Summary
- The Nintendo 3DS had a great library of games that utilized its unique features, making it a popular and comfortable handheld console.
- Many of the best games for the 3DS are still being played today, with some becoming classics and inspiring other titles.
- Games like Bravely Default, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, and Pokémon Sun and Moon were highly regarded for their innovative gameplay and recieved positive reviews from fans and critics.
The Nintendo 3DS family of handheld consoles are still used by many today due mainly to the incredible library of games released for them. Features such as dual screens, touchscreen, 3D capability, and the Street Pass all helped set the little handheld apart from its predecessors and the competition. These mechanics were used to great effect for many of the titles that were designed for the system, but even games that did not use its unique technology were still good.
It is difficult to narrow down the best games for the Nintendo 3DS line, as so many of these games are still great, even if Nintendo no longer supports the systems. Despite the 3DS having been introduced in 2011, they are still regularly played, and many of its games went on to become classic favorites or even inspire other titles over the coming decade. This list has been crafted based on review scores and focuses on games that originally debuted on Nintendo with the 3DS rather than the many that were ported over from the Nintendo 64.
10 Bravely Default (2012)
Developed By Silicon Studio
Bravely Default is an innovative turn-based RPG featuring a party of four characters in a world known as Luxendarc. The battle and job systems in the game were innovative for the genre and went on to inspire other games in addition to its own sequel. This, combined with its large number of interesting character classes, fantastic soundtrack, deep narrative, and beginner-friendly formula, made it a popular title that many have compared to Final Fantasy.
9 Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (2014)
Developed By Capcom
The Monster Hunter series continues to release new games, but Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for the Nintendo 3DS is heralded as one of the best games on those handhelds for its dynamic monster-hunting experience that involves being able to ride on top of monsters while attacking and the vertical freedom to scale walls. The inclusion of two new weapon classes provided a new experience for longtime fans, and yet the game is very beginner-friendly overall. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate also added online multiplayer to the series, letting friends join together in hunting the 98 monsters in the game over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
8 Pokémon Sun And Moon (2016)
Developed By Game Freak
Pokémon Sun and Moon added 81 pocket monsters to the series, new Alolan forms of some of the prior Pokémon, and was the first to debut the extradimensional Ultra Beasts. Set in the beautifully tropical Alola region, these games presented the powerful Z-Moves that could be used once per battle and Poké Rides to call Pokémon not in the current team to help in a battle if necessary. Its switched-up battle interface formula helped to make the series more user-friendly and led to the game receiving many very positive reviews from fans and critics alike.
7 Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (2013)
Developed By Next Level Games
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon was the sequel to the 2001 GameCube title Luigi’s Mansion and included a new multiplayer mode for both local and online play with friends. In addition to its adventure game characteristics of putting Luigi in the leading role while looking for treasures and defeating ghosts, it also is responsible for introducing the adorable Polterpup ghostly canine who was a mischievous thief of items that Luigi needed to complete the game, but inevitably became Luigi’s phantom pet. A remaster of Dark Moon is currently in development and scheduled to be released in the summer of 2024.
6 Pokémon X And Y (2013)
Developed By Game Freak
The Pokémon X and Y games earned themselves some of the highest Metacritic ratings for any game in the series due to their 3D graphics and gameplay innovations, such as being the first game to have Mega Evolutions. This was also the first game to allow players to customize their avatar, adding to the immersive quality of the game and making good use of its art style. Fairy-type Pokémon were revealed in these games as a balance to Dragon-type attacks, and the new battle format of Sky Battles that featured duels between flying Pokémon were also introduced.
5 Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2012)
Developed By Nintendo
The adorable Animal Crossing series of games has its fourth entry on the Nintendo 3DS with Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which lets a player take on the role of mayor in a town of animals. Even now, after the monumental success of the Nintendo Switch’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, many still return to the 3DS to play New Leaf. This peaceful social simulator solidified many of the ideas that prior entries in the series were trying to create, as well as making its cozy style become a familiar virtual home for many who still experience life in their villages today.
4 Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (2016)
Developed By Heartbeat and ArtePiazza
Dragon Quest VII first debuted on the PlayStation 1 console as Dragon Warrior VII but was not available on Nintendo consoles until its remake for the 3DS in 2016. It is a massive JRPG with an ambitious story that can easily take over 100 hours to experience in full. Its party-member relationships and class system set it apart, along with the removal of random encounters in lieu of having visible enemies that players can attempt to avoid. Though it is up for debate on which DQ game is the best in its franchise, Dragon Quest VII was one of the best games released on the 3DS.
The original Dragon Quest VII was released in 2000 in Japan
3 Super Mario 3D Land (2011)
Developed By Nintendo
Every good Nintendo console needs to have a striking and memorable Super Mario game in its ranks. Super Mario 3D Land was released shortly after the Nintendo 3DS system came out and offered unique 3D features that showed off the capabilities of the handheld console. Previous attempts at 3D Mario games for the N64 made it hard to see where objects were all the time, but the autostereoscopic technology on the 3DS system made it much easier to control. 3D Land‘s technical design and creative gameplay helped to pave the way for many future games, including Super Mario Galaxy and, of course, Super Mario 3D World for the Nintendo Switch.
2 Fire Emblem Awakening (2012)
Developed By Intelligent Systems
The tactical role-playing game, Fire Emblem Awakening, was innovative in its plot and ability to form relationships and is considered by many to be the best entry into the Fire Emblem series. It introduced features to make the RPG more approachable, such as Casual Mode and many support conversations that not only added to the narrative but helped gently guide players when needed. With an incredible Metacritic Universal Acclaim score of 92, it was supposed to have been the last game in the Fire Emblem series but ended up leading to many more due to its runaway success.
1 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013)
Developed By Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda has seen many hits in its career, but one that has promoted sales for the Nintendo 3DS handheld consoles was A Link Between Worlds. It was created as a successor to the SNES game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and has many similarities while still holding its own as a standalone game. A mix of nostalgia and novelty, A Link Between Worlds gave an exciting adventure for Link to travel on as he rescues the Seven Sages and defeats Yuga. This game was the first in the Zelda series to truly give players the choice of what weapons and dungeons to approach first in an early approach to open-world mechanics.