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The best Pokémon game on Nintendo DS is HeartGold/SoulSilver, offering two complete regions, 493 catchable Pokémon, and the Pokewalker accessory. Black 2/White 2 takes second place with the most post-game content of any DS title, while Platinum perfects the Sinnoh region experience.
The Nintendo DS hosted seven mainline Pokémon releases between 2006 and 2012. This generation introduced WiFi trading, the physical/special split that changed competitive battling, and two complete regional remakes.
These games sold over 90 million copies combined. More importantly, they delivered the franchise’s most consistent quality streak. Every main series DS Pokémon game scored above 80 on Metacritic.
The dual-screen format added real functionality. Bottom screen maps eliminated menu diving. Touch controls made PC box management faster. The DS also brought Pokémon into the online age before smartphones dominated gaming.
We evaluated five factors:
We focused exclusively on mainline RPG releases. Spin-offs like Pokémon Ranger and Mystery Dungeon deserve their own analysis.
Released in 2010, these remakes of Gold/Silver remain the gold standard for Pokémon games. You explore two complete regions—Johto and Kanto—with 16 gym battles total.
The Pokewalker pedometer accessory lets you transfer Pokémon from your cartridge to earn experience through real-world steps. It sounds gimmicky, but it worked surprisingly well. Walking 10,000 steps could fully train weaker Pokémon without grinding.
All 493 Pokémon from Generations I–IV are catchable in both versions. The following Pokémon feature returns—your starter walks behind you on screen. This tiny detail created more attachment to your team than any other mechanic.
Post-game content runs 30+ hours. You can rematch gym leaders at higher levels, challenge Red on Mt. Silver, and catch multiple legendary Pokémon. The Safari Zone customization adds genuine complexity.
Main story: 35–40 hours
Post-game content: 30–40 hours
Total catchable Pokémon: 493 (between both versions)
Current price: $80–$150 (loose cartridge)
These 2012 sequels did something Pokémon had never done—they continued a previous story two years later. The Unova region changed. New cities appeared. Previous champions became gym leaders.
The Pokémon World Tournament brought back every previous gym leader and champion for rematches. You could finally answer “who’s stronger?” questions about leaders from different generations. Over 300 Pokémon are available before beating the Elite Four.
Join Avenue creates a customizable shopping street where NPC trainers visit based on your multiplayer interactions. Memory Link connects to your Black/White save data to unlock bonus content. The Medal system added achievement-style goals that gave completionists 200+ objectives.
Black 2/White 2 had the most features of any DS Pokémon game. The problem? Many players never tried them because they looked like minor updates rather than full sequels.
Main story: 30–35 hours
Post-game content: 40–50 hours
Total catchable Pokémon: 300+ (before Elite Four)
Current price: $60–$100 (loose cartridge)
This 2009 enhanced version fixed everything wrong with Diamond/Pearl. Battle animations sped up dramatically. The story expanded with more Giratina content and the Distortion World—a gravity-defying dimension that showcased creative level design.
Platinum added the Battle Frontier with five different challenge facilities. Each required different team-building strategies. The Frontier Brain battles remain some of the hardest official Pokémon fights ever created.
The expanded regional Pokedex meant you could catch 210 Pokémon before the credits rolled. Diamond/Pearl restricted you to 150, many of them weak early-game types. Platinum also increased the fire-type selection from two evolution lines to five.
This is the definitive Sinnoh experience. Skip Diamond/Pearl entirely unless you find them for $10.
Main story: 30–35 hours
Post-game content: 25–30 hours
Total catchable Pokémon: 210 (before Elite Four)
Current price: $50–$80 (loose cartridge)
The 2011 originals took a risk—no old Pokémon until after the Elite Four. You explored Unova with 156 completely new species. This made Black/White feel fresh for the first time since Gold/Silver.
The story stands out as the franchise’s most mature. Team Plasma questioned Pokémon training ethics. N, the primary antagonist, genuinely believed capturing Pokémon was wrong. The game didn’t give easy answers.
Unova’s design mimicked New York City’s layout. Castelia City remains the largest Pokémon city ever built. The seasonal changes meant different Pokémon appeared each month in certain routes.
Triple battles and rotation battles added new strategic options. Neither format caught on competitively, but they showed Game Freak experimenting with battle systems.
The Dream World online service shut down in 2014, removing access to hidden abilities for many Pokémon. This limitation hurts the experience today.
Main story: 30–35 hours
Post-game content: 15–20 hours
Total catchable Pokémon: 156 (before Elite Four)
Current price: $40–$70 (loose cartridge)
These 2007 games introduced Generation IV and the Sinnoh region. The underground wireless multiplayer lets you create secret bases and hunt for fossils with nearby players.
Diamond/Pearl added the physical/special split—the most important mechanical change in Pokémon history. Before this, all fire moves used the special attack stat, and all fighting moves used physical attack. Gen IV made each move physical or special based on logical sense.
The problems? Slow. Everything took too long. HP bars drained at a crawl. Battle animations stuttered. Surfing Pokémon moved like they swam through honey.
The regional Pokedex only included two fire-type evolution lines. If you didn’t pick Chimchar as your starter, you used Ponyta or nothing—the Elite Four member specializing in fire-types used two fire-types and three random Pokémon.
Play Platinum instead. It improves every aspect.
Main story: 30–35 hours
Post-game content: 15–20 hours
Total catchable Pokémon: 150 (before Elite Four)
Current price: $35–$60 (loose cartridge)
| Game | Release Year | Post-Game Hours | Catchable Pokemon | Best Feature | Skip If… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HeartGold/SoulSilver | 2010 | 30–40 | 493 | Two regions, Pokewalker | You want new content |
| Black 2/White 2 | 2012 | 40–50 | 300+ | Pokemon World Tournament | You skipped Black/White |
| Platinum | 2009 | 25–30 | 210 | Battle Frontier | You own Diamond/Pearl |
| Black/White | 2011 | 15–20 | 156 | Fresh story, all-new Pokémon | You need old favorites |
| Diamond/Pearl | 2007 | 15–20 | 150 | Underground multiplayer | Platinum exists |
Original DS cartridges now cost 2–3 times their retail price. HeartGold/SoulSilver command premium prices because of consistent demand.
Counterfeit cartridges flood the market. Check for Nintendo’s embossed logo on the label. Fake carts often have blurry text or wrong fonts. They may lose saved data randomly.
All DS Pokémon games work on the Nintendo 3DS family. The online features stopped working in 2014 (Dream World) and 2018 (GTS, Wonder Trade). You can still trade locally with another DS/3DS nearby.
The Pokewalker from HeartGold/SoulSilver connects via infrared. This works on DS Lite and DSi but not 3DS (which removed infrared). You can play the full game on 3DS, but you miss the Pokewalker functionality.
Version differences matter less than in older generations. Most exclusives appear in both paired games with different rarity levels. Buy based on price, not legendary Pokémon preferences.
Yes, but only through local wireless between two DS/3DS systems in the same room. Online trading ended in 2018.
No. DS games are not compatible with Nintendo Switch hardware or software.
Version differences are minimal. Buy based on which legendary Pokémon you prefer or whichever is cheaper.
No. A Japanese cartridge works on a US DS system. The game text will be in Japanese, though.
Check for Nintendo’s embossed logo, examine label print quality, and verify the cartridge color matches authentic photos online. When in doubt, buy from reputable retro game stores with return policies.
Yes, through Pokémon Bank (3DS) and Pokémon Home (Switch), but you need a 3DS as an intermediate step. You cannot transfer directly from DS to Switch.
