The Hardest Donkey Kong Games

Although his rival, Mario, has become the more prominent franchise, Nintendo fans continue to love and appreciate Donkey Kong after all these years. This affection is evident with the release of Donkey Kong Bananza, one of the most anticipated games of the year, which launched on July 17, 2025. The game is the latest in a long line of titles that have varied in their challenge levels.

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From his original debut in the Donkey Kong arcade game to later titles on the Wii U and Switch consoles, Donkey Kong has taken gamers across a variety of worlds with signature challenges. Some DK games prove to be delightful jaunts in the universe that Nintendo has created over the years, while others can push players’ buttons and put their skills to the test.

9

Donkey Kong

The Original Arcade Game Can Still Provide A Challenge

The original game featuring the titular character, along with Mario, played a crucial role in defining video games for an entire generation. Without it, Nintendo may not have become the company it is today. In Donkey Kong, everyone’s favorite ape serves as the villain, while Mario attempts to rescue Pauline from DK’s grasp as he constantly throws barrels down a tower filled with obstacles.

Since there is no official ending to Donkey Kong, the game continues to become more challenging, testing players’ reflexes until they are ready to stop. One wrong move is enough for Mario to fail, as all arcade games were essentially designed to maximize the number of quarters they pulled from consumers. However, this is far from the hardest arcade game to ever exist.

8

Donkey Kong Country

The SNES Allowed Donkey Kong’s Grandson To Shine

When the SNES launched, everyone received new Mario games as expected. However, Nintendo decided to bring back Donkey Kong in a brand-new way, featuring 2.5D visuals and sidescrolling gameplay. It was all thanks to the team at Rare, who helped turn Donkey Kong Country into an iconic 90s game that spawned its own franchise.

Collecting the various items, such as letters that spell Kong, along with every banana, is easier said than done if someone is aiming for 100% completion. Some levels are marathons of running, jumping, or riding vehicles, requiring the player to memorize every frame to collect everything, which can even result in an alternate ending after beating the evil King K. Rool.

7

Donkey Kong Country 3: Trixie’s Double Trouble!

Over-Familiarity Resulted In An Underrated Threequel

Many fans consider Donkey Kong Country 3: Trixie’s Double Trouble to be the black sheep of the original Rare era of games because it feels a lot like more of the same. On the one hand, it still features the addictive 2D action side-scrolling gameplay that fans loved. On the other hand, some players felt that the third installment didn’t do enough to distinguish itself from the previous two games.

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Despite this, Trixie’s Double Trouble has enough quality to be a memorable title in the series, with Trixie and Kiddy Kong taking the lead to thwart Baron K. Roolenstein’s plot. The game offers a challenge, but it’s manageable for fans of the first two entries, especially since it is noticeably shorter, even when aiming for 100% completion.

6

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Players Were Fighting The Controls As Much As The Enemies

When the series made a triumphant return on the Wii, Donkey Kong Country Returns made a big splash by going back to basics, delivering 2D gameplay with 3D visuals. It may feature new developers at the helm of the project, but most fans were pleased with how it looked, sounded, and played, delivering a capable game that combines collecting bananas and fighting the Tiki Tak Tribe.

The difficulty of Donkey Kong Country Returns varies depending on which release of the game players have access to. The original version on the Nintendo Wii stood out from other Donkey Kong Country titles for its noteworthy motion controls that were not only mandatory but also created some frustration. The HD remaster for the Nintendo Switch allows players to utilize conventional controls if they prefer, which makes the experience slightly easier.

5

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Fans Were Given A Balanced Adventure Worthy Of A Remaster

What began as an exclusive for the Nintendo Wii U was given a remaster on the Nintendo Switch, allowing Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze to be a defining Donkey Kong game for two generations of Nintendo fans until the release of Donkey Kong Bananza. It features Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Cranky Kong as four playable characters, with Funky Kong as a bonus.

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Some levels in Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze can test players’ patience, particularly in the later parts of the game that feature challenging enemies and tricky platforming sections. However, most fans agree that Tropical Freeze strikes a fine balance as a moderately challenging game. It offers a consistently enjoyable experience that never becomes overly stressful or tedious for players.

4

Donkey Kong Bananza

DK And Pauline Showcase The Capabilities Of The Switch 2

Donkey Kong makes a leap to 4K visuals on the Nintendo Switch 2 featuring a new design, partner, and open-world gameplay akin to Super Mario Odyssey. Those familiar with Odyssey will get an idea of how challenging Donkey Kong Bananza is, as Donkey Kong and Pauline dig into the center of the planet to collect gold and bananas.

As the game progresses, Donkey Kong always feels like he is prepared for anything that comes his way, whether it is taking on the latest boss or completing an objective. However, Donkey Kong Bananza also never feels too easy, offering a balanced difficulty throughout that keeps the player on their toes just enough to maintain the story’s fun and engaging tone.

3

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest

Rare Did Not Monkey Around With The Sequel

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest is the second game in the Rare series, following a similar concept to its predecessor. Players move left and right to collect bananas, letters, and other items. Often regarded as the definitive title in the Donkey Kong series, this game allows players to play as Diddy Kong in his own side-scrolling adventure.

As a sequel, Diddy’s Kong Quest takes the formula established by the original and expands upon it, creating a 2D sidescroller that gradually increases in difficulty over time. Since the game is much longer than the first, it allowed Rare to go all out with more collectibles and more intricate levels that will push players to the limit in some instances.

2

Diddy Kong Racing

Not The Typical Mario Kart Clone

Those familiar with Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing may think they know what they are getting into with Diddy Kong Racing, but it’s an entirely different beast to deal with. It’s a demanding racer that is known for punishing players if they make the slightest mistake in a race, making it a challenge in itself to regain their placement, whether it’s in a car, boat, or aerial vehicle.

Diddy Kong Racing also puts even more emphasis on characters having unique perks and weaknesses that can change an entire race, especially in the multiplayer mode. Strangely enough, Donkey Kong was excluded from the roster in favor of other Kongs and characters from other Rare games, such as Conker’s Bad Fur Day and Banjo-Kazooie.

1

Donkey Kong 64

Character Swapping Ruins The N64 Collect-Athon

Rare drew inspiration from their other 3D platformer franchise, Banjo-Kazooie, and attempted to incorporate it into Donkey Kong 64, a title that remains divisive on the Nintendo 64 after many years. Part of that is due to its difficulty, which is not the result of innovative game design, but rather the game’s gimmick of having a multitude of characters to play as.

Many collectibles can only be acquired by specific characters, which requires backtracking. A lot of backtracking. In certain areas, only one item requires a character like Diddy Kong or Tiny Kong to reach it, forcing the player to go back, find a character swap point, and return to the area as that character. It drags the gameplay on for much longer than needed, often leaving players frustrated by Donkey Kong 64 rather than thrilled.

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