Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 11 playedEvery mainline Donkey Kong platformer in release order. Start at Tropical Freeze for 2D or Bananza for 3D.
Arcade originals
- 1 Donkey Kong
- 2 Donkey Kong Jr.
- 3 Donkey Kong 3
Country trilogy
- 4 Donkey Kong Country
- 5 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
- 6 Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
3D and experimental
- 7 Donkey Kong 64
- 8 Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Played with bongo controllers; a curiosity rather than a starting point.
Retro revival
- 9 Donkey Kong Country Returns Returns HD (2025) is the current version.
- 10 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Wii U original; Switch port (2018) adds Funky Kong mode.
Switch 2 era
- 11 Donkey Kong Bananza
About Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong started as Nintendo's 1981 arcade hit, then became a platforming series with Rare's Country trilogy on SNES, the collectathon Donkey Kong 64, and the bongo-controlled oddity Jungle Beat. Retro Studios revived the 2D formula with Returns and Tropical Freeze, and Nintendo's own Bananza took DK fully 3D and destructible on Switch 2 in 2025. Story continuity is thin across all of it, so release order is the play order.
Newcomers should start with Tropical Freeze (or its Switch port) for 2D, or jump straight to Bananza for 3D. The arcade originals and Jungle Beat are history lessons. Returns HD on Switch is the current version of Returns.
Good to know
Years use first release in any region. Jungle Beat launched in Japan in late 2004 and reached the West in 2005. Returns HD (Switch, January 2025) is the current version of Returns; the Tropical Freeze Switch port (2018) adds Funky Kong mode. Bananza's DK Island and Emerald Rush DLC followed in September 2025. Kart, sports and Mario vs. Donkey Kong puzzle spinoffs sit outside this list.
