Platform guide
All Zelda DS games
There are two, and they belong together: Phantom Hourglass (2007) and Spirit Tracks (2009). Both are sequels to The Wind Waker with the same Toon Link, both are played almost entirely with the stylus, and both are still the only Zelda games ever made for the DS. Here is what each one is, which to start with, and what to look at on a used card.
The short answer
Phantom Hourglass (2007) continues The Wind Waker at sea; Spirit Tracks (2009) follows it a century later by rail, with Zelda herself as your companion. Spirit Tracks is the better-paced of the two and the one to buy first if you are only buying one. Both play on any DS, DS Lite, DSi, 3DS or 2DS.
Both games, in order
| Game | Year (EU) | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Phantom Hourglass | 2007 | Direct sequel to The Wind Waker |
| Spirit Tracks | 2009 | Sequel to Phantom Hourglass, a century later |
Game by game — the buying notes
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007)
Picks up months after The Wind Waker with the same Toon Link and the same ocean, now sailing a steamboat. Everything is done with the stylus — moving, aiming, the boomerang you draw a path for — and it is the game that proved a Zelda could work that way. The Temple of the Ocean King, which you re-enter again and again against a timer, is the part people argue about; the 2007 design has aged better than its reputation.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009)
The same engine and the same Toon Link a hundred years on, with a train instead of a boat and Princess Zelda travelling with you as a ghost you can possess enemies with — the most involved Zelda has ever been in her own game. Longer and better paced than Phantom Hourglass, with no repeated central dungeon. If you only buy one Zelda DS card, buy this one.
Where the DS pair sits in the series
These two are the tail of the Toon Link line, which starts on the GameCube. The Wind Waker (2003) → Phantom Hourglass (2007) → Spirit Tracks (2009): one continuous story with the same Link, the same art style and a world that is mostly water. Nothing before or after connects to them directly, so you can play the pair without having finished any other Zelda — but if you have played The Wind Waker, start here.
The handheld line then moves to the 3DS, which plays these two cards as well: Ocarina of Time 3D, A Link Between Worlds, Majora’s Mask 3D and Tri Force Heroes. One 3DS or 2DS therefore covers every handheld Zelda from 2007 onwards.
What we check on a used Zelda DS card
A DS card has no battery in it — it writes to flash memory — so unlike a Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridge there is nothing inside that ages out. What matters is the label, the contacts and the save. We boot every card on real hardware, start a file to confirm the memory writes, and clear the previous owner’s saves. Counterfeit DS cards exist but are far rarer than Game Boy Advance fakes; the checks are the ones in our authenticity guide.
Or buy one that has already been checked
Every DS card we sell is play-tested on real hardware, with the save verified and cleared. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries.
Browse tested DS gamesQuestions we get asked
How many Zelda games are there on the Nintendo DS?
Two: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007) and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009). There are no others — no DS remake, no DS port, and no DSiWare Zelda. The next handheld Zeldas were on the 3DS: Ocarina of Time 3D, A Link Between Worlds, Majora’s Mask 3D and Tri Force Heroes.
Do I need to play them in order?
They are a pair, so yes if you can. Phantom Hourglass is a direct sequel to The Wind Waker on GameCube, and Spirit Tracks follows Phantom Hourglass a century later with the same Toon Link. Neither needs the other to make sense, but the ending of Phantom Hourglass sets up the world Spirit Tracks opens in.
Do the Zelda DS games work on a 3DS or 2DS?
Yes. Every 3DS, 2DS, New 3DS and New 2DS XL plays DS cards. The touch controls work the same on the bigger screen, and the stylus that comes with a 3DS is fine for both games. A 3DS card will not fit a DS, and neither DS game runs on a Switch.
Are they really controlled entirely with the stylus?
Almost. Movement, attacks, the boomerang and the map notes are all stylus, and both games were designed around that rather than adapted to it. You can play the whole of either game holding only the stylus, which is why they suit a train or a sofa better than a desk. The one thing you will want is a stylus that has not been chewed — we include one with every DS console we sell.
Will the save still be there on a used card?
Yes. DS cards write to flash memory and carry no battery. On a Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridge the save sits in memory kept alive by a coin cell, and those go flat after roughly twenty years; Game Boy Advance cartridges mostly use flash or EEPROM, with the battery — where there is one — running the in-game clock rather than the save. A 2007 copy of Phantom Hourglass still holds its save slots today. We boot every card, save a file to confirm the memory works, and clear whatever the previous owner left on it.
Do you ship Zelda DS 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.
One console up: all Zelda 3DS games — or the whole series in order. Same platform, different franchise: all Mario DS games and all Pokémon DS games.
Dutch reader? Zelda DS-games — dezelfde lijst in het Nederlands.