So it's common knowledge that Animal Crossing for the GameCube features playable NES games. The game features nineteen (in the West) built-in NES games, all Nintendo-made, that you can interact through special furniture items that you get through randomly digging up your town, villager e-Reader codes, or various other means. This includes the so-called "Forbidden Four", games that can't be obtained through Nook codes, and in some cases, any method outside save hacking and newly-crafted e-Reader dot codes: Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., and Super Mario Bros..
Less common knowledge is that the NES emulator built into Animal Crossing actually supports nearly any NES and Famicom Disk System game you can throw at it. There's an obtainable blank NES item which was previously thought merely decorative (compared to the NES items for each built-in game, which feature their respective game box on top), which was found in 2018 to scan the player's memory card for specially-wrapped NES and FDS ROMs, allowing play of any NES and FDS game in Animal Crossing through this specific furniture item!
(Brief aside on name: This emulator is referred to in the game code as both qfc (probably the wrapper name) and ksNes (the core emulator itself), ksNes likely after the two developers that worked on it, Tomohiro Kawase and Hideaki Shimizu. This emulator is also present in Metroid Prime, The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, and a few others. It's technically inaccurate to call it ACNES as a result, but I'm going to call it that because Nintendo never officially named it in their marketing, and most folks will probably experience custom ROMs in this emulator through Animal Crossing anyway.)
While it's been said that ACNES is more accurate than later official NES emulators, compatibility with the NES library has yet to be documented (because let's be honest, there's far more convenient ways to play NES games these days). I've elected to methodically inject and test all US-released NES games to see how the emulator reacts.
Here's some caveats of my testing:
- These were tested on the American Animal Crossing—I've since learned compatibility is markedly different between ACNES as featured in DnM+, AC, and e+. This list is only (probably) accurate for Animal Crossing.
- I have only tested American-released NES games. European and Japanese games are untested. Aftermarket games (herein referred to as "homebrew", "unlicensed", or "prototype", for fanmade, finished-but-unsanctioned, or unfinished during the NES' commercial lifespan games respectively) have been occasionally tested, but this list cannot be considered complete on them.
- I tested these using Nintendont on a 2008-ish Wii (so full GameCube ports, post-Boot2 writing, pre-DVD functionality removed). There's always the potential for Nintendont to cause some compatibility errors. If anyone would like to verify any of this with a proper disc version of Animal Crossing, be my guest.
- I'm only playing through enough of each game to verify that it boots and to see if anything in normal gameplay is nonfunctional. This is for my time and sanity, and I feel like NES games are simple enough to where, if they get through the first level, the rest of the game is probably fine. If you try to play through any of these in ACNES, you may discover later-game bugs that I didn't. Email me at mariteaux@somnolescent.net to let me know about these, please.
- At the moment, I'm using a yet-unreleased version of Cuyler36's ACNESCreator to inject saves. This version has a new UI, improvements in functionality, and the ability to create games that save correctly. You will not get these results with the public build of ACNESCreator as of writing this. Some games will fail to boot, and others will experience bugs not present in my current injects. Cuyler will release his new tool in time; this list is still 95% accurate for the current build of ACNESCreator.
- Following on from the last point, I've occasionally had to upgrade the working status of some of the games in this list because they didn't work with a previous version and now do work. A game marked "Broken" isn't broken necessarily because of ACNES; it could be our working knowledge of the emulator or a bug in the tool I'm using. Games will be retested in the future as the tools improve.
Games are rated on a scale of FUBAR to Official:
| Unknown |
I haven't tested this game yet. |
| FUBAR |
Broken enough to cause issues with the host game of Animal Crossing. |
| Broken |
Won't boot, but also doesn't lock up or cause further issues. |
| Partial |
Boots, but something prevents proper play. This could be substantial visual glitching, or it could be game functionality not working. Broken saving also falls into this category, even if the game otherwise plays fine. |
| Visual |
Playable, but with visual glitching or abnormalities that wouldn't occur on a proper NES console or a more accurate emulator. |
| Perfect |
Runs with zero issues, least as far as I've tested. |
| Official |
Reserved for the games built into Animal Crossing. These all run flawlessly, as you could expect from being built into the base game. |
If you get different results with any of the following games, again email me at mariteaux@somnolescent.net to get in touch. I'll update this list to the best of my abilities and the weirdos injecting games into their Animal Crossing saves like me will be all the better off for it. If a Japanese or European version of a game happens to work where the American one does not, I'll make note of it.
(This list was last updated 2024/05/03; it is currently incomplete! I am testing about ten games a day, going in alphabetical order. Bear with me in the meantime; if I keep up with my town, I should be done in a few months.)
#
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| 10-Yard Fight |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| 1942 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| 1943 - The Battle of Midway |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The 3D Battles of World Runner |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| 720 Degrees |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| 8 Eyes |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
A
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Abadox |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Action 52 |
Unlicensed |
Broken |
AC reports memory card could not be read and kicks you out of ACNES. |
| The Addams Family |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt |
Licensed |
Visual |
Title screen appears all black and there's graphical distortion under the play area. |
| AD&D: DragonStrike |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| AD&D: Heroes of the Lance |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| AD&D: Hillsfar |
Licensed |
Broken |
Black screen. |
| AD&D: Pool of Radiance |
Licensed |
Partial |
Game works fine, but saving does not. |
| Adventure Island |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Adventure Island 2 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Adventure Island 3 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Adventures in the Magic Kingdom |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The Adventures of Bayou Billy |
Licensed |
Perfect |
The shooting stages optionally use the Zapper, which doesn't work with ACNES. |
| Adventures of Dino Riki |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The Adventures of Giligan's Island |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Adventures of Lolo |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Adventures of Lolo 2 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Adventures of Lolo 3 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The Adventures of Rad Gravity |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Adventures of Tom Sawyer |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Air Fortress |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Airwolf |
Licensed |
Visual |
Graphics display in black and white. |
| Al Unser Jr. Turbo Racing |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Alex DeMeo's Race America |
Licensed |
Partial |
Severe graphical distortion when the view switches to behind the car. |
| Alfred Chicken |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Alien 3 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| All-Pro Basketball |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Alpha Mission |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Amagon |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| American Gladiators |
Licensed |
Partial |
The Wall and Assault events don't seem to work correctly. |
| Anticipation |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Arch Rivals - A Basketbrawl! |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Archon |
Licensed |
Partial |
Sound works, but no graphics appear. |
| Arkanoid |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Arkista's Ring |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Astyanax |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Athena |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Athletic World |
Licensed |
Partial |
Boots, but requires the Power Pad and cannot be played. |
| Attack of the Killer Tomatoes |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
B
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Back to the Future |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Back to the Future Parts II & III |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bad Dudes |
Licensed |
Partial |
Black screen after the "rescue the president" text. |
| Bad News Baseball |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bad Street Brawler |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Balloon Fight |
Licensed |
Official |
|
| Bandai Golf: Challenge Pebble Beach |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bandit Kings of Ancient China |
Licensed |
Partial |
Graphical distortion when text boxes disappear and saving doesn't work. |
| Barbie |
Licensed |
Partial |
Severe graphical distortion along the score and item display bar. |
| The Bard's Tale |
Licensed |
Partial |
Game works fine, but saving does not. |
| Barker Bill's Trick Shooting |
Licensed |
Partial |
Boots, but requires the Zapper and cannot be played. |
| Base Wars: Cyber Stadium Series |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Baseball |
Licensed |
Official |
|
| Baseball Simulation 1000 |
Licensed |
Visual |
The HUD on the batter screen vibrates constantly. |
| Baseball Stars |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Baseball Stars 2 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bases Loaded |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bases Loaded 2: Second Season |
Licensed |
Partial |
Top half of the screen glitches when swinging, making timing swings difficult. |
| Bases Loaded 3 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bases Loaded 4 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Batman Returns |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Batman: Return of the Joker |
Licensed |
Broken |
Black screen. |
| Batman: The Video Game |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Battle Chess |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The Battle of Olympus |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Battletoads |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Battletoads Double Dragon |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Beetlejuice |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Best of the Best: Championship Karate |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bigfoot |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure |
Licensed |
Broken |
Black screen. |
| Bill Elliot's NASCAR Challenge |
Licensed |
Partial |
Game goes to black screen after race start. |
| Bionic Commando |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The Black Bass |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Blades of Steel |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Blaster Master |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Blue Marlin |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The Blues Brothers |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bo Jackson Baseball |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bomberman |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bomberman II |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bonk's Adventure |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Boulder Dash |
Licensed |
FUBAR |
Reboots AC. Enjoy your Resetti visit! |
| Bram Stoker's Dracula |
Licensed |
Visual |
Sprites appear all black. Eventually loses all color. |
| Break Time: The National Pool Tour |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Breakthru |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bubble Bobble |
Licensed |
Visual |
There's a constant beeping under the music during gameplay. |
| Bubble Bobble Part 2 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bucky O'Hare |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Bump 'n' Jump |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Burai Fighter |
Licensed |
Visual |
The very bottom of the HUD is cut off. |
| Burgertime |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
C
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Cabal |
Licensed |
Broken |
Only a solid blue screen appears after a few seconds. |
| Caesar's Palace |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| California Games |
Licensed |
Visual |
Screen shakes in Skating, some wonky text in BMX. Plays fine otherwise. |
| Captain America and the Avengers |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Captain Planet and the Planeteers |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Captain Skyhawk |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Casino Kid |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Casino Kid II |
Licensed |
Broken |
Black screen. |
| Castelian |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Castle of Dragon |
Licensed |
Broken |
Black screen. |
| Castlequest |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Castlevania |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Castlevania II: Simon's Quest |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Caveman Games |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Championship Bowling |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Championship Pool |
Licensed |
Visual |
Graphics display in black and white. |
| Cheetahmen II |
Unlicensed |
Broken |
AC reports memory card could not be read and kicks you out of ACNES. |
| The Chessmaster |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Chiller |
Unlicensed |
Broken |
AC reports memory card could not be read and kicks you out of ACNES. |
| Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2 |
Licensed |
Visual |
Rescue Rangers tokens don't have their sound when you collect them. |
| Chris Evert & Ivan Lendl in: Top Players' Tennis |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Chubby Cherub |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Circus Caper |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| City Connection |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Clash at Demonhead |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Classic Concentration |
Licensed |
Visual |
Graphics display in black and white. |
| Cliffhanger |
Licensed |
Visual |
Graphics display in black and white. |
| Clu Clu Land |
Licensed |
Official |
|
| Cobra Command |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Cobra Triangle |
Licensed |
Partial |
Visual distortion over the top third of the screen makes it difficult to steer. |
| Code Name: Viper |
Licensed |
Visual |
The very bottom of the HUD is cut off. |
| Color a Dinosaur |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Commando |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Conan |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Conflict |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Conquest of the Crystal Palace |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Contra |
Licensed |
Perfect |
I've beaten this one on ACNES! Truly perfect. |
| Contra Force |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Cool World |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Cowboy Kid |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Crash 'n' the Boys: Street Challenge |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Crystalis |
Licensed |
Partial |
Game works fine, but saving does not. |
| Cyberball |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine |
Licensed |
Partial |
Playable, but severe graphical distortion makes the game unrecognizable. |
D
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Dance Aerobics |
Licensed |
Partial |
Boots, but requires the Power Pad and cannot be played. |
| Danny Sullivan's Indie Heat |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Darkman |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Darkwing Duck |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dash Galaxy: In the Alien Asylum |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| David Crane's A Boy and His Blob |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Day Dreamin' Davey |
Licensed |
Visual |
Ground textures in the first area are paletted incorrectly. Likely other visual errors. |
| Deadly Towers |
Licensed |
Broken |
AC reports memory card could not be read and kicks you out of ACNES. |
| Defender II |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Defenders of Dynatron City |
Licensed |
Visual |
Some of the text displays with the incorrect background color. |
| Deja Vu |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Demon Sword |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Desert Commander |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Destination Earthstar |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Destiny of an Emperor |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dick Tracy |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Die Hard |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dig Dug II |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Digger T. Rock: The Legend of the Lost City |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dirty Harry: The War Against Drugs |
Licensed |
Visual |
Sewers appear entirely black aside from sprites and the outline of the pipes. |
| Donkey Kong |
Licensed |
Official |
|
| Donkey Kong 3 |
Licensed |
Official |
|
| Donkey Kong Jr. |
Licensed |
Official |
|
| Donkey Kong Jr. Math |
Licensed |
Official |
|
| Double Dare |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Double Dragon |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Double Dragon II: The Revenge |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Double Dribble |
Licensed |
Unknown |
|
| Dr. Chaos |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dr. Mario |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dragon Fighter |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dragon Power |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dragon Spirit |
Licensed |
Partial |
Black screen after title screen. Music continues indefinitely. |
| Dragon Warrior |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dragon Warrior II |
Licensed |
Unknown |
|
| Dragon Warrior III |
Licensed |
Unknown |
|
| Dragon Warrior IV |
Licensed |
Unknown |
|
| Duck Hunt |
Licensed |
Partial |
Boots, but requires the Zapper and cannot be played. |
| DuckTales |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| DuckTales 2 |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dungeon Magic: Sword of the Elements |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Dynowarz: The Destruction of Spondylus |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
E
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Elevator Action |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Eliminator Boat Duel |
Licensed |
Perfect |
|
| Excitebike |
Licensed |
Official |
|
F
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
G
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Golf |
Licensed |
Official |
|
H
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
I
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Ice Climber |
Licensed |
Official |
|
J
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
K
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
L
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| The Legend of Zelda |
Licensed |
Official |
|
M
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Mario Bros. |
Licensed |
Official |
|
N
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
O
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
P
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Pinball |
Licensed |
Official |
|
| Punch-Out!! |
Licensed |
Official |
|
Q
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
R
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
S
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Soccer |
Licensed |
Official |
|
| Super Mario Bros. |
Licensed |
Official |
|
T
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Tennis |
Licensed |
Official |
|
U
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
V
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
W
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
| Wario's Woods |
Licensed |
Official |
|
X
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
Y
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
Z
| Name |
Release Type |
Compatibility |
Notes |
