Best games
Best Nintendo DS games of 2005
The 8 best Nintendo DS games released in 2005, ranked from 1,871 critic and player ratings.
The best Nintendo DS game of 2005 is Mario Kart DS, with a critic score of 90/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 2005.
- 8 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,871 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 8
01
Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart DS is the continuation of the long running racing game series that began on the Super Nintendo. It features 16 new tracks as well as 16 tracks from the previous 4 games, with each set split up into the Nitro and Retro Grand Prix respectively. Eight racers are initially available, each with two go-karts to choose from. A number of characters and additional karts are also available to unlock. New items have been added to the arsenal, including a Blooper squid that squirts ink onto the screens of other players and a Bullet Bill power up that transforms the player into a giant, fast-travelling bullet on autopilot.
90
/100
02
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Players move into a living, breathing world inside the Nintendo DS...and then invite their friends to visit from anywhere on earth. In Animal Crossing: Wild World, the sequel to the popular Nintendo GameCube game, players and up to three friends can hang out in the same village and interact in real time -- either through wireless LAN or over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Players can visit a friend's village from thousands of miles away. The touch screen makes item management and world navigation a breeze. Typing letters and designing patterns are now just stylus strokes away. Days and seasons pass in real time, so whether players want to decorate their homes, catch bugs or fish, collect brand-new items like hats and sunglasses or just chat with the wild and wacky characters in their villages, there's always something to do.
86
/100
03
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Meet Phoenix Wright, the rookie defense lawyer new to the scene with the wildest cross-examination skills in town! Take on five intriguing cases to reveal dramatic, stunning, and even comical court proceedings. Use both the touch screen to investigate the crime scenes, question witnesses and present shocking evidence. “Objection!”...It’s outrageous fun! You won’t be able to put down this laugh-out-loud, riveting adventure!
80
/100
Mario Kart DS
Mario Kart DS is the continuation of the long running racing game series that began on the Super Nintendo. It features 16 new tracks as well as 16 tracks from the previous 4 games, with each set split up into the Nitro and Retro Grand Prix respectively. Eight racers are initially available, each with two go-karts to choose from. A number of characters and additional karts are also available to unlock. New items have been added to the arsenal, including a Blooper squid that squirts ink onto the screens of other players and a Bullet Bill power up that transforms the player into a giant, fast-travelling bullet on autopilot.
90
/100
02
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Players move into a living, breathing world inside the Nintendo DS...and then invite their friends to visit from anywhere on earth. In Animal Crossing: Wild World, the sequel to the popular Nintendo GameCube game, players and up to three friends can hang out in the same village and interact in real time -- either through wireless LAN or over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Players can visit a friend's village from thousands of miles away. The touch screen makes item management and world navigation a breeze. Typing letters and designing patterns are now just stylus strokes away. Days and seasons pass in real time, so whether players want to decorate their homes, catch bugs or fish, collect brand-new items like hats and sunglasses or just chat with the wild and wacky characters in their villages, there's always something to do.
86
/100
03
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Meet Phoenix Wright, the rookie defense lawyer new to the scene with the wildest cross-examination skills in town! Take on five intriguing cases to reveal dramatic, stunning, and even comical court proceedings. Use both the touch screen to investigate the crime scenes, question witnesses and present shocking evidence. “Objection!”...It’s outrageous fun! You won’t be able to put down this laugh-out-loud, riveting adventure!
80
/100
04
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Play as man. Play as Kong. Embark on an epic adventure created in collaboration with Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson and based on the Universal Pictures' film. Survive as Jack in a world crawling with predators and live the legend as Kong. Use weapons, traps and your team wisely to survive in first-person as Jack. Break jaws, slam enemies and throw massive objects in Kong's third-person battles.
80
/100
05
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
You are Sam Fisher, the NSA's most elite black-ops agent. To achieve your mission you will kill from close range, attack with your combat knife, shoot with the prototype Land Warrior rifle, and use radical suppression techniques such as the inverted neck break. Also take on cooperative multiplayer infiltration missions, where teamwork is the ultimate weapon.
78
/100
06
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man is an action-adventure game based on the comic series of the same name. Players can control either Spider-Man or Venom, each with distinct abilities and combat styles. The game features encounters with various characters from the Spider-Man universe and uses a visual style influenced by the comic’s creators.
74
/100
07
Madagascar
Be a part of Dreamwork's animated adventure by guiding Marty the Zebra, Alex the lion, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo and those stealthy Penguins as they escape the Central Park Zoo into the streets of New York and then into the wild jungle...err San Diego zoo. The storyline is exactly the same as the movie itself and each chapter will bring you further in the story. Every chapter will have various goals set. Only one specific goal per chapter is required to complete the chapter so you can always replay the chapter later to try to complete all the goals. Every stage will also require you to play as a different character and some will involve all characters. Each character have their own unique abilities: Marty can kick with his hind legs, sneak around his enemies slide and perform long-jumps. Alex the lion can throw fruits, use his claws and roar at his enemies. Gloria can tumble, butt bounce and hip check her enemies. And when she eats some chili peppers, she will be able to charge into her enemies. Melman can spin into, throw items at and head bash his enemies. He can also perform the Helicopter move which enables him to glide long distances. Finally the Penguin can slide, fish and attack with a Finishing move (something like a karate chop) to defeat their enemies. Throughout the game there will be various items to collect including Life Tikis to replenish your Health Meter and Monkey Money that will enable you to buy special things at the Zoovenir Shop like mini games and special outfits for the Madagascar cast.
73
/100
08
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team
You, a regular human, find yourself trapped in the body of a Pokémon in a world inhabited by Pokémon. Without any other choice, you go on rescue missions through randomly generated dungeons with your newly-acquired partner and friend to save the world and get back to your human life.
65
/100
Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Play as man. Play as Kong. Embark on an epic adventure created in collaboration with Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson and based on the Universal Pictures' film. Survive as Jack in a world crawling with predators and live the legend as Kong. Use weapons, traps and your team wisely to survive in first-person as Jack. Break jaws, slam enemies and throw massive objects in Kong's third-person battles.
80
/100
05
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
You are Sam Fisher, the NSA's most elite black-ops agent. To achieve your mission you will kill from close range, attack with your combat knife, shoot with the prototype Land Warrior rifle, and use radical suppression techniques such as the inverted neck break. Also take on cooperative multiplayer infiltration missions, where teamwork is the ultimate weapon.
78
/100
06
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man is an action-adventure game based on the comic series of the same name. Players can control either Spider-Man or Venom, each with distinct abilities and combat styles. The game features encounters with various characters from the Spider-Man universe and uses a visual style influenced by the comic’s creators.
74
/100
07
Madagascar
Be a part of Dreamwork's animated adventure by guiding Marty the Zebra, Alex the lion, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo and those stealthy Penguins as they escape the Central Park Zoo into the streets of New York and then into the wild jungle...err San Diego zoo. The storyline is exactly the same as the movie itself and each chapter will bring you further in the story. Every chapter will have various goals set. Only one specific goal per chapter is required to complete the chapter so you can always replay the chapter later to try to complete all the goals. Every stage will also require you to play as a different character and some will involve all characters. Each character have their own unique abilities: Marty can kick with his hind legs, sneak around his enemies slide and perform long-jumps. Alex the lion can throw fruits, use his claws and roar at his enemies. Gloria can tumble, butt bounce and hip check her enemies. And when she eats some chili peppers, she will be able to charge into her enemies. Melman can spin into, throw items at and head bash his enemies. He can also perform the Helicopter move which enables him to glide long distances. Finally the Penguin can slide, fish and attack with a Finishing move (something like a karate chop) to defeat their enemies. Throughout the game there will be various items to collect including Life Tikis to replenish your Health Meter and Monkey Money that will enable you to buy special things at the Zoovenir Shop like mini games and special outfits for the Madagascar cast.
73
/100
08
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team
You, a regular human, find yourself trapped in the body of a Pokémon in a world inhabited by Pokémon. Without any other choice, you go on rescue missions through randomly generated dungeons with your newly-acquired partner and friend to save the world and get back to your human life.
65
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Nintendo DS game of 2005?
Mario Kart DS currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 406 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.