Recently, Nintendo announced that it would be ending online support for 3DS and Wii U games.
Along with the closure of the 3DS eShop earlier this year, the announcement effectively marked the final end of the 3DS and Wii U era; of course, no new games were being produced for the consoles, but this feels very much like the final nail, so to speak.
With that in mind, then, this feels like the perfect time to reminisce about the 3DS’ exceptional library. Some truly excellent games were produced for Nintendo’s handheld, many of which you can still find if you’re willing to engage with the secondhand market.
Did you know: Many 3DS owners ask: Can You Back Up 3DS Game Saves?
Here, without further ado, are the top 30 Nintendo 3DS games of all time!
1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
The debate continues to rage regarding whether Majora’s Mask or Ocarina of Time is the better game, but for us, Nintendo’s weird time loop experiment just about clinches it.
While Majora’s Mask is certainly a less conventional Zelda title, it’s also a relentlessly clever adventure that uses its central time loop to great effect.
Whether you’re hunting for secrets in Clock Town or completing one of the game’s labyrinthine dungeons, Majora’s Mask is a deeply weird, cynical Zelda title that dips its toes into horror territory more than once throughout its running time.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
In second place, it’s the other Zelda game, the one that many consider to be the greatest game ever made.
Ocarina of Time is arguably showing its age in some places; this 3DS port cleans the game up a little and streamlines some of its more frustrating elements, but it still feels a touch clunky when compared to something like Breath of the Wild.
Still, the 1998 adventure is timelessly imaginative and creative, and it’s grand in its scope as well. If you’ve somehow yet to play Ocarina of Time, the 3DS port is arguably the best way to experience it.
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
For A Link Between Worlds, Nintendo returned to the top-down style of earlier Zelda adventures, but this isn’t purely a throwback; it’s got some clever and bold new ideas as well.
For one thing, Link can now “rent” items from a central shop rather than finding them in the overworld, meaning you can tackle dungeons in a non-linear order if you like.
Its other key innovation is Link’s ability to slip in and out of walls as a painting, bringing a new dimension (no pun intended) to Nintendo’s signature puzzling.
4. Fire Emblem Awakening
Fire Emblem Awakening served as many gamers’ introduction to the classic strategy RPG franchise, and it plays like a game that was created specifically for that purpose.
It’s simpler and more streamlined than many other Fire Emblem titles, and its story is rather more coherent than its predecessors as well, even with time travel thrown into the mix.
Even with those streamlining efforts, though, Awakening is still an excellent tactical RPG that should be on your list if you’re a fan of more cerebral gaming experiences.
5. Pokemon X and Y
For our money, Pokemon X and Y are the best Pokemon experiences available on 3DS, even if they’re not quite the most feature-rich.
The new set of Pokemon bring just as much verve and life to the franchise as any before them, and the story at the heart of X and Y is surprisingly touching as well.
These aren’t the biggest Pokemon games in the world, but they revitalised the franchise and brought the world of Pokemon into the realm of 3D.
6. Pokemon Sun and Moon
By the time of 2016’s Pokemon Sun and Moon, the technology powering Pokemon had begun to show its age somewhat, a fact unfortunately betrayed by some performance hitches.
Still, Pokemon isn’t a franchise that depends on technical prowess to succeed, and Sun and Moon are still great adventures that will appeal if you’re a fan of the franchise.
Don’t let the new Gym-less structure fool you; this is classic Pokemon through and through.
7. Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Built on the same tech as Pokemon X and Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire did for the third Pokemon generation what HeartGold and SoulSilver did for the second.
Your adventures through Hoenn are richer and more well-realised than they were on the Game Boy Advance, aided by some quality-of-life improvements that make things a little less arduous.
What’s more, the free-flight system looks ahead to Scarlet and Violet in a fascinating way.
8. Fire Emblem Fates
We’re including all of the Fire Emblem Fates titles under one umbrella here, as they all play somewhat similarly, even if they have different strengths.
To get the most out of the entire Fates saga, it’s a good idea to play all three games: Conquest, Birthright, and Revelation. Sadly, though, the latter is no longer available, as it’s digital DLC only.
That’s a shame, because this is one of the most intriguing narrative experiments the tactical RPG series has ever undertaken.
9. Super Mario 3D Land
Don’t let the naysayers dissuade you; Super Mario 3D Land is a fully-fledged Mario title, packing just as much invention and fun into its journey as any previous game in the series.
Nintendo’s level design is just as vibrant and imaginative as it’s ever been, and the gameplay is tight and satisfying, just as you’d expect from a Mario game.
Unusually, the 3D effect actually adds to proceedings as well, which is ironically rare for a 3DS game.
10. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
The original Luigi’s Mansion was a testament to Nintendo’s restlessly innovative spirit, being a GameCube launch title that was also a family-friendly survival horror game.
Dark Moon expands on the original game’s formula, bringing more mansions to explore and more ghosts to deal with while still retaining the core gameplay loop.
In short, if you love Luigi’s Mansion, you’ll like this as well, as it’s pretty much bringing more of the same, albeit bigger and better.
11. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing is another franchise that originally got its start on the GameCube, but it was arguably New Leaf that propelled the cosy life sim into stardom.
This 3DS game took life at its own pace and didn’t care if you wanted to rush things; often, major events in your town would take an entire real-life day to take effect.
That Zen philosophy carries over to future Animal Crossing games, too, but the series was arguably never as rich and satisfying as New Leaf, before or since.
12. Metroid: Samus Returns
After several years in the wilderness (and the awful Metroid Prime: Federation Force, which will not be making this list), Nintendo finally revealed a true blue Metroid game in the form of Samus Returns.
It’s a remake of the strange Game Boy curio Metroid II: Return of Samus, with a moody visual makeover and much sharper controls augmenting the same core experience of hunting down Metroids.
The melee parry move alone made Samus Returns a talking point, and although this Metroid adventure was a touch over-linear, it was more Metroid, and that alone is worth celebrating.
13. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
Following up the story started by Professor Layton and the Spectre’s Call (known as Professor Layton and the Last Specter in the US), Miracle Mask is also the first of the series to hit 3DS.
It’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a Professor Layton game; a cosy, calm story, lots of fiendish puzzles, and painterly visuals that help to immerse you in the professor’s unthreatening world.
If you’ve ever been known to cuddle up with a book of puzzles on a rainy day, then Professor Layton will almost certainly appeal to you, although Miracle Mask may not be the best place to start as it’s the second part of a trilogy.
14. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Cramming the Super Smash Bros. series onto a handheld was no mean feat, but Nintendo managed it anyway, and this excellent fighter proved to be enormously fun on 3DS.
It managed to make no roster concessions compared to its Wii U counterpart, either; all 58 playable characters made an appearance in both games (although the Ice Climbers were excluded from both due to the 3DS’ limitations).
Super Smash Bros. is a lightning-fast, technical fighter with an incredible sense of colour and momentum, so if you haven’t played it yet, this 3DS version is a solid place to begin.
15. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright
The title’s a little bit of a bait; obviously, Layton and Wright don’t spend the entire game at loggerheads, although there are one or two juicy moments where they face off against one another.
Rather, this curious adventure game is a mashup of the gameplay styles of both franchises, combining Layton’s puzzling with Wright’s courtroom drama and point-and-click mechanics.
The two franchises are a match made in heaven, especially when it comes to the high-concept ridiculousness of the setting, which is straight out of the Professor Layton playbook.
16. Kid Icarus: Uprising
The original Kid Icarus is a surprisingly brutal platformer that even many NES-era purists haven’t managed to finish, but Uprising is an altogether more newcomer-friendly proposition.
True, its controls take some getting used to; in many cases, an extra peripheral was included with Uprising boxes so that the 3DS could be held a little more comfortably during play.
Grow accustomed to the controls, though, and Kid Icarus: Uprising reveals itself as an excellent shooter, complete with an absolute embarrassment of riches to unlock and enjoy.
17. Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade Chronicles is a showcase for what the New 3DS hardware update can do. Only a handful of games took advantage of the system’s improved capabilities, and Xenoblade Chronicles is one of them.
Shulk’s journey is rendered in astonishing detail on the New 3DS; the expansive landscapes and epic vistas of the Wii original are recreated here with very few concessions.
Elsewhere, Xenoblade Chronicles is the same excellent RPG it was on the Wii, combining the obsessive exploration and collection of MMORPGs with the grand storytelling of a classic JRPG.
18. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
Just like Xenoblade Chronicles, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is an expat from the land of the Wii, although you won’t need a New 3DS to enjoy this one.
Nintendo’s sharply-tuned platformer reminds us why we loved the SNES original so much, but it also manages to carve out an identity of its own through clever level design and high, but manageable, difficulty.
The 3DS version also features an extra set of levels to challenge you even further, so if you thought the Wii original could do with a little extra bite, then here’s the game for you.
19. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
Like Xenoblade Chronicles (again!), Dragon Quest VIII was only compatible with the New 3DS, so if you happened to have one, you could enjoy one of the greatest JRPGs ever created.
The Dragon Quest series is synonymous with two things: a high level of polish and a refusal to change with the times in the way that Final Fantasy relentlessly does.
As such, Dragon Quest VIII is a very cosy, very familiar adventure, but if you can get on board with that, there are dozens of hours of adventuring to be had here.
20. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
One of the many tragic casualties of the 3DS being taken offline, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a fascinating experiment that proves the Fire Emblem series isn’t above innovating.
It takes the basic strategy RPG gameplay of Fire Emblem and adds in dungeon-crawling elements, as well as exploration that usually isn’t part of the typical Fire Emblem formula.
As a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, Echoes certainly brings the difficulty, too, so if you’re hoping for something that gives you an easier ride, you may be disappointed.
21. Mario Kart 7
Don’t let Mario Kart’s low place in this list make you think that it’s not worth the price of admission; that just shows how many other excellent 3DS games there were during the system’s lifetime.
Mario Kart 7 is very much business as usual, but when that business is a formula that’s worked for the series for decades, why tinker with it?
You know what to expect from Mario Kart: madcap racing with an emphasis on playing-field-levelling items rather than pure skill, gorgeous courses with plenty of shortcuts, and lots of Mario characters to enjoy racing as.
22. Bravely Default
Bravely Default is an excellent JRPG that throws things all the way back to the classic days of old-school Final Fantasy, so it’ll appeal if you think JRPGs are too convoluted these days.
It’s got everything: linear dungeons full of random encounters against monsters, a deep job system with which to experiment, and a plot that slowly becomes more and more phenomenal as you play.
The big twist, though, is the Brave and Default system, which allows you to bank turns to use them all up in one go. It’s a surprisingly intuitive system that works brilliantly with the game’s strategic combat.
23. Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward
Far too few people played the excellent Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors on DS, although thankfully, it, along with this game, is available as part of a collection on modern systems as well.
Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward is a narrative-driven puzzle-adventure game with a lethal twist; you’re recruited into a deadly game and must escape in order to save your life.
If you can imagine Professor Layton meets Saw with a healthy dose of Danganronpa thrown into the mix, then you’re pretty much there.
24. Shin Megami Tensei IV
A numbered Shin Megami Tensei instalment is always a big deal, and Atlus makes good on its promise to deliver the next iteration of the dungeon-crawling formula here.
If you’re a Persona fan, you might be shocked by the relative lack of narrative warmth in Shin Megami Tensei; these are fairly cold post-apocalyptic RPGs, and they’re all about the combat rather than the social elements.
That means you get an oceanically deep combat system full of synergies to discover and exploit, as well as plenty of dungeons to explore so you can test out your monsters.
25. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice
Where Dual Destinies unfortunately faltered in its ending, Spirit of Justice delivers a strong narrative shot through with themes of national identity, politics, and belonging.
It does so while never compromising the quirky spirit at the core of the Ace Attorney games, either. All three protagonists are as likeable and fun to hang out with as ever, so when the courtroom shenanigans begin, you’re firmly in their corner.
The conclusion might be just a touch overwrought, but hey – it wouldn’t be an Ace Attorney game without flagrant breaches of legal procedure at every turn, now would it?
26. New Super Mario Bros. 2
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a fundamental celebration of the wonders of capitalism. Okay, maybe that’s not entirely fair, but the game is all about collecting as many coins as you can, so it’s not unfair either.
The standard Mario platforming formula is here augmented by the need to collect as many coins as possible, meaning that they’re not just set dressing anymore; now, they’re a fundamental part of the experience.
Of course, this is still a Mario platformer at heart, so even if you are collecting coins as a primary objective now, this is still very much the same kind of familiar fun you’re used to from the series.
27. Shovel Knight
To put it simply, Shovel Knight is better than many of the games that inspired it. This is a retro throwback platformer with a few modern bells and whistles to make it less murderously punishing than its forebears.
Taking inspiration from games like Castlevania and Mega Man, Shovel Knight presents a series of tightly-tuned stages themed around different aesthetics, each of which comes with a wonderfully catchy tune you’ll be humming for the rest of your life.
What’s surprising about Shovel Knight is the relative richness of its narrative, though, so if you’ve come expecting the usual save-the-world nonsense, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.
28. Resident Evil Revelations
Launching several months ahead of the absolute disaster that was Resident Evil 6, Revelations brought the series somewhat back to basics.
It’s a more classic survival horror than its predecessors or successor; you’re exploring a tight, claustrophobic environment with plenty of blind corners for monsters to jump out from, and resource management is the name of the game.
The story is just as ridiculous as you’ve come to expect from the franchise, but if you’re hankering for a horror game on your 3DS, Resident Evil Revelations is a great pick.
29. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Bowser’s Minions
Unfortunately, the 3DS’ sole Paper Mario entry, Sticker Star, isn’t worth your time. Thankfully, though, this excellent remake of Superstar Saga very much is.
It updates the classic turn-based battling of the original with sharper visuals and some quality-of-life boosts, and it also comes complete with an extra storyline to bolster the content a little.
Granted, Bowser’s Minions isn’t the draw of the package, but Superstar Saga is just as great as it’s ever been, so pick this up if you’re new to the irreverent glory of Mario RPGs.
30. SteamWorld Heist
After the relatively brief but enjoyable shenanigans of SteamWorld Dig, Image & Form knocked it out of the park with this surprising left turn.
A turn-based strategy game featuring an innovative aiming mechanic, SteamWorld Heist kicked off the SteamWorld franchise as we know it, establishing the series’ penchant for genre experimentation.
It’s not a particularly long game, but that just means it doesn’t outstay its welcome, so put your thinking cap on and get ready to enjoy a strategic Western steampunk yarn with some excellent combat attached.
Summary
With the Nintendo Switch the go-to console for portable gaming, the 3DS still delivers a great experience for many gamers. These titles are worth playing through.
