Platform guide
Donkey Kong 3DS games
There is one. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D came out in Europe on 24 May 2013 and it is the only Donkey Kong game ever sold on a Nintendo 3DS cartridge here. Two more appeared on the system, but neither was a physical game — one was a box with a download code in it and the other was a free eShop title, and both disappeared when the shop closed in 2023.
The short answer
One cartridge: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (2013), the Wii game rebuilt for the handheld with an extra world and an easier New Mode. It runs on every 3DS and 2DS model. The Game Boy has four Donkey Kong games and the DS three, so if you are after more of the series, that is where to look.
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D in stock
European version, opened, checked and started on a real 3DS before it was listed.
Everything Donkey Kong that reached the 3DS
| Release | Europe | Format | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D | 24 May 2013 | Cartridge | Still available second-hand |
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars | 20 March 2015 | Download code in a box | Gone — eShop closed 2023 |
| Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge | 2016 | Free eShop download | Gone — eShop closed 2023 |
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (2013)
Retro Studios made Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii in 2010; Monster Games rebuilt it for the 3DS three years later. It is the same game — eight worlds of precise, punishing platforming, the best-looking Donkey Kong since the SNES — with three things added.
First, a New Mode: an extra heart, more items in Cranky’s shop, and a Green Balloon that catches you once when you fall. It is there because a handheld gets played in ten-minute bursts on a train, and the Wii version was built for an evening on a sofa. Second, an extra world of eight levels after the credits, which the Wii version does not have. Third, the stereoscopic depth, which suits the layered backgrounds better than almost any other 3DS game.
What it loses is the motion control — no more shaking a Wii Remote to ground-pound — and nobody has ever complained about that.
Or buy one that has already been checked
Every 3DS cartridge we sell is European, opened, and started on a real console before it is listed — so it boots on your machine and you know whether somebody else’s save is still on the card. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries.
See every 3DS game we haveQuestions we get asked
How many Donkey Kong games are there on the Nintendo 3DS?
One on a cartridge: Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, released in Europe on 24 May 2013. Two others appeared on the system but neither was a physical game here — Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars came in a box containing a download code rather than a cartridge, and Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge was a free eShop download. Both went with the eShop when Nintendo closed it in March 2023.
Is Country Returns 3D the same game as the Wii original?
Mostly, with two additions. It is the 2010 Wii game rebuilt for the handheld by Monster Games, with the stereoscopic 3D effect and a New Mode that gives Donkey Kong an extra heart and more items in the shop — aimed at people playing in short bursts on a train rather than on a sofa. There is also an extra world of eight levels unlocked after the main game, which the Wii version does not have. The controls lose the motion shake, which most people count as an improvement.
Where are the other Donkey Kong games, then?
Spread across other consoles. The Game Boy has four (the 1994 Donkey Kong and the three Donkey Kong Land games), the Nintendo DS has three cartridges, the SNES has the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, and the Wii and Wii U have Returns and Tropical Freeze. The 3DS only ever got this one, which is unusual for a Nintendo handheld and is why searching for a list turns up so little.
Are 3DS cartridges region-locked?
Yes. A 3DS game only starts on a console from the same region, so a European Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D needs a European 3DS, 2DS or New 3DS — an American or Japanese copy will not boot. The older handhelds are different: Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and DS cartridges are all region-free. Everything we sell is the European version.
Does it work on a 2DS?
Yes, on every model. It runs on the original 3DS, the 3DS XL, the New 3DS and New 3DS XL, the 2DS and the New 2DS XL. On the 2DS you lose the stereoscopic depth, which is the one thing the "3D" in the title refers to — the game itself is unchanged. It does not need a New 3DS, unlike a handful of later cartridges.
What should I check on a used 3DS cartridge?
The region first, because a wrong-region card simply will not start. Then the save: 3DS cartridges keep the save on the card, so a second-hand copy usually carries somebody else’s progress, which you can clear from the game’s own menu. And look at the contacts and the label print, as with any second-hand cartridge.
Do you ship Donkey Kong 3DS games across the EU?
Yes — tracked shipping from the Netherlands to all 27 EU countries, no customs charges inside the EU, and 30 days to return an order. Your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
More Donkey Kong: the three DS cards, the four Game Boy cartridges, or the whole series in order. Same cartridge slot, different franchise: all Mario 3DS games and all Pokémon 3DS games.
Dutch reader? Nintendo 3DS-games — het hele aanbod in het Nederlands.