Every Donkey Kong game ranked from worst to best

Donkey Kong has had some good games, and some bad games. For every Tropical Freeze, there’s a King of Swing, and for every Jungle Beat, there’s a Donkey Konga. Most DK games have something unique about them that makes them worth playing at least once, but the best of the best are true classics that you need to play.

In this list we’re ranking every Donkey Kong game, though we have skipped over the Game & Watch entries and the Mario VS Donkey Kong series as they’re quite unlike the rest of the list. Even without those games there are more than enough awful and amazing Donkey Kong games to sink your teeth into in this list. In ranking these we’re considering both the quality of the game, and the impact it had at the time of release.

The bad Donkey Kong games

Donkey Kong Jr. Math (NES), the worst DK game

This could be a me problem, but having to use awkward platformer controls in order to input numbers to solve math equations… No. This is a Donkey Kong game aesthetically, and moves like Donkey Kong Jr., but it’s not fun, which feels pretty important.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast (Wii)

Barrel Blast isn’t even the only racing game on this list, but it is the worst. Originally designed for the DK Bongos, Barrel Blast would’ve had you slap the left and right drum to move left and right. Development got moved to the Wii though, and it’s a motion controlled waggler instead. It’s not an offensive game, but there’s no reason to play it more than once.

Donkey Kong 3 (Arcade)

Donkey Kong 3 feels more like the original Mario Bros. arcade game crossed with Space Invaders. Here Donkey Kong is descending from a pair of ropes, and it’s up to you to blow gusts of air at him so he ascends back to the ceiling. While you do that, he’ll unleash wasps and other insects that rain down on you, and you can either avoid them or blast them away. It’s simple enough in concept, but it doesn’t really come together. The worst of DK’s arcade adventures.

DK: King of Swing (GBA)

DK’s GBA-exclusive adventure is a bit of a weird one. This might technically be a platformer, but it’s out of the box. In this game you control DK’s grip in each hand with the L and R buttons while swinging on pegs. Letting go will send you flying forward, and learning when to grip and release to move efficiently is the challenge. It’s an interesting idea, but feels more like a Mario Party minigame stretched way too far.

Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber (DS)

Remember King of Swing? Well Jungle Climber has a lot of similarities, but is a more complex and developed experience. It has officially ascended past Mario Party minigame status, and you can now run around as DK on solid ground more. It does also have some truly awful levels, though. Another game that you’re better off only playing briefly. 

The good Donkey Kong games

Donkey Kong Land 2 (GB)

Finally we’re onto DK’s more traditional platformers. Donkey Kong Land 2 is more Donkey Kong Land, taking heavy inspiration from DKC2: Diddy’s Kong Quest. It’s a decent game, but doesn’t stand out on its own much, and is likely the worst of DK’s platforming adventures.

Donkey Konga 1+2+3 (GC)

We’re bundling the Donkey Konga trilogy into a single entry, as the sequels are essentially song packs with the odd extra minigame. Make no mistake, this game is basically Taiko no Tatsujin played with a different kind of drum controller, but that means it’s pretty decent by default. The bongo controller has become iconic with age, and even predates the plastic tat golden age that Guitar Hero ushered in. One of DK’s better weird games.

Donkey Kong Land (GB)

Donkey Kong Land is a successful port of Donkey Kong Country’s visual style and controls to the Game Boy, and it shouldn’t work as well as it does. This kind of game was considered impossible, but Donkey Kong Land looks great and plays well, even if it’s not as well designed as later DK Land games.

Donkey Kong Land III (GB)

Donkey Kong Land III is the final Rareware platformer for the Game Boy, and it’s one of the most unique ones. Yes, it’s heavily inspired by DKC3 on the SNES, but Dixie and Kiddy go to entirely new locations and tackle new enemies. In the Game Boy era, this was by far the best Donkey Kong platformer you could play on the go.

Donkey Kong 64 (N64)

The ultimate divisive Donkey Kong game. If you’re a Rareware fan from the late ‘90s, then you probably love Banjo-Kazooie, but DK64 might be a different story. If only you were able to collect any banana and coin with any character, this game could’ve been remembered very differently, but as it is, it can be too overwhelming and tedious in places. Despite that, it still manages to be a minor classic that fans have a lot of nostalgia for.

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble! (SNES)

Another team up between Dixie and Kiddy, this is often considered to be the best DK SNES game. By this point the team had mastered the technology and were free to experiment with level design and animal transformations more, in addition to learning key lessons from past mistakes. A solid SNES platformer, though perhaps not as impactful as earlier games.

Donkey Kong Jr. (Arcade)

After that dastardly Mario captured and imprisoned Donkey Kong in the first arcade game, it’s up to Donkey Kong Jr. to climb vines and free his dad. Donkey Kong Jr. has more levels than the first game, and the new vine climbing mechanic is a neat twist on the climbing formula that the original laid out. This is a great sequel in true Nintendo style, and it’s a classic.

The best Donkey Kong games

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GC, Wii)

In 2002 Nintendo EAD’s Tokyo branch was opened, and in 2003 twenty members of the Super Mario Sunshine team moved over to steer the ship. In 2004, the team’s first game was Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, a platformer that used the DK bongo controller to navigate DK. Despite the name, and the intended controller, it wasn’t even really a rhythm game. Instead, it’s a platformer that became the origin point for a lot of mechanics the team later used in Super Mario Galaxy. Yes, that same team now leads development on the modern Mario games and the recent Donkey Kong Bananza, and none of it would’ve happened without Jungle Beat.

Donkey Kong (Arcade)

In 2025 it’s hard to explain how influential Donkey Kong was in the arcades. This was the biggest game of the era, and is arguably why Nintendo is still such a big name in the video game space. Without Donkey Kong, the likes of Mario, Pokémon, and Zelda may never have happened. This game only has four levels but they’re perfectly designed and had people playing the game for hours on end. A true classic with lasting impact on the industry.

Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii, 3DS, Switch)

Donkey Kong took a long break from platforming adventures after Jungle Beat, but Retro Studios eventually took up the reins and brought the big ape back with Donkey Kong Country Returns. This game brings back the classic side-scrolling gameplay of DKC and modernizes it with 3D visuals, a banging soundtrack, and great level design. It’s not perfect, but it brought back DK in a big way.

Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

The original Donkey Kong Country was a landmark title in terms of graphical fidelity and is still fondly remembered as one of the best platformers of the SNES era. Nostalgia for this one is high, and while it might’ve eventually been bettered by its sequels, none of them would’ve been possible if not for Donkey Kong Country. 

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (SNES)

I mentioned that DKC was bettered by its sequels, and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest is exactly what I’m talking about, taking everything that was great about the original DKC and polishing it until it shined. Diddy and Dixie make for a great duo, and this is one of DK’s best platforming adventures.

Diddy Kong Racing (N64)

The game that is often argued as being better than Mario Kart 64, Diddy Kong Racing lets you explore a kart racing world while taking part in races, completing challenges, and more. This was more of a kart-themed adventure game than a strict racer, but that’s exactly what made it so beloved. Plus, Conker and Banjo are here too. We’re including the DS remake in this entry too.

Donkey Kong ‘94 (GB)

A Game Boy port of the original Donkey Kong arcade game sounds nice, right? And that’s exactly how Donkey Kong ‘94 starts out, only when you clear through the original game’s levels, intense music starts playing, and Donkey Kong runs off to a completely new area which has brand new levels, puzzles, and a world map. This is a reimagining of the original game, taken to the extreme, and it’s the best Donkey Kong inspired by the arcade originals. Mario VS Donkey Kong fans can thank this game for a lot of the mechanics and ideas seen in that series.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U, Switch)

Like the Game Boy and SNES Donkey Kong platformers, Retro Studios’ modern series only improved with the sequel. It’s hard to overstate how brilliantly designed the stages are. As you move through each level the stage will tell a story. A hot day in one stage slowly erupts into a wildfire you must escape, another stage has you travelling through a fruit processing factory and you witness each stage of the process. And yes, the gameplay is still tough-but-fair. Easily the best side-scrolling Donkey Kong game ever made.

Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2), the best DK game

Is it recency bias, or is Donkey Kong Bananza really just that good? Personally, I think it’s just that good. Bananza feels like an evolution of Donkey Kong gameplay, allowing him to traverse and manipulate each environment in the game in completely new ways. The closest comparison point is Donkey Kong 64, and even then Bananza is in a league of its own. Built by the same team that developed Jungle Beat and Mario Odyssey, Bananza is a bold and unique Donkey Kong game and it makes me hopeful that we’ll see more from DK and Pauline very soon.