Not to long ago Nintendo revealed the top ten best selling Nintendo 3DS games. Provided via the Nintendo’s investor relations portal, Nintendo frequently updates the sales figures for a variety of 1st party Nintendo games. All of these best selling 3DS games reflect sales figures current as of November 2016. The titles that make an appearance on the list below should come as no surprise. All of the top 10 best selling 3DS games are made by or published by Nintendo. No 3rd party games made the list, though Nintendo only provided figures for retail games, not eShop downloads.
Top 10 Best Selling 3DS Games
10th – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D – 4.52 Million Copies Sold
Coming in at 10th place, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D was one of the first must play 3DS games. With stunning visuals that made good use of the 3D screen, Ocarina of Time 3D was a game that many early 3DS adopters had to have. At the time of Ocarina of Time 3D’s release the 3DS was in dire need of a killer-app. The remastered N64 classic was real proof that the 3DS could provide amazing visuals with classic Nintendo charm. The success of selling over 4.5 million copies Nintendo later opted to develop the equally stunning The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D.
9th – Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon – 5.03 Million Copies sold
Coming in at 9th place is Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon, the sequel to Luigi Mansion on the Gamecube. Luigi Mansion 2 builds on the formula established by it’s Gamecube counterpart. The amount of personality in Luigi and the characters alongside fun ghost capturing fun makes this a great 3DS game.
8th – Tomodachi Life – 5.3 Million copies Sold
Owing much of it’s success outside of North America, Tomodachi Life is the 8th best selling 3DS game on our list. According to Vgchartz.com, Tomodachi Life sold 1.9 million units in Japan, over 2 million units in Europe and about 960,000 units in the U.S. The game may have been set back by vocalized criticism of Nintendo for not including same sex marriages in the American release of Tomodachi Life.
7th – Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS – 8.3 Million Copies sold
Releasing before the Wii U version, Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS provided players with a console like experience that worked well for the high intensity gameplay. The 3DS version also outsold the Wii U’s version by almost 2:1. Considering how many people own the Nintendo 3DS it’s no wonder it outsold the Wii U version and why it places 7th on the best selling 3DS games list.
6th – Animal Crossing: New Leaf – 10.3 Million Copies Sold
For such a niche game Animal Crossing New Leaf is real popular. So popular in fact that Nintendo recently added a free update that adds new areas, items, characters and more. Animal Crossing New Leaf – Welcome amiibo is a free update for Animal Crossing New Leaf that comes several years after the game’s original release. The more expanded version of New Leaf will support all Animal Crossing amiibo and amiibo cards.
5th – New Super Mario Bros. 2 – 10.6 Million Copies Sold
While not as pioneering as the original New Super Mario Bros for the DS, New Super Mario Bros 2 for the 3DS provided the owners with a fine 2D platformer. The game’s 1,000,000 coin collection challenge gave plenty of replay value and fun, while secondary modes like coin rush provided a quick break from the main mode. New Super Mario Bros 2 for the 3DS is a must play for any Mario fan.
4th – SUPER MARIO 3D LAND – 10.98 Million Copies Sold
Mario’s only 3D platformer for the 3DS also places 4th on our best sellers list. The game is just shy of 11 million according to Nintendo, and with the recent release of a special Super Mario 3D Land 3DS bundle the game is most likely already past the 11 million mark. While not as free as other 3D Mario adventures, 3D Land offers a great mobile 3D platformer that provides many surprises to players. The little diorama worlds feel very Mario, and provide the system with some of it’s best platforming opportunities.
3rd – Pokémon Omega Ruby / Pokémon Alpha Sapphire
Releasing concurrently with the launch of Super Smash Bros for Wii U, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire sit as the 3rd best selling 3DS games on our list. According to Nintendo the games have seen a sales boost thanks to the mobile launch of Pokemon Go for iOS and Android.
2nd – Mario Kart 7 – 13.9 Million Copies Sold
Mario Kart’s 7th entry is the 2nd best selling 3DS game worldwide, and should pass 14 million by the end of the year. The strong life of this several year old game is helped by Nintendo’s standard for high quality game design. Everything from Mario Kart 7’s graphics, to the maps and controls is well planned and up to the Nintendo standard. Mario Kart 7 plays wonderfully on the 3DS’s circle pad.
1st (Best Selling) – Pokémon X/Pokémon Y
Both Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are included as the best selling 3DS games of all time. When they released in 2013 the 3DS titles we’re some of the best selling games for the year. The amazing legs of Pokemon can still be seen, as the Pokemon Go release this summer (2016) gave 3DS Pokemon games a sales boost.
So what do you think of the best selling 3DS games? How many do you own? Let us know using the comments below.
Source : https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/sales/software/3ds.html
