Best 3DS Games of All Time: 25 Ranked

2026-10-02 · 14 min read · By the Dixon App Studio LLC editorial team

The best Nintendo 3DS games ranked: Zelda, Fire Emblem, Pokémon, Mario Kart 7 and hidden gems, sorted by what you want to play, plus what still works after the eShop closed.

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Quick answer: the best 3DS game is The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Close behind are Fire Emblem Awakening, Super Mario 3D Land, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Kid Icarus: Uprising. If you only buy one Pokémon game for the system, make it Pokémon Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon.

The 3DS is the last Nintendo handheld that was only a handheld, and its library holds up better than its reputation. It had two screens, a stylus, a glasses-free 3D effect most people switched off, and some of the best games Nintendo and its partners made in the 2010s. Nintendo reports 75.94 million 3DS systems and 392.31 million 3DS games sold worldwide as of June 30, 2026 (Nintendo IR, hardware and software sales units, 2026). So there are a lot of cartridges out there, and most of the best ones are still cheap.

This list is ranked for someone picking up a 3DS (or digging an old one out of a drawer) today. It favours games that still play well, games that are hard to get anywhere else, and games that use both screens for something more than a map.

At a glance

| Rank | Game | Genre | Best for | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds | Action adventure | Anyone; the best place to start | | 2 | Fire Emblem Awakening | Tactics RPG | Strategy fans, long commutes | | 3 | Super Mario 3D Land | 3D platformer | Short sessions, the 3D effect | | 4 | Animal Crossing: New Leaf | Life sim | Ten minutes a day for a year | | 5 | Kid Icarus: Uprising | Action shooter | Something you can't play elsewhere | | 6 | Pokémon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon | Monster-collecting RPG | The fullest Pokémon on the system | | 7 | Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate | Action RPG | Hundreds of hours | | 8 | Bravely Default | Turn-based JRPG | Classic Final Fantasy fans | | 9 | Mario Kart 7 | Kart racing | Local multiplayer | | 10 | Shin Megami Tensei IV | Dark JRPG | Hard, grown-up RPGs | | 11 | Xenoblade Chronicles 3D | Open-world JRPG | New 3DS owners only | | 12 | Kirby: Planet Robobot | Platformer | Relaxed, polished fun | | 13 | Metroid: Samus Returns | Metroidvania | Exploration and boss fights | | 14 | Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon | Puzzle adventure | Families | | 15 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D | Action adventure | Zelda fans who skipped the N64 | | 16 | Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy | Puzzle adventure | Puzzle lovers | | 17 | Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies | Visual novel | Story and courtroom drama | | 18 | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia | Tactics RPG | A second Fire Emblem | | 19 | Rhythm Heaven Megamix | Rhythm | Two-minute bursts | | 20 | Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | Fighting | Smash on the go | | 21 | Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King | JRPG | A cozy 60-hour quest | | 22 | Picross 3D: Round 2 | Logic puzzle | Puzzle sessions in bed | | 23 | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey | Comedy RPG | Laughs plus turn-based fights | | 24 | Tomodachi Life | Life sim | Weird, funny Mii drama | | 25 | Pushmo | Puzzle platformer | Clever, bite-sized levels |

The top 10

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

It reuses the overworld of A Link to the Past and then breaks the series' oldest rule: you rent or buy almost every item from the start, so you can tackle most dungeons in the order you like. Link can also merge into walls as a painting and walk along them, which turns every room into a two-layer puzzle. It is tight, fast and rarely wastes your time. If you love it, our games like A Link to the Past list is the natural next stop.

2. Fire Emblem Awakening

The game that saved Fire Emblem. You move a small army across grid maps, pair units up so they protect each other, and in Classic mode a fallen unit is gone for good. The support conversations between characters are why people replay it: who you pair up changes who the next generation of your army will be. Casual mode removes permadeath if that sounds like too much.

3. Super Mario 3D Land

A 3D Mario built for a handheld: short, tidy levels with a flagpole at the end, like a 2D Mario level seen at an angle. It is the game that uses the 3D effect best. Gaps and platforms are easier to judge with it switched on. Finishing the first set of worlds unlocks a second, harder set that doubles the game.

4. Animal Crossing: New Leaf

This time you are the mayor. You choose public works projects, set town ordinances (a "night owl" ordinance keeps shops open late) and visit a shopping street that grows as you play. It is still the most relaxing game on the system, and if you have never played it, it shows why the series turned into a phenomenon on Switch. Fans of the genre should also see our games like Animal Crossing list.

5. Kid Icarus: Uprising

A rail shooter in the air, a third-person shooter on the ground, and a loot game with hundreds of weapons in between. The writing is constantly funny, with characters talking over the action all the way through. The stylus-aiming controls take an hour to click, and the game ships with a stand for a reason. It has never been re-released, so the 3DS is still the only place to play it.

6. Pokémon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon

The 3DS had four generations' worth of Pokémon, and the Ultra versions are the most complete. They are set in the Alola islands, swap gyms for island trials, and add more postgame than Sun and Moon. Pokémon X and Y were the first fully 3D main games and are still good. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are the best remakes on the system. Our games like Pokémon list covers what to play next.

7. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Hunt a huge monster, carve materials from it, forge better gear, hunt a bigger monster. That loop sounds simple and lasts hundreds of hours because every weapon type plays like a different game. MH4U added climbing and mounting monsters, and it is the friendliest entry point among the handheld Monster Hunters.

8. Bravely Default

A turn-based JRPG from Square Enix that plays like a love letter to job-system Final Fantasy. Its twist is in the name: "Default" banks a turn, and "Brave" spends up to four at once, so every fight is a gamble on when to go all-in. You can also change encounter rates and difficulty at any time, which removes most of the old-school grind.

9. Mario Kart 7

It added gliders, underwater driving and kart customisation, all of which later Mario Karts kept. It is also the best-selling game on the system: 18.99 million copies, ahead of Pokémon X/Y at 16.80 million (Nintendo IR, 3DS top-selling titles, as of March 31, 2026). With local wireless, several 3DS owners in one room can still race each other.

10. Shin Megami Tensei IV

A hard, dark RPG set in a ruined Tokyo, in which you recruit demons by talking them into joining you and fuse them into stronger ones. Hitting an enemy's weakness gives you extra turns, and the enemies get the same bonus against you. It is the most demanding game on this list, and one of the most rewarding.

11 to 25: the rest of the best

11. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D

A huge open-world JRPG squeezed onto a handheld. It needs a New Nintendo 3DS or New 2DS XL, not an original 3DS. The Switch version looks far better, but the 3DS port is a remarkable piece of engineering.

12. Kirby: Planet Robobot

Kirby gets a mech suit that copies abilities just as he does. It is easy to finish and hard to 100%, with some of the best boss fights in the series.

13. Metroid: Samus Returns

A full remake of Metroid II with a melee counter and a 360-degree aim. It is the 2D Metroid that led directly to Metroid Dread.

14. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

Several smaller mansions instead of one big one, each full of ghost-catching puzzles. It is a great pick for a younger player.

15. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

The strangest Zelda, rebuilt with a bigger screen and better menus. The three-day loop and the masks are as unsettling as ever.

16. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy

The last of the original Layton puzzle adventures, with hundreds of brain teasers once you add the daily puzzles. For more of this kind of thing, see our best puzzle games.

17. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies

The courtroom drama moves into 3D with a new "mood matrix" for reading witnesses' emotions. Spirit of Justice is a close second.

18. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

A remake of the second Fire Emblem with full voice acting and dungeons to explore. It's a different rhythm from Awakening and a worthy second helping.

19. Rhythm Heaven Megamix

A collection of tiny rhythm games, each a few minutes long. They are easy to learn, hard to perfect, and very catchy.

20. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

Smash on a small screen, with a Smash Run mode found only on 3DS. Ultimate on Switch replaced it, but it is still a fine handheld fighter.

21. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

One of the best classic JRPGs. The 3DS version adds two party members and a camera you can use to take photos of the world.

22. Picross 3D: Round 2

Chip away at a block of cubes using number clues until a 3D object appears. It's endlessly replayable and perfect for short sessions.

23. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

A remake of the funniest Mario RPG, in which the brothers explore Bowser's insides while he fights on the outside.

24. Tomodachi Life

Put Miis of your friends on an island and watch them fall in love, fall out and sing about it. It is closer to a soap opera than a game, and that is the appeal.

25. Pushmo

Pull blocks out of a wall to build a staircase to the top. It is simple to learn, and the later puzzles are devious.

Best 3DS games by what you want

For a first 3DS game: A Link Between Worlds or Super Mario 3D Land.
For RPG fans: Fire Emblem Awakening, Bravely Default, Shin Megami Tensei IV and Dragon Quest VIII. Our best JRPGs of all time ranks more.
For kids: Kirby: Planet Robobot, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Mario Kart 7.
For hundreds of hours: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Pokémon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon.
For five minutes at a time: Rhythm Heaven Megamix, Picross 3D: Round 2 and Pushmo.
Never re-released: Kid Icarus: Uprising.

Can you still buy 3DS games?

Not digitally. Nintendo says that as of March 27, 2023, it is no longer possible to make purchases in Nintendo eShop on the 3DS family of systems. You can still redownload games you already bought, and online play ended on April 8, 2024 (Nintendo Support, 2026). So today you play 3DS games from cartridges, and multiplayer means local wireless with friends in the same room.

That makes physical copies the way in. The big first-party games sold millions, so used copies of Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land and the Pokémon games are easy to find. Smaller print runs cost more. Check our best retro handhelds guide if you'd rather play other classic systems on the go.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best 3DS game of all time?

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is our pick. It lets you rent or buy almost every item at the start and play most dungeons in any order, and its wall-merging mechanic makes it feel different from every other top-down Zelda. Fire Emblem Awakening and Super Mario 3D Land are close behind.

What is the best-selling 3DS game?

Mario Kart 7, with 18.99 million copies sold worldwide as of March 31, 2026, according to Nintendo's investor relations site. Pokémon X/Y (16.80 million) and Pokémon Sun/Moon (16.34 million) are second and third.

Can you still buy 3DS games on the eShop?

No. Nintendo stopped eShop purchases on the 3DS family on March 27, 2023. You can still redownload games you already own, but new purchases have to be physical cartridges.

Which 3DS games only work on the New 3DS?

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is the best-known one: it needs a New Nintendo 3DS, New 3DS XL or New 2DS XL. An original 3DS or 2DS can't run it.

What are the best 3DS games for kids?

Kirby: Planet Robobot, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. All are easy to pick up and have no violent content beyond cartoon bopping.

Is the 3DS worth buying in 2026?

If you can find one at a fair price, yes. It plays a large library of games that were never ported, such as Kid Icarus: Uprising, and it also plays most DS cartridges. Remember that the eShop is closed, so you will be buying games on cartridge.