Don’t believe what Nintendo says, the 3DS has sailed onto the sunset. Sure there might be a few scattered releases here and there and folks like Limited Run Games have already promised to give previously digital-only releases a new lease on life as physical releases but for all intents and purposes, the system has made way for Nintendo’s new darling – the Switch. And while that console has made a name for itself thanks to a robust lineup of stellar the 3DS made its name on having one of the best lineups in all of gaming and, with backwards compatibility being a thing of the past we think it would be a shame for those games to not live on – as ports over to the Nintendo Switch. So as we prepare to retire the ol’ dual-screen handheld we wanted to take a look at the games that defined the system and which should make their way over to the Nintendo Switch.

One quick note. This isn’t necessarily a list of the best games on the 3DS (we’re also putting that together) but rather the games that would work best on the Nintendo Switch.

10 – WarioWare: Gold

Let’s kick things off with a late arrival to the 3DS lineup but one of its better games nonetheless. It took a criminally long time for the WarioWare series to make its way over to the 3DS. After all it got what seemed to be an endless lineup of games on the DS, but the long wait was worth it as WarioWare: Gold delivers one of the best, and most complete games the series has ever seen. Essentially a compilation of the franchise’s greatest hits, WarioWare: Gold put all of the 3DS’ often underutilized features (remember that it has motion controls?) and delivered a solid love letter to the WarioWare series. Now since the Switch pretty much has all of the bells and whistles that the 3DS does, this is a no brainer that would be pretty easily ported over, maybe with more micro-games thrown in to the mix.

9 – Ultimate NES Remix

Remember when Nintendo was weird? I sure do! And one of the best experiments to come out of that era was the NES Remix series, a couple of games that took some of Nintendo’s best NES titles (and a few bad ones – no one likes Urban Champion ok?) and mixed them all up to create something brand new. Both NES Remix and NES Remix 2 originally came over to the Wii U but were perfect on the 3DS, owing to their pick up and play, quick game nature, something that would work very nicely on the Switch. I could see this working particularly well as a ‘free’ game thrown in alongside Tetris 99 and the NES collection for Switch Online subscribers. Stay weird Nintendo!

8 – Kirby 3DS Collection

It can be argued that the Kirby series has never been as good as it was on the Nintendo 3DS. It seemed like every few weeks a new game starring the pink puffball would be released for the 3DS and trying to pick just one to bring over to the Switch would be a really hard job – so why not a collection of both Triple Deluxe and Planet Robotot!? Often regarded as some of the best platformers to land on a system that has an abundance of great ones, being able to play through these games again in stunning HD (think Star Allies) would be a dream come true and a great way for Nintendo keep the pink-ball rolling.

7 – Metroid: Samus Returns

Another late-release 3DS game, Metroid: Samus Returns brought Nintendo’s leading lady back into the spotlight for her first (good) game in over a decade and what an event it was. Being able to visit SR388 all over again, this time in both 3D AND color was a treat to behold and while definitely one of the better looking games on the 3DS could be so much more if it came over to the Switch. Not only would the world of Samus Returns look better than ever in high definition but the game could be seriously improved with the use of dual sticks for aiming which would go a long way to making it feel like a smoother, less clunky experience.

6 – Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy

Nintendo and Square Enix are finally working together again and the results of this rekindled partnership has been a whole bunch of Final Fantasy games (both numbered and spin-offs) coming to Nintendo hardware. On the 3DS the most memorable entries in the series would have to be the Theatrhythm games, a couple of compilations of the best tracks from the storied franchise spruced up with RPG and rhythm based mechanics. It was a perfectly enjoyable time on the 3DS but one that was held back by the system’s diminutive speakers (forcing you to play with headphones to really get into the beat). Well on the Switch you could add connecting to a TV or home stereo as an option, allowing these fantastic tunes to be enjoyed in all of their glory.

5 – Monster Hunter: Stories

Another franchise that proved to be really popular with 3DS owners was Capcom’s Monster Hunting series and one of the more maligned games in the series is Monster Hunter: Stories, a spin-off RPG designed to tie into the anime series of the same name but also expand the series to a whole new audience of players. Sadly by the time this game finally made it over to North America many younger gamers had already moved on from the 3DS and the system was in full decline, so not many people got to experience this charming take on the Monster Hunter franchise. Porting the game over to the Switch would help give it a whole new lease on life and help Capcom reach their goal of growing the audience for Monster Hunter gearing up their next big release.

4 – Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.

Poor Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., it never really got a chance. I remember when Nintendo only released the name of the game and people immediately started making all sorts of lofty expectations of what it could be. From a new Metroid game, Star Fox or even a steampunk Zelda game the anticipation for what it could be was so ludicrous that when it was revealed to be a brand new tactics-style game from the Fire Emblem developers many people tuned out. Which is really too bad because Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is a really fun game that delivers really hard-fought combat and encounters that will really make you think about your next move. Giving the game a new lease on life on the Switch would be really cool and provide a nice alternative to the more fantasy-oriented Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

3 – Rhythm Heaven: Mega Mix

Hey look – it’s another ‘greatest hits’ collection for the 3DS! This time around its for one of my personal favorite franchises yet one I am horrendously bad at. Rhythm Heaven: Mega Mix packs in so much content, both new and old, that it’s easy to put dozens of hours into it and still have tons of stuff to do. Sadly though it also feels like the ‘end’ of the series, sort of like going out on a high note that will never be topped. While that’s still to be determined it would be great to get a port over to the Switch, if only I can remind myself just how terrible I am at rhythm games.

2 – Bravely Collection

Trying to choose which of the games in the ‘Bravely’ series I would mark as my favorite is something I refuse to do. Both Bravely Default and Bravely Second are among the best RPGs not just on the 3DS but released over the past 20 years and while I would still play these happy on my 3DS I would love to see what this world would look like in HD on the Switch. We got a taste of the developer’s talents with the recently released Octopath Traveler, but taking the adorable but low-poly models of the two handheld games and bringing them over to the Switch would really make them stand out. Sure I understand remaking both games would be a monumental task but there’s both so good and deserve to be played by as many people as possible.

1 – Kid Icarus: Uprising

The last game on our list is also the very first one we ever saw running on a Nintendo 3DS. Kid Icarus: Uprising from Masahiro Sakurai’s team at Sora Ltd. was an incredible ride from start to finish, bringing the series into the modern age complete with a deep story, impressive production values, tons of extra content, online multiplayer and more. It’s just a shame you couldn’t control it without giving yourself a massive hand cramp (there’s a reason Nintendo included a stand with the game). Bringing the game over to the Switch (which it’s much more versatile control layout) would allow for a whole new generation of gamers to not only see what made Kid Icarus: Uprising such a great game to begin with but might also give the series the new lease on life it so clearly deserves.

Did we miss any 3DS games that would be great fits on the Switch? What titles would you buy again to play in HD? Let us know in the comment section below!