melonDS is the best Nintendo DS emulator for PC in 2026. It is free, actively developed, and you download it from the official site, melonds.kuribo64.net. DeSmuME is the mature fallback, RetroArch wraps both into one interface, and NO$GBA still wins on very old hardware. Every pick below is real desktop software, verified in July 2026.

Top pick	melonDS 1.1 (released November 18, 2025)
Developer	The melonDS team (open source)
Category	Game emulator (desktop software)
Works on	Windows 11/10 (x64 and ARM64), macOS, Linux
Official source	melonds.kuribo64.net
Last verified	July 2026

The best DS emulators for PC in 2026, ranked

1. melonDS: the one to install first

melonDS has taken over as the default DS emulator, and it earned it. Version 1.1 shipped in November 2025 and development is still active in 2026, which matters in a category full of abandoned projects. You get a fast JIT recompiler, an OpenGL renderer that upscales DS games well past their native 256×192 resolution, save states, joystick support, flexible screen layouts, and local Wi-Fi emulation for multiplayer between two melonDS windows. Recent builds include a free BIOS replacement, so most games boot without any extra firmware files. Builds are available for Windows x64 and ARM64, macOS, and Linux, and the Windows version is portable: unzip it anywhere and run melonDS.exe.

Get melonDS (official site)

2. DeSmuME: the mature veteran

DeSmuME is the emulator most people used for a decade, and it still works well. The latest stable release is 0.9.13 from desmume.org, and while stable releases are rare now, development builds still get fixes. It runs on Windows and macOS, needs no BIOS files at all, and remains the standard choice for tool-assisted speedruns thanks to its frame-by-frame tools, Lua scripting, and recording features. Pick it if melonDS misbehaves with a specific game or if you want the deepest debugging and TAS toolset.

3. RetroArch with the melonDS DS core: best all-in-one

If you already emulate other consoles, RetroArch from retroarch.com gives you DS support through its melonDS DS and DeSmuME cores inside the same interface you use for everything else. You get RetroArch extras like shaders, unified controller profiles, and per-game overrides. The tradeoff is setup complexity: standalone melonDS is simpler if DS is all you care about. RetroArch also covers other systems well, and the same approach applies to our N64 emulator picks.

4. NO$GBA: fastest on weak hardware

NO$GBA is a tiny closed-source emulator by Martin Korth that handles both DS and Game Boy Advance. Version 3.06 arrived in April 2025, so it is still maintained. It runs smoothly on hardware that struggles with everything else on this list, and it needs no external BIOS. The interface looks dated and the enhancement options are thin, but on an old office laptop it is often the only emulator that hits full speed. Download it only from the developer’s official pages (problemkaputt.de, also linked from nogba.com).

5. What to skip

Ignore iDeaS, Ensata, and the various “DS emulator” bundles pushed by download portals. Those projects died years ago, and portal installers often wrap adware around them. If a site offers a DS emulator as a paid download, close the tab: every emulator worth using here is free from its own official site.

How to set up melonDS on Windows

1. Download the Windows x64 build from melonds.kuribo64.net and extract the archive to a folder like C:\melonDS. There is no installer.
2. Run melonDS.exe. Most games boot as-is thanks to the built-in BIOS replacement. For the most accurate experience, or for DSi mode, dump the BIOS and firmware from a console you own and point to the files under Config, then Emu settings.
3. Open Config, then Video settings, choose the OpenGL renderer, and raise the internal resolution. 3x or 4x looks dramatically sharper and barely touches a modern CPU.
4. Set up your controller under Config, then Input and hotkeys. The DS touchscreen maps to your mouse on the lower screen.
5. Load your game dump with File, then Open ROM, and use Shift plus F1-F8 style save states once you confirm the game runs.

ROMs: what is legal and what is not

Emulators themselves are legal software. Downloading ROMs of games you do not own is not, and Nintendo actively pursues ROM sites. The clean route is dumping your own cartridges with a homebrew-capable console or a cartridge dumper, which gives you .nds files these emulators read directly. We do not link ROM sites and none of the emulators above ship with games.

Frequently asked questions

Can these emulators play 2DS games?

The Nintendo 2DS belongs to the 3DS family, so it plays both DS and 3DS cartridges. The emulators above cover the classic DS library. Titles that were exclusive to the 3DS and 2DS need a separate 3DS emulator, which is a different setup entirely.

Do DS emulators need BIOS files?

Mostly no anymore. DeSmuME and NO$GBA run without them, and recent melonDS builds include a free BIOS replacement that boots most games. You only need real dumps for DSi emulation or edge-case accuracy, and those should come from your own console.

Can I get DraStic on PC?

No. DraStic was Android-only, and its developer pulled it from the Play Store in February 2025 after making it free. On a PC there is no reason to chase it through an Android emulator: melonDS is faster, native, and maintained. Our emulator hub covers the Android-emulator route for apps that actually need it.

Can melonDS play DSi games?

DSi emulation exists in melonDS but is still experimental, and it requires NAND and firmware files dumped from your own DSi. Regular DS games are the reliable use case.

Will these run PS3 or N64 games too?

No, each emulator targets one system family. RetroArch is the exception as a frontend with many cores. For other consoles see our guides to PS3 emulation on PC and N64 emulators linked above.

Is melonDS better than DeSmuME?

For playing games, yes. melonDS is in active development, runs faster thanks to its JIT recompiler, and upscales cleanly through its OpenGL renderer. DeSmuME still wins for tool-assisted speedruns and debugging, where its Lua scripting and frame tools have no equal. Install melonDS first and keep DeSmuME as the compatibility fallback.

Verdict

Install melonDS first: it is the only pick with a 2025 stable release, active 2026 development, and modern rendering. Keep DeSmuME around as a compatibility fallback, use RetroArch if you want one launcher for every console, and reach for NO$GBA only on genuinely old hardware. All four are free, so testing them costs nothing but disk space.