melonDS emulator for Nintendo DS (NDS)
melonDS emulator for Nintendo DS (NDS)
Free and open-source Nintendo DS and DSi emulator with JIT recompilation, OpenGL rendering, and Wi-Fi support for Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android.
melonDS is an active Nintendo DS (NDS) emulator for Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android. This page shows whether it is a good choice in 2026, how it compares with other Nintendo DS (NDS) emulators, and which games look strongest on EmuRank.
Active
Windows, Linux, macOS, Android
0 reports in 30d
As of 2026, melonDS looks like a promising but still narrow option for Nintendo DS on EmuRank. It is 100.0% playable games, based on 1 tested games out of 3255 titles in the Nintendo DS catalog.
That equals 0.0% tested coverage on this platform and comes from 2 melonDS reports on EmuRank. On this page, playable games counts games currently rated Perfect or Playable.
Should You Use melonDS for Nintendo DS?
View platform →Promising but still narrow
Partly. melonDS looks strong on the Nintendo DS games EmuRank has tested so far, and 100.0% of that tested slice is currently rated Playable or Perfect.
The limitation is breadth. EmuRank has tested 1 games on melonDS out of a 3255-game Nintendo DS catalog, which equals 0.0% tested coverage.
Treat it as promising on covered games, not yet as a broad default for the whole platform. Check the game page before assuming the same result on titles that still have thin or missing emulator-specific evidence.
How melonDS compares with other Nintendo DS emulators
melonDS is currently the only Nintendo DS emulator with stored data on EmuRank. This still works as a platform-status snapshot, but it is not yet a true head-to-head race.
As more emulator-specific reports arrive for Nintendo DS, this section can become a fuller comparison. For now, read the row below as the current state of the platform on EmuRank.
| Emulator | Playable games | Confidence | Tested coverage | Last report | Supported OS | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
melonDS
(this page)
Active development |
100.0% | Low confidence | 0.0% | Windows, Linux, macOS, Android | Best current mix of breadth and results. |
melonDS (this page)
Active development
Low confidence
Best current mix of breadth and results.
Playable games
100.0%
Tested coverage
0.0%
Supported OS
Windows, Linux, macOS, Android
Last report
Playable games = share of tested games currently rated Perfect or Playable on this emulator.
Confidence = EmuRank's breadth signal for this emulator on this platform; broader tested coverage produces higher confidence.
Tested coverage = share of the full released Nintendo DS catalog (3,255 games) with at least one report for this emulator.
Key Metrics for melonDS on Nintendo DS
melonDS currently has 1 tested Nintendo DS games on EmuRank. 1 of them are currently rated Perfect or Playable, which equals 100.0% playable games.
That tested slice covers 0.0% of the full 3255-game Nintendo DS catalog and comes from 2 reports. Confidence tells you how trustworthy that breadth is: higher confidence means EmuRank has seen a meaningfully larger share of the platform on this emulator.
Low confidence
1
0.0%
100.0%
2
Compatibility mix on tested games
These counts use tested games only. EmuRank's compatibility levels are Perfect, Playable, Ingame, Intro, Loadable, and Nothing. See Compatibility Levels for the exact definitions.
Best Nintendo DS Games on melonDS
Tested games →These are the Nintendo DS games where melonDS currently has the clearest positive evidence on EmuRank. This list favors games with strong compatibility results, stronger confidence, and more report depth than the average title on this page.
EmuRank does not yet have enough strong game-level evidence to show a reliable Best Games set for melonDS on Nintendo DS.
Popular Nintendo DS Games to Check on melonDS
Popular games →These are the Nintendo DS titles users are most likely to search for first on EmuRank. The goal of this section is not to promise that every popular game works well, but to show where melonDS already has usable evidence and where you should still open the game page before deciding.
Recent Nintendo DS Activity on melonDS
View reports →Recent activity shows whether people are still testing melonDS on Nintendo DS now, not just whether it built a reputation in the past. Fresh reports matter because emulator versions, devices, drivers, and settings keep changing.
In the last 30 days, EmuRank saw 0 melonDS reports across 0 Nintendo DS games. In the last 90 days, that rises to 0 reports across 0 games.
Help Improve melonDS Coverage for Nintendo DS
These games already matter to users, but current melonDS evidence is mixed, thin, or too old to be fully trusted. Fresh reports here are more useful than another report on a game that already looks solved.
melonDS emulator FAQ
Is melonDS a good Nintendo DS emulator in 2026?
melonDS currently looks like a promising but still narrow option for Nintendo DS on EmuRank. The strongest signal is 100.0% playable games across 1 tested games, but you should still confirm mixed or low-confidence titles on the game page before treating the whole platform as solved.
What does Playable mean on EmuRank?
On EmuRank, Playable means the game can usually be played from start to finish without major blockers for normal play. Perfect is stronger than Playable, while Ingame, Intro, Loadable, and Nothing all sit below that line. See Compatibility Levels for the exact definitions used across the site.
What is the Nintendo DS catalog on this page?
The Nintendo DS catalog is EmuRank's released-game list for this platform. It currently contains 3255 titles. EmuRank has at least one report somewhere on the site for 1 of them, and melonDS has emulator-specific evidence for 1 of them on this page.
What compatibility levels does EmuRank use?
EmuRank uses six compatibility levels: Perfect, Playable, Ingame, Intro, Loadable, and Nothing. Emulator detail pages treat Perfect and Playable as playable games. Everything below that should be read as a caution state rather than a full recommendation.
How does EmuRank measure confidence?
Confidence on emulator pages measures breadth of evidence, not popularity. It is driven mainly by tested coverage: how much of the full Nintendo DS catalog has emulator-specific results on EmuRank. A small tested slice can still look promising, but it stays lower confidence until coverage broadens.
How should I check whether my game will work?
Use the game page as the final compatibility check. Emulator pages summarize platform-level evidence, but real results can still vary by game, emulator version, device, operating system, and settings. If you are new to emulation, read the recent reports together with the Compatibility Levels guide before deciding.