10 Best Nintendo 3DS Games With High Replay Value

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The 3DS was Nintendo’s last dedicated handheld gaming system, and it was a bold attempt to innovate. It built upon the features of the original DS with a touchscreen, motion controls, and an augmented reality camera, but its most distinctive feature was the stereoscopic 3D screen. It was an impressive console, and I was excited to get one when it first came out, even though there weren’t many great games available at launch. Luckily, it came with a bunch of fun AR games already installed.

Over time, the 3DS built up an impressive library of games, not just from Nintendo, but from many other developers too. These games were the reason I felt good about buying the system early on, and they kept me playing it for years until it was finally discontinued. If you wanted a console with lots of great games you could play again and again, both at home and while traveling, the 3DS was a perfect choice.

10. Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX

I’m Thinkin’ Miku, Miku, Oo-ee-oo

By the mid-2010s, Sega’s Hatsune Miku rhythm games, known as Project DIVA, were very popular in Japan. Fans in the United States, though, had to use fan-made translations to play the PlayStation versions. This changed in 2015 when Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX – which is pronounced ‘Deluxe’ – became the first official game in the series released in the West.

Project Mirai DX is a rhythm game where you play along to a huge collection of Vocaloid songs. A cute, miniature Hatsune Miku dances on screen as you play. It includes all the content from the previous Project Mirai game, with 48 songs and plenty of outfits to unlock for Miku.

This game is popular, like the recent Project Diva releases, because it expertly blends challenging, precise rhythm gameplay with fantastic Vocaloid music. Each song offers a variety of difficulty levels, and it’s designed to keep you striving for improvement, even when you think you’ve mastered it.

9. Kirby: Planet Robobot

Everything’s Better With Giant Robots

Kirby games have always been a great fit for Nintendo’s portable systems, and the 3DS was no different. His smaller, scrolling adventures were ideal for playing on the go, but they still offered plenty of content. For example, the latest traditional Kirby game on the 3DS, Planet Robobot, featured epic battles against massive robots.

Planet Robobot is a classic Kirby game, offering the familiar side-scrolling platforming experience where you float around as Kirby, absorb enemies, and use special abilities. What makes this game unique is the Robobot Armor – a mech suit Kirby can pilot that gives his abilities a robotic twist. This game also introduces Susie, who quickly became a fan favorite as both a villain and a friend.

Honestly, the main story in this game is great, but the real reason I keep playing is all the extra stuff you can do. There’s The Arena and The True Arena which are super challenging, then Team Kirby Clash, which is a really fun multiplayer RPG. And get this – there’s a whole other campaign where you play as Meta Knight! Seriously, any time I spend playing Kirby is time well spent, and Planet Robobot gives you so much to do with the little guy. It’s awesome.

8. Rhythm Heaven Megamix

Do It Again But Better

The Rhythm Heaven series began on the Nintendo DS, and after a brief appearance on the Wii, it made sense for the third game to return to a handheld format. Rhythm Heaven Megamix includes many of the same catchy and addictive minigames found in Rhythm Heaven Fever, but it’s designed for the Nintendo DS’s touchscreen controls.

The Rhythm Heaven series, including Megamix, is built around a core idea: staying on beat through a variety of fast-paced, easy-to-learn minigames. You play by pressing buttons or tapping the touchscreen, but the gameplay always stays simple. Megamix itself brings together all the minigames from the first Rhythm Heaven and its sequel, Fever, and organizes them into a story mode.

Like other music-based games, Rhythm Heaven Megamix is perfect if you’re looking for songs that get stuck in your head and gameplay that’s challenging but fun. It really demands your attention, so it’s best to play when you can focus, but once you start, you’ll be hooked until the end of the song.

7. WarioWare Gold

Three Generations Of WarioWare In One

Let me tell you, no Nintendo handheld is complete without a WarioWare game. I grew up playing them on the Game Boy Advance – there were two! – and then one on the DS, and each one was totally unique and hilarious. If you were a fan of those older games, you’re in luck because WarioWare Gold feels like they took everything great about all three and packed it into one seriously polished package.

WarioWare Gold brings together the fast-paced microgames from three classic handheld titles – WarioWare Inc., WarioWare Twisted, and WarioWare Touched. It keeps all the unique ways to play from each game, whether it’s using buttons, twisting the system, or the touchscreen. The game is divided into leagues that focus on each play style, and then throws everything together in a final, challenging league. It’s essentially the best of all three games combined into one incredibly addictive experience, and it’s always fun to try and beat your high score, no matter how you play!

WarioWare Gold is the first game in the series to feature complete voice acting in its cutscenes, adding a lot of charm to the experience. What’s even more fun is that you can record your own voiceovers for those cutscenes using the 3DS microphone – it’s guaranteed to make you laugh!

6. Animal Crossing: New Leaf

The Game That Gave Us Isabelle

I started playing Animal Crossing relatively recently, picking up New Horizons in 2020 – like many others, it was a welcome distraction during that year. After really getting into it, I went back and played the older game, Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the 3DS, and now I finally understand why all my friends were so obsessed with it years ago.

New Leaf was different from other Animal Crossing games because you weren’t just a resident – you were the mayor! This meant you controlled how the town developed, choosing who moved in and where things were built, all while still taking care of your own home. It also introduced Isabelle, who quickly became a fan favorite as your helpful assistant.

Many fans consider New Leaf to be a standout title in the Animal Crossing series, and it’s easy to understand why. Like other games, it lets you get lost in the small details of everyday life, but it also gives you much more control over how your town develops. Plus, it was the first game in the series to really embrace online features like sharing designs and visiting friends’ towns – though those online features no longer work due to server issues.

5. Kid Icarus: Uprising

Still Waiting For That Port, Nintendo

Masahiro Sakurai, a key figure at Nintendo and a brilliant game designer, consistently creates games that remain popular for years. He demonstrated this with the Smash Bros. series, Kirby Air Ride, and Kid Icarus: Uprising on the 3DS. Now, I’m hoping Nintendo will release a version of Kid Icarus: Uprising for the next Switch console!

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a unique game that blends rail shooting with action combat. You play as Pit, a charming angel, and battle enemies both in the air and on the ground. The game is known for its innovative intensity system, created by Masahiro Sakurai, which lets you increase the difficulty using in-game currency for a chance at better rewards.

Even after completing the main story, there’s still plenty to discover in the game, like new weapons, skills, and extra collectibles such as art. Plus, a separate multiplayer mode offers even more gameplay. Just be careful not to overdo it – the game’s unusual controls can sometimes cause hand strain.

4. Super Mario 3D Land

Get A New Perspective

Nintendo was successful with its classic Mario games, like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which featured levels to complete. While bigger, 3D Mario games like Super Mario Galaxy worked well on home consoles, they might have been too complex for a handheld system. So, for the 3DS, Nintendo created Super Mario 3D Land, blending elements of both styles.

Super Mario 3D Land combines the straightforward, level-by-level design of classic 2D Mario games with the freedom of movement found in 3D console Mario titles. While you still progress from the beginning to the end of each level, the game adds new 3D maneuvers like wall-jumping and backflips, making it a more fluid experience. Notably, this game reintroduced the Super Leaf power-up, which hadn’t been seen since its debut in Super Mario Bros. 3.

Super Mario 3D Land is generally a really enjoyable game, with levels often featuring memorable moments you’ll want to replay. And even after finishing the main story, there are extra-challenging levels to keep you playing, offering plenty of content to master.

3. Super Mario Maker For Nintendo 3DS

What The Touch Screen Was Made For

Super Mario Maker was a huge hit when it came out for the Wii U in 2015. Nearly every Wii U owner was playing, creating, and sharing their own Mario levels. Recognizing its popularity, Nintendo quickly released a version for the 3DS in 2016, called Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, to keep the momentum going.

Similar to the Wii U game, this 3DS version lets you create and customize your own side-scrolling Mario levels with a full set of tools. Almost all the features from the Wii U version are included, and you can even play many of the levels you created on the Wii U. While some things were removed, like the 10-Mario Challenge, they were replaced with new content, such as the Super Mario Challenge, which features 100 challenging levels.

Super Mario Maker on the 3DS captures the fun of both playing and creating levels. The touchscreen makes placing tiles easy, and you still have plenty of options to customize your courses. It’s a shame you can’t share levels online, as that was a significant drawback. However, even without online sharing, designing levels can be really enjoyable.

2. Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS

Smash On The Go

When Nintendo announced the fourth Super Smash Bros. game for the Wii U, they surprised everyone by also revealing a version for the 3DS. No one had ever thought about playing Smash Bros. on a handheld system before, and it was uncertain how it would play. While the 3DS version wasn’t perfect, it was still a great way to enjoy the game on the go.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS offers nearly all the content found in the Wii U version, with new characters, stages, and ways to play. The main difference is that some features, like eight-player battles, were too demanding for the 3DS hardware. Instead, the 3DS version included a unique mode called Smash Run, where players explore a big map and collect power-ups, similar to the City Trial mode in Kirby Air Ride.

Although the 3DS controls weren’t ideal for the fast-paced action of Smash Bros., having such a complete game on a portable system was an incredible value. Smash is enjoyable whether you’re playing alone or with others, and the 3DS made it easy to have a match anywhere, anytime.

1. Mario Kart 7

Land, Sea, And Sky

Nintendo understands that a new Mario Kart game is essential for the success of each of its consoles. Since the 1990s, Mario Kart has been a major selling point. While 3DS owners could play the older Mario Kart DS, the system also launched with its own dedicated title – Mario Kart 7, which was the first in the series to be simply numbered as such.

Mario Kart 7 kept popular features from past games, like playing with friends online or locally and using motion controls. But it also introduced some brand new ideas that became key parts of future Mario Kart games, including the ability to drive underwater and soar through the air. These new aerial sections worked with the game’s kart customization feature, letting players build karts with different bodies, wheels, and gliders to fit how they like to play.

What makes Mario Kart 7 – and the whole Mario Kart series – so special isn’t just unlocking new characters and kart parts. It’s the fast-paced gameplay that’s easy for anyone to pick up and play. Games are quick, letting you jump right into another race, and even after countless replays, the fun never fades. It’s a formula that’s worked brilliantly for decades.

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2025-12-04 22:12