Donkey Kong Bananza is a 2025 platform game developed by Nintendo EPD for the Nintendo Switch 2. The player controls the gorilla Donkey Kong, who ventures to the planetary core with the teenage Pauline. Similar to EPD's Super Mario Odyssey (2017), the player explores sandbox-like levels while completing objectives, battling enemies, and collecting objects. Bananza is distinguished by its destructible environments; the player can destroy most terrain to create paths and find items. They can upgrade Donkey Kong's abilities by collecting banana-shaped diamonds and obtaining power-up transformations.

EPD began working on Donkey Kong Bananza following Super Mario Odyssey's completion, following a request from the manager Yoshiaki Koizumi. It was the first internally-developed Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (2004), and Koizumi and Donkey Kong's creator Shigeru Miyamoto provided input. EPD wanted to honor Donkey Kong's past while establishing a new direction. They made greater use of the voxel technology that allowed players to manipulate terrain in some Odyssey levels, with large, destructible worlds emphasizing Donkey Kong's strength. The development began on the original Nintendo Switch, but shifted to the Switch 2 due to technical constraints.

Nintendo released Donkey Kong Bananza on July 17, 2025, following a marketing campaign that included Nintendo Direct presentations, demo exhibitions, and live service game events. It was the first original Donkey Kong game since Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014) and the first 3D platformer since Donkey Kong 64 (1999). Bananza received acclaim; critics considered it the Switch 2's killer app and praised its visuals, gameplay, level design, and story, but criticized the camera and frame rate. It has sold 4.52 million copies, making it the second-bestselling Switch 2 game. It was one of the highest-rated games of 2025 and was nominated for numerous accolades, including Game of the Year.

Donkey Kong Bananza is a 3D platformer and adventure game that emphasizes destruction and open-world exploration. Journalists have compared it to Super Mario Odyssey (2017), with some describing it as a successor. As the gorilla Donkey Kong, the player collects the Banandium Gems, golden banana-shaped diamonds, while exploring sandbox-like levels in an underground world. Each underground layer has a unique theme, including ice, lava, and tropical biomes.

Donkey Kong can roll, punch, slap the terrain, pick up and throw objects, and climb most surfaces. The player learns five animal-themed power-up transformations from non-player character (NPC) elders: a gorilla transformation that increases Donkey Kong's strength; a zebra transformation that increases his speed; an ostrich transformation that allows him to glide and drop egg bombs; an elephant transformation that allows him to inhale and spit terrain; and a snake transformation that increases his jump height. The player can use and swap between transformations at any time, though their duration is limited by an energy meter.

The player completes missions, solves puzzles, and fights enemies to collect Banandium Gems, which are also found by exploring or progressing through the story. Banandium Gems are used to upgrade Donkey Kong's abilities from a skill tree. There are reportedly up to 1,000 Banandium Gems obtainable, 777 of which are tracked as unique collectibles. Collecting them is optional, and it is possible to complete the game without obtaining any. While exploring, the player discovers secluded areas where they must complete challenges including platforming, solving puzzles, defeating enemies within a time limit, and mining for gold. They are rewarded Banandium Gems or gold upon completion. Some areas contain side-scrolling sections, referencing the Donkey Kong Country games, and minecarts.

The player can receive advice from, assist, and obtain Banandium Gems from NPCs, including Donkey Kong characters such as Cranky Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Rambi. When Bananza starts, Donkey Kong befriends Odd Rock, an anthropomorphic purple stone who directs him towards objectives. As the game progresses, Odd Rock is revealed to be a young Pauline, who can use her singing voice to activate Donkey Kong's transformations, remove seals, and, if a second player controls her in a co-op mode, emit explosive projectiles. Bananza supports GameShare, allowing a second player to control Pauline locally or online on another Nintendo Switch 2, or locally on an original Nintendo Switch.

Bananza is distinguished by its destructible environments: Donkey Kong can smash almost every surface and destroy terrain. He can rip pieces of the environment from the ground or walls and throw them to uncover items or destroy enemies, or use them as snowboards. Soft terrain can be stacked to create new paths. Destroying environments allows for varied traversal; for instance, Donkey Kong can dig underground and create a path to another area of the world. He can also uncover Banandium Gems by digging. The extent to which the player can destroy the environment is limited by a layer of unbreakable bedrock at the bottom of each level. Large bosses block the routes that link each layer, and the player must defeat each to progress. Progress is tracked in a 3D world map, and giant eels allow players to fast travel to different layers or across the current layer.