What are the Top 5 Donkey Kong Country games?
For such a long-running franchise, there’s not actually that many Donkey Kong Country games. Sure, the Super Nintendo was spoiled with 3 of them, but then there was a 14-year gap until Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii.

Luckily, Donkey Kong fans got the 3D collectathon Donkey Kong 64 and other spinoffs during the long wait, plus a bunch of ports and remakes of the SNES games. And, yes, even a Game Boy spinoff trilogy which featured new levels. Those games, called Donkey Kong Land 1, 2, and 3, are good, but none of them are better than the console Donkey Kong Country titles.
When all is said and done, there’s only 5 main Donkey Kong Country games released for home consoles.
With the new release of the rather disappointing DKCR port for Switch, I thought it would be time to finally figure out the Top 5 Donkey Kong Country games. So without further ado, let’s find out!
5. Donkey Kong Country 3
Donkey Kong Country 3 is a great game, and just because it’s last on my list doesn’t mean it isn’t one of my favorite games. I have great memories playing this game as a child.

Childhood Memories
I can recall one of the best nostalgic moments of my life was playing this game after watching an episode of the old Pokemon anime, and then finding out that school would be cancelled due to a snow storm. There was something about the atmosphere of playing the waterfall level, combined with nothing but good feelings and good news, that contributed to such a memorable moment for me that has stayed with me for decades. So, yeah, I have special feelings for this game.
Dinky Kong?
That being said, I really hoped after Donkey Kong Country 2, that Donkey Kong would finally be playable again. Instead, we got Kiddy Kong. Or, more appropriately, Dinky Kong as he’s known in Japan.



Look, Dinky Kong isn’t bad, but I don’t understand why he exists. As far as I know, he has barely shown up since this game, so he feels like one of the many characters from the TV show Dexter that appear for a few episodes, then just disappear forever.
Nothing about Dinky Kong is better than the OG (Donkey Kong) so I wish they just brought him back.
The Atmosphere
As far as the levels are concerned, Donkey Kong Country 3 has great atmosphere. Maybe even better atmosphere than the original game. I love the snow levels and the new penguin enemies. There’s just something fun about stomping on penguins. I don’t know, maybe I’m a simple man with simple needs.

But despite some great level themes, like the factory levels, there’s also the kind of boring mill levels. Don’t get me wrong, the first time I played a mill level, I liked it. But they got boring after a while, and the scenery just didn’t work for me. As mentioned, though, there’s lots of good stuff.
The music was composed by Evelene Fischer, or Eveline Novakovic as she’s known now, and the tunes are pretty good. I’ve already done a Top 10 video for the best music from Donkey Kong Country 3, so here I’ll just say that David Wise actually composed the music for the GBA port of the game.
There’s some debate on which soundtrack is better, but I’ll just say this:
Donkey Kong Country 3 for GBA is the only version which features a song by Alabama 3, the composers of the Sopranos theme song, called “Ain’t Goin to Goa.”
Okay, maybe that was a joke…but maybe not. They sound a little bit similar.
4. Donkey Kong Country
The original Donkey Kong Country is a classic, and without it we wouldn’t even have this article—and the world would be a darker place for that.

The Legend Begins
So many characters were introduced in this 1994 Rare re-imagining of Donkey Kong. We of course got Diddy Kong, but also Candy Kong, Cranky Kong, Funky Kong, and all the animal buddies like Rambi, Enguarde, Winky, Espresso, and Squawks. While not every animal buddy has had success after the Super Nintendo, they still hold a place in every Donkey Kong fan’s heart.
And who could forget about the Kremlings?

Oh…Nintendo, that’s who.
King K. Rool remains the ultimate villain of the Donkey Kong series, and I loved his final boss fight in this game. It was such a fourth-wall breaking tease.
This game was also the first to feature the beautiful David Wise music we’ve all come to love, and basically every other staple of the franchise for many decades.
That being said, it does feel like the first game of a trilogy. It’s fairly short—I think the shortest of the Donkey Kong Country games—but that also means it’s good for speed running.

Honestly, there’s nothing negative I can really say about this game. For the time it released, it was pretty much perfect. Unfortunately—or not—it’s a victim of its own success, spawning sequels that actually outperformed it in quality.
3. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Oh, boy, I can already hear the comments. Look, I love Tropical Freeze, but it’s not the absolute best of the Top 5 Donkey Kong Country games (in my opinion).

What’s Wrong?
Let’s get the negatives out of the way first: the levels run a bit too long for my taste. I prefer Returns because the levels are more pick-up-and-play without a huge time commitment, and also the fact they never outstay their welcome. There were times, when playing Tropical Freeze, that I felt a level should have ended sooner. That’s…not really a great feeling to have.
Also, Tropical Freeze, unlike Returns, doesn’t get a free pass from me for not featuring the Kremlings. I could forgive that in Returns, but after the 2018 Switch port of Tropical Freeze, I no longer wished to hide the fact I’m disappointed that the enemies in Tropical Freeze aren’t as memorable as the original SNES trilogy. Likewise, I also couldn’t keep hiding my disappointment about the animal buddies being mostly forgotten.
With all that being said, let’s talk positives.
What’s Right?
Tropical Freeze is a beautiful game, with even more beautiful music. The game marks the return of David Wise, who was missing in DKC Returns and the third Super Nintendo game.
And, let’s be honest: David Wise really does make a huge difference in the quality of the game.
There were also some improvements over DKC Returns, including underwater levels which were amazing. There was also more dynamic camera angles, and naturally, better graphics.

Best of all, Cranky Kong, Dixie Kong, and even Funky Kong in the Switch version, were all playable. This marked the first time that Cranky Kong and Funky Kong were playable in a DKC game, and I will always appreciate that.
Also, the boss battles in the game were a clear improvement over DKC Returns. They could’ve been even better if they brought back K. Rool, but I’m not going to beat a dead crocodile.
2. Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii was a perfect reboot of the franchise. Developed by Retro Studios, the game featured just enough returning elements to keep fans happy—such as the music, some of the characters and animal buddies, and of course the traditional gameplay.

I already reviewed this game in detail in my 21-minute Donkey Kong Country Returns HD review, so if you’re interested in my full thoughts on the game, make sure to check that out.
In brief, though, I really enjoyed the level variety, and the absolute perfect length for each level over Tropical Freeze. This is just personal preference, since I’m sure many of you prefer Tropical Freeze. You’re not wrong, you just have a different opinion.
DKCR was outstanding, so what could possibly beat it?
1. Donkey Kong Country 2
Donkey Kong Country 2 is the best console Donkey Kong Country game. It took everything great about the original game, and just improved upon it. Not only do you have incredible graphics, the best music of the entire series, and the best atmosphere, but you also have a new character, Dixie Kong, who actually changes the way you play the game significantly.

Using Dixie Kong’s ponytail to hover was just plain fun and opened up new possibilities in platforming.
The levels were also more complex, varied, and challenging, with even more creativity such as new mechanics like rising and falling water, and of course the bramble mazes. You also had the Lost World for even more challenge.



New Characters, Amazing Boss Fights
The new animal buddy, Rattly the Rattlesnake, was really fun to play and jump around with like a spring. He was also joined by Squitter the Spider, who could shoot and make web platforms.
Squawks also returned, except this time he could even carry the Kongs and shoot projectiles.
The boss fights were more challenging and, frankly, more aesthetically pleasing than the original game. Best of all, Crocodile Isle was a darker, more atmospheric world, and featured my absolute favorite level themes.
The Best Theming
Maybe I was just a morbid kid, but I liked the ghost chases, the haunted forests, the damp swamps, and best of all the Krem Land roller coasters. I would do some pretty messed up things to get a new Donkey Kong Country game that had a nighttime roller coaster level again. Pure perfection.
While Tropical Freeze may technically be the best game graphically and musically, that goes without saying. It’s a 2014 game versus a 1995 game. Of course, a 1995 game can’t compete on a technical level. But on an artistic level, I just love the style and theming of DKC 2 more than any other DKC game.
And, for the time it released, DKC 2 was much more graphically impressive than Tropical Freeze for its time.
The gameplay still holds up in 2025, and I’ll even say the graphics and sound are still amazing too—which may be my nostalgia talking, but I stand by it.
Conclusion
All 5 DKC games are incredible, and I only wish we got more of them. Any one of these Top 5 Donkey Kong Country games could be considered the “best” and I wouldn’t actually argue with you. Even DKC 3 has some elements that are better than DKC 2 or Returns. No one is wrong, and everyone is entitled to their subjective opinions.
With that being said, what is your personal Top 5 Donkey Kong Country games? Let me know in the comments down below!

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