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Best Arcade games on Nintendo 3DS

The 18 best Arcade games on Nintendo 3DS, ranked from 6,373 critic and player ratings.

The best Arcade game on Nintendo 3DS right now is Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001), with a critic score of 93/100 — updated November 2026.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
  • 18 games are listed on this page, carrying 6,373 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 18

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) 2001 · 188 ratings Classic Mario Kart action is back once again, this time in a colorful, lightning-fast game that you can take anywhere. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Wario, Yoshi and Bowser are all tearing up the track, tossing Koopa Shells and laying banana peels along the way. Mario Kart Super Circuit puts your driving skills to the test on 40 tracks, each littered with wild weapons and obstacles. Choose to play as any of your favorite characters as you speed around classic and brand-new tracks. If you're feeling combative, try out the creative weaponry (mushrooms, bananas, thunder bolts, and stars) in Battle mode. Feel like making some friends eat your dust? No problem. Four players can compete in Mario Kart Super Circuit using only one Game Pak! If each player has a copy of the game, bonus features and new modes of play become available. 93 /100
02 Cut the Rope Cut the Rope 2010 · 94 ratings Cut the Rope is a series of physics-based puzzle video games developed by ZeptoLab for several platforms and devices. The objective of the Cut the Rope games is to feed candy to a little green creature named Om Nom while collecting stars. In each level, the candy hangs by one or several of the titular ropes which the player must cut with a swipe of their finger using the device's touchscreen. Using various objects such as floating bubbles and bellows, the candy must also be manipulated around obstacles to get to Om Nom's mouth. Each level pack introduces new challenges. Levels are scored with a zero to three star rating, according to how many stars the player picked up, and a point score depending on the number of stars collected and the amount of time taken to complete the level. Game received multiple award, for example: Apple Design Award 2011, British Academy Video Games Awards 2011 and many others. 93 /100
03 Super Mario World S Super Mario World 1990 · 2,059 ratings · 12 Tier votes · finished by 64% A 2D platformer and first entry on the SNES in the Super Mario franchise, Super Mario World follows Mario as he attempts to defeat Bowser's underlings and rescue Princess Peach from his clutches. The game features a save system, a less linear world map, an expanded movement arsenal and numerous new items for Mario, alongside new approaches to level design and art direction. 92 /100
04 Rayman Origins Rayman Origins 2011 · 405 ratings · finished by 21% Bubble Dreamer, Rayman, his best friend Globox, and some Teensy friends are chilling out at the Bubble Dreamer's resting grounds, the Snoring Tree. However, their snoring disturbs an old granny from the Land of the Livid Dead, who retaliates by sending an evil army of horrendous creatures and the Darktoons across the world, capturing the Electoons that inhabit the world, imprisoning Betilla the Nymph and her sisters, and plunging the Glade into chaos. As a result, the ensuing disaster causes the Bubble Dreamer to go crazy and have nightmares. Although they are captured, Rayman and his friends are able to escape the Darktoons. They are then tasked by the Magician to gather enough Electoons to cure the Bubble Dreamer and restore the Glade of Dreams. Their efforts to locate the Electoons allow them to gain access to the various lands of the Glade, rescuing the Nymphs along the way. 89 /100
05 WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! 2003 · 113 ratings Frantic action! Prepare for lightning-quick game play as you blaze through over 200 bizarre microgames designed by a crazy crew of Wario's cronies! There are even two-player contests that can be played on a single Game Boy Advance! Pick up and play! Ultra-simple controls make each game easy to get into...until the games start coming faster... and faster...and FASTER! 89 /100
06 Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS 2014 · 198 ratings Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the first portable entry in the renowned series, in which game worlds collide. Up to four players battle each other locally or online using some of Nintendo’s most well-known and iconic characters across beautifully designed stages inspired by classic portable Nintendo games. It’s a genuine, massive Super Smash Bros. experience that’s available to play on the go, anytime, anywhere. 86 /100
07 The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth S The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth 2014 · 557 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 13% The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a top down, procedurally-generated roguelike game, remade based on the original game The Binding of Isaac. You play as Isaac, a little boy who is chased to the basement by his mother who intends to kill Isaac for her savior. You explore different levels, collect items and try to defeat your mother.. and whatever other evil awaits you. If you die, you restart with none of your items you collected, and you must explore the basement and beyond again. 86 /100
08 Mario Kart 7 Mario Kart 7 2011 · 277 ratings The seventh installment of the fan-favorite Mario Kart franchise brings Mushroom Kingdom racing fun into glorious 3D. For the first time, drivers explore new competitive kart possibilities, such as soaring through the skies or plunging to the depths of the sea. New courses, strategic new abilities and customizable karts bring the racing excitement to new heights. 84 /100
09 WarioWare: Touched! WarioWare: Touched! 2004 · 105 ratings Wario makes his debut on the Nintendo DS with hundreds of all-new minigames. Now you must complete your goals by using the touch screen and a stylus. Tap, scratch, and rub your stylus on the touch screen to play minigames that have you do everything from milking a cow and drawing a mustache to hurling stars at evil ninjas. You can even play some minigames by blowing into the DS's built-in microphone. The more minigames you clear, the more characters and items you unlock. The 3DS version was exclusively available for a few months in 2016 to My Nintendo members. 81 /100
10 VVVVVV VVVVVV 2010 · 188 ratings · finished by 10% There's something terribly wrong in an alternate dimension! Help Captain Viridian flip to find five crew members, 20 hard-to-reach Trinkets and save a dimension on the brink of destruction. It's a space opera in the most unique scale with a style that only VVVVVV can bring to you. Instead of jumping, control the direction of gravity by inverting your gravity and allowing Captain Viridian to flip between the floors and ceilings of the environment. For adventurers who save the dimension, there's still hours and hours of new gameplay with all-new Player Levels. Test your mettle and see if you have what it takes to beat a collection of levels created by other famous game developers. Inspired by classic 8-bit days gone-by and now with experience-heightening 3D, VVVVVV will challenge even the most battle-hardened old-school gamers. 80 /100
11 Super Mario Kart A Super Mario Kart 1992 · 464 ratings · 1 Tier vote 90 /100
12 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 1992 · 626 ratings · finished by 37% 78 /100
13 F-Zero F-Zero 1990 · 193 ratings 80 /100
14 Sonic Generations Sonic Generations 2011 · 243 ratings · finished by 11% 75 /100
15 Edge Edge 2011 · 160 ratings · finished by 5% 74 /100
16 Balloon Fight (1985) Balloon Fight (1985) 1985 · 114 ratings 69 /100
17 Angry Birds Star Wars Angry Birds Star Wars 2012 · 91 ratings 64 /100
18 Mega Man X (1993) A Mega Man X (1993) 1993 · 298 ratings · 1 Tier vote 55 /100
Browse all the best Nintendo 3DS games

Other platforms

Best Arcade games on PCBest Arcade games on PlayStation 3Best Arcade games on Xbox 360Best Arcade games on MacBest Arcade games on PlayStation 4Best Arcade games on Xbox OneBest Arcade games on iOSBest Arcade games on Nintendo SwitchBest Arcade games on AndroidBest Arcade games on LinuxBest Arcade games on ArcadeBest Arcade games on Wii

Same platform, other genres

Best Action games on Nintendo 3DSBest Adventure games on Nintendo 3DSBest Casual games on Nintendo 3DSBest Indie games on Nintendo 3DSBest Platformer games on Nintendo 3DSBest Puzzle games on Nintendo 3DSBest RPG games on Nintendo 3DSBest Strategy games on Nintendo 3DS

Nearby rankings

Best Arcade games of 2022Best Arcade games of 2020Best Arcade games of 2019Best Arcade games of 2018

Catalog statistics

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best Arcade game on Nintendo 3DS?

Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) currently tops the ranking with a score of 93/100 across 188 ratings. Ranking updated November 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.