Nintendo Remakes
Image: Nintendo Life

Updated with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. Enjoy!

When it comes to remaking, remastering, and re-releasing a game, it's easy to assume every publisher out there is plundering its back catalogue to refurbish and resell treasured titles to a nostalgia-laced audience happy to pay for the comfort of childhood classics brought up to date on their current consoles.

However, looking back at Nintendo's library of revisited games, there aren't quite as many as you might assume considering the candidates the Kyoto firm could revive if it so chose. There's a good handful, as you'll see below, but plenty more we'd love to see.

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But, of the ones that do exist, which remasters and remakes are the best from the big N? NL readers can vote and rate any Nintendo-published remakes and remasters they've played and this reader-ranked list is the result. The order here is governed by the games' User Ratings on the site, and is therefore subject to real-time change even now, as you read these words.

Which Zelda game is a remake?
Remakes or remasters? — Image: Nintendo Life

Don't agree with this ranking? Feel free to click the stars in each entry and rank the ones you've played to have your say and, potentially, affect the order.

Before we begin, some housekeeping. This originally began as a remakes-only list, but we've gone ahead and added remasters, too — only straight ports are excluded now. By this we mean games that transfer the base game largely untouched to another system. As a rule, 'Deluxe' Switch ports of Wii U games don't make the grade. Naturally, there will be borderline cases. Let us know in the comments if you think there's something missing that truly deserves the title 'remake' or 'remaster' (rather than 'port' or 'Deluxe re-release').

Enough ifs and buts and do-you-mind-if-we-don'ts — let's take a look at our list of every Nintendo remake and remaster ever, starting at the bottom...

45. Game & Watch Gallery 3 (GBC)

Game & Watch Gallery 3 mostly sticks to the formula of its predecessors, and it does a fine job of offering up some simple handheld gaming classics in a more convenient form, with a large number of games and a good, varied selection to boot.

There are a lot of things to unlock for those willing to put the time in, and if you manage to get everything, you can always revisit any of the titles to improve your scores. Definitely worth a look for G&W fans.

44. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (Switch)

While some of the slower elements of the original games have been fixed in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and The Grand Underground makes up for the comparatively weak Pokédex, the new art style and a few other stumbles make this pair of games a somewhat disappointing retread of Generation 4. If the remit here was to remain faithful to the original Gen 4 pair, we wish they’d also stuck to the pixel-art aesthetic.

Unfortunately, these are Brilliant and Shining remakes in name only, sticking very closely to the original template — which some players will no doubt welcome — but aside from The Grand Underground and the connectivity with the current games in the series, there’s very little reason to play Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl over your original DS copies.

43. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Switch)

Mario vs Donkey Kong serves up a slick return to the 2004 GBA adventure that finds fresh fun in cooperative play. Yep, the new co-op mode really is the star of the show this time out and, alongside two new worlds, 'Plus' versions of each level, a Time Attack mode, and fancy new looks and sounds, there's plenty to dig into and enjoy with a core puzzle/platforming setup that has aged quite well.

Just be aware that, if you're a more seasoned player looking for platforming challenges, this game finds its strengths as an experience for younger gamers or as a co-op title to enjoy with your kids. Taken as such, it absolutely earns a recommendation.

42. Game & Watch Gallery (GB)

The Game Boy was, in many ways, the natural evolution of Nintendo’s Game & Watch line of one-shot portable devices, so the ability to play those games on one cartridge was an acknowledgement of that handheld legacy.

If you liked the originals, this collection is a must-have. Both the originals and remakes, which combine simple gameplay and subtle strategy, are here to enjoy and the newer versions play differently enough that you're quite likely to consider them new experiences in and of themselves.

The musical and visual presentation is fantastic as well, and the entire package serves as a relic of a truly magical time in gaming. Or, perhaps, two truly magical times.

41. Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch)

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fine way to play the 2010 original, but it’s also lacking any real reason for fans to double-dip beyond waggle-free controls and the integration of the DS levels. It’s a simple remaster, to be honest, which would be all well and good if it wasn’t being sold at such a premium.

There's plenty of fun to be had, but we can't help but walk away from it with a slightly sour taste in our mouths. Our advice? Grab the sequel instead.

We'd love to have Tropical Freeze on this list too, but that really does just feel like a "Deluxe" port. Funky Mode doesn't quite stretch far enough in our books.

40. Another Code: Recollection (Switch)

Another Code: Recollection's biggest addition to the original DS and Wii experiences, besides the slick new graphics and fully explorable 3D environs, is its all-new navigation and puzzle aids.

With the obtuse nature of some puzzles now a triviality should you find yourself stumped, there are now no difficulty spikes or annoying moments to hold you back from a two-part tale that's worth diving into for fans of slow-burn point-and-click titles.

The pacing could have done with some more work, but this collection of cult classics is as good a return to Ashley's world as fans could have hoped for.

39. Game & Watch Gallery Advance (GBA)

The gameplay is simple, but the included titles in Game & Watch Gallery Advance are still fun to play decades after they appeared in Game & Watch form. High-score chasing should keep players occupied, especially with 20 games to choose from — eleven of which also include an updated 'Modern' mode.

It can feel repetitive at times and the method of unlocking games has the potential to annoy but this volume of titles remains an excellent compilation of Nintendo's first foray into portable gaming.

38. Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (Switch)

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! are beautiful reimaginings of a video game classic, updating a decades-old game in ways which make it infinitely more accessible and user-friendly for a modern audience, while keeping the magic first discovered all those years ago.

On the downside, the motion control mechanic is fun but flawed, forcing you to shift from one play style to another to get the best experience. Still, the game does a superb job of striking a balance between being an easy route of entry for newcomers and offering just enough post-game challenge and competitive play elements (and nostalgia, of course) to please series veterans; as a result, these newer titles really do offer something for everyone, which can't always be said of the mainline Pokémon entries.

They might not be absolute masterpieces, but we’d urge any Poké-fans out there to give these Kanto classics a go.

37. Game & Watch Gallery 2 (GBC)

As with the first game on Game Boy, Game & Watch Gallery 2 features a collection of several highly addictive score-based games. There's a lot to do, and with both faithful ports and remakes being included in the same package, you're sure to be entertained for a while as you attempt to earn all the stars available.

And after that, maybe you can go in for seconds with the super hard difficulties.

36. Diddy Kong Racing (DS)

Diddy Kong Racing DS is good but not quite great. Generally, it's very well presented with clear menus, pleasant visuals, and nice sound. However, the controls aren't quite there, probably to do with the fact the DS only has a D-pad, so it just doesn't feel as good as the original N64 classic. If you had to choose between this and Mario Kart DS, there's no competition.

35. Luigi's Mansion 2 HD (Switch)

Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is Luigi's Mansion 2 with a fancy HD lick of paint. Surprise! It looks great, and the new models, animations, and revamped visuals make for a game that's close to the glorious Luigi's Mansion 3 in how modern and swish it all is. It also controls much nicer thanks to the second stick on the Switch.

It's just a shame we haven't got any added extras, then, or any new means to save mid-mission, added content, or bonuses. This is 100% the best way to play the game as of 2024, there's no doubt, but it would have been nice to get something a little extra, especially given the price point. Maybe we'll get a Deluxe edition someday.

34. Super Mario Advance (GBA)

The first of the GBA's Super Mario platformer ports (and the one that kicked off the most convoluted naming convention in gaming history), Super Mario Advance brought Super Mario Bros. 2 to the GBA in the 16-bit style of Super Mario All-Stars.

With the ability to choose between four characters carrying over from the original, it gained a point system in addition to its facelift, as well as several collectibles to find throughout each stage.

Overall, it's still one of the best ways to revisit the game, and you also get the remake of original Mario Bros. bundled in — that little multiplayer bonus would feature on multiple other entries in this GBA port series going forward.