In September 2020, after nearly a decade of availability and over 75 million units sold, the Nintendo 3DS was officially discontinued. Yet the legacy of the 3DS lives on, even now. Some of the best rated games were available on the Nintendo 3DS, and while many of those games are no longer readily available, it's still interesting to revisit them. That's why a newly released list covering the top 30 best-selling games on the Nintendo 3DS is particularly exciting.
The list comes from the Japanese outlet Famitsu, which did a retrospective on the 3DS and included this list. One notable aspect of the list is that it only includes sales data for physical releases. Digital sales were not included, as they aren't (or weren't) publicly shared. Keep in mind that many of these games are years old by now and that digital sales may not have changed the rankings significantly. Regardless, it's a list rich in nostalgia.
Number one on the list is the combined sales of both Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, the first of three major paired Pokemon releases for the Nintendo 3DS. Pokemon X and Pokemon Y saw the main Pokemon series brought into three dimensions for the very first time, as previous games had maintained a purely isometric camera angle. Many Pokemon fans will fondly recall walking into Lumiose City and making the loop around Prism Tower for the first time.
Rounding out the top five are several games from major franchises that remain popular on Nintendo hardware to this day. In order, the next four games are Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, Monster Hunter 4, and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls. Animal Crossing was one of the most popular games of 2020, Pokemon's now seeing annual releases, Monster Hunter has a Nintendo Switch exclusive out soon, and Yo-Kai Watch 4++ arrives on the Switch in 2021.
Just looking through the lists, it's exciting to see so many series that are being continued on the Switch today. Super Smash Bros., Dragon Quest, Super Mario Maker, and Luigi's Mansion are just a few examples. While third-party games are rarer than first-party games, success stories from a generation ago continue to have long-term success.
1. Pokémon X / Y - 4,504,626
2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 4,476,950
3. Pokémon Sun / Moon - 3,844,977
4. Monster Hunter 4 - 3,591,334
5. Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits / Fleshy Souls - 3,210,295
6. Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire - 3,170,976
7. Mario Kart 7 - 2,887,908
8. Monster Hunter Generations - 2,833,860
9. Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters - 2,655,357
10. New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 2,624,127
11. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS - 2,613,529
12. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - 2,571,350
13. Pokémon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon - 2,529,930
14. Yo-Kai Watch Blasters - 2,191,034
15. Super Mario 3D Land - 2,178,637
16. Tomodachi Life - 1,826,729
17. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - 1,817,915
18. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate - 1,691,202
19. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - 1,589,804
20. Yo-Kai Watch 3: Sushi / Tempura - 1,516,996
21. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer - 1,507,126
22. Puzzle & Dragons Z - 1,477,621
23. Yo-Kai Watch - 1,303,281
24. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past - 1,238,660
25. Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS - 1,196,045
26. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - 1,057,454
27. Monster Strike - 999,955
28. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King - 929,179
29. Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D - 921,310
30. Kirby Triple Deluxe - 851,295
There are also some series that haven't continued. Tomodachi Life was a surreal experience that lives on spiritually in Miitopia. Monster Strike took some of Puzzle & Dragons' audience, but hasn't come back since. And then there are assorted Nintendo series that won't be continued, but will be re-released down the line at full price. The Nintendo 3DS is gone, but the Nintendo Switch continues its legacy.
Source: Famitsu (via Go Nintendo)