The Nintendo DS era produced the most celebrated Pokemon games in the franchise’s history — a period spanning Generation IV (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum) and Generation V (Black, White, Black 2, White 2), bookended by the HeartGold and SoulSilver remakes that many fans consider the pinnacle of the series. These games are still widely played in 2025, either on original hardware, through emulation, or on Nintendo DS cartridges that retain their replay value two decades later.
This guide ranks every mainline Pokemon DS game with honest assessments of what makes each one worth playing in 2025, who each game suits best, and how they compare to each other.
All Pokemon DS Games: Quick Reference
| Game | Gen | Year | Key Feature |
| Pokemon Platinum | IV | 2009 (US) | Best Gen IV game; expanded story; Battle Frontier |
| Pokemon HeartGold / SoulSilver | II (remake) | 2010 (US) | Best DS Pokemon overall; two regions; PokeWalker |
| Pokemon Black 2 / White 2 | V (sequel) | 2012 (US) | Best sequels ever made; post-game depth |
| Pokemon Black / White | V | 2011 (US) | Best story and music in DS era |
| Pokemon Diamond / Pearl | IV | 2007 (US) | Gen IV originals; Platinum is strictly better |
Best Pokemon DS Games: Full Rankings
1. Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver — Best Pokemon DS Games Overall
Generation: II Remakes | Release: 2010 (US) | Metacritic: 87
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the best Pokemon games on Nintendo DS and, by many measures, the best mainline Pokemon games ever made. The remakes of the 1999 Game Boy Color originals took everything that made Gold and Silver special — the two-region structure giving players Johto to explore followed by the original Kanto region as a post-game — and rebuilt it with the DS’s full feature set: full-color 3D overworld areas, dual-screen interface, touch controls, and the Walking Pokemon feature that lets the player’s first party Pokemon follow them in the overworld.
The Walking Pokemon implementation is HeartGold/SoulSilver’s most beloved feature — any of the 493 Pokemon available in the game can follow the player, each with unique idle animations, and talking to them reveals brief personality responses. This single feature made the world feel more alive than any Pokemon game before or since. The PokeWalker peripheral (a pedometer that the player could load a Pokemon into and carry throughout the day, earning steps and items) added a physical dimension to Pokemon play that later games never replicated.
The game spans the full Johto region across 16 gyms (8 Johto Gym Leaders followed by 8 Kanto Gym Leaders) before a final confrontation with Red — the protagonist of the original Red and Blue games — on Mt. Silver. This is the largest and most content-rich post-game in any mainline Pokemon game. The remakes also added Battle Frontier facilities and the Safari Zone to extend end-game content further.
- Best for: Any Pokemon player; the most complete single Pokemon game experience on DS
- Notable: Walking Pokemon feature; 16 Gym Leaders; Red as final boss; PokeWalker peripheral
- Note: Buy either version — version differences are minor (different Pokemon availability)
2. Pokemon Platinum — Best Gen IV Pokemon Game
Generation: IV | Release: 2009 (US) | Metacritic: 83
Pokemon Platinum is the definitive version of the Generation IV Sinnoh experience, improving on Diamond and Pearl in virtually every meaningful way. The expanded storyline adds substantially to the Distortion World sequences and Team Galactic’s plot, giving the story a scale and ambition that the original Diamond and Pearl versions only hinted at. Looker, the international police officer introduced as a recurring character throughout Platinum’s story, became one of the franchise’s most beloved supporting characters.
Battle Frontier — the post-game challenge facility featuring five different battle challenge modes including the Battle Castle, Battle Factory, Battle Arcade, Battle Hall, and Battle Tower — is the most extensive end-game competitive content in any DS Pokemon game. For players who finish the main story and want a genuine long-term challenge, Platinum’s Battle Frontier is the gold standard.
The Pokedex is expanded versus Diamond and Pearl, adding Pokemon that Diamond and Pearl players had to trade between games to obtain. The improved pacing (Diamond and Pearl’s early game is notably slow due to a long tutorial period that Platinum streamlines) makes Platinum the superior entry point to Generation IV for players who haven’t experienced it.
- Best for: Competitive post-game players; players new to Gen IV who want the best version
- Notable: Battle Frontier; expanded Team Galactic plot; Distortion World; Looker subplot
- Buy Platinum over Diamond or Pearl: Platinum is strictly the better game
3. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 — Best Pokemon Sequels Ever Made
Generation: V (direct sequels) | Release: 2012 (US)
Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 are the only direct story sequels in mainline Pokemon history — set two years after the events of Black and White, with a new protagonist in a Unova that has changed since the first games. New cities are accessible, old areas have been transformed, and the game’s story builds on the original’s events in ways that reward players who experienced Black and White first.
The World Tournament mode is the defining end-game feature of Black 2/White 2 — a tournament facility where the player battles against the Gym Leaders and Champions from every prior Pokemon generation. The implementation is the best fan-service the franchise has produced in a competitive context: Misty, Brock, Lance, Cynthia, and Champions from every prior game all appear with competitive teams. For players who want the deepest post-game content on a DS Pokemon game that isn’t HeartGold/SoulSilver, Black 2/White 2 is the correct choice.
The Pokemon World Tournament, the expanded Unova region, the challenge mode and easy mode difficulty options, and the continuation of Black and White’s story make Black 2/White 2 the most content-rich Gen V experience. These are also among the final DS Pokemon games, making them a natural endpoint for the DS era’s quality run.
- Best for: Players who want the richest sequel experience; World Tournament for multi-gen fan service
- Note: Play Black/White first for full story context; Black 2/White 2 are direct sequels
4. Pokemon Black and White — Best Story and Music on DS
Generation: V | Release: 2011 (US) | Metacritic: 87
Pokemon Black and White represent the most ambitious narrative experiment in the DS era — a story that directly challenges the ethics of Pokemon training through N, a character raised to believe capturing and battling Pokemon is inherently cruel, and his father Ghetsis, who manipulates this ideology for political control. The antagonist complexity and the moral questions raised are genuinely more sophisticated than any prior Pokemon game.
Black and White also introduced the most mechanically interesting generation of Pokemon with the original 156 Unova Pokemon — the only generation where the entire game is played with brand-new Pokemon before any older species appear. The soundtrack, composed by Junichi Masuda and Shota Kageyama, is the best in the DS era, with character-specific battle themes for major story figures.
The game’s weakness is its post-game, which is thin compared to Platinum and HeartGold/SoulSilver. For players who care primarily about story and the mainline experience rather than end-game competitive content, Black and White deliver the most narratively satisfying DS Pokemon game. Black 2 and White 2 expand on this foundation with a fuller feature set.
- Best for: Players who prioritize story and music; those new to Gen V before playing the sequels
- Notable: Best DS Pokemon story; N as antagonist; Unova-only Pokemon throughout the main game
5. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl — The Gen IV Originals
Generation: IV | Release: 2007 (US) | Metacritic: 85
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl introduced Generation IV and the Sinnoh region — the physical/special split that separated attack types by category rather than type, the Underground multiplayer feature for DS wireless play, and Poke Radar for chain catching rare Pokemon. These were meaningful advancements for the franchise at the time of release.
In 2025, Diamond and Pearl are primarily of historical interest. Pokemon Platinum addresses the games’ two significant weaknesses — a slow early game pacing and a thinner post-game — making Platinum the recommended play experience for anyone who hasn’t experienced Generation IV. Players who specifically want the original Diamond or Pearl versions for nostalgia or preference will find the core game remains solid; the experience is simply not as polished as Platinum.
The Nintendo Switch remakes (Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl) are available if you want a modern version, though those remakes have their own limitations compared to the originals and to Platinum.
- Recommendation: Play Platinum instead if you haven’t played Gen IV. Diamond/Pearl for nostalgia only.
Pokemon DS Games by What You’re Looking For
| You want… | Best Pokemon DS Game |
| The best DS Pokemon game overall | HeartGold / SoulSilver |
| Best post-game challenge | Platinum (Battle Frontier) or HG/SS (Red + Battle Frontier) |
| Best story | Pokemon Black / White |
| Most content and longest play time | HeartGold / SoulSilver (two full regions) |
| Best Generation IV game | Pokemon Platinum (not Diamond or Pearl) |
| Best Generation V game | Pokemon Black 2 / White 2 |
| First time playing DS Pokemon | HeartGold or Platinum — either is an excellent starting point |
| Nostalgia for original Gold/Silver | HeartGold / SoulSilver — most faithful to the originals |
| Fan-service and multi-gen content | Black 2 / White 2 (World Tournament) |
What Made DS Pokemon Games Special
The DS era of Pokemon games (2006–2012) is retrospectively considered the franchise’s high-water mark for several reasons:
- Battle Frontier availability: Platinum, HeartGold/SoulSilver, and their predecessors featured Battle Frontier facilities providing genuine post-game competitive challenge. Modern Pokemon games have not replicated this depth of end-game content.
- Physical/Special split (Gen IV+): Diamond and Pearl introduced the change that made competitive Pokemon battling mechanically coherent for the first time — moves categorized by damage type rather than move type, eliminating the anomalies of the GBA era.
- HeartGold/SoulSilver’s Walking Pokemon: Any of 493 Pokemon following the player in the overworld with unique animations remains a feature fans have consistently requested Nintendo restore in modern games.
- Generation V’s narrative ambition: Black and White’s story tackled the ethics of Pokemon training in a way the franchise has not approached before or since.
- Two-screen DS hardware: The bottom touchscreen enabled new UI approaches (touch-based moves, Poketch applications in Gen IV, map display) that made the games feel purposefully designed for the hardware.
How to Play Pokemon DS Games in 2025
Original Nintendo DS or 3DS hardware remains the most authentic way to play these games, and cartridges remain available from second-hand retailers and online marketplaces. All DS Pokemon games are compatible with Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, and New 3DS hardware.
Key considerations:
- Cartridge battery: Gen IV games (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum) use internal batteries for real-time events and the Pokeradar. Cartridges from this era may need battery replacement if purchased second-hand.
- HeartGold/SoulSilver prices: These games command premium second-hand prices due to demand. Authentic cartridges are significantly more expensive than bootleg reproductions — verify authenticity before purchase. Authentic HeartGold/SoulSilver cartridges have the Nintendo holographic logo on the cartridge label.
- Online services: The original Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection services are no longer active. Third-party servers (Wiimmfi, AltWFC) allow online trading and battling to be restored on original hardware with configuration.
- Emulation: DS Pokemon games are widely emulated on PC (DeSmuME, melonDS) and mobile (DraStic on Android) for players who no longer own original hardware. This is the most accessible way to play the full DS Pokemon library in 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Pokemon game on Nintendo DS?
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the best Pokemon games on Nintendo DS by the broadest consensus of players and critics — two-region structure (Johto + Kanto), 16 Gym Leaders, the Walking Pokemon feature, the PokeWalker peripheral, and the Red final boss make them the most content-rich and mechanically complete DS Pokemon games. Pokemon Platinum is the best choice for players who specifically want the best Generation IV game. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 have the best post-game World Tournament and the most content in the Generation V games.
Is Pokemon Platinum better than Diamond and Pearl?
Yes — Pokemon Platinum is the definitive version of Generation IV and strictly better than Diamond or Pearl in most respects. Platinum has improved story pacing, an expanded Distortion World sequence, a larger available Pokedex, and the Battle Frontier post-game content that Diamond and Pearl lacked. There is no meaningful reason to play Diamond or Pearl instead of Platinum for a first Generation IV playthrough.
Should I play Pokemon Black or White before Black 2 and White 2?
Yes — Pokemon Black and White should be played before their sequels for the full story experience. Black 2 and White 2 are direct story sequels set two years after the original games, referencing events, characters, and locations from Black and White. Playing the sequels first doesn’t make them unplayable, but the story’s impact is significantly reduced without the context of the originals.
Are Pokemon DS games still worth playing in 2025?
Yes — Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver, Platinum, and Black 2/White 2 in particular remain among the best Pokemon games ever made by the standards of 2025. The DS era’s Battle Frontier post-game content, narrative ambition (especially in Gen V), and HeartGold/SoulSilver’s two-region scope have not been matched by subsequent Pokemon games. Players who have only experienced Switch-era Pokemon will find DS games offer a depth of post-game content that modern titles lack.
Final Thoughts
The Pokemon DS library represents a high point for the franchise that subsequent generations have not consistently replicated. HeartGold and SoulSilver remain the benchmark for what a Pokemon game can achieve in scope and content. Platinum set the standard for Generation IV. Black and White pushed the franchise’s narrative ceiling. Black 2 and White 2 capped the era with the best direct sequels the series produced.
If you’re approaching the DS era fresh: start with HeartGold or SoulSilver, then Platinum, then Black/White and their sequels in order. That sequence covers the DS Pokemon library at its best and builds from the most beloved entry to the deepest Gen V experience.
