We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.
Between the music, the mine carts, and the memories they stir, the Donkey Kong titles can hold a special place in one's heart, regardless of the console you first played them on.
The great news is, with the Nintendo Switch Online's collection of retro classics, you can now revisit SO many of those Kong classics all on the Nintendo Switch.
These are our 5 favourite Donkey Kong Switch titles! How many have you played?
Whether it's green-tinted, Game Boy-era adventures, adding a much-appreciated rewind to the classic Country collection, or enjoying modern HD releases optimized for the Switch, here are our picks for the top Donkey Kong games you can enjoy right now on Switch.
1. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
We're starting off with the most recent DK release on Nintendo Switch. Donkey Kong Country Returns swung to Switch in January of 2025. It's a must-play title in Donkey Kong lore, it's just a matter of whether it's a must-play on Nintendo Switch!
This game was originally released for the Nintendo Wii and it is as fun as it is frustratingly hard. In 2013, the game was re-imagined on the 3DS with many quality-of-life improvements, to ease the difficulty (choosing "modern mode" with more hearts, the ability to buy better items to support your journey, and "Super Kong" - allowing you to watch the computer play through the level, so you can skip it).
The Nintendo Switch version is a mix of the Wii and 3DS games, bringing together the very best features of each, including the bonus levels introduced in the 3DS version. If you own the 3DS game, and have played it recently, you won't find much new. But if your last time visiting DK's banana horde was on the Wii version of this game, picking up the Switch edition is going to feel familiar, but better, with those 3DS-era improvements.
Geeking Out Shop
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
A fun game, but not drastically different than the 3DS version. If you haven't played since the Wii release, this is worth revisting on the Nintendo Switch.
2. Donkey Kong Land (Game Boy)
The Donkey Kong Land trilogy has made its way to the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy app.
Revisiting any of these three games on Nintendo Switch is a much better experience, thanks to one feature - Press and hold to rewind. Revisiting these old Game Boy titles is fun for nostalgia, but at the end of the day, you're not gonna want to grind through these. Fortunately, if Donkey Kong makes a wrong move and lands on a swarm of Buzzes (the bees) you can simply rewind a few steps and try again!
Geeking Out Shop
Nintendo Switch Online Membership
The Nintendo Switch Online Membership, is probably one of gaming's best deals. Not only will you unlock classic titles from consoles past, but you'll also be able to stream your favourite soundtracks with the Nintendo Music app if you have an NSO membership.
If you don't have the rose-coloured glasses of playing these games on the original Game Boy, the green-tinted graphics will probably seem laughably primitive. So, if for no other reason, it's worth checking these out just to appreciate how far this franchise has come, and how good we have it now!
3. Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Nintendo dusted off an old rivalry in 2004, when they created Mario vs. Donkey Kong for the Game Boy Advance. 20 years after the initial release, that title was reimagined for the Nintendo Switch, and it is a top-tier game!
You can read our full review here about why we love this game so much. But the short version is, even though it's based on a Game Boy Advance game, that GBA source material actually samples from the excellent original Game Boy title Donkey Kong, which had such fun, quirky, platformer elements.
Geeking Out Shop
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Mario vs. Donkey Kong was first released for Game Boy Advance 20 years ago. The Nintendo Switch version adds new levels, a two player mode, and more!
The 2024 re-imagining maintains the spirit of the original Game Boy Advance title but with Switch-era graphics, an additional game play mode, and a fun, new, co-op experience.
4. Donkey Kong Country
Near the end of the lifcycle of the Super Nintendo, a new franchise was launched that ended up being one of the console's biggest hits! Donkey Country arrived for Super Nintendo and you can play through the entire trilogy on the Nintendo Switch.
Donkey Kong Country arrived at a time when Sony's first game console, the PlayStation, hit the shelves for the 1994 holiday season. Nintendo's answer was a title using pre-rendered 3D graphics that were playable on a 2D console. It still led to a lot of school yard smack talk (where it used to be you were a Nintendo Kid or a SEGA kid, now it was Nintendo vs. PlayStation), but the graphical style of Donkey Kong Country was so good, that those of us who didn't upgrade our consoles didn't feel like we were left behind.
And, just like revisiting the Game Boy DK collection, with the Super Nintendo app on Nintendo Switch Online, you get the modern benefit of Save States and a Rewind menu.
5. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Rounding out our list is one of the early Switch releases that was actually ported from the Nintendo Wii U. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze is the follow-up to the Nintendo Wii DK title, so if you want more of what already feels familiar, this is the game for you!
I remember when this first came out, the most noticeable difference was when your Switch was docked, the graphical improvement seemed so much greater than that of the Wii U that you could just sit back and admiring the breeze blowing through DK's fur was an experience.
Geeking Out Shop
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Everything you know and love about a good Donkey Kong game is part of the fun with Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. Difficulty is significantly reduced when you tag in Funky Kong, and this is a good thing!
Eventually, you started playing the game, and realized it was just as hard (if not more) than the original for the Wii. But there was a massive quality-of-life improvement called Funky Mode, where you could tag in Funky Kong to play through hard levels, making them much easier, thanks to Funky's more powerful abilities.
What Donkey Kong games are still missing from the Nintendo Switch?
I'm sure everyone has an old game they'd love to see be remade for the Switch or, at the very least, ported to a classic console app on Nintendo Switch Online.
For me, the one I'd most love to replay is Donkey Kong on Game Boy.
While DK is somewhat of a hero now, he and Mario have had a tumultuous history going back even further than Nintendo's first handheld console. The Nintendo Game Boy Donkey Kong title was not only one of the best games created for that console, it holds up as one of the most fun platformers DK has ever been featured in.
To be clear, in this game, you're working against Donkey Kong. You play as Mario, who is on a mission to rescue Daisy from the clutches of this aggressive ape. The game starts off with pure retro fun, as you progress through classic arcade-era Donkey Kong screens. And just when you think you've saved the day, the REAL game begins!
Mario chases Donkey Kong through jungles, desserts, icescapes, airplanes, and towers until your final showdown against a giant version of Donkey Kong. Being able to experience this game with the benefit of Save States and Rewind functions would be a delight!
And while we're throwing wishes out there - let's get the N64 DK game out there as well, K?
Read more
3 Must-Have Nintendo Switch Games For The 2024 Holiday Season
If there's a Nintendo fan on your holiday shopping list, these are 3 of the latest Switch titles that should be in their game library!
Preview: One hour with the Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom
Hitting stores September 26, 2024 the Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom lets you play as Zelda as she goes on an epic quest to save the Kingdom of Hyrule. Armed with new abilities amongst familiar foes there's a great balance between nostalgia and new.
After 20 years Mario Vs. Donkey Kong is on Switch!
Nintendo has plucked a 20-year-old Game Boy Advance game from the vaults and brought it to Nintendo Switch! Mario vs. Donkey Kong reimagines this retro classic while still keeping everything you could love from the original...and adding a few improvements!
GameSir G8+ iPhone Connection Issue Solved!
The GameSir G8+ is an excellent mobile phone controller, but the iPhone experience can be a little buggy. One of the main issues, has to do with initial setup and connection. This article can help troubleshoot a weak point.