Make a game that runs on the Nintendo DS, in two weeks. Any genre, any tool, solo or in a team. Your entry is a .nds file that anyone can play in a free emulator.

When: Friday 13 November 18:00 UTC to Sunday 29 November 22:00 UTC.

Rules

1. Your entry is a .nds file (a zip with the .nds and a short readme is fine). It must start in melonDS or DeSmuME without BIOS or firmware files (melonDS's built-in boot is enough). Running on a real DS or DSi is welcome, not required.
2. Make it during the jam. Your own code libraries and engines are fine. So are free assets you have the right to use: credit them in your readme.
3. No Nintendo code, BIOS or ROM files in your entry. No characters, music or art from other people's games unless they gave you permission.
4. Say which tool or SDK you used on your submission page.
5. Follow itch's own rules, including how itch asks you to mark AI-generated content.

Tools: any. Most DS homebrew today is made in C or C++ with devkitPro's devkitARM and libnds, or with BlocksDS (both free and open source). Any engine or language that ends in a working .nds is welcome. If you'd rather skip setting up a toolchain, our own DS Homebrew Game Maker (Lua, Windows, paid) builds a .nds without one: https://kestrelworks.itch.io/ds-homebrew-game-maker

No prizes, no judging. Every entry is listed on the jam page for everyone to play. Play each other's games and say what you liked on their pages.

FAQ

• Do I need a real DS? No. melonDS and DeSmuME are free emulators for Windows, macOS and Linux.
• Can I make a DSi-only game? No: entries must start without any BIOS or firmware files. A DSi-enhanced game is fine if it also runs in DS mode.
• 3DS games? No, this jam is for .nds files (3DS homebrew is a different format).
• Can I continue an old project? Start a new game for the jam. Your own tools and libraries can be old.
• Teams? Yes. Add your teammates as authors on the submission.
• Where can I ask about the DS hardware or an SDK? Each SDK's own documentation and the DS homebrew forums answer most questions. This page has no comment section, so everything about the jam itself is in this FAQ.
• Is this an official Nintendo jam? No. It's run by Kestrelworks, a small tool maker.

Not made by or affiliated with Nintendo. "Nintendo DS" is a trademark of Nintendo.