Forget the Switch 2, here’s why you should grab a Nintendo 3DS in 2026

I was a late bloomer to the Nintendo 3DS. Having bought one in 2015, I was amazed by how well the handheld felt, and the 3D (something I had heard so much about in the 90s), enhanced many retro games, such as Sonic and Streets of Rage, with impressive depth in their levels. Combined with some exclusive titles, it’s still something beloved by players.

But the 3DS slowly disappeared for me, and it’s been in several drawers since 2021. However, the handheld has shot up in value in recent months, with some 3DS models reaching $300. It made me take out my 3DS XL, and for several weeks, I’ve found it to be one of the best handhelds ever made. Here’s why you should consider one for 2026.

The Escapist recaps

• The Nintendo 3DS was released in 2011 as a successor to the 2004 Nintendo DS, which also spawned larger models with an additional analog numpad.
• The main draw of this handheld was its 3D top screen, which allowed it to showcase games, as well as its greater power than its predecessor.
• In September 2020, the entire 3DS line was discontinued.
• The handheld’s best-selling game was Mario Kart 7, with roughly 19 million copies sold.

A third-dimension

It’s fair to say that around the time of the Nintendo 3DS’ launch, the company was struggling. Its Wii U console was a failure, with many customers confused about whether it was an add-on for the Wii and what its name even meant. But the 3DS offered something different – it gave me a similar ‘wow’ feeling when I was gifted my Game Boy, back at Christmas 1995.

Because it had been in a drawer for several years, surviving several moves and life changes, the 3DS XL, a bigger-screened model of the original with a bit more power, was left in pristine condition when I opened it. I only needed a charger to revive it. One eBay purchase later, and the handheld sprang back to life.

With the 3DS eShop closing in 2023, I had to use some third-party methods to rediscover some games all over again. Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, and many more were now ready to play. The added depth that the 3DS gives to these titles was fantastic, especially in some 3D Land’s levels, where you had to drop down from a great height, which really added to the nerves of making the right jumps.

Another highlight was playing the Sega 3D Classics collection again. M2, known for its incredible efforts in emulating past games, arguably showed off its best work here. It instead remade games like Sonic, Altered Beast, Power Drift, and others to introduce new 3D depth.

For example, as you run through Green Hill Zone, trees pop out, and the Special Zone stages feel like a completely new experience. It’s simply stunning, and another collection, exclusive to Japan, features even more games like Gunstar Heroes and Streets of Rage 2.

However, some games on the system make you wonder why they’re there at all. Playing Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D is simply a strange experience, with the face buttons as the camera, shoulder buttons as aim and attack, and the touchscreen used to sort out your gear. Combined with a horrendous framerate, I can’t help but think MGS 2 would have been better suited to the handheld.

Nevertheless, there’s a charm to the 3DS that’s not gone away, especially when we’re approaching the second year of the Nintendo Switch 2 being out, and being able to play games like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker on the go. But I’d argue there’s still a space for a Nintendo 3DS in 2026.

Somehow, the 3DS returned

Because of the 3DS’s small size and clamshell design, it easily fits into my jeans or coat pocket and jump back into playing some Pokémon games, and Zelda, like A Link Between Worlds, is still exclusive to the handheld. I don’t usually switch off the 3D, but when I’m in a moving vehicle, it can make me nauseous. It does help the battery when there’s a long journey ahead.

When you have a Nintendo 3DS in your hands, you get your answer as to why the value of them has shot up in recent months. Even 10 years ago, it signaled an era when Nintendo made both a console and a handheld, but the DS platform, as a whole, offered something a console couldn’t. It had a 3D touchscreen with a stylus, StreetPass let you connect with other players, and so much more.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is a powerful system and offers plenty of great games, past and present. But there’s a charm about the 3DS that’s missing. It’s fun, easy to carry, features some great games that will likely never appear on the Switch 2, and its 3D screen gives some titles the feeling of surprise and awe that’s unlikely to return anytime soon.

It’s why both the Switch 2 and the 3DS will be in my backpack for the foreseeable future. Granted, we may see some DS games come to the Nintendo Classics retro service sometime, but it won’t replicate the fun and comfort the 3DS offers. If you can, I strongly recommend looking into one – you won’t regret it.

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References

1. 3ds Xl for sale (eBay)
2. Your choice regarding cookies on this site (Games Sega)