8. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GCN)

The first 'mainline' DK game following the end of Rare's stewardship of the character, and an under-appreciated gem from director Yoshiaki Koizumi and the EAD Toyko team that would go on to make Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo is at its best when it's doing something no one else would do — and a platformer you play with a pair of bongos is something you're unlikely to find elsewhere. Yes, you control Donkey Kong Jungle Beat using arguably the best/silliest official controller ever made. You can play with a standard GameCube pad if you want, but it's best to keep the neighbours awake with this one.

You move DK by hitting the drums or clapping, which is detected by the bongos' in-built mic, bounding through the 2.5D levels collecting bananas, bashing baddies, and building combos to score 'beats'. It's short, but brilliant fun and is superior to the (still excellent) Wiimote-controlled New Play Control! version because bongos beat motion controls. Always.

7. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA)

Mario vs. Donkey Kong kicked off an entire series that pitted the plumber and the ape against each other for old times' sake. Originally, it was planned as a sequel to the excellent Game Boy version of Donkey Kong and this is the only game in the series that gives you direct control of Mario rather than his Lemming-like Minis. You still guide the Mini-Mazzas here and there, but for the most part you control the plumber in a lovely little platform puzzler which really carries the spirit of the original Donkey Kong with it. It's a good 'un, and there's good reason Nintendo saw fit to bring it back nearly 20 years later with a Switch remake.

6. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES)

Rounding off the Super NES DKC trilogy nicely, Dixie and Kiddie's adventure is still a pleasure today. It arguably can't quite reach the highs of the second chapter in Rare's trio of DK delights, but Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! looks better than ever and gives you some choice with a non-linear map to explore and options should you hit a roadblock on your adventure.

5. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Rare's first foray into the world of DK and his cronies. Despite the visuals not wowing like they did back in 1994, the template put down in Donkey Kong Country would influence every DK title to come. The redesigned DK looked brilliant, the music was incredible, and every aspect of the game demonstrated a stunning attention to detail. While not quite as polished as you remember, DKC is still a classic that should be tracked down and played — which is much easier now that it's included as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Super NES offering.

4. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

This revival of Rare's treasured Donkey Kong Country series came after developer Retro Studios had successfully reinvented Nintendo's Metroid as an exploratory first-person shooter, so we shouldn't have been surprised that the team was able to recapture the spirit of that 16-bit platformer series three console generations later with Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, just how good the 2010 game turned out still came as a big shock.

The 3DS port is equally impressive, but you really can't go wrong with whatever version you can get your hands on. When it comes to resurrections, it seems Retro is your go-to studio and DKC returned in fabulous form on Wii.

3. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch)

After beginning life on Wii U in 2014, we were treated to a 'Deluxe' port on Switch just four years later. Not the longest hiatus, then, but we couldn't wait to replay one of the best platformers we've ever encountered and the Switch version plays like an absolute dream in full HD. Looking and playing better than Donkey Kong ever has, veteran DKC composer David Wise returned with this sequel and caused us to have several 'moments' during our first playthrough. It was a glistening cherry on a cake so deliciously sweet we worried we'd lose a foot.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze isn't just a great platformer, it's one of the great platformers. Even if Donkey Kong isn't normally your thing, you owe it to yourself to give Tropical Freeze a go. It's totally bananas in the very best of ways. Any fan of 2D platformers simply has to get this game.

2. Donkey Kong (GB)

It's exceedingly rare that the echo triumphs over the voice, but if we had to pick between playing arcade DK or the Game Boy port, there's really no choice. Donkey Kong on Game Boy — Donkey Kong '94 as it's often called — is far more than just a simple sequel or port. After finishing the first four levels, you might assume that's it, but with over 101 levels in total, there's a whole other game awaiting you. In fact, it laid the groundwork for the gameplay of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong spin-off series.

Adding a metric ton of new features while still managing to keep the ‘arcadey’ feel of the original, the visuals and music are outstanding and complement this impressively expanded take on an icon. It's one of the Game Boy's finest games, and another wonderful portable title featuring Mr. D. Kong.

1. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (not Diddy Kong's Quest) is a beautiful secret-filled game with a gorgeous soundtrack that helps create an atmosphere that sticks in the memory. You end up returning to this simply to enjoy your surroundings and have 'that feeling' again. We've found this to be a feature of many Rare games and the second SNES entry in the DKC series is a prime example. Debate will rage as to which of DKC games is best, but this is up there with the very, very best.


Disagree with our ranking of DK's games? It was certainly tough to put together - especially in the middle. Let us know how you'd tweak it for your own personal ranking in the comments section below.