All good things must come to an end and in the case of the Nintendo 3DS we’ve reached the end of its time as Nintendo’s mainline portable system. While it might be a bit sad to think that we won’t be getting any new games for the 3DS, at least none on the level we had come to expect from it, there’s no doubt that the 3DS will be fondly remembered as one of Nintendo’s best handhelds and a big part of that is because it featured an absolutely amazing lineup of games. And it’s these games that we want to celebrate today, as we look back at the life of the 3DS and all the fun we had with it over the last eight years.

Thanks for the memories!

Make sure to check out part one of this list right here.

10 – Shovel Knight

When Shovel Knight was announced many gravitated toward’s it’s bigger console and PC releases to get their shovelry on, but if you wanted to take the game on the go, the way to do so was on the 3DS. Literally nothing was lost in the game coming over to the 3DS from the Wii U and PC and even to this day it’s STILL getting content thanks to the Treasure Trove collection. Practically a 1-to-1 conversion over to the 3DS, Shovel Knight is an incredible game no matter what device you play it on but to be able to experience it in full on an admittedly weaker piece of hardware is an impressive technical feat.

9 – Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

Nintendo handhelds have always been RPG machines and the 3DS might just have been the best of the bunch thanks to incredible games like the full remake of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past. Taking the PlayStation classic and shrinking it down onto a 3DS you might think that you would be getting a lesser experience but never doubt the power of the 3DS as Dragon Quest VII’s remake is in many ways the superior version. Complete with an artistic overhaul that looks great on the system’s smaller screens, many quality of life improvements and tons of new features, it’s not a stretch to call this the definitive version of one of the best RPGs ever made.

8 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Before A Link Between Worlds was released, there was real doubt that Nintendo could make a 2D Zelda game feel fresh and innovative. Well the development team behind this one answered that challenge head on and delivered what is possibly the most unique top-down Zelda game ever made. That’s thanks to the game’s wall-merging mechanic that allows Link enter the walls themselves and explore the world and its dungeons in a whole new way. Built upon the framework of the SNES classic, A Link Between Worlds quickly established itself within the Zelda pantheon as an excellent Zelda game and the best ‘2D’ game in the series on the 3DS.

7 – Mario Kart 7

Do we really need to explain this one? It’s freaking Mario Kart! Mario Kart 7 is often credited (along with a couple of other games on this list) for having saved the 3DS from a particularly rough launch by delivering the kind of game that Nintendo fans had hoped would have been available from day one. Well the wait was definitely worth is as Mario Kart 7 delivered an experience that many would claim is superior to even the newest console game on the Wii thanks to its amazing track selection, solid character roster and actually decent online experience. The game would even go on to serve as the framework for Mario Kart 8 AND be the star of various 3DS bundles all the way through to the New Nintendo 2DS XL.

6 – Bravely Second: End Layer

Remember when I said the 3DS was an RPG machine? Well nowhere is that more evident than with Square Enix’s Bravely games, a couple of world-class role-playing games that are so vast in scope and deep in gameplay mechanics that it’s surprising they weren’t originally built for a console. While both games are absolutely excellent we have to give the nod to Bravely Second: End Layer, the… well second game of the duo thanks to its expanded story, refined mechanics and an end game that actually flows naturally rather than being a tedious grind. RPG gaming at its finest.

5 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Usually when we do lists like this we try to avoid selecting multiple games from the same series to be represented, but with just how different our two choices from the Zelda universe are we figured it would be fine with you if we made an exception. And really, there’s no way we could possibly have left this incredible remake off the list. Ocarina of Time 3D perfectly captured the spirit of the original Nintendo 64 game, improved on its presentation, made it easier to play (the Water Temple is SO much better here) and added plenty of new elements that it not only earns its spot as one of the best games on the 3DS, but the best version of Ocarina of Time… period.

4 – Super Mario 3D Land

Mario Kart 7 is a great game but it definitely couldn’t save the 3DS on its own. For that to come to pass it needed a bit of help and what better game to really make the 3DS the must-own game console of the year than a brand-new 3D Mario game. Super Mario 3D Land was a bit of a revelation when it was first released, taking the traditional 2D Mario level design and extrapolating it out into 3D the game offered up a whole new way to play a Mario game and was an instant hit. Nintendo loved the idea so much that they went back to the well (and added cats) for its Wii U sequel. On top of being a bonafide Mario success, the game is also one of best uses of the 3DS’ stereoscopic 3D capabilities to the point that some gamers refuse to play it on a 2DS.

3 – Pokémon (Sun/Moon)

Nintendo handhelds and Pokémon go together like bread and butter and the 3DS was home to a whole bunch of them. We got the first 3D games in the series with Pokémon (X/Y), full remakes of the gen-3 classics in Pokémon (Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire) and a couple of trips to Alola region with Pokémon (Sun/Moon) and (Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon). All of these are excellent games in their own right but it was Sun/Moon that really blew us away, mostly with how it managed to make Pokémon feel fresh again after so many years. The Alola region felt like a breath of fresh air and the new gameplay structure of doing Island Challenges was a great idea. But our favorite part has to have been discovering all the new Alolan forms of gen-1 Pokémon that were roaming around.

2 – Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Animal Crossing isn’t a franchise that gets a lot of releases but already three games in the formula was starting to feel a bit stale. That all changed when Animal Crossing: New Leaf was released because, for the first time in what felt like forever we got to see some real innovation from the series. Being able to act as your town’s mayor was an absolute game changer and gave living out our digital lives with a bunch of animal friends a whole new purpose. Not only that but the game had deep online connectivity as well as a steady steam of DLC from Nintendo (including a major expansion two years after it came out!) and it’s easy to see why our playtime is recorded at a few hundred hours.

1 – Fire Emblem: Awakening

It’s hard to think of a more important game to have launched on the 3DS than Fire Emblem: Awakening. The series had been struggling with its more recent titles failing to find an audience and the team at Intelligent Systems were ready to hang it up after releasing one last game in the long-running tactical RPG series as a sort of swan song to the franchise. Well as fate would have it, the game turned out to be a smash hit, completely changing the fortunes of the series and making it one of Nintendo’s biggest hits. This was accomplished thanks to a much more approachable interface and gameplay loop that allowed for new players to finally get into the traditionally very hardcore series. And while the 3DS would get (a lot) more Fire Emblem games, each of which are great in their own right, Awakening really was something special and earns the title as the best game on the 3DS.

With that we conclude our look at the best games on the Nintendo 3DS. Now it’s time for you to chime in! Let us know what your favorite 3DS games are in the comment section below!