10+ Best DS Emulators for Windows and Mac

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As you know that gaming console basically helps in enhancing the gaming experience which you cannot do using a mouse or keyboard.

In this article, we have listed some of the best emulators for Mac and Windows. If you are in search of the best DS emulators for Mac and Windows, here are some of them.

Also, Read: Best Xbox One Emulator for Windows PC (2021)

Table of Contents

Best DS Emulators for Windows and Mac

DeSmuME: Best Open Source Nintendo DS Emulator

It is also a great Nintendo DS emulator which is free to use and open source too.
DeSmuME is available for Windows, Linux, Mac. It supports 64 bit and 32 bit and also supports Graphics Modification of its capabilities.
This emulator offers USB controller support, cheat code manager and can save slots too. This save slot feature lets you continue where you have left.
If you are using Windows devices, then the emulator will depend on the Microsoft UCRT DLLs which are in your system.
If you are not having DLLs then you can download it from DLL, there are many websites where Microsoft UCRT DLLs will be available.

Download: (Free)

NO$GBA: Best Nintendo DS emulator underActive Development

NO$GBA emulator is one of the best Nintendo DS emulators and is pronounced as no Cash GBA.
Earlier the name of this emulator was Game Boy Advance emulator and afterwards it got the name NO$GBA.
With the help of this emulator, you can play different games like Pokémon Diamond on full screen.
The most interesting part of this DS emulator is that the versions are free to use. The latest version of this emulator was released in May 2020.
NO$GBA supports Nintendo DS and also has great compatibility with DS ROMs.

Download: (Free)

Melon DS

This is also in the list of the best Nintendo DS emulators.
Melon DS is open source which can work well on any PC (Windows, Mac, Linux).
There are various features like 3D upscaling, Joystick support, JIT OpenGL renderers and many more which help in fast emulation.
This emulator requires firmware and BIOS dumps for Nintendo DS. The reason for this is that the developers do not offer Nintendo DSI titles and same is with the Nintendo DSI titles you should have the NAND, BIOS and firmware.
Melon DS offers an ad-free experience and due to its various features offered the emulator is one of the best Nintendo DS emulators for Windows and Mac.

Download: (Free)

OpenEmu: Best Nintendo DS Emulator for Mac

This is also a free and open-source emulator that can work on many systems.
It can be used for different gaming consoles like Genesis, Game boy Nintendo GS, and many more.
If you have used Apple Music earlier than you can find it a little similar to that.
However, this emulator is very easy to browse and organize.
The layout of this emulator has multiple screens which can support cheat codes, shows saved states and many more.
You can also create a separate collection using different titles from various consoles and the software maps the controls of different devices including PlayStation, Dual shock 3 and 4,Wii mote, etc.

Download: (Free)

RetroArch

RetroArch is free to use and open source emulator in which you can play games, media players, and other applications.
The interface of this emulator is very simple and easy to navigate, too.
It has some peculiar features like 4K upscaling, net play, rewinding, next frame, response time, machine translation etc.
This DS emulator is also available for mobile devices. It is available for all the latest versions of Windows Linux, Android, Mac, Raspberry Pi, and iOS devices. If you are having an older version, you can still use this emulator easily because it supports older versions also.
Moreover, it can run on gaming consoles like 2DS, 3Ds, Switch, U, PSP, PS2, PS3, etc.

Download: (Free)

Ensata

It is a Nintendo-developed emulator which can work well with the Nintendo DS.
It was developed as a debug target for the development of DS apps and dual screen processors. You can use the mouse cursor as a touch screen whatever the leaked source codes are made available to add commercial games.
Accurate rendering is the feature which makes it the best emulator for Windows. It removes the gap between the two screens of the actual Nintendo DS console. Only you have to use Ensata as an Intel Pentium or you can use a processor with a minimum of 256Mb of RAM and GPU with support of DirectX 9. You can use it in Windows 2000 and latest versions too.

Download: (Free)

Neon DS

Sometimes you think these Nintendo DS emulators cannot run the commercial games, but Neon DS is built for this purpose only.
The software offers fast rendering with the old PCs too and the rendering system is optimized to OpenGL 2.0 in which you can offer record screens as well.
Neon DS does not have full compatibility, but it can still run on some titles like Scribblenauts. This is the only drawback of this emulator.
For a very long time it did not have any update due to which it is not compatible with new PCs. If you are trying an emulator for better performance for your older versions, then you can try this DS emulator too.

Download: (Free)

iDeas

This is also a great Nintendo DS emulator which is free to use and can easily run several ROMs. It uses the plugin system and by using this software you can run many games Mario 64, ZooKeeper. Sometimes a glitch appears, but this can be ignored too.
It also supports the dual-screen setup, in which you can easily take screenshots of both screens. It also offers touchscreen support, which makes you remap keys according to your ease.
The drawback of this software is that the update of iDeas has been stopped due to which new games aren’t compatible with this Nintendo DS emulator. But if you are using old games, then it is quite good for you.

Download: (Free)

DuoS

DuoS is also that kind of emulator which cannot work properly for playing latest games.
This emulator has both features dynamic and GPU acceleration recompiled with software renderer. Which is a mixture of two emulators listed above.
This software offers quick processing and many greatest features.
Moreover, the developers of this software earlier planned to release new iDuos for DSI and DS emulators for mobile devices, but unluckily it did not come into the market. Therefore, it is still a must-try software because it offers some of the features which can help you.

Download: (Free)

Citra: Best Nintendo 3DS Emulator

Citra is also among the best DS emulators for PCs. It is an open source and free emulator which anyone can use easily
It can easily run on Windows, Mac, Android and Linux. With this emulator you can play games like Pokémon X/Y which require LLE audio and HLE audio.
This emulator does not work well in the old system, but it works well in new ones.
It requires a fast processor to have a smooth run. Sometimes you can face issues with some games or apps as it will not load and show a black screen. Other compatible games run smoothly and there you would not face any issues.
It can support WiFi, but it cannot support Nintendo’s servers.

Download: (Free)

Lemuroid

This is also a great emulator for Android users which is free of cost and does not have ads too
It supports systems like Atari 2600, 7800,Super Nintendo, Game boy, Nintendo etc.
It also offers some important features like quick save, gamepad support, etc. One can connect easily with a gamepad.

Download: (Free)

Final Verdict – Best DS Emulators for Windows and Mac

While there are plenty of high-definition games available on all modern platforms, many are still enamored by the charm of the simple, pixelated Nintendo DS games.

These were a few Best Free DS Emulators that will revive those old and glorious moments.

In case you didn’t understand something, or you have any other queries regarding this article, then feel free to comment down below, we will be more than happy to assist you.

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