31 Best Nintendo 3DS Games of All Time 

31) Metroid: Samus Returns 1:04 30) Xenoblade Chronicles 3D 1:45 29) Stella Glow 2:19 28) Ever Oasis 2:52 27) Super Mario 3D Land 3:31 26) Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth 25) Kirby: Planet Robobot 4:49 24) Fire Emblem Awakening 5:20 23) Rune Factory 4 5:52 22) Kid Icarus: Uprising 6:25 21) Fantasy Life 7:02 20) Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS 7:37 19) Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D 18) Shin Megami Tensei IV 8:55 17) Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World 9:37 16) Monster Hunter Generations 10:16 15) SEGA 3D Classics COllection 11:05 14) Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King 11:43 13) Mario Golf: World Tour 12:40 12) Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon 13:16 11) Rhythm Heaven Megamix 13:55 10) Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call 14:31 9) New Super Mario Bros. 2 15:20 8) Bravely Second: End Layer 16:04 7) Star Fox 64 3D 16:45 6) The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 17:37 5) Mario Kart 7 19:09 4) Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 20:19 3) Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon 21:21 2) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D 22:27 2) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D 22:33 1) Animal Crossing: New Leaf 23:56

I love my Switch but in 2020 I can’t believe how much I keep going back to my 3Ds. What gem of a system this thing is!

I have a Switch but I still play my 3ds allll the time, almost daily. It's much more convenient to travel with. Battery life way better than Switch Lite for travel. I have a MASSIVE collection of games and the ds and 3ds library is perfection. I keep buying games, carts and digital, to this day. Whatever 3ds you own don't get rid of it. These are just such a perfect piece of gaming history and a blast to play.

Link Between Worlds is still visually stunning, extremely replayable, and a great sequel to Link to the Past. My all time favorite game on the 3DS.

I sadly got the reward for playing Animal Crossing for 500 hrs I'm lonely

I’ve joined the 3DS bandwagon rather late I know but much the same as I did with the PS3, joining late means I have a huge buffet of quality to feast on. Rather than joining hype early and starving between releases.

Luigi’s mansion dark moon is legit one of my favourite games ever. THE MUSIC IS AMAZING, THE AREAS ARE TERRIFYING, AND MY PANTS WERE SOILED AFTER THE HAUNTED TOWERS

Omg...#1 gave me such a HUGE nostalgia trip! I can't believe it's been so long since I've played that game! About the most charming game I've ever touched in my life! I couldn't quite figure out which game you guys were going to have as #1, but as soon as I saw it, I was really happy to see it at the top! :D

"Ever Oasis is a game like no other" [Proceeds to describe it by comparison to other games] Gave me a bit of a chuckle with that :P

If your going to make a video do it right & write a list in the description like this: Metroid: Samus Returns Xenoblade Chronicles 3D Stella Glow Ever Oasis Super Mario 3D Land Etrian Odyssey V Kirby: Planet Robot Fire Emblem Awakening Rune Factory 4 Kid Icarus: Uprising Fantasy Life Super Mario Maker Donkey Kong Country Shin Megami Tensei IV Poochy & Yoshi’s Monster Hunter Generations Sega 3D classics collection Dragon Quest VIII Mario Golf: world tour Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon Rhythm Heaven Megamix Theatrhythm Final Fantasy New Super Mario bros 2 Bravely Second Star fox 64 3D The Legend of Zelda: A link between worlds 5. Mario Kart 7 4. Super Smash Bros. 3. Pokemon ultra sun & ultra moon 2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D 1. Animal Crossing New leaf

I know I might be the only one but I thought the Yo-kai watch series deserved a spot I mean the games were very fun in my opinion and It had so many places to explore and expanded every game also not to mention in the sequel fowards your Yo-kai friends could follow you and even after the story you had so many things you could do even side missions I think it was way ahead of its time and deserved a spot at least

Really cool to see Theatrehythm CC on the list! I've put hundreds of hours into that game, it's probably my favorite game on the Nintendo 3DS

Ace Attorney is my number 1. I see them as a must buy on the 3DS. The Ace Attorney series is a mix of visual novel, detective work + courtroom battles, where you defend your innocent clients and learn the truth of what had happened. The characters are colourful and full of personality, the cases interesting and I cannot get enough of them.

such a great little console

Thank you for putting Fantasy Life on this list. It's easily the best game I've ever played. Such a nice and relaxing (usually, depends on your job) game. And the story wasn't half bad either!

1:00 in and I’m already living for your personality. Immediate subscriber

You guys did a great job for the top 5, especially #1.

The lack of a Professor Layton and Ace Attorney game is criminal. Those BOTH had 2 great games on the 3DS and even a crossover (I would cheat and put one of each plus the crossover). I would've also had a different top 5 but that's subjective so I won't jump on you for that. (Also including OoT & MM on there is unfair, OF COURSE they would make it; they're all-time great games but LBW shouldn't be looked down upon, I'd have that in my top 10)

Nintendo Life: HELLow there lovely ppl RU-vid: did he just say hell? *DEMONETIZED*

When they showed animal crossing with the music it was very satisfying and pleasing and it made me happy and now I feel nastalgic

I still regularly play Animal Crossing and I'm SO HAPPY to see it at #1

I’d have added Super Street-fighter IV 3D, Tales of the Abyss & Resident Evil Revelations.

Superb video material. I really enjoyed watching it. Thumb up!

Loved this video. There’s also games in here which aren’t on other lists which I respect. Not just the mundane regurgitated content from other videos. Well done guys

LOVED SEEING FANTASY LIFE!!!! one of my favorite games ever made

This top 31 is still relevant as of October 2019. My personal favorite is still Fantasy Life.

2 minutes in the video and it’s sooo detailed and amazing!!!

Nice review :-) just what i needed to buy any last game i missed. I have at least 8 of these

I swear if Ace attorney isn't on this list I'll eat my cat Edit: welp, I guess I'm having Chinese tonight

I don't think you can use the c-stick with Ocarina btw. Only Majoras. Ocarina was made long before the New 3DS, so they weren't even aware of a c-stick.

Thanks for this list. Theatrythm Final Fantasy is my favorite music game and in my top ten all time! The mix of rpg elements with some of the greatest game music of all time is such a pefect combination. Mariokart 7 also really holds up. its also got a really strong 3d immersion.

Congratulations on 300k Subs!

Our kids have Switch Lite and 3DS. Both systems are great but the 3DS has many creative ways to play. From tilting to using the stylus, blowing air at the mic and pressing buttons and the dual screens. It provides more play styles. I hope that in 2020 and beyond that people will figure a way to keep it alive and add upgrades to the screen like what we see from 3rd party manufacturers with the Gameboy Advance and its IPS addon.

Just got my first 2DS XL (first handheld since the DS and Vita), and a lot of these games look great. My 2DS XL came with Mario Kart 7 :D which has been so much fun, even online, and I picked up A Link Between Worlds for my first real adventure game, and LOVE It. Can't wait for Super Mario 3D land and Ocarina/Majora's and others.

Amazing games! It's 2018 and I still want to build up my 3DS library

“i don’t really like pit as a character” oh it’s time for a crusade

What no Garfield kart I lost all respect for Nintendolife

FINALLY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THAT RHYTHM HEAVEN EXISTS IN ONE OF THESE LISTS!

Love the fact that you include Rune factory 4 on here. You are right its a weird game and isn't for everyone but in my opinion its an amazing game and should be tried at least once.

I just want to say that Omega Ruby was my favorite Pokemon on the 3DS. My close 2nd was Sun and Moon. I never played Ultra Sun and Moon, though.

A Link Between Worlds is my favourite 3DS game ever, and that's saying a lot with the 3DS's amazing library

I see that echoes was overlooked of the fire emblem games

Thanks! Awesome video! Now that the 3DS seems to be on its way out I feel like I should go buy one brand new and stock up on games, since I know that if I take care of the thing it should last for a decade! This is a good starting point. Now if I can just hit the lottery......

This really is a definitive list. The best one I've seen for 3DS. And I've been watching all of them cuz I just started on 3ds 😂 :))

00:10 And then the March Direct happened and now there's 3DS games coming for at least until 2019.

I'm about halfway through the video and have only heard of about 12 of the games

Finally, a list that mentions Ever Oasis, it's such a fun game!!!

Another great game you guys missed is Virtue's Last Reward. It might suffer a bit by being a sequel to the equally obscure 999 Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors for the Classic DS, but it is a solid blend of visual novel storytelling and escape the room puzzles that kept me engaged all the way through.

FANTASY LIFE IS ON HERE TOO!! OMG FINALLY SOMEONE THAT HAS PLAYED GAMES OTHER THAN POKEMON AND REMAKES OF ZELDA

Just bought a 2ds XL and excited to work my way through this catalogue

I am glad they included Stella Glow in this list. One of the most underrated game for the 3ds

I’m just here to get ideas what to emulate for pc ! Thanks for the list I usually dont emulate but I cant play handheld :p

23:55 minutes waiting for Professor Layton to show up... Then I realized animal crossing hadn't shown up and I knew my sweet british gentleman would be forgotten forever.

You also need to make a list on the best ds games

Thank you so much! I've chosen about 11 games for a new one I'm getting in the future. Thank you! xx

Love it how you went from a bright and happy game to a dark and scary game

This list gets 1000+ exp for listing Ever Oasis, Fantasy Life, Bravely Default and Bravely Second. There are sooo so many amazing games between DS and 3DS. I could never choose. But those games, either one or some, don't always show up on lists.

I will vouch for fantasy life. It’s one damn good game and the server has active people if you wanna do multiplayer

My list would consist of 20 pokemon games, a few Zelda ones, and a couple of Mario's, so yeah. Quite refreshing! Thanks! Also, I don't even have a 3ds anymore :( but I will get a new 2ds xl pretty soon, I hope!

Super solid list I couldn’t argue with one game.

So I've watched the switch one, this one and the gba one, and I can say that Nintendo Life is obsessed with RPGs and golf

Pro-tip: if you hit the right arrow key as soon as one of these nintendoLife videos start, they become much more bearable.

Literally ordered a 3DS xl and I’m SO READY

surprised that there's no mario & luigi game here. i had a blast playing those honestly

I may be mistaken, but I was under the impression that Mario Maker 3DS lacked not just Miiverse, but rather lacked all online functionality. In contrast, I believe the WiiU version can still share and play online levels even without Miiverse. This makes the 3DS version seem nearly worthless.

I'm POSITIVE that RE Revelations not being on here was some kind of mistake.

Cheers mate new to 3ds 2020

Thank you for putting ACNL for the number one spot. I have been a player since 2013, and I’m still playing in 2018.

I’m getting a 3ds in 2019/2020 just for ocarina of time

I played 300 hours on acnl Then gave up my copy when I unlocked everything. Now? Someone got me back into it. And I can't stop. It's a perfect game

I love your intros. “Hello lovely people!”

I really want to get Pokémon Ultra Sun on my 3ds, I did the demo and it’s amazing!

A great game for the 3ds is tomadachi life. It is so comedies and fun, and I was shocked it wasn't on here

Number 1: ACNL....Thank You Alex. Now go to Nintendo HQ and tell the higher ups we want AC for the Switch ASAP! XD

Thanks for this video, cool idea and I agree with many of the games on the list. My fave 3ds games in no particular order: Zelda Oot/Mm virtue's last reward theathythm curtain call Professor layton and the miracle mask Professor layton vs phoenix wright a link between worlds fantasy life animal crossing tomodachi life zero time dilemma yokai watch hatsune miku project dx luigis mansion mario kart fire emblem awakening mario 3d land kid icarus rhythm thief

Bro said “omeeeega” 💀. Great video

I definitely agree with you that Animal Crossing : New Leaf should be number one. It is the best animal crossing game by a long mile and for me it is my favourite and most played game of all time. P.S.-I spent 400 hours playing it. What is my life?

Kingdom Hearts 3D should definitely be on here somewhere.

I'd have added fossil fighter frontier a masterpiece of my childhood but nobody never talk about it

Love gaming and will be getting more 3DS games and systems. Do you look for anyone to write for you or talk on your podcast with you?

I'm sad the 3ds is slowly dying because of the switch. Hope Nintendo continues the DS handhelds because it has such a large player base.

How you go from Majora’s mask to animal crossing? Idk🤷🏽‍♂️

I wish they would make a spin-off version of monster hunter where instead of fighting the monsters, they befriend them. They can train them and fly to discover strange new islands and visit different towns. They can grow their skillsets and connection to the owner such as trust and different kinds of compatibility metres. Maybe like a pokemon-like twist but with more focus on the fantasy and scenery in noice graphics. I'm thinking of a reminscence to Lost in Blue series for scenic atmosphere, like a peaceful ambience.

I’ve had my 3ds since 2011 still works like the first day I got it, I love it and always end up going back to it🙌🏾

"Because i don't think there are gonna be any more" 2019: Kirby's EXTRA epic yarn

Who else is here trying to figure out what 3ds games they should rebuy while we can update them?

You can see Majora's Mask when during the creepy transition from Ocarina of Time to Majora's Mask.

Yesss more 3ds videos!

ORAS had the better story mode IMO. The newest game in the series will inevitably have the best multiplayer experience though.

For me, Kid Icarus Uprising deserves de first spot. It's one of my favorite games of all time, I'm impressed till today that it is on a 3DS

FINALLY SOMEONE MENTIONS FANTASY LIFE! SO UNDERRATED

thanks for the video: I just bought stella glow from amazon last night because I'm interested in it and I love jrpgs and I love anime Nintendo Life

Kid Icarus uprising and animal crossing are tied for me

I bought Animal Crossing for my 3ds when I was pregnant with my first. She's 4 now and we both play it together! Couldn't agree more on number 1.

Here after the 3DS eshop shutdown was announced. Gotta get my collection ready before it's too late.

I just got stella glow from the mail today and I'm lovin it. the battle system is like hyperdevotion noire so it took me seconds to get used to it. and it's my 1st jrpg on the nintendo market too.

What a brilliant syatem.

My Top 10 3DS Games 1. Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon 2. Zelda Majoras Mask 3. Fire Emblem Awakening 4. Mario Kart 7 5. Super Smash Bros 6. Shovel Knight 7. Super Mario Land 3D 8. Kid Icarus Uprising 9. Hyrule Warriors Legends 10. Kirby Planet Robot

I like that Solid Snake is the narrator for the Kirby: Planet Robobot trailer.

He's so excited and bouncy, he's adorable