash (2005), Trozei! then Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team (2006), Ranger then Diamond/Pearl (2007), Explorers of Time/of Darkness then Shadows of Almia (2008), Platinum then Explorers of Sky (2009), HeartGold/SoulSilver then Guardian Signs (2010), Black/White (2011), Typing Adventure, Conquest then Black 2/White 2 (2012).

Do Pokémon DS games work on 3DS?

Yes, the 3DS and the 2DS read DS cartridges. But they have no Game Boy Advance slot, so Pal Park, which transfers Pokémon from the third to the fourth generation, is impossible on them. For that you need an original DS or a DS Lite.

Do Pokémon DS game saves wipe over time?

No. Unlike Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, Pokémon DS cartridges have no battery: they use flash memory. Your save will not disappear because a battery died. A fake cartridge, on the other hand, almost always corrupts the save after a few hours.

Can you still play Pokémon DS games online?

Not officially. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection shut down on May 20, 2014, which ended the GTS, online battles, event distributions and the Dream World. Unofficial community servers such as Wiimmfi restore some of those features.

What to remember

The DS remains the richest console in Pokémon history: two complete generations, sixteen games, nearly 79 million copies sold. If you have to pick just one, HeartGold or SoulSilver, at 87 out of 100 and two complete regions. If you want the boldest gamble, Black and White and their 40 out of 40 from Famitsu. And if you buy second hand, test the cartridge on a real DS before paying.

To go further, our article on the best Pokémon game across every console widens the debate beyond the DS.

To display a Pokémon collection next to your cartridges, Pokeled offers LED light-up Poké Balls in K9 crystal engraved with a 3D laser, shipped worldwide. A lit Pikachu Poké Ball or Mewtwo above a shelf of DS games really sets a room off.

Sources: Metacritic (checked July 15, 2026), Wikipedia, Bulbapedia, Poképédia, Nintendo investor reports, PrixRetro price guide (July 15, 2026), Journal du Geek.