Top 10 Donkey Kong Games That Defined Nintendo History

Donkey Kong, one of Nintendo's most prized possessions, can be considered one of the earliest mascots in gaming. There have been plenty of Donkey Kong games released in the past years. Here in this article, I will list down the Top 10 best Donkey Kong games you can play right now.

List of 10 Best Donkey Kong Games of all Time

If you have a Nintendo DS with you and are looking for the best games for it. Be sure to check our rankings for the best Nintendo DS games you can play right now.

10. Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is the origin of the famous mascot. It began the Mario universe and the whole genre of platformer games. Started as a regular arcade game, this release eventually saved Nintendo from a potential bankruptcy.

It features a very simple, level-clearing, obstacle-dodging, and enemy-smashing gameplay. Considering its historical importance, it deserves a spot in our best Donkey Kong rankings.

9. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble

Donkey Kong Country 3 is the third release in the Country series. It features new locations and creative world maps featuring new obstacles and enemies. Dixie and Kiddy work together through each level, smashing their way across a variety of maps. It delivers some of the iconic moments in the series and hence gets featured in our list.

8. Donkey Kong Land

Donkey Kong Land was the first portable release in the series. It was originally made available for Game Boy but was later made available for Switch as well. It featured the same Donkey Kong chaos and jungle swinging platforming fun. It was one of the earliest steps to bring a shift to portable gaming from the series, deserving a shout in our rankings.

7. Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Mario vs Donkey Kong is a recent release compared to the other games listed here. It features better graphics and mechanics compared to the rest. Its however, a collab between Mario and Donkey Kong and not a series exclusive. Being a collab, Donkey Kong appears as an antagonist in the game, placing it a little lower on our list.

6. Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is the refined and portable adaptation of the original Donkey Kong. It also features additional content, such as 100-plus unique maps and the rivalry between Mario and Donkey Kong. Unlike Mario vs Donkey Kong, the focus of the story is more on Donkey Kong, and his personality shines brighter between them.

5. Donkey Kong Country

Another game from the 16-bit pre-rendered era of Nintendo. Donkey Kong Country was a huge success for its time. This was the game that transformed Donkey Kong from a plain antagonist in the Mario universe to a potential superstar character. The game had amazing graphics for its time and included immersive boss fights, too. Hence, it deserves a spot in our top 5 picks for the series.

4. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

Donkey Kong Country Returns was the revival of the country series. It was initially launched in 2010, with a remastered HD version released last year. The game refines its mechanics with added expressive animations and more vibrant level design. The title successfully captures the classic Donkey Kong spirit with modern control fusion.

3. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze makes it into the top 3, due to its unique game mechanics and level design. It featured the most polished 2D maps and overall gameplay. It featured various character skins for Donkey Kong, too, alongside some of the best Co-op maps in the series.

2. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest is considered the pinnacle of 2D platformers from the 90's era by many. The game introduced the famous hair-swinging mechanics alongside many other animal buddies. Due to its highly creative level design and addictive challenges, it is ranked among the very best in the series.

1. Donkey Kong Bananza

Donkey Kong Bananza is the Nintendo Switch exclusive platformer sequel released in the Donkey Kong Saga. Donkey Kong Bananza, however, brings a 3D twist to the series. The game also features great destruction physics, where you can literally smash anything and create your own path.

Due to the innovative change in level design and graphics, it has great replayability and deserves to be at the top of our list of best Donkey Kong games out there. That was all for our rankings of the top Donkey Kong games. If you like fighting games in general, be sure to check our rankings for the best Fighting Games of all time!