Best games
Best Simulation games on Nintendo DS
The 9 best Simulation games on Nintendo DS, ranked from 4,416 critic and player ratings.
The best Simulation game on Nintendo DS right now is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, with a critic score of 88/100 — 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: 1970 to 2026.
- 9 games are listed on this page, carrying 4,416 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 9
01
S
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare differs from previous installments of the Call of Duty series. Previous Call of Duty games have a distinct three country-specific campaign style, while Call of Duty 4 has a more film-like plot with interlaced story lines from the perspectives of Sgt. Paul Jackson of the Marines 1st Force Recon and Sgt. 'Soap' MacTavish of the British 22nd SAS Regiment.
88
/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
The Sims 3
In The Sims 3, you can create Sims with unique personalities, fulfill their desires, and control their lives within a customizable living neighborhood. Unlock all-new Karma Powers and unleash them on your Sims: help your Sim get lucky with the power of "love connector", bless them with the power of "age defiler" or "instant beauty" or curse them with an "instant enemy". Use these powers wisely, because they may have unexpected results! As you guide your Sims through life, you can complete challenges to unlock additional items, new buildings and landmarks.
83
/100
S
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare differs from previous installments of the Call of Duty series. Previous Call of Duty games have a distinct three country-specific campaign style, while Call of Duty 4 has a more film-like plot with interlaced story lines from the perspectives of Sgt. Paul Jackson of the Marines 1st Force Recon and Sgt. 'Soap' MacTavish of the British 22nd SAS Regiment.
88
/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
The Sims 3
In The Sims 3, you can create Sims with unique personalities, fulfill their desires, and control their lives within a customizable living neighborhood. Unlock all-new Karma Powers and unleash them on your Sims: help your Sim get lucky with the power of "love connector", bless them with the power of "age defiler" or "instant beauty" or curse them with an "instant enemy". Use these powers wisely, because they may have unexpected results! As you guide your Sims through life, you can complete challenges to unlock additional items, new buildings and landmarks.
83
/100
04
Theme Park
You have inherited a fortune from an eccentric aunt and her will states the money can be spend building the world largest and most profitable theme park. Create a wonderful theme part full of thrilling rides and greasy - but delicious - food and start to make the loads of money. You are a lucky one who can create the best theme park ever made plus make a fortune. Your park will be compared to 40 rivals all over the world every year. Your goal is to become the best park in all categories.
79
/100
05
Ace Attorney Investigations - Miles Edgeworth
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a 2009 adventure video game developed and published by Capcom. It was originally released for the Nintendo DS in Japan in 2009, and internationally in 2010, and later for iOS and Android in 2017. It is the fifth game in the Ace Attorney series, and is set between the events of the third and fourth games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.
78
/100
06
MX vs. ATV Reflex
Think fast and hang on to your ride as you take independent control of the rider and take the ultimate test of mettle. Dual controls let you tear it up with death-defying tricks and high-flying freestyle action. Fight for traction and dig up the track to leave your mark.
76
/100
07
Need for Speed: ProStreet
Compete at the highest level of street racing with Need for Speed ProStreet. It’s no longer good enough to simply rule your local neighborhood; you need to dominate on a global stage. Build the ultimate battle machine, take it to multi-disciplinary showdowns and pit your skills and reputation against the world’s best street racers.
72
/100
08
Plants vs. Zombies
Zombies are invading your home, and the only defense is your arsenal of plants! Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense video game developed and published by PopCap Games. As a horde of zombies approaches along several parallel lanes, players must defend their homes by placing plants, which fire projectiles at the zombies or otherwise detrimentally affect them.
71
/100
09
Need for Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon, also known as NFS Carbon or NFSC, is an Electronic Arts video game in the Need for Speed series. It is the tenth installment and was the first game in the series to gain the PEGI rating of 12+. The game is a sequel to 2005's Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
70
/100
Theme Park
You have inherited a fortune from an eccentric aunt and her will states the money can be spend building the world largest and most profitable theme park. Create a wonderful theme part full of thrilling rides and greasy - but delicious - food and start to make the loads of money. You are a lucky one who can create the best theme park ever made plus make a fortune. Your park will be compared to 40 rivals all over the world every year. Your goal is to become the best park in all categories.
79
/100
05
Ace Attorney Investigations - Miles Edgeworth
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a 2009 adventure video game developed and published by Capcom. It was originally released for the Nintendo DS in Japan in 2009, and internationally in 2010, and later for iOS and Android in 2017. It is the fifth game in the Ace Attorney series, and is set between the events of the third and fourth games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.
78
/100
06
MX vs. ATV Reflex
Think fast and hang on to your ride as you take independent control of the rider and take the ultimate test of mettle. Dual controls let you tear it up with death-defying tricks and high-flying freestyle action. Fight for traction and dig up the track to leave your mark.
76
/100
07
Need for Speed: ProStreet
Compete at the highest level of street racing with Need for Speed ProStreet. It’s no longer good enough to simply rule your local neighborhood; you need to dominate on a global stage. Build the ultimate battle machine, take it to multi-disciplinary showdowns and pit your skills and reputation against the world’s best street racers.
72
/100
08
Plants vs. Zombies
Zombies are invading your home, and the only defense is your arsenal of plants! Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense video game developed and published by PopCap Games. As a horde of zombies approaches along several parallel lanes, players must defend their homes by placing plants, which fire projectiles at the zombies or otherwise detrimentally affect them.
71
/100
09
Need for Speed: Carbon
Need for Speed: Carbon, also known as NFS Carbon or NFSC, is an Electronic Arts video game in the Need for Speed series. It is the tenth installment and was the first game in the series to gain the PEGI rating of 12+. The game is a sequel to 2005's Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
70
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Simulation game on Nintendo DS?
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare currently tops the ranking with a score of 88/100 across 1,800 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.