50 Best Nintendo 3DS Games Of All Time

It may have had a slow start at launch back in 2011, but Nintendo 3DS steadily went from strength to strength and amassed a huge library of quality titles — enough to rival the company’s finest. Sure, glasses-free stereoscopic 3D turned out to be a bit of a non-starter, but the best games made great use of the feature and the ‘New’ hardware variant (which arrived in 2014) improved its ease of use considerably. Streetpass provided a genuine reason to keep the console on your person at all times and backwards compatibility with original DS carts opened an avenue to another whole console’s worth of fabulous games.

If your 3DS is collecting dust in some forgotten cupboard, you owe it to yourself to get reacquainted with the little portable; if you somehow skipped it completely, it’s time to snap up some great hardware and software deals while you still can.

So, here we bring you our collection of the top 50 games for 3DS — or more accurately, your collection of the top 50 games for 3DS. As you’ve probably read in the tagline above, the order here is all down to you lovely people. The ranking of this sizeable selection is governed by the user ratings for each game on this very site. It will continually evolve to reflect your votes, and logged in users can interact and rate the titles directly on these pages by hovering over the rating.

Can’t see your favourite on the list? Feel free to find it using the search tool below and give it a score out of 10. A game needs a minimum of 50 ratings to become eligible, so it’s entirely possible to influence the ranking and get your favourite games onto the list.

Note. In order for games to become eligible, they need a minimum of 50 User Ratings in total.

50. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (3DS)

Publisher:

Nintendo /

Developer:

Nintendo

Release Date:

11th Aug 2013 (USA) / 12th Jul 2013 (UK/EU)

In the hands of Mario & Luigi enthusiasts and those up for an epic but light-hearted quest, this is an indispensable must-have for the 3DS. In a universe apart from any other series starring the famous brothers, this once again shows the merits of a studio investing itself whole-heartedly not just in one game, but a whole franchise. It can be a glorious contradiction at times; simple but complex, accessible but lengthy, varied but familiar.

The enthusiasm and unrelenting creativity behind Mario & Luigi: Dream Team means that it flirts with going too far, truly being an adventure for those willing to stick it out over the long haul, which perhaps dents its ability to appeal to all 3DS owners. Yet such is the obvious talent and commitment to the project and its unique style that it’s still an adventure worth embarking upon.

49. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked (3DS)

Publisher:

Atlus /

Developer:

Atlus

Release Date:

23rd Aug 2011 (USA) / 29th Mar 2013 (UK/EU)

If you already own or played the DS version, this may not be the reboot you were hoping for. For those coming to the title fresh, however, prepare to be impressed. Even though the game doesn’t offer up much of an overhaul, it still remains a stellar, stylish RPG that handily melds strategy and turn-based battle. It’s definitely one of the heftier 3DS games out there too, with multiple endings and tons of content to explore.

48. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (3DS)

Publisher:

Level-5 /

Developer:

Level-5

Release Date:

28th Oct 2012 (USA) / 26th Oct 2012 (UK/EU)

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask achieves its goal of making a successful franchise transition to 3DS, retaining the charm of its predecessors and making subtle changes to improve the series standards. While solving wonderfully engineered puzzles is the meat of the gaming experience, moments of variety and a few new ideas ensure that the franchise maintains its freshness. Its greatest strength, that takes it from a top-notch puzzle collection to something more, is its story-telling. The broad range of characters, the emotional tone of the storyline and the teasing promise of more makes for an utterly engrossing experience. The question is whether this is worth your money; if you enjoy puzzles and charming tales of adventure, then you should already know the answer.

47. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (3DS)

Publisher:

Nintendo /

Developer:

Level-5

Release Date:

29th Aug 2014 (USA) / 28th Mar 2014 (UK/EU)

Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney delivers an utterly charming, enjoyable experience to satisfy fans of both franchises; it’s a crossover that, when experienced, seems entirely natural. The individual parts are pleasurable and entertaining, as always, though perhaps fall a little below the exceptional standards of their main-series contemporaries, and there’s a lingering sense that more gameplay innovation to blend the two brands could have been explored. These are minor complaints in the grand scheme of a lengthy adventure, but Level-5 and Capcom have done a commendable job. The end result is another 3DS title that exemplifies much of what sets Nintendo’s portable hardware and supporting software apart; it provides heart-warming, accessible fun, and entertainment to last for many hours.

46. Monster Hunter Generations (3DS)

Publisher:

Capcom /

Developer:

Capcom

Release Date:

15th Jul 2016 (USA) / 15th Jul 2016 (UK/EU)

Monster Hunter Generations is another must-have for fans of the franchise, blending the old with the new for an excellent overall package. Hunter Styles add a little extra intensity and tempo to combat while this game also tries to welcome newcomers with optional tutorials, with Prowler mode undoubtedly designed to be quirky and alluring to players of all kinds. It does some things better than its immediate predecessor – Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – but also a couple of things a little less impressively. The nod to nostalgia brings a lot of locations and quests to keep players busy, but loses a little of the narrative edge and focus of its predecessor. This franchise is one of the most enjoyable and immersive time-sinks to be found on Nintendo hardware. For any gamer ready for a long-term challenge, with tough battles and plenty of complexity to master, this is most certainly worth hunting down.

45. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (3DS)

Publisher:

Nintendo /

Developer:

Square Enix

Release Date:

16th Sep 2016 (USA) / 17th Sep 2016 (UK/EU) / 7th Feb 2013 (JPN)

An island-hopping adventure spanning space and time originally released on PlayStation, Dragon Quest VII is a JRPG masterpiece. If you played the original, this 3DS version is as perfect a remake as you could ask for, with beautiful 3D graphics, a smartly streamlined opening, and lots of welcome quality-of-life updates. This journey through Estard showcases great writing, a fun class system, lovely animations and a stellar soundtrack which make for a fully engrossing adventure throughout. It’s a massive game, but don’t let that scare you off; with short story-style pacing and a huge variety of settings, speech patterns, and scenarios, it feels less like an epic tome and more like a shelf-ful of storybooks stuffed into a little 3DS cart. This game is an absolute pleasure, and a must-play for RPG fans.

44. Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse (3DS)

Publisher:

Atlus /

Developer:

Atlus

Release Date:

20th Sep 2016 (USA) / 1st Dec 2016 (UK/EU)

As an RPG sequel, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is just about perfect. It lets players revisit a familiar world from a new perspective, keeps what made the original so special, and adds in several small but significant mechanical improvements that make for a smoother, better game throughout. We recommend playing through SMTIV first if possible, both to get the most out of Apocalypse and to experience one of the 3DS’ finest JRPGs, but however you arrive at it, this is a game that begs to be played. It’s a delightfully dark adventure that’s dripping with dystopian charm, and between the personable demons, deeply satisfying combat and killer aesthetic, we couldn’t get enough — the end times have never been so good.

43. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

Publisher:

Nintendo /

Developer:

Nintendo EAD

Release Date:

13th Nov 2011 (USA) / 18th Nov 2011 (UK/EU)

Billed as a stepping stone between the 2D and 3D games, Super Mario 3D Land scaled down the grand playgrounds of the mainline titles into smaller courses that worked better on a handheld screen. Beyond a handful of obvious and gimmicky perspective puzzles, this platformer showcased the console’s stereoscopic 3D by subtly signalling distance and perspective to the player – you weren’t relying on Mario’s shadow quite so much (a fact we more fully appreciated when we first played this game’s ‘big brother’, the excellent Super Mario 3D World on Wii U).

It was games like this and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds which really showed off the 3DS’ namesake feature and how it could enhance the gameplay experience without poking your eye out. Comfortably contained and wonderfully tailored to the hardware, this should really be in your collection already.

42. Stella Glow (3DS)

Publisher:

Atlus /

Developer:

imageepoch

Release Date:

17th Nov 2015 (USA) / 11th Mar 2016 (UK/EU)

A fitting swan song for imageepoch and another gem in the 3DS’ legendary RPG lineup, Stella Glow is smart, stylish, and seriously satisfying. Fans of SRPGs will get a kick out of the combat, characters, and strategy, the fun, fast-paced story will keep you entertained to the end, and the musical motif works wonderfully, winding its way through the gameplay and presentation with ease. A few interface wobbles keep it from being a totally perfect show, but they’re minor concerns in an otherwise spellbinding performance. Stella Glow is absolutely worth singing about.

41. Rune Factory 4 (3DS)

Publisher:

XSEED Games

Release Date:

1st Oct 2013 (USA) / 11th Dec 2014 (UK/EU)

Rune Factory 4 might not be for everyone, but if its unique combination of fantasy farming, dating sim, and action-RPG sounds like your cup of tea, you’ll have an absolute field day with this gem of a game. It’s bursting with bucolic charm, backed up by masterful writing and an irresistibly positive outlook, and plays like the pinnacle of a genre it invented itself. Whether you come for the adventure, the romance, or simply the turnips, Rune Factory 4’s inviting world will draw you in and give you plenty of reasons to stick around for many, many seasons to come.