A Nintendo DS cartridge that can still send PokePark Fishing Rally to other consoles has surfaced, more than 20 years after the game was built to erase itself. Collector Daniel Quadri showed the working cartridge to IGN, which first reported the find. The catch is that the cartridge now sits inside a sealed PSA case. No public copy of the game has been released.
What Quadri found
The game is PokePark Fishing Rally DS, called PokePark: Tsuri Taikai DS in Japan. It was a fishing minigame for guests at PokePark, a Pokemon theme park in Nagoya, Japan. Staff sent it to visitors’ DS consoles through Download Play stations inside the park from May to September 2005, IGN reports. The fan site Serebii lists the download window as May 10 to September 25, 2005.
Players caught Water-type Pokemon at several fishing spots. Other Pokemon made cameo appearances but could not be caught. Visitors competed in contests and events, and photos from the park show leaderboards of top scores. Kotaku compared the setup to a stamp rally or an early Pokemon Go. It said the play area was about the size of a Costco parking lot.
Quadri sent IGN exclusive photos and videos as proof. They show him running the game on a DS. They also show him sending it to other DS consoles, which could then play it. He has not said how he got the cartridge.
Why the game was considered lost
The game was never sold in stores. A downloaded copy stayed on a console for only 12 hours. Turning off the DS also erased it. Nobody could keep a copy after the event, so the game faded from view for two decades.
Sources differ on where the download was offered. IGN says it was only for park attendees and was never publicly released or officially distributed. Kotaku reports that some Pokemon Center stores in Japan offered it later. Notebookcheck lists Pokemon Centers and Pokemon Festa events as distribution points too.
What the cartridge can do
The cartridge works as its own download station. It holds the full game and can beam it to nearby DS systems over the console’s local wireless link. “I can send the full game directly to someone else’s DS through Download Play, without needing a download station,” Quadri told IGN.
Quadri also described turning on his DS, fishing quietly and reeling in a Gyarados. He told IGN that the moment let him feel what playing at PokePark in 2005 was like.
PSA sealed the cartridge
Quadri sent the cartridge to PSA, the collectibles grading company, for authentication. PSA catalogued the cartridge and sealed it in a protective case. Kotaku called PSA “contentious” in its coverage.
Claire Shelton, Head of PSA Video Games, gave IGN a statement. She said she had seen lost media before, but never from a franchise as important as Pokemon. She also said she got to play the game first-hand. In her view, PSA’s involvement lets any future buyer trade for the cartridge with full confidence. Dexerto reports that PSA’s certification listing confirms the item is genuine.
Why fans are upset
The sealed case has drawn criticism. Dexerto reports that fans and preservationists wanted the game copied into a ROM file first. A slab protects the cartridge, but the cartridge cannot go into a DS unless someone removes it.
One X user, Anthony (@KirbyCheatFurby), urged the owner to open the slab and dump the ROM, according to Dexerto. He said a new case could be bought once the software was saved. As of Dexerto’s report, no public ROM dump had been announced.
Quadri says he wants to help preserve the game. Kotaku reports he is interested in sharing the file so other DS systems can run it. He told IGN that preserving a game like this matters a lot to him, because Pokemon started with video games.
Timeline: how the lost game resurfaced
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| May to September 2005 | PokePark Fishing Rally is offered by Download Play at PokePark in Nagoya (Serebii: May 10 to September 25). |
| July 28, 2026 | A Japanese fan flags an eBay listing for a DS development and test cartridge, priced at 7,999 euros (Dexerto). |
| August 1, 2026 | That cartridge sells for 9,505 euros, about $11,000, to an unknown buyer (Dexerto). |
| November 13, 2026 | IGN reports Quadri’s working cartridge, already sealed by PSA. |
| November 14, 2026 | Dexerto reports fan anger over the sealed case and the lack of a ROM dump. |
How the two cartridges differ
The cartridge sold in August is a separate item. IGN says it held a leaderboard of past attendees’ scores. Its screen text translates to “Ranking transmission,” Dexerto reported in July. That suggested it handled rankings, not the game itself. Pokemon collector Professor Rex helped spread the listing on X, Notebookcheck noted. Quadri’s cartridge, by contrast, runs the full game and can send it to other consoles.
PokePark memorabilia in Quadri’s collection
Quadri also shared magazines, brochures and merchandise from PokePark with IGN. One item promotes a Summer Vacation Challenge. The first 200 people to catch a set “target” Pokemon won a special Nintendo DS scratch guard. A decorative fan advertised the same activity.
IGN also pointed to a visitor’s blog about a Shiny Magikarp catch at the park. Shiny hunters often restart their games to improve their odds. That trick could not work here, because a restart deleted the game.
What remains unclear
- Where the cartridge came from. Quadri has not shared its source.
- Whether a ROM dump will happen. Quadri says he wants to share the game, but no dump or release date has been announced.
- Whether the slab will be opened. No source says PSA’s case will be removed.
- Whether other copies exist. Kotaku says this appears to be the only confirmed fully playable copy.
- How Nintendo and The Pokemon Company feel about it. None of the reports include a comment from either company.
For now, the game exists in a sealed case. Its wider survival depends on what Quadri does next.
