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Importing Custom Songs into Guitar Hero on DS: Options and Alternatives

You cannot import custom songs into any Guitar Hero game on Nintendo DS. The DS cartridges store fixed tracklists; no SD card slot, no DLC support, no homebrew loader for custom charts on retail hardware.

Why It's Impossible on DS

No writable storage accessible to game (save data only).
Audio engine streams from cartridge ROM—no runtime decoding of MP3/OGG.
Chart format is proprietary, compiled into ROM.

Platforms That Do Support Custom Songs

Platform	Game / Tool	Method
PC	Clone Hero (free)	Drag .chart/.mid + .ogg/.mp3 into Songs folder. Best community, 5-lane + drums/keys.
PC	Phase Shift (free)	Supports GH/RB charts, MIDI instruments, keyboard play.
PC	Guitar Hero III PC + Mods	GH3+CP, GH3 Control Panel for custom charts.
PC/PS3/360	Rocksmith 2014 + CustomsForge	Real guitar/bass. Import .psarc (converted from GP5/GPX/TAB).
PS3 (CFW)	Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock + CH/RB3CON	Requires jailbroken PS3. Complex setup.
Wii (Homebrew)	Guitar Hero 5 / Warriors of Rock + Customs	Riivolution / USB Loader GX + custom .sng/.chart packs.

Best Starting Point

Clone Hero on PC. Free, active community (Discord/Reddit), supports guitar controllers (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, generic USB), keyboard, and MIDI. Download song packs from Chorus or CustomsForge.

If you're committed to handheld, Frets on Fire runs on some Linux handhelds (Steam Deck, Anbernic), but not stock DS/3DS.

Nintendo DS