Best Nintendo DS Emulators in 2026
Updated
In short: DeSmuME is ranked #1 of 17 as of 2 October 2026, ahead of melonDS and Pilas-melonDS. The best-ranked option with a free plan is melonDS.
17 Nintendo DS emulators ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported platforms | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  DeSmuME | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 2 | melonDS | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 3 | Pilas-melonDS | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Web browsers on desktop and mobile devices | View |
| 4 |  DSperate | 7.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Linux on AArch64 and ARMhf | View |
| 5 |  WatermelonDS | 7.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Android | View |
| 6 |  nds4droid | 6.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Android | View |
| 7 |  iDroidDS | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Android | View |
| 8 |  NO$GBA | 6.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 9 | Delta | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 10 |  SkyEmu | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | — | View |
| 11 |  GB Enhanced+ | 5.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | Windows, Linux, macOS | View |
| 12 |  DSVita | 5.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | PlayStation Vita | View |
| 13 |  ANDSemu | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | Android | View |
| 14 |  dasShiny | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, Linux | View |
| 15 |  MindSpark | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
| 16 |  DS Anywhere | 5.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | web | View |
| 17 |  dust | 5.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | — | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which Nintendo DS emulator is ranked first on Inferse?
DeSmuME is ranked #1 of 17 with a score of 7.4. melonDS is second and Pilas-melonDS third.
How many of these have a free plan?
6 of the 17 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.