Donkey Kong Country - Play Online Free

About Donkey Kong Country

Rare rebuilt its 1994 SNES platformer for Nintendo's handheld in 2003, reworking the pre-rendered visuals to fit the Game Boy Advance screen. You take Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong through 40 levels across six worlds of jungle, mine carts, flooded caves, snowbound peaks and Kremling factories, then aboard the Gangplank Galleon for King K. Rool himself, chasing the stolen banana hoard the whole way. Both Kongs travel together as a pair and you swap between them with a button press.

Only one Kong takes a hit before running off, so keeping the two of them together is the real survival mechanic. Rolling into enemies, throwing barrels and riding animal buddies such as Rambi and Enguarde carry you through, while hidden bonus rooms and the K-O-N-G letters both feed the completion total. The handheld release adds a photograph scrapbook, Funky's fishing challenge, Candy's Dance Studio rhythm minigame and a DK Attack mode, plus short cutscenes at the start and end.

Why play Donkey Kong Country

This is not a straight copy of the SNES cartridge. The visuals were reworked for the handheld, several later worlds reorder their levels, and the bosses were rebuilt: Queen B. summons extra Zingers when hit, Really Gnawty brings down stalactites, Dumb Drum has to be answered with TNT barrels, and the two Master Neckys fight at the same time. Saving is no longer tied to visiting Candy at all, since you can save from the menu at any point, which is why her hut became a rhythm minigame.

Tips for new players

Roll off a ledge and jump mid-roll to clear gaps that look impossible; the same roll chains kills across a line of Gnawties.
Blue Krushas shrug off everything Diddy has. Switch to Donkey Kong and jump on them, or throw a barrel; the grey Krushas resist even DK's jump, so barrel them or simply jump over them.
Zingers cannot be stomped by either Kong, since their spikes bounce you off. Throw a barrel, grab an Invincibility Barrel, or ride Winky the frog, who can land on them safely.
In Stop & Go Station, touch a Stop & Go Barrel to flip the lights to STOP before you cross. Rockkrocs only curl up while the lights are red, and in this GBA version Donkey Kong's Hand Slap can destroy them outright.
Bonus rooms and K-O-N-G letters both count toward 101% in this version, so sweep each level before moving the map marker on.

Platform

Game Boy Advance (GBA)

Released

2003

Genre

Platformer

Publisher

Nintendo

Developer

Rare

Players

1 player

Price

Free

Default Controls

You can play with keyboard, gamepad, or touch (on mobile). The default keyboard layout is below; remap any key inside the emulator settings.

↑↓←→D-Pad

ZB

XA

AL

SR

EnterStart

ShiftSelect

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Game Boy Advance version the same as the SNES Donkey Kong Country?

The levels and structure are the same game, but the visuals were reworked for the small screen, some later worlds reorder their stages, and the boss fights were changed. The GBA cartridge also adds minigames, a photo scrapbook, cutscenes, save-anywhere and DK Attack mode.

What is DK Attack mode?

A GBA-exclusive challenge mode separate from the main quest. It combines time attack and score attack: you push through a level against a tight clock while scoring points for defeating enemies and collecting bananas and K-O-N-G letters.

How do you reach 101% completion?

You get 1% for each level you clear and 1% for each bonus room you find, and beating King K. Rool awards the last percent. In this GBA version you also need every K-O-N-G letter, which was not a requirement in the SNES original.

Is Donkey Kong Country really free to play?

Yes. Every game on OldGames.Games is free to play in your browser. There are no downloads, hidden fees or account requirement for single-player games.

Can I save my progress?

Yes. The emulator supports save states — you can save the exact moment you're at and resume later from any device by signing into a free OldGames account.