Ranking the Donkey Kong Country series

Oh how I love the Donkey Kong country games! Ever since I played the first game around Christmas 1994, I’ve been hooked. All of the games feature a fun Nintendo protagonist and have excellent platforming controls. Not to mention the atmosphere, charm, whimsy, and creativity is astounding in each entry. It’s one of my favorite series of all time (behind Zelda and Metroid). So let’s try ranking the Donkey Kong Country series!

5. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii/3DS/Switch)

I loved this game on release (we had a Donkey Kong Country series drought for nearly 15 years at that point) and enjoyed the challenge. But playing through it 2025, I was less of a fan! First, the gameplay always feels just a bit janky: the controls don’t seem as tight as Tropical Freeze, and level design never quite feels right. There are constant one-hit death traps that slow the pace to a crawl, a far cry from the kinetic original trilogy. Second, the remixed soundtrack of David Wise’s old work is a bit underwhelming; the brilliant OST of the DKC series is a huge part of the appeal. Third, there is a lot of “sameness” to atmosphere in each world compared to the variety found in the other titles, and enemy design and boss battles don’t stand out. The Tikis are just kind of…there?

And finally, while I love a tough platformer, I found many of the levels crossed the line into the “frustrating” kind of challenge, particularly some boss fights and mine cart/rocket barrel levels. It might sound like I’m super down on the game, but I promise, it’s still enjoyable. Just be ready for a gauntlet!

4. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie’s Double Trouble

This game had the misfortune of releasing right around the time the N64 did. And that wasn’t a “soft leap” like today’s console transitions-it was a mind-blowing revolution to the world of Mario 64, the likes of which had never (and possibly will never again) been seen! I completely missed out on the release back in 1996, and didn’t play it until more than a decade later when I was on a SNES nostalgia kick. And you know what? DKC 3 is a fun and charming game.

The “wooded North” motif of the game is fun and the explorable open-worldish maps are neat to navigate. David Wise’s genius is missed here, but the soundtrack is still quite good. And though level design can lean too heavily into “gimmicky” rather than “platforming nirvana”, there’s much to enjoy here and you’ll find yourself saying “cool idea!” more than once. There are more than enough delightful inclusions here, despite too many collectibles.You’ll have a lovely time playing through the game.

3. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

It is difficult to overstate how big a revelation this game was back in 1994. With the Nintendo 64 delayed and the Super Nintendo already several years old, Donkey Kong Country was the shot in the arm Nintendo needed to stay relevant. The graphics engine (developed with similar technology to Jurassic Park dinosaurs!) was just insane at the time, and utterly captivating, to say nothing of the delightful gameplay! The game was clever, easy to control, challenging but not too much so, and bursting at the seems with color and colorful ideas. My young daughters love watching me play this game, and always ask for “the water level” so they can listen to Aquatic Ambience! It was a cultural phenomena that’s still so nostalgic today. And I can’t believe Rare got it to run decently on Game Boy Color!

2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Honestly, this game and the ever elusive “Zelda Wii U” were the reasons I wanted to buy a Wii U console. As you already well know, I enjoyed Donkey Kong Country Returns, but felt a few elements were lacking. The trailers for this game looked like an improvement across the board, and lo and behold, it was! Once I popped the disc in I was enamored and couldn’t stop playing.

Tropical Freeze is absolutely delightful from start to finish. It bests its predecessor in every possible way, in my opinion. David Wise returns for amazing soundtrack that is only topped by DKC 2. The levels are ludicrously clever, each introducing a fun concept or mechanic, the ending before they outstay their welcome. I mean, just try to play through levels like “Grassland Groove” and not be utterly delighted! Dixie and Cranky as playable character is a fun choice than brings more diversity to the gameplay too. And the graphics are beautiful. My preferred way to play the game is now on my Switch, but I’ll always have a soft spot for the Wii U!

1. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

DKC 2 is platforming perfection, and one of my top 10 games of all time. I still play through it every fall, in October, and wrote a full retrospective for the 25th anniversary in 2020! The original Donkey Kong Country was already outstanding, but Rare really took what they learned and cranked things up to 11 with the sequel. Everything in Donkey Kong Country 2 is polished to a sheen.

Every world, and every single level, is drenched in atmosphere. Diddy and Dixie Kong are extremely responsive to control, making movement a constant source of joy. The soundtrack is phenomenal-I mean every single track. Each theme perfectly suits the levels it was written for, making them all the more atmospheric. It’s got just the right amount of collectibles and meaningful rewards for finding them. The bonus rooms are fun, varied, and the perfect degree of challenge. All of the animal buddies have a plethora of entertaining abilities, and are peak adorable. Sound design? Impeccable. The level titles are catchy and memorable. Heck, even the FONT in the game even perfectly suits it. This is Rare at their most glorious.

Want more rankings?

If you enjoyed this list and are a fan of platformers, check out my top 10 best Mario games, rankings of the classic Sonic games and Shantae series! The DKC inspired Kaze and the Wild Masks is also lovely if you haven’t played it.

How would you go about ranking the Donkey Kong Country series? Or are you not a big fan? Do you think we’ll see a third game from Retro Studios to cap off a trilogy, or are they too busy with Metroid Prime 4? Let me know in the comments below!